Month: May 2021

12 June Writer’s Retreat

Join the write-ins or participate in workshops on:

  • Getting Away With Murder: Top 3 Perfect Poisons
  • Build Better Characters With the Dictionary of American Regional English
  • Create Unique Characters and Unpredictable Plots With Tarot

Sponsored by the Boise chapter of Romance Writers of America (RWA), Coeur Du Bois, registration is open at https://bit.ly/june12retreat — free and open to the public, and completely online.

Mary Ann Fraser

A recipient of many awards for her books — including Junior Library Guild Selection, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, Book Links Book of the Year, IRA Young Readers Choice Award, and American Booksellers “Pick of the List” — Ms. Fraser has written and/or illustrated over seventy fiction and nonfiction books for children.

Her most recent title is her young adult (YA) debut, Mortal Remains.

Do you have a writing routine? Where and when do you write?

 I am definitely a morning person, so I do my best to get an early start on my writing. In the case of my last novel, that meant as early as four in the morning sometimes. If I’m on a roll, I will continue working late into the night.

Continue reading “Mary Ann Fraser”

Kelly Jones

Author of six published books, Kelly Jones grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho. She attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in English and an art minor. Her first novel was released in 2005.

Her titles are:

  • The Seventh Unicorn
  • The Lost Madonna
  • The Woman Who Heard Color
  • Lost and Found in Prague*
  • Bloodline and Wine*
  • Evel Knievel Jumps the Snake River Canyon
  • (Angel Boy is the third in a mystery series* and will be released in late 2021)

Do you have a writing routine? Where and when do you write?

When I first started writing with the goal of publication, I was admittedly much more disciplined, but I still find mornings are the best for creativity and first drafts, afternoons for revisions. I’m definitely not a night writer. I’m lucky to have a home office where I do most of my writing, though, like most writers, I’m always writing in my head wherever I am.

Continue reading “Kelly Jones”

Write on the Sound (1-3 Oct.)

Usually, WOTS is an Edmonds, Washington event, but this year it’s going to be online.

It’s a small, affordable conference focused on the craft of writing. A broad variety of sessions, workshops and panel discussions are available for all levels and interests, including valuable information regarding today’s writing and publishing industry. 

Registration opens 9 August and is a la carte. The schedule includes keynote speaker Lisa See on “Building the Story: Writers’ Process & Research.”

  • There’s a writing contest opportunity for any registered authors.
  • You can have your manuscript or poetry critiqued by a professional author or writing instructor.

Workshops include:

  • Getting Published: From Traditional to Self-Publishing
  • Revision Made Easy
  • Making a Scene: Getting Your Characters to Act (Out)
  • Your Vision / Your Voice
  • It was a Dark and Stormy Night
  • What Good is Research?
  • Fifteen Tips for Getting (Happily) Published
  • Memory and Imagination: Tools for Writers of Memoir
  • Pillars of Great Nonfiction Writing
  • The Secret Power of Verbs
  • Understanding Narrative Structure
  • How Cross-Disciplinary Writing Can Enhance Your Craft and Elevate Your Career
  • Creating Emotional Impact in Fiction and Memoir
  • Spark the Fire: Improvisational Techniques for Writers
  • The Three Step Formula for Building an Author Platform
  • A Vivid Sense of Place
  • Who’s That Talking: The Problem With Point of View
  • Indigenous Ekphrastic Technique: Bending Boundaries, Breaking Barriers
  • Creating Believable Villains

WW Conference!

Our writing sisters and brothers next door in Oregon’s Willamette Writers have opened registration for their 2021 Online Conference. (Again: a plus this past year has been the ability to attend distant conferences without travel expense and quite often at reduced rates!)

Presentations, workshops, master classes, one-on-one consultations and pitches with industry professionals etc. etc.

Learn more on their home page or go direct to their registration page.