Feb 26, 2022 presented by Angela Ruth Strong Angela's journey has led to truths that will help writers make their own work more powerful. Ms. Strong, a best-selling and award-winning author, has learned about life through writing fiction, including her own personal dark moments and the reward of overcoming. In this meeting, Angela will share the benefits of belonging to a writing group, the beauty of connecting with readers, and her experience as an extra in the movie based on her novel, Finding Love in Big Sky . Angela Ruth Strong sold her first Christian romance novel in 2009, but quit writing romance when her husband left her. Ten years later, God has shown her the true meaning of love, and there's nothing else she'd rather write about. Her books have since earned TOP PICK in Romantic Times, won the Cascade Award, and reached Amazon best-seller status. Her book Finding Love in Big Sky just filmed on location in Montana and will air in 2022. Angela also writes non-fiction for SpiritLed Woman. To help aspiring authors, she started IDAhope Writers, teaches online at WRITE THAT BOOK, and blogs for LEARN HOW TO WRITE A NOVEL. Find out more at www.angelaruthstrong.com.

Jun 25, 2022 presented by Kiri Jorgensen Building a strong connection between character motive and plot can be a daunting task, especially in a middle grade novel. Your young readers are some of the harshest critics out there. If they don’t connect to your protagonist fast, the book goes back on the shelf. When you join us for this webinar, you'll learn what makes middle grade unique, and how to appeal to this 9-14 age range. You’ll learn how to structure your plot milestones and directly bind them to your main character’s motive. You'll find out how to craft a strong connection with your reader to keep the book in their hands. Kiri Jorgensen is the Publisher and Senior Editor at Chicken Scratch Books. She is also a writer, teacher, entrepreneur, wife, and mother. Her involvement in the world of children’s literature spans almost three decade, including teaching elementary and middle school. She has written and produced over 30 stage plays for children, and taught writing to kids, teens, and adults in multiple settings and genres. As a sought-after editor, she also served as the Regional Advisor for SCBWI Montana where she organized learning opportunities for writers across the nation. Her passion is all books middle grade and loves to work with authors to bring their vision to its strongest form.

May 28, 2022 an interview with Raymond "Rusty" Strait Master Biographer of the Famous Ray Strait has written biographies of Alan Alda, Jayne Mansfield, James Garner, Bob Hope, Rosemary Clooney, Sonja Henie, and Hollywood’s children, among others. His insight and wisdom come from a decades-long writing career. The interview will be conducted by award-winning author and video producer, James Hitt. Sadly, the video recording of this meeting is unavailable. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Jul 23, 2022 presented by Lisa Diane Kastner Anyone can write a book. And in today’s world of self-publishing, it’s easier than ever to get that book into print. Building a career, however, takes a solid strategy and an associated plan of action to take your writing from concept through publication and beyond. This is a workshop-style program. You will leave the session with a detailed plan and list of action items to implement in forwarding your publication goals. What you’ll need: A notebook, or some other way to take notes, and internet access. Questions to ask yourself in advance: What are your writing goals and why? What are your career goals? What do you see as your strengths? How would your best friend answer this question, “You are amazing at ….” (Heck, just go ahead and ask them!) Who are your favorite authors? Lisa Diane Kastner is Founder and Executive Editor of Running Wild Press. Honored with two “Best of 2019” and two “Best of 2020” books according to Kirkus Reviews, her authors have garnered several starred reviews as well as additional acclaim. In 2021, Lisa was named to Yahoo Finance's “Top 10 Entrepreneurs to Watch”, New York Weekly’s “Top Ten Females to Watch”, and LA Wire’s “Top 10 Businesses to Watch” lists. Featured in FORBES, she was nominated to “FORBES NEXT 1000”, a list of American self-funded entrepreneurs who continue to strive during the challenging times of COVID. Lisa resides in Los Angeles, California with her husband and their two felines, The Master and Margarita.

Sep 24, 2022 presented by Lynne M. Spreen Are you frustrated with a lack of productivity? Do you wish you could write faster and publish more books? Sick of hearing your friends ask how your novel’s coming? Want to make serious progress before another year ends? This year, take the NaNoWriMo challenge! Join millions of other writers worldwide who use NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) to produce a 50,000-word manuscript during November. Whether you end up with a good first draft or simply break out of a rut, whether you’re a plotter or a pantser, and whether you’re writing fiction or non-, the NaNoWriMo experience will empower you as a writer. In this program, Lynne M. Spreen, award-winning author of six books, will describe her strategy for using NaNoWriMo to amp up her productivity and reinforce her writing practice. She will share Nano hacks from her fellow writers, and she will invite you to join a motivational group during the month of November to help you stay on track. This meeting has concluded. For a PDF copy of the slides used in the presentation, click here.

February 18, 2023 presented by Les Edgerton Les Edgerton is an ex-con, matriculating at Pendleton Reformatory in the sixties for burglary (plea-bargained down from multiple counts of burglary, armed robbery, strong-armed robbery and possession with intent). He was an outlaw for many years and was involved in shootouts, knifings, robberies, high-speed car chases, dealt and used drugs, was a pimp, worked for an escort service, starred in porn movies, was a gambler, served four years in the Navy, and had other misadventures. He’s since taken a vow of poverty (became a writer) with 21 books in print. His memoir, Adrenaline Junkie is currently being edited prior to being published by Down&Out Books in 2018. Work of his has been nominated for or won: the Pushcart Prize, O. Henry Award, Edgar Allan Poe Award (short story category), Derringer Award, PEN/Faulkner Award, Jesse Jones Book Award, Spinetingler Magazine Award for Best Novel (Legends category), and the Violet Crown Book Award, among others. Screenplays of his have placed as a semifinalist in the Nicholl’s and as a finalist in the Best of Austin and Writer’s Guild’s competitions. He holds a B.A. from I.U. and the MFA in Writing from Vermont College. He was the writer-in-residence for three years at the University of Toledo, for one year at Trine University, and taught writing classes for UCLA, St. Francis University, Phoenix College, Writer’s Digest, Vermont College, the New York Writer’s Workshop and other places. He currently teaches a private novel-writing class online. He lives in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, where he immigrated to some years ago from the U.S. and is currently learning the language and customs there. He writes because he hates... a lot... and hard. Injustice and bullying are what he hates the most. He can be found at www.lesedgertononwriting.blogspot.com/

January 21, 2023 presented by Sandy Schuster Feeling sluggish coming into the new year? Not sure how or where to begin? Or maybe you can’t even remember where you left off in your current work-in-progress. Well … you’re not alone. Sandy, a National Board-Certified Educator in Language Arts, will help you: Determine what you want to accomplish in the coming year. Identify potential obstacles and distractions between you and your goals. Examine ways to overcome these challenges. Create structures and habits that encourage and support your success. In addition to her career teaching high school, college, and university level classes, Sandy’s authored or co-authored thirteen subject matter books for an educational publishing firm. She served on DVWG’s Board for four years (as Member-at-Large 2017/18 and as Vice President 2019/20) and her personal essays have appeared in literary journals, including Straitjackets Magazine. Currently she’s in the editing phase of her memoir. As a lifelong learner, Sandy has driven cross-country to attend workshops and writing-related events including the Iowa Summer Writing Festival (ISWF), Erma Bombeck Writer’s Workshops in Dayton, Ohio, Bouchercon, and various seminars presented by notables such as Donald Maas, Lisa Dale Norton, and Jane Friedman. “Readers and writers are my tribe,” Sandy says, “Especially those who have a sense of humor.”

March 18, 2023 presented by Tim Chizmar & Mark Savage Tim is an award-winning speaker, headlining Comedian, actor, producer, screenwriter, and bestseller whose books include Soul Traitor , Modern Madness, and others that shall not be named, as they were written while working as a ghostwriter for some of today’s hottest authors and celebrities. His work has been included in short story collections, notably Chicken Soup for the Soul , and has appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, and on websites including Fangoria and First Comics News . Tim’s collaboration with writing legend Clive Barker was featured in the Bram Stoker-award-winning book, It’s Alive: bringing your nightmares to life published by Crystal Lake Press. Tim also co-founded the Las Vegas Chapter of the prestigious Horror Writers Association and has held membership in various writers’ organizations including the Writers Guild of America. Tim's experience working with networks, like Comedy Central and Showtime, as well as Hollywood production companies, including Full Moon and Asylum, has allowed him to bring his unique vision to the big screen. Mark is an Australian-born director/producer/writer who sold his first feature, Marauders , to the international market at the age of 24. Since then, he’s worked on numerous diverse projects ranging from action/comedies, such as Sensitive New Age Killer, todocumentaries including one about Jackie Chan titled Beyond Mr. Nice Guy . Other film credits include Narrow Gauge , Trail of Passion , The Sentimental Assassin, Defenceless , Fertisle , Pond Scum , Stressed to Kill , Purgatory Road , and Painkiller . Recently he completed principal photography on three more films: Bring Him Back Dead , Hell's Coming for You , and Kill Craft . Mark also has extensive distribution experience having worked for Orion Pictures, Absurda (David Lynch’s company), and Village-Roadshow.

April 14, 2023 presented by Clay Stafford In any literary work, it’s important for a writer to incorporate mystery, thriller, and suspense into their project to add intrigue, whether it be in those specific genres or another. With that in mind, Clay will talk about the following themes: Defining mystery, thriller, and suspense Exploring the subtleties of mystery, thriller, and suspense Why these three themes apply to all genres of literature How to weave mystery, thriller, and suspense into your own work Clay Stafford is an American bestselling and award-winning author, poet, screenwriter, and playwright; film and television producer, director, showrunner, actor; book, film, and stage reviewer as well as public speaker. He has sold nearly four million copies of his books and has had his work distributed in sixteen languages. He is founder and CEO of the annual Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference and a contributor to Writer’s Digest magazine with his online column, “Killer Writer”. For more information about Clay visit www.claystafford.com & www.killernashville.com

May 20, 2023 presented by Lisa Diane Kastner Love to write a great story, but sometimes find finishing it a bit challenging? No worries! This chat is for you! We'll cover the classic structures of some of your favorite genres (horror, thriller, mystery, romance) and how you can approach your next writing endeavor. Lisa Diane Kastner is the Founder and Executive Editor of Running Wild & RIZE Presses. She holds both an MFA and an MBA and has been a writer and editor for more than twenty years. Featured in FORBES and several other publications, she’s been named to multiple “Best of” lists. Lisa began Running Wild & RIZE with the belief that we can change the world through story.

June 17, 2023 presented by Stephanie Barbé Hammer What is magical realism? How do I write it and why should I care? Stephanie is a lively speaker and makes learning fun! Come join us and add a bit of magic to your writing. Stephanie Barbé Hammer is a 7-time Pushcart Prize nominee in fiction, nonfiction and poetry. She is the author of two poetry collections, two novels, a novelette, and a how to write magical realism craft book. Originally from Manhattan, Stephanie moved to Southern California in 1986. She has lived on the West Coast ever since, teaching at the University of California, Riverside campus, where she worked for 30 years and now currently residing on Whidbey Island, Washington State. A professor emerita of Comparative Literature at the UCR, she is managing editor at SHARK REEF literary magazine and is culture editor at large and writer at the Journal of Radical Wonder. She sits on the advisory board of Writers Bloc Presents. Her poetry chapbook CITY SLICKER appeared in July 2022 with Bamboo Dart Press and her new novel Journey To Merveilleux City is expected out in November 2023.

July 15, 2023 presented by Jan Herrman Jan will discuss the characters, places, and events of what we think of as the Old West by using examples from landmark movies and TV shows along with reading a few excerpts from The Last Cowboy . He’ll explain the research that led to the plot development and historical settings of the American frontier. Jan Herrman is a retired physician and author of The Last Cowboy . He has a keen interest in the myths of the Old West. In fact, he has been moving steadily west throughout his life, having been born and raised in New Jersey. Jan admits to developing an extraordinary affection for the main characters of his novel, especially Hank and Beth, and had many conversations with them as he wrote the book. And, no, he does not believe this is a form of schizophrenia.