Canadian River Valley Writers
Finding Your Voice in the Texas Panhandle
April 13-15, 2018
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER OR FOR MORE INFO!
Author: Kim Black
March 17, 2018 Program
The Dynamic Duo
We have a wonderful meeting lined up for March 17. I’m excited to bring Kim Harris and K.J. Waters to our fair city. Both have years of expertise between them and will share their knowledge.
Kim Harris will present Adding Humor to Your Writing the first hour.
Humor is a multi-tasking powerhouse in your writing. A joke can instantly show characterization, reveal relationships, shift the tension of your plot, deliver a painful truth in an easy-to-swallow way, and even endear you to readers. And what writer doesn’t want to be endeared by their readers?!
Unfortunately, many writers believe that writing humor is either out of their depth—they’ve been told that humor is much more difficult to write than drama—or that it has no place in their books.
This presentation will highlight the many ways humor can bump up your writing, even if you’re not writing a ‘funny’ book, and she’ll go over some classic tales that have expertly used humor to memorable effect.
Kim says, “E.B. White once said that humor, like frogs, could be dissected, but the thing dies in the process. We’re going to dissect some humor, and you will come away with fresh ideas of how to put humor to work in your writing, no matter what you write. No frogs will be harmed.”
For the second half, K.J. Waters will present What I’ve learned as an Indie Author.
In this one-hour presentation, KJ Waters will share what she has learned as an Indie author including her secret recipe to becoming an Amazon best-selling author, how she grew her author platform to 50,000 followers, and how to use an integrated social media strategy and author brand to market her work. You don’t want to miss this!
Both of these ladies will provide immeasurable help in getting your career ramped up and racing down the track. Please come out and grab this information while you can. I know you’ll enjoy what Kim and K.J. bring to the table, so make your plans.
* * *
Kim Hunt Harris is Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Trailer Park Princess cozy mystery comedy series. She knew she wanted to be a writer before she even knew how to write. When her parents read bedtime stories to her, she wanted to be a part of the story world. Kim started out writing children’s stories, and they grew as she did. She discovered a gift for humor and a love for making people laugh with her tales, and the Trailer Park Princess series was born. She lives with her husband of more than thirty years and two teenage kids in West Texas.
KJ Waters is the #1 Best Selling author on Amazon with two books in the Stealing Time series with two more the way and a short story called Blow. She is the CEO of Blondie’s Custom Book Covers, and an indie author hosting the popular podcast Blondie and the Brit – Writing, Publishing, and Beyond with International best-selling author Suzanne Kelman. She provides author consulting focusing on author platforms and branding, indie publishing, and book marketing. She has a Master’s in Business Administration and 18 years of experience in marketing.
January 20, 2018 Program
So You Really Want to Write a Spy Novel? Now What?
Program By Taylor Moore
We’re so excited about our January speaker. It’s not every day that we get to pick the brain of an ex-CIA agent! Taylor Moore has the credentials and will share some of what he knows. If he tells us all, he’ll have to kill us. (That’s a joke.)
What are the differences between Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense? Taylor will tell you and explore a little deeper into the spy genre which is his field of expertise. He’ll talk about Tom Clancy and some of the other masters of thrillers. He’ll lay out for members a step by step approach to writing a spy novel. Maybe you’ve always wanted to.
He’ll help you see the world as the CIA sees it, challenge your system of beliefs, challenge the boundaries of morality, and make your bad guys good and your good guys bad. He’ll talk about what’s real and what’s fake from a CIA operative’s perspective.
Taylor will help you develop your heroes, villains, and everything in between. Help craft scenes, give your story a satisfying ending but leave a hook for the next one in the series, and so much more, including where to find resources for crafting this type of novel.
This is only a small portion of what he’ll cover. This program is jam-packed and you’ll learn some of the actual duties of working for a spy agency. As much as Taylor is at liberty to say.
Bring paper and pencil! Part of the program will be interactive!
About Taylor:
He’s a sixth generation Texan and grew up on a farm and ranch in Brazos County. He received a degree in journalism from Texas A&M followed by a master’s in Public Policy at Pepperdine. After traveling extensively in Latin America and completing a graduate level internship at the U.S. Mission to the European Union, he was recruited by the CIA.
Taylor has always had a passion for telling stories as well as a love of history, foreign policy, and international travel. Despite his departure from the intelligence world, he continues to monitor world affairs with great interest. He now lives in the Texas Panhandle with his wife and two children.
November 18, 2017 Program
How do you sell what you’ve written?
Presenter: B. Alan Bourgeois
This is such a common question these days. You pour out your heart, write the best book you can, and put it up online, but what then? How do you get readers to find you amid the mountains of books out there?
B. Alan Bourgeois, our November guest, will shed light on this often murky subject. Alan is the founder and director of Texas Authors, Inc, a non-profit organization that helps Indie authors in countless ways.
You might say, he’s the guru of marketing and promoting yourself. Half of his eye-opening program will be a mini-seminar that will show authors new ways of promoting and helping them stand out above the throng of Indie books that are released each day.
In the second half of his talk, Alan will discuss the various programs and events designed to give authors a boost in marketing. One event not to miss is the yearly Author’s Marketing Conference that focuses on innovative ideas that work. Of note: He’s compiling a database of Texas authors on a site called Texas Authors Institute and he’ll tell you how you can be a part of that. He’ll also tell you about a yearly event called DEAR Texas (Drop Everything and Read.) The proceeds of this sale go to put books into Texas children’s hands.
As an added plus, each year, the Texas Authors, Inc. organization has a short story contest where winners in a multitude of genres are published in a compilation and marketed through Texas Authors, Inc.
Mr. Bourgeois began writing as a child, but as many children of his era were told, “You need to study and get a real job to earn a living.” That statement from a well-meaning mother put a pause on his desire to write.
In 1989, he was asked to write a short story based on an actual event in his life. He did, and it was published as $200 Alan. Seeing his story in print once again inspired him to begin writing. Since then, he has written many articles, short stories, editorials and has 7 books published covering many genres.
He continues to write and assist new authors through Texas Authors, Inc. and his company Bourgeois Media & Consulting (BMC). “There is nothing greater than seeing someone’s dreams become reality,” he says.
This program will be held at Oasis, in the Activities Center behind the main building.
8201 Canyon Drive, Amarillo in the Activity Bldg, in the rear (335 Loop/ Hollywood Road)
PLEASE NOTE: Our 2018 Meetings WILL BE HELD AT THE EDWARD DAVIS ROOM IN THE CHASE TOWER, DOWNTOWN AMARILLO!
Please use the parking lot on the west side of Harrison Street or the parking lot on the east side of Van Buren Street. You may also park along the surrounding streets where parking is permitted. Please do not park in the lots immediately adjacent to and on the west side of the Chase Tower.
August 19, 2017 Workshop
Full-day workshop with Tex Thompson.
Word Alchemy Lab
– Part 1: Covers the science of what makes a good sentence
– Part 2: Explores paragraphs, scenes, chapters, and stories
AUGUST 19, 2017
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
$48.00 for THPW Members
$58.00 for Non-Members
(includes lunch)
BUY TICKETS NOW
Sell tickets online with Ticketleap
Also, registered participants get a one-on-one 15-page critique with Tex.
Contact Mike Akins, mike7166@gmail.com for details.
This workshop will be held in the Edward Davis Conference Room in the Chase Tower,
600 S. Tyler, Amarillo, TX
Parking across the street in the lots between Van Buren and Harrison. Please do not park in the lots adjacent to the Chase Tower or East of Tyler.