Author: Katie Boehs

Join your board of directors at the Texas High Plains Writers November meeting to vote in our new slate of officers! Afterward, stick around for a light brunch from Jason’s Deli, coffee, and donuts while you play board games like Scrabble and Boggle with your fellow members. The winning team of the Jeopardy game will receive $5-off vouchers for the 2024 anthology submission fee. And the winner of the anthology theme drawing will win free submission!

Now would be a great time to pay your dues for 2024, as we have some great plans we’re cooking up for the year. You’ll also get the opportunity to leave comments in our box for improvements, requests, and suggestions.

Please RSVP at November Writers’ Social | Facebook to help us know how much food to bring! Guests will be charged the $10 fee for this event.

Dr. Frank Sobey currently serves as the associate vice president of academic affairs at Amarillo College. He has previously served as dean of arts and sciences and chair of the English department. Dr. Sobey joined Amarillo College in 2005 teaching full time in the English department. He holds an Ed.D. in higher education administration, as well as an M.A. in English, from Texas Tech University. His literary interests include modern and postmodern American and British poetry.

The fundamentals of telling a story are the same no matter the medium. But the craft and business of writing for film and TV are, in many ways, the other side of the storytelling coin. In this presentation, author, repped screenwriter, and actor Ricky Treon will discuss:

• Screenplay format and best practices;
• Film and TV act structures, and how they are viewed as more important for screenwriting;
• The difference between literary agents and Hollywood representation (and the many ways to secure those different reps);
• How to pitch your projects;
• And whatever questions you may have about the entertainment industry!

Ever feel alone in your writing world? That writing is a profession or hobby that is meant to be done alone? Well, it’s not. Critique groups are a great way to get inspiration and to grow in your skills as a writer.

Join us Saturday May 20th at 10:00 AM in the Edward Davis Room of the Chase Tower to see that you are not alone. As a writing community we all may be working on different projects, but we can come together and be encouraged. There are others who write like you or who you can trust to give you advice and can brainstorm with. See you there!

We are so excited about this upcoming workshop! No matter what genre you write, creating captivating characters and worlds is what gets readers hooked. FREE FOR GUESTS! Join us Saturday March 18th at 10am at the Amarillo Downtown Central Library. Can’t wait to see everyone!

So excited to be celebrating our 100th anniversary (technically 102). Join us for our celebration Saturday November 5th from 12pm to 4pm.

Can’t wait to see everyone at the Barfield Hotel then!

Blue Handle Publishing was launched in June 2020 when author/founder Charles D’Amico signed local Amazon bestselling author Andrew J Brandt. D’Amico then hired a team of publishing professionals, and together they have signed fiction and nonfiction book deals with an award-winning playwright, an NFL coach, an international rock star, and several talented writers with incredible stories to share.

After three decades of various careers, Troy Lambert fulfilled his dream of writing full-time and making a living at it. He currently has written over two-dozen books, is a freelance writer, content strategist, ghostwriter, publisher, and occasional editor. He will be joining us live from Boise, Idaho to share with us some helpful tips on story structure and plotting.

New York Times Bestseller Linda Broday will be joining us for an amazing session Saturday May 21st at 10:00 at the Sharpened Iron Studio.

“I can’t wait to see everyone on May 21st! We’ll have us some good times. I’ll be back home. The title of the first half of my presentation will be Love ‘Em or Hate ‘EM–But Make the Reader Care. I’ll give some tips of ways to do this. What triggers emotion in me are animals, babies, and little children trying to be grown up. It works every time. I cannot watch ASPCA commercials on TV. I just can’t. They really get to me. I’ll find out what your triggers are. I hope to see everyone there at Sharpened Iron.” ~ Linda Broday

Lone Star Women of Letters Critique Groups Panel Donna Rosson, Kristine Brorman, and Kim Black bring their experience of forming, maintaining, and meeting as a critique group. They will talk about the who, what, when, how, and why they meet. They’ll discuss what makes a great group and what to avoid.

We’ll have a Q&A session, followed by an opportunity to connect with other writers to form other critique groups within our organization.

10:00am Saturday March 19th at Sharpening Iron Studio