Tag: COFW Program

Join COFW 6/17/23 for "Cut Out the Middle, Man!" by Susan Gee Heino

DATE & TIME   |  June 17th, 2023 – Social at 12:00 PM, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm or later–after the business meeting concludes.
LOCATION   |    Zoom and Meeting Room 2A of Hilliard Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Library, 4500 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard, OH 43026. See below for further instructions. Speaker will be in person.
TOPIC   | Susan Gee Heino: Cut Out the Middle, Man! Presenting in person.

Cut Out the Middle, Man!

Does your synopsis include the phrase: Then other stuff happens?

We all know that every good book needs an attention-grabbing opening, and of course there will be the triumphant happily-ever-after at the end, but what about all that stuff in the middle? Sometimes the stuffing goes flat and the middle starts to sag. How on earth can we avoid that?

Well, say good-bye to that muddling middle! In this interactive workshop, we’ll sort out the muddle and tighten the sag as we look at:

  • Plot points
  • Goals
  • Conflicts, and
  • How to keep those pages turning.

Attending Our Hybrid Meeting

This program is free for members and prospective members who have not yet visited for two complimentary meetings. For those members who cannot join us in person, join us via Zoom. The password will be posted in the Central Ohio Fiction Writers Google Group, and on the members-only Central Ohio Fiction Writers Facebook page.

If you are not a COFW member and wish to attend this presentation via Zoom, email cofwpresident@gmail.com. Please note, the link spans from the moment we open the room to the social half hour through the business meeting and this program.

Per library policy, “Prepared food and non-alcoholic beverages are allowed in meeting rooms.”

 

About Our Speaker

Susan Gee Heino is a white woman with long brown hair with gentle waves. She's sitting in front of some orange daylilies.

Susan Gee Heino writes lighthearted Regencies, quirky Contemporaries, heartwarming Inspirationals, and sexy magical Fantasies. She has a background in theatre as a playwright, actress, and director. In 2008 she won the RWA Golden Heart® Award for Best Regency Historical. Since then, she has published more than 20 titles with several New York houses as well as independently. Her most recent release, Buried Threat, a Cold Case File, comes out in July, 2023, through Harlequin Love Inspired.

 

Ms. Heino is a not-so-typical preacher’s wife who shares an empty nest in rural Ohio with her heroic husband and a small barnyard full of collected critters. She loves to get to know readers and fellow writers through social media or her blog.

Connect with Susan

Please visit Susan’s website to learn more about her writing.

 

Join COFW May 13th for "Secondary but Effective: Creating and Using Secondary Characters to Strengthen Your Plot" with Alyssa Alexander.

DATE & TIME   |  May 13th 2023 – Social at 12:00 PM, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm or later–after the business meeting concludes.
LOCATION   |    Zoom and Activity Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459. See below for further instructions. Speaker will be in person.
TOPIC   | Alyssa Alexander, Secondary But Effective: Creating and Using Secondary Characters to Strengthen Your Plot

Secondary But Effective: Creating and Using Secondary Characters to Strengthen Your Plot

Learn About Writing Craft

You don’t live in a vacuum, and neither does your protagonist. Every scene involves the protagonist’s relationship to the world and people around them. Every scene involves the protagonist’s relationship to the world and people around them. Learn tips and tricks from Alyssa Alexander, a USA Today Bestselling author. She’ll teach us how to create secondary characters to effectively deepen characterization, plot, and emotion–without letting them walk off with a scene.

During this session, Alyssa will hit all these topics:

  • Character Types
  • Character Levels
  • Focus on Effective
  • TIPS
  • Character Development
  • Relationships
  • Spaghetti Method–but there aren’t any meatballs here!

Attending Our Hybrid Meeting

This program is free for members and prospective members who have not yet visited for two complimentary meetings. For those members who cannot join us in person, join us via Zoom. The password will be posted in the Central Ohio Fiction Writers Google Group, and on the members-only Central Ohio Fiction Writers Facebook page.

If you are not a COFW member and wish to attend this presentation via Zoom, email cofwpresident@gmail.com. Please note, the link spans from the moment we open the room to the social half hour through the business meeting and this program.

Per library policy, “Prepared food and non-alcoholic beverages are allowed in meeting rooms.”

The Activity Room will be tight quarters and does not have a built-in room microphone.

 

About Our Speaker

Alyssa Alexander is a white woman with short blond hair. She is sitting cross-legged on the floor with a brick wall behind her.
Photo courtesy of Tina Esch Photography

Alyssa Alexander is a USA Today Bestselling author who survives the cold Michigan winters by penning romance novels that always include a bit of adventure. Her books have been translated into multiple languages, received Top Picks from RT, Publisher Weekly Starred Reviews, and were nominated for RT Best First Historical and the Best First Book RITA®.

When not working at her day job, writing, designing websites, cleaning house, scaling Mount Laundry, or doing any of the other tasks a wife, mother and writer must do, she can usually be found with a book in her hand. And maybe a drink with a paper umbrella.

 

Connect with Alyssa

Please visit Alyssa’s website to learn more about her writing.

 

DATE & TIME   |   April 15th, 2023 – Networking at 12:00 pm.  Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm or later–after the business meeting concludes.
LOCATION   |   Meeting will be Hybrid:  Zoom and Hilliard Room of Hilliard Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Library, 4500 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard, OH 43026. See below for further instructions.
TOPIC   | Beverly Jenkins: Ask Me Anything! Presenting via Zoom.

Ask USA Today Bestselling Author Beverly Jenkins Your Questions

Our Program

Join Beverly Jenkins as she fields all your questions.  Can’t attend?  No problem.  Email your question to Programs@COFWEvents.org by Friday, April 14, 7 PM EST. Ms. Jenkins will present via Zoom.

 

Attending Our Hybrid Meeting

Presentation is free for members. For those members who cannot join us in person, join us via Zoom. The password will be posted in the Central Ohio Fiction Writers Google Group, and on the members-only Central Ohio Fiction Writers Facebook page. When authors allow us to record, we make that available for later viewing.

If you are not a COFW member and wish to attend this presentation via Zoom, email cofwpresident@gmail.com. Our other members are not permitted to share the link. The link is typically created mid-week of the meeting week.

Per library policy, “Prepared food and non-alcoholic beverages are allowed in meeting rooms.”

 

About Our Speaker

Beverly Jenkins is a black woman with short black hair, and she wears glasses.

Beverly Jenkins is the recipient of the 2017 Romance Writers of America Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the 2016 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for historical romance.

She has been nominated for the NAACP Image Award in Literature, was featured both in the documentary “Love Between the Covers” and on CBS Sunday Morning.

Since the publication of Night Song in 1994, she has been leading the charge for multicultural romance, and has been a constant darling of reviewers, fans, and her peers alike, garnering accolades for her work from the likes of The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, and NPR.

Visit Beverly at her website

A banner graphic with picture of Scott Ellis, a middle-aged white man wearing a brown hat with a brim. It has the details for the meeting, which are in the post text.

DATE & TIME   |  March 18th 2023 – Social at 12:00 PM, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm or later–after the business meeting concludes.
LOCATION   |    Zoom and Community Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459. See below for further instructions.
TOPIC   | Scott Ellis, Audiobook Narration: Psst… Wanna Know the Secrets to Success?

Audiobook Narration: Psst… Wanna Know the Secrets to Success?

Learn About Audiobook Narration, Whether Hiring or Trying it Yourself

As an audiobook narrator and retired teacher, Scott is always looking for ways to engage more people with audiobooks. He’s looking forward to being with COFW to walk through the entire process of audiobook production, including:

  • Searching for the right narrator on the right platform
  • Understanding the lingo used in the industry (especially as it relates to pricing and royalties)
  • Outlining the step by step process of how to vet narrators
  • Explaining your responsibilities as the author
  • Answering all your many questions, except for “Why is the sky blue?” and “What is the meaning of life?”

If you’re interested in narrating your own books, have those questions at the ready. Some public libraries, such as the Westerville Public Library in central Ohio, now offer recording rooms. Scott and his wife rent out their recording studio in the Berkshires.

 

Attending Our Hybrid Meeting

This program is free for members and prospective members who have not yet visited for two complimentary meetings. For those members who cannot join us in person, join us via Zoom. The password will be posted in the Central Ohio Fiction Writers Google Group, and on the members-only Central Ohio Fiction Writers Facebook page.

If you are not a COFW member and wish to attend this presentation via Zoom, email cofwpresident@gmail.com. Please note, the link spans from the moment we open the room to the social half hour through the business meeting and this program.

Per library policy, “Prepared food and non-alcoholic beverages are allowed in meeting rooms.”

 

About Our Speaker

Scott Ellis is an audiobook narrator having narrated over 70 audiobScott Ellis is a middle-aged white man wearing a brimmed hat.ooks. In addition, he has helped many narrators and authors bring their first projects to audio. With a degree in theater and nearly 30 years as an educator teaching Language Arts, Scott is all about performing and teaching. He is pleased to join COFW and discuss the ins and outs of audiobook production, plus be a part of helping authors think through all options of putting their stories in audio.

He is a trained actor, a musician and a recently retired children’s librarian, waking up every day to entertain. When behind the microphone, his sole purpose is to bring life to the characters he’s voicing, to convince listeners that they’ve been transported to another place, and to make them emotionally connect to the topic.

 

Connect with Scott

Please visit Scott’s website to learn more about his production Company.

Interested in narrating your own books? Check out his paid option for online audiobook narration instruction.

If you like podcasts, hunt him up at Let’s Talk… with Scott Ellis • A podcast on Anchor

 

 

DATE & TIME   |   February 18th, 2023 – Social at 12:00 PM, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm or later–after the business meeting concludes.
LOCATION   |   Meeting will be Hybrid via Zoom and Columbus Public Library South High Street Branch, 3540 S. High Street, Columbus, OH 43207. See below for further instructions.
TOPIC   | Donna MacMeans: How to Write a Sizzling Hot Sex Scene

How to Write a Sizzling Hot Sex Scene

Learn How to Make Your Sex Scene Blaze with the Intensity You Want

SEX.  We all know what it is and what goes where in the performance of it.  Afterall, we’re all adults, right?  Books across the centuries have included sex, or, at least alluded to it, in mysteries, mythical epics, and wartime journals.  Much has been made of the skills of prostitutes to courtesans, yet all stories employ the same basic principle of insert A into slot B.  So how is it that some writers, in describing this fundamental act, are known as authors of hot, steamy, sexy love scenes – while others are simply… adequate?  Why do some stories receive scorcher ratings of four and five hot tamales, or flames,  or whatever the current rating romance system is, to describe the “steam” factor of a book? Afterall, isn’t sex just sex?

Donna MacMeans, an author who has received some recognition for writing “hot” historical romance, read a number of romances recommended as having sizzling sex scenes to answer those very questions.  She compared the books to see what they had in common, and how the authors utilized some basic writerly practices to create that much anticipated consummation scene and satisfy the reader’s thirst for a transforming love experience.  We’ll explore sex from the standpoint of science, and from that of literary artistry; from blazing hot romances with the bedroom door shut, to those with the bedroom door flung wide, wide open.  Please note: audience participation is actively encouraged, and mature language is likely to be used.  This workshop is one you won’t want to miss.

 

Attending Our Hybrid Meeting

This program is free for members and prospective members who have not yet visited for two complimentary meetings. For those members who cannot join us in person, join us via Zoom. The password will be posted in the Central Ohio Fiction Writers Google Group, and on the members-only Central Ohio Fiction Writers Facebook page.

If you are not a COFW member and wish to attend this presentation via Zoom, email cofwpresident@gmail.com. Please note, the link spans from the moment we open the room to the social half hour through the business meeting and this program.

Per library policy, “Prepared food and non-alcoholic beverages are allowed in meeting rooms.”

 

About Our Speaker

Donna MacMeans is an award winning, Amazon best-selling romance author, with many foreign additions including a book turned into a Japanese graphic novel. Her first historical romance manuscript went up for auction among three NY publishers launching her into a career of writing sensuous and witty Victorian historical romance and just-plain-fun paranormal romance. Until she retired to pursue the craft of writing, she was a CPA with a small tax practice. (Let’s face it, writing romance is much more interesting than signing a tax return.) She is a frequent workshop presenter and is both traditionally and independently published. Her short stories and novellas have appeared in five anthologies.

Learn more about Donna at her website.

DATE & TIME   |   November 19th, 2022 – Social at 12:00 PM, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm or later–after the business meeting concludes
LOCATION   |   Meeting will be Hybrid via Zoom and Community Room at the Woodbourne Library, 6060 Far Hills Avenue, Centerville, Ohio 45459. See below for further instructions.
TOPIC   | Rochelle Bradley: NaNoWriMo Write-In

NaNoWriMo Write-In

Time to Write!

Join Rochelle Bradley as she gets us going for this write-in.

Bring a desire, an idea, an outline, a nearly completed work or just your laptop and/or a pencil and paper.  Rochelle will provide energizing activities for your mid-month spurt of inspiration to get you through the month.

Never heard of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) where you pledge to write 50,000 words in 30 days? You know of NaNoWriMo but you’re not going to participate in it this year? No problem. Come for the fun of being with writers.

In 2015, COFW member Rochelle became a Municipal Liaison Dayton Region for the National Novel Writing Month organization.

Click NaNoWriMo for all the info on this non-profit organization.

Gina Smith writes as Rochelle Bradley and coins her style as “romance with sass and shenanigans.” She’s won the Ellechor Publishing House contest and was a finalist in Chicago-North’s Fire & Ice contest.

 

Attending Our Hybrid Meeting

Write-in is free for members and prospective members who have not yet visited for two complimentary meetings. For those members who cannot join us in person, join us via Zoom. The password will be posted in the Central Ohio Fiction Writers Google Group, and on the members-only Central Ohio Fiction Writers Facebook page.

If you are not a COFW member and wish to attend this presentation via Zoom, email cofwpresident@gmail.com. Please note, the link spans from the moment we open the room to the social half hour through the business meeting and this write-in.

Per library policy, “Prepared food and non-alcoholic beverages are allowed in meeting rooms.”

 

About Our Speaker

Introduced to National Novel Writing Month in 2008, Rochelle Bradley undertook the personal challenge of writing 50K words in thirty days. She has participated every November since. In 2015, she became a Municipal Liaison for the Dayton region, where continues to facilitate opportunities for area writers to come together and write.

Through NaNo she found community, learned of author events and craft classes, and found she had a penchant for HEAs.

Rochelle is a NaNoWriMo evangelist—she spreads the good news of NaNo and encourages others to join in the fun.

Learn more about her at her webpage.

DATE & TIME   |   April 16th, 2022 – Social at 12:00 PM, Business meeting at 12:30 pm, Speaker at 1:30 pm or later–after the business meeting concludes
LOCATION   |   Meeting will be Hybrid via Zoom and Hilliard Room of Hilliard Branch, Columbus Metropolitan Library, 4500 Hickory Chase Way, Hilliard, OH 43026. See below for further instructions.
TOPIC   | Kathleen Sweeney & Book Brush, New Images Authors Need (Kindle Vella, A+ content, Animated email signatures & more)

Book Brush, New Images Authors Need (Kindle Vella, A+ content, Animated email signatures & more)

Our Book Brush Program

Join Kathleen Sweeney from Book Brush for a fun live walk-through of the Book Brush tools. We’ll focus on some of the newest features including

  • Animated Mockups
  • Amazon A+ Content
  • Animated Email Signatures
  • Quick Images for Book Promo.
  • How to easily create your own Book Trailer.

Kathleen will share handy tips & tricks along the way and have time for Q & A, too.

Book Brush is an amazing image-creation software platform built just for authors to help them easily create professional-looking ads and images for social media and so much more. Book Brush offers the tools every author needs in his or her marketing toolbox to make it easy to embrace the marketing side of writing.

Attending Our Hybrid Meeting

Presentation is free for members and prospective members who have not yet visited for two complimentary meetings. For those members who cannot join us in person, join us via Zoom. The password will be posted in the Central Ohio Fiction Writers Google Group, and on the members-only Central Ohio Fiction Writers Facebook page.

If you are not a COFW member and wish to attend this presentation via Zoom, email cofwpresident@gmail.com.

Per library policy, “Prepared food and non-alcoholic beverages are allowed in meeting rooms.”

About Our Speaker

Kathleen is the Manager of Marketing and Customer Service at Book Brush. She has over 19 years of marketing experience. She thoroughly enjoys working with authors and helping them create eye-catching images. She lives in central Illinois with her husband, three busy boys and two handsome cats. Her hobbies include eating tacos and turning socks right side out.

Learn more about Book Brush: www.BookBrush.com