"WRITE HERE IN EPHRAIM" 2014
March 28-29, Snow College Campus, Ephraim, Utah
sponsored by Ephraim City
March 28-29, Snow College Campus, Ephraim, Utah
sponsored by Ephraim City
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CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
Alphabetical listing of WRITE HERE IN EPHRAIM classes (updated as information is made available)
Bare your Soul and Get Published – Creative Nonfiction – SONJA HERBERT
In this class, you will learn how to write short personal stories for publications like Chicken Soup for the Soul and A Cup of Comfort. The information given in this course will make it easy for you to become a published author.
You will learn:
1. How to research the market
2. How to come up with ideas that you can develop into a story
3. How to shape your ideas so they will fit the guidelines for the publication you have chosen
4. How to brainstorm your original ideas
5. How to outline
6. How to refresh your memory and recall details
7. How to revise and polish your story, and
8. How to submit your story
Blending Fact and Fiction – CARLA KELLY
“What? You mean I have to stop researching and start writing?” Simple tips to nourish your inner historian and write believably about the past. Carla will discuss how a thorough knowledge of your historical subject can help you write with authority and avoid the deadly information dump. This knowledge will honor Cleo, the muse of history. It also is a path through the murky, Byzantine world of national and international publishing. Come with questions.
Branding and Marketing 101 – ABEL KEOGH
You don’t have to spend a lot of time marketing yourself and your book to be successful. This class you’ll learn the best thing you can do to sell more books as well as cover basic marketing for writers so you can get discovered by readers and help drive sales of your books and build your brand.
Children’s Picture Books and Illustration – MIKEY BROOKS
If you’ve always wanted to write a picture book but were unsure where to start, this class if for you. Find out the first steps in creating fun picture books with author/illustrator Mikey Brooks. You’ll learn the 3 genres of picture books, the 5 plots of storytelling, and how to craft a storyboard.
Create Audio Books – MICHAEL YOUNG
What's even better than seeing your words in print? Hearing them come to life in an audio book. Recording your own audio books is something that can be done even with the limited schedule and budget. Come learn what kind of recording equipment you need, how to make the best recording you can, and how to distribute your audio masterpiece.
Creating Engaging Characters –HEATHER JUSTESEN
Great characters are the center to almost all great stories. Discover techniques how to make your characters more engaging to the reader so they’ll love—or love to hate—the people who drive your story.
Discovering Your Creative Type – CHAS HATHAWAY
Everyone is creative. It's not a matter of giftedness, but a matter of biology. The confusion comes because people have different ways of thinking and functioning creatively.
In this class we'll discuss the two most basic types of creativity: Improvisation and Organization. By learning where you stand on the improvisational/organizational spectrum, you'll be better enabled to harness your creative ideas, overcome writer’s block, and be proactive in your efforts to write, revise, and market your book.
Discovery Outlining – BERIN STEPHENS
Striking a balance between discovery writing and outlining when plotting your story.
Finding Time to Write/Balancing Writing and Life – ANGIE LOFTHOUSE
We all have many good things vying for our attention every day. Here are some ideas on how to make writing a priority without sacrificing other importent parts of our lives. Also, tips on avoiding writers block and making the most of the time we have.
First Page Shred – Angie Lofthouse, J. Scott Savage, Tristi Pinkston, Michael Young, Dene Low, Sonja Herbert
Take the first page of a manuscript and read it aloud. Then ask published authors to critique it: What works? What doesn’t? Why or why not?
Attendees are encouraged to bring an anonymous first page of their work-in-progress for random selection for this panel.
First Things First – CHAS HATHAWAY
When your family and your relationship with God come first in your life, you're empowered to become the writer you're hoping to be. Dreams don't have to come at the expense of the most important things in your life. Actually, those most important things are the fire that launches you into the fulfillment of your dreams.
Flash Fiction: the Kingly Elements of Style – SCOTT FORMAN
Flash fiction is just like any other well-written fiction, it just happens in 300 words instead of 300 pages. The call for clarity and conciseness in Strunk & White's Elements of Style and the requirement of a tool box accompanied with work hard in Stephen King's On Writing will be our guide as we learn about and create flash-errifficfiction...
Historical Fiction – TRISTI PINKSTON
Why does fiction play such an important role in understanding history, and how can we as authors bring to life the important events of by-gone eras for readers of today without sounding like an eighth-grade textbook? You will learn why historical fiction is such an important genre and learn how to write it like a pro.
How to Become an Idea Factory (2 parts) – KAREN E. HOOVER
The most common question asked writers is "How do you come up with your ideas?" Orson Scott Card says “Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any.” This class teaches you how to pay attention and see the seeds of ideas that are threaded through our lives.
If He Can Do It, So Can I: How Busy People Write – CLINT COX
How to get your story out on paper, while staying on task and resuming normal life activities. Ripped up card board and cut up two by fours. Writers Block.
Manga/Anime – SNOW COLLEGE JAPANESE CLUB STUDENTS: Pack, Trevino, Tuchawar
Marketing Your Book – It Starts Before Your Story is Finished – CLINT COX
Marketing your book starts while you are writing it. Find out how to set your book in motion before it is even published.
Martial Arts Fight Scenes in your Writing, beyond just using Pepper Spray – C. MICHELLE JEFFERIES/PENDRAGON INMAN
A hands-on Martial Arts fighting class
Ever wondered how to describe a fight scene? How to get your heroine out of a choke hold? What certain weapons look like, or are used? This is the class for you. Taught by C. Michelle Jefferies, red belt in Tang Soo Do, and Pendragon Inman, black belt in Shaolin Kung Fu, we will be physically stepping out the actions so come prepared to move and have fun. Wear something you can move around in. Sweats not required, but not pencil skirts and heels. Loose clothing is recommended.
Master Chapter Outline – C. MICHELLE JEFFERIES
Tired of making it to the middle of the novel you're writing and having no idea where to go next? This Master Chapter Outline class will show you a quick easy way to formulate a plan for your novel that is easy to use and modify in case of a new streak of brilliance.
Motives in YA and MG Fiction – J. SCOTT SAVAGE
Motives. Your protagonist is driven by them. Your antagonist needs a better one than, “because he’s a bad guy.” They can take a sidekick from funny to memorable. And the lack of motives, or weak motives, can crush the life out of a story. But the motives of a young adult girl are very different from those of a middle grade boy. Learn why motives are key, how contracting motives can up the tension of your novel, why early reader, middle grade, and young adult motives are much different from each other, and much more.
Neurowriting: 32,000 words in 6 days – DENE LOW
This presentation will be a segment of my seminar/workshop on my neurowriting system that helped me write 32,000 words in six days. The system uses ancient principles of writing explained by the latest discoveries in neurology (yes, the ancients really did know what they were talking about, but they didn't know why) combined into a practical system that works for novices or experienced writers to make them more efficient and innovative writers.
Noah’s Story Arc-How to Use Conflict to Build a Watertight Plot – LIZ ADAIR
Les Edgerton writes: “When the trouble is gone the story is over.” In this class Liz helps the class understand how use conflict to craft a tight, well-plotted narrative, one that makes the reader stick with the story until the last page, and one that will stick with the reader long after he’s closed the book.
Nonfiction 101 – ABEL KEOGH
Did you know that non-fiction sells better than fiction? It does. Whether it be cookbooks, self help, social and behavioral issues, there are thousands of non-fiction possibilities you can write about. The best part? You’re an expert in something so why not turn your hobby, passion, or interests into a non-fiction book. This class will talk about how to find your non-fiction niche so you can discover what non-fiction works you could write.
Pacing – KAREN E. HOOVERHow many times have you heard the phrase, “Pace yourself?” The term is probably most familiar to runners. In a distance race, the one who goes too fast will run out of energy long before they reach the finish line. Adversely, if a runner goes too slow they’ll be lucky if they ever finish. It works much the same with writing. This class shows how you can use pacing to rope your readers in tight and pull them from page one to the end in the perfect race to the finish.
Personal History/Memoir – SONJA HERBERT
How to Write Your Autobiography and Make it Come Alive!
In this class, you will learn how to help you remember,
How to pick the memories that have the most impact,
How to sort and order your memories,
How to impose order upon your memories by finding and using a specific theme throughout your writing, and
How to use creative non-fiction writing to make your autobiography shine.
Playwrighting – MARTIN KELLY
Learn how to advance dramatic action in a script, which also happens to be one of the best strategies for writers of other genres. See how character motivation is key to involving your audience, as well as focusing on the necessity of every character having an objective. For characters to function in a working plot, each one needs at least one goal and the chance to confront obstacles, which may be presented by other characters, events, or physical challenges (just to name a few.) What kinds of tactics do your characters use to reach for their goals? Do your characters have energy? Do they have expectations?
From this class you will take away essential knowledge of the six elements of tragedy as enumerated by Aristotle, and see how they also apply to melodrama or comedy. You will learn the realities of staging a script, approaching producing organizations, and how to locate playwrighting competitions.
Playwrighting – MICHAEL YOUNG
The play’s the thing…
Ever thought about writing a play? Come listen to a veteran actor and playwright reveal the secrets about what will have your audiences on their feet and not throwing produce. Learn about the different types and structures of plays, what makes your story right for a play instead of another medium, and much more.
Publisher Panel – Covenant Communications, Jolly Fish Press
Publishing Bloopers – Do Make These Mistakes – CLINT COX
Do not get sucked into a bad deal. Vital things that you should look for and expect. How to get what you want out of your book deal. Yes, you can negotiate with the publisher BEFORE you sign the contract. Start up costs with the publisher verses costs of doing it all on your own. Contracts.
Put Emotion in your Book to put Readers on your Hook – CLINT COX
Making your book stand out. If readers are not emotionally connected to your story and you as a writer they'll never finish your book.
Query – J. SCOTT SAVAGE
Queries are the bane of an author’s existence and the key to open that elusive door behind which wait agents, publishers, and offers. It’s simple really. All you have to do is whittle your entire novel, life story, reason for seeking the agent or publisher, and perhaps a witty bon mot into a single page of text. Okay, so it’s a total pain in the rear that sometimes seems harder than writing the novel itself. But it doesn’t have to be quite as bad as, say, having a tooth pulled. Learn some basic rules that will help your next query letter shine.
Query – MICHAEL YOUNG
Coming this summer…the next epic, steam-punk, romance-action-comedy from world-famous author (Insert your name here). You have only seconds to make an impression, and you don’t even have the luxury of a blockbuster soundtrack for your trailer. What do you say when every word could be the difference between the dreaded pile of slush and a mountain of success? Learn how to craft sleek, powerful queries that impress, without having to resort to “special effects”.
Raising Your Internet Profile – for people who haven’t built an online presence – LIZ ADAIR
Liz teaches this class using layman’s language. It’s for people who haven’t yet begun to establish an internet profile and covers both the why and the how-to, answering such questions as: Why should someone who isn’t published have a profile? How do you get set up for a blog or for a Facebook page? How do you leave a comment? Why should you comment? How do you get people to read your blog? How can you tell if anyone is visiting your blog? What do you write about? How often are you supposed to blog? The list is longer than that, but you get the idea.
Self Publish the Right Way – ABEL KEOGH
Thanks to the proliferation of e-readers and online e-book sellers, reaching readers around the globe has never been easier. However, self publishing a book that people will want to buy is a lot of work and involves more than having a good story to tell. This class will cover the nuts and bolts of self publishing so you can decide if this is the right path for your next book.
Self Publishing-(2 hour class) – CINDY HOGAN
Stress-Free Countdown to self-publishing. Learn what to do the year before publishing as well get hands-on practice doing what needs to be done with things like back-blurbs, choosing categories on Amazon, getting reviews and what to do with them, using Amazon to get to #1, writing a description of your book, making a rocking cover and what you should put on it, learning what front matter should be in your book, getting your book on store shelves, using Smashwords, learning where you should publish your books, etc.
Skeletons in the Spotlight – 5 new ways to write family history – LIZ ADAIR
Liz introduces five new ways to think about writing personal and family history. Perhaps one of them will be the spark that gets you started on the story no one else can write. (These ways include poetry, blogging, fiction, randomizing, and using photos to induce stream of consciousness.)
Social Media, Web Design, and Networking…Oh My! – DARREN HANSEN/DAVID P. KING
Now more than ever, building a platform or setting up an online presence has become an essential step to establishing yourself as an author - even before you finish that first book - but it's easy to get lost in the sea of social media outlets that flood the Internet. Which ones should you use? How should you use them? How often? Here we'll discuss the best social media sites for writers, explain how best to use them and how to give your presence a visual appeal that will invite web hoppers to visit your sites often - and we have crullers (while they last).
Story Structure – C. MICHELLE JEFFERIES
Writing a book is like making muffins. You need certain things to get the recipe right, then comes the fun part in adding your own flair to the basics. This class teaches the basics of Story structure as created by Larry Brooks.
Structure, Scene and Sequel – KATE PALMER
Learn how to hook your readers and keep them reading. Writing with Jack M. Bickham’s scene and sequel technique provides show not tell action. You will learn how to juggle cause and effect to prolong your character’s struggle, move the plot forward, and keep readers worrying until the end.
Ten Common Mistakes Romance Writers Make– ALLEN/MOOREWriting romance requires walking a fine line, understanding when to draw out the suspense, how perfect to make your hero, whose point of view to use. We'll discuss some of the most typical mistakes that turn a blissfully satisfying story into a something you want to to stuff into the disposal.
Using Family History in Fiction – LIZ ADAIR
Liz shows how she and other writers have mined their family history in writing fiction. She talks about guidelines, possibilities, and how writing family history as fiction can often free someone to write the story they have inside but can’t seem to get down on paper.
You Had Me at Once Upon A Time: How to Write a Great Beginning – LIZ ADAIR
Liz shows why it’s so necessary to have a good first paragraph and then offers the class techniques in crafting a beginning that will grab the reader and compel him to read on.
Writing Journals for Posterity – TRISTI PINKSTON
Your journal may be the single most important legacy you leave for your posterity. What should you include? How much detail should you give? How can you put it together to be truly useful to those who come after you? This class will discuss all these important elements and more.
Writing Cozy Mysteries – TRISTI PINKSTON
What differentiates a "cozy" from other kinds of mystery novels, and how can you create a story that will intrigue, entertain, and keep your readers guessing? Learn about the importance of characterization, planting red herrings, and tying everything up at the end with a satisfying bow.
Writing Great Short Stories – ANGIE LOFTHOUSE
Short stories are different beasts from novels, though they contain the same elements. We'll discuss the what, how, why, where and when of short fiction. From someone who has published over a dozen short stories and been a short fiction editor for many years.
Bare your Soul and Get Published – Creative Nonfiction – SONJA HERBERT
In this class, you will learn how to write short personal stories for publications like Chicken Soup for the Soul and A Cup of Comfort. The information given in this course will make it easy for you to become a published author.
You will learn:
1. How to research the market
2. How to come up with ideas that you can develop into a story
3. How to shape your ideas so they will fit the guidelines for the publication you have chosen
4. How to brainstorm your original ideas
5. How to outline
6. How to refresh your memory and recall details
7. How to revise and polish your story, and
8. How to submit your story
Blending Fact and Fiction – CARLA KELLY
“What? You mean I have to stop researching and start writing?” Simple tips to nourish your inner historian and write believably about the past. Carla will discuss how a thorough knowledge of your historical subject can help you write with authority and avoid the deadly information dump. This knowledge will honor Cleo, the muse of history. It also is a path through the murky, Byzantine world of national and international publishing. Come with questions.
Branding and Marketing 101 – ABEL KEOGH
You don’t have to spend a lot of time marketing yourself and your book to be successful. This class you’ll learn the best thing you can do to sell more books as well as cover basic marketing for writers so you can get discovered by readers and help drive sales of your books and build your brand.
Children’s Picture Books and Illustration – MIKEY BROOKS
If you’ve always wanted to write a picture book but were unsure where to start, this class if for you. Find out the first steps in creating fun picture books with author/illustrator Mikey Brooks. You’ll learn the 3 genres of picture books, the 5 plots of storytelling, and how to craft a storyboard.
Create Audio Books – MICHAEL YOUNG
What's even better than seeing your words in print? Hearing them come to life in an audio book. Recording your own audio books is something that can be done even with the limited schedule and budget. Come learn what kind of recording equipment you need, how to make the best recording you can, and how to distribute your audio masterpiece.
Creating Engaging Characters –HEATHER JUSTESEN
Great characters are the center to almost all great stories. Discover techniques how to make your characters more engaging to the reader so they’ll love—or love to hate—the people who drive your story.
Discovering Your Creative Type – CHAS HATHAWAY
Everyone is creative. It's not a matter of giftedness, but a matter of biology. The confusion comes because people have different ways of thinking and functioning creatively.
In this class we'll discuss the two most basic types of creativity: Improvisation and Organization. By learning where you stand on the improvisational/organizational spectrum, you'll be better enabled to harness your creative ideas, overcome writer’s block, and be proactive in your efforts to write, revise, and market your book.
Discovery Outlining – BERIN STEPHENS
Striking a balance between discovery writing and outlining when plotting your story.
Finding Time to Write/Balancing Writing and Life – ANGIE LOFTHOUSE
We all have many good things vying for our attention every day. Here are some ideas on how to make writing a priority without sacrificing other importent parts of our lives. Also, tips on avoiding writers block and making the most of the time we have.
First Page Shred – Angie Lofthouse, J. Scott Savage, Tristi Pinkston, Michael Young, Dene Low, Sonja Herbert
Take the first page of a manuscript and read it aloud. Then ask published authors to critique it: What works? What doesn’t? Why or why not?
Attendees are encouraged to bring an anonymous first page of their work-in-progress for random selection for this panel.
First Things First – CHAS HATHAWAY
When your family and your relationship with God come first in your life, you're empowered to become the writer you're hoping to be. Dreams don't have to come at the expense of the most important things in your life. Actually, those most important things are the fire that launches you into the fulfillment of your dreams.
Flash Fiction: the Kingly Elements of Style – SCOTT FORMAN
Flash fiction is just like any other well-written fiction, it just happens in 300 words instead of 300 pages. The call for clarity and conciseness in Strunk & White's Elements of Style and the requirement of a tool box accompanied with work hard in Stephen King's On Writing will be our guide as we learn about and create flash-errifficfiction...
Historical Fiction – TRISTI PINKSTON
Why does fiction play such an important role in understanding history, and how can we as authors bring to life the important events of by-gone eras for readers of today without sounding like an eighth-grade textbook? You will learn why historical fiction is such an important genre and learn how to write it like a pro.
How to Become an Idea Factory (2 parts) – KAREN E. HOOVER
The most common question asked writers is "How do you come up with your ideas?" Orson Scott Card says “Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any.” This class teaches you how to pay attention and see the seeds of ideas that are threaded through our lives.
If He Can Do It, So Can I: How Busy People Write – CLINT COX
How to get your story out on paper, while staying on task and resuming normal life activities. Ripped up card board and cut up two by fours. Writers Block.
Manga/Anime – SNOW COLLEGE JAPANESE CLUB STUDENTS: Pack, Trevino, Tuchawar
Marketing Your Book – It Starts Before Your Story is Finished – CLINT COX
Marketing your book starts while you are writing it. Find out how to set your book in motion before it is even published.
Martial Arts Fight Scenes in your Writing, beyond just using Pepper Spray – C. MICHELLE JEFFERIES/PENDRAGON INMAN
A hands-on Martial Arts fighting class
Ever wondered how to describe a fight scene? How to get your heroine out of a choke hold? What certain weapons look like, or are used? This is the class for you. Taught by C. Michelle Jefferies, red belt in Tang Soo Do, and Pendragon Inman, black belt in Shaolin Kung Fu, we will be physically stepping out the actions so come prepared to move and have fun. Wear something you can move around in. Sweats not required, but not pencil skirts and heels. Loose clothing is recommended.
Master Chapter Outline – C. MICHELLE JEFFERIES
Tired of making it to the middle of the novel you're writing and having no idea where to go next? This Master Chapter Outline class will show you a quick easy way to formulate a plan for your novel that is easy to use and modify in case of a new streak of brilliance.
Motives in YA and MG Fiction – J. SCOTT SAVAGE
Motives. Your protagonist is driven by them. Your antagonist needs a better one than, “because he’s a bad guy.” They can take a sidekick from funny to memorable. And the lack of motives, or weak motives, can crush the life out of a story. But the motives of a young adult girl are very different from those of a middle grade boy. Learn why motives are key, how contracting motives can up the tension of your novel, why early reader, middle grade, and young adult motives are much different from each other, and much more.
Neurowriting: 32,000 words in 6 days – DENE LOW
This presentation will be a segment of my seminar/workshop on my neurowriting system that helped me write 32,000 words in six days. The system uses ancient principles of writing explained by the latest discoveries in neurology (yes, the ancients really did know what they were talking about, but they didn't know why) combined into a practical system that works for novices or experienced writers to make them more efficient and innovative writers.
Noah’s Story Arc-How to Use Conflict to Build a Watertight Plot – LIZ ADAIR
Les Edgerton writes: “When the trouble is gone the story is over.” In this class Liz helps the class understand how use conflict to craft a tight, well-plotted narrative, one that makes the reader stick with the story until the last page, and one that will stick with the reader long after he’s closed the book.
Nonfiction 101 – ABEL KEOGH
Did you know that non-fiction sells better than fiction? It does. Whether it be cookbooks, self help, social and behavioral issues, there are thousands of non-fiction possibilities you can write about. The best part? You’re an expert in something so why not turn your hobby, passion, or interests into a non-fiction book. This class will talk about how to find your non-fiction niche so you can discover what non-fiction works you could write.
Pacing – KAREN E. HOOVERHow many times have you heard the phrase, “Pace yourself?” The term is probably most familiar to runners. In a distance race, the one who goes too fast will run out of energy long before they reach the finish line. Adversely, if a runner goes too slow they’ll be lucky if they ever finish. It works much the same with writing. This class shows how you can use pacing to rope your readers in tight and pull them from page one to the end in the perfect race to the finish.
Personal History/Memoir – SONJA HERBERT
How to Write Your Autobiography and Make it Come Alive!
In this class, you will learn how to help you remember,
How to pick the memories that have the most impact,
How to sort and order your memories,
How to impose order upon your memories by finding and using a specific theme throughout your writing, and
How to use creative non-fiction writing to make your autobiography shine.
Playwrighting – MARTIN KELLY
Learn how to advance dramatic action in a script, which also happens to be one of the best strategies for writers of other genres. See how character motivation is key to involving your audience, as well as focusing on the necessity of every character having an objective. For characters to function in a working plot, each one needs at least one goal and the chance to confront obstacles, which may be presented by other characters, events, or physical challenges (just to name a few.) What kinds of tactics do your characters use to reach for their goals? Do your characters have energy? Do they have expectations?
From this class you will take away essential knowledge of the six elements of tragedy as enumerated by Aristotle, and see how they also apply to melodrama or comedy. You will learn the realities of staging a script, approaching producing organizations, and how to locate playwrighting competitions.
Playwrighting – MICHAEL YOUNG
The play’s the thing…
Ever thought about writing a play? Come listen to a veteran actor and playwright reveal the secrets about what will have your audiences on their feet and not throwing produce. Learn about the different types and structures of plays, what makes your story right for a play instead of another medium, and much more.
Publisher Panel – Covenant Communications, Jolly Fish Press
Publishing Bloopers – Do Make These Mistakes – CLINT COX
Do not get sucked into a bad deal. Vital things that you should look for and expect. How to get what you want out of your book deal. Yes, you can negotiate with the publisher BEFORE you sign the contract. Start up costs with the publisher verses costs of doing it all on your own. Contracts.
Put Emotion in your Book to put Readers on your Hook – CLINT COX
Making your book stand out. If readers are not emotionally connected to your story and you as a writer they'll never finish your book.
Query – J. SCOTT SAVAGE
Queries are the bane of an author’s existence and the key to open that elusive door behind which wait agents, publishers, and offers. It’s simple really. All you have to do is whittle your entire novel, life story, reason for seeking the agent or publisher, and perhaps a witty bon mot into a single page of text. Okay, so it’s a total pain in the rear that sometimes seems harder than writing the novel itself. But it doesn’t have to be quite as bad as, say, having a tooth pulled. Learn some basic rules that will help your next query letter shine.
Query – MICHAEL YOUNG
Coming this summer…the next epic, steam-punk, romance-action-comedy from world-famous author (Insert your name here). You have only seconds to make an impression, and you don’t even have the luxury of a blockbuster soundtrack for your trailer. What do you say when every word could be the difference between the dreaded pile of slush and a mountain of success? Learn how to craft sleek, powerful queries that impress, without having to resort to “special effects”.
Raising Your Internet Profile – for people who haven’t built an online presence – LIZ ADAIR
Liz teaches this class using layman’s language. It’s for people who haven’t yet begun to establish an internet profile and covers both the why and the how-to, answering such questions as: Why should someone who isn’t published have a profile? How do you get set up for a blog or for a Facebook page? How do you leave a comment? Why should you comment? How do you get people to read your blog? How can you tell if anyone is visiting your blog? What do you write about? How often are you supposed to blog? The list is longer than that, but you get the idea.
Self Publish the Right Way – ABEL KEOGH
Thanks to the proliferation of e-readers and online e-book sellers, reaching readers around the globe has never been easier. However, self publishing a book that people will want to buy is a lot of work and involves more than having a good story to tell. This class will cover the nuts and bolts of self publishing so you can decide if this is the right path for your next book.
Self Publishing-(2 hour class) – CINDY HOGAN
Stress-Free Countdown to self-publishing. Learn what to do the year before publishing as well get hands-on practice doing what needs to be done with things like back-blurbs, choosing categories on Amazon, getting reviews and what to do with them, using Amazon to get to #1, writing a description of your book, making a rocking cover and what you should put on it, learning what front matter should be in your book, getting your book on store shelves, using Smashwords, learning where you should publish your books, etc.
Skeletons in the Spotlight – 5 new ways to write family history – LIZ ADAIR
Liz introduces five new ways to think about writing personal and family history. Perhaps one of them will be the spark that gets you started on the story no one else can write. (These ways include poetry, blogging, fiction, randomizing, and using photos to induce stream of consciousness.)
Social Media, Web Design, and Networking…Oh My! – DARREN HANSEN/DAVID P. KING
Now more than ever, building a platform or setting up an online presence has become an essential step to establishing yourself as an author - even before you finish that first book - but it's easy to get lost in the sea of social media outlets that flood the Internet. Which ones should you use? How should you use them? How often? Here we'll discuss the best social media sites for writers, explain how best to use them and how to give your presence a visual appeal that will invite web hoppers to visit your sites often - and we have crullers (while they last).
Story Structure – C. MICHELLE JEFFERIES
Writing a book is like making muffins. You need certain things to get the recipe right, then comes the fun part in adding your own flair to the basics. This class teaches the basics of Story structure as created by Larry Brooks.
Structure, Scene and Sequel – KATE PALMER
Learn how to hook your readers and keep them reading. Writing with Jack M. Bickham’s scene and sequel technique provides show not tell action. You will learn how to juggle cause and effect to prolong your character’s struggle, move the plot forward, and keep readers worrying until the end.
Ten Common Mistakes Romance Writers Make– ALLEN/MOOREWriting romance requires walking a fine line, understanding when to draw out the suspense, how perfect to make your hero, whose point of view to use. We'll discuss some of the most typical mistakes that turn a blissfully satisfying story into a something you want to to stuff into the disposal.
Using Family History in Fiction – LIZ ADAIR
Liz shows how she and other writers have mined their family history in writing fiction. She talks about guidelines, possibilities, and how writing family history as fiction can often free someone to write the story they have inside but can’t seem to get down on paper.
You Had Me at Once Upon A Time: How to Write a Great Beginning – LIZ ADAIR
Liz shows why it’s so necessary to have a good first paragraph and then offers the class techniques in crafting a beginning that will grab the reader and compel him to read on.
Writing Journals for Posterity – TRISTI PINKSTON
Your journal may be the single most important legacy you leave for your posterity. What should you include? How much detail should you give? How can you put it together to be truly useful to those who come after you? This class will discuss all these important elements and more.
Writing Cozy Mysteries – TRISTI PINKSTON
What differentiates a "cozy" from other kinds of mystery novels, and how can you create a story that will intrigue, entertain, and keep your readers guessing? Learn about the importance of characterization, planting red herrings, and tying everything up at the end with a satisfying bow.
Writing Great Short Stories – ANGIE LOFTHOUSE
Short stories are different beasts from novels, though they contain the same elements. We'll discuss the what, how, why, where and when of short fiction. From someone who has published over a dozen short stories and been a short fiction editor for many years.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES
Liz Adair
A late bloomer, Liz Adair published The Lodger, the first of her three Spider Latham mysteries, about the time AARP started sending signup invitations. Spider was on the job in two more books: After Goliath and Snakewater Affair. Moving from mystery into romantic suspense, her next book, The Mist of Quarry Harbor was a best seller for Deseret Book. Counting the Cost, a novel based on family history, won the 2009 Whitney Award and was a finalist for the Willa Award and Arizona Publisher Association’s Glyph Award. Returning to writing what she calls “cheap vacations” (romantic suspense), her latest book is Cold Harbor. Liz is the current chairman of the board for LDStorymakers, is active in ANWA, and has just organized a writers group in Kanab, UT, where she and her husband, Derrill, live. Liz’s blogs at www.sezlizadair.blogspot.com.
Nancy Campbell AllenNancy Campbell Allen (N.C. Allen) has a degree in elementary education and has been writing for fun since the third grade. Her first book was published in 1999, and she now has eleven books to her credit—four contemporary romance and seven historicals, including the award-winning Civil War series Faith of Our Fathers—and plans to write until the day she dies. She loves to read, travel, and spend time with family and friends. She has completed two half marathons and is trying to talk herself into doing another one. Nancy lives in Ogden, Utah, with her husband and three children, although one recently married, moved out, and brought a son-in-law to the mix. She still maintains that this does not make her old.
Shirley Bahlmann
Eclectic author Shirley Bahlmann has published over 20 books in the past 12 years. Her wide variety of genres include historical fiction, how-to, how-not-to, biographies, near-death, and how to ride a unicycle. She’s published across the spectrum, from traditional to indie publishing to becoming an award-winning journalist. She’s currently pursuing her next new adventure of netting an international agent, using her new contemporary magical element MG books as bait. Visit her website at www.shirleybahlmann.com, or laugh along with her blog at shirleybahlmann.blogspot.com.
Mikey Brooks
Mikey Brooks is a small child masquerading as an adult. On occasion you’ll catch him dancing the funky chicken, singing like a banshee, and pretending to have never grown up. He is the author/illustrator of several books including Bean’s Dragons and the ABC Adventures series. His art can be seen in many forms from picture books to full room murals. He loves to daydream with his two daughters and explore the worlds that only the imagination of children can create. Find out more about Mikey at: www.insidemikeysworld.com
Clint Cox
As a business man and a plumber he is your unexpected and unconventional author. Probably the least likely person you would expect to write a book, Clint Cox beat the odds against him and published his novel. Christmas Notes his first novel has received recognition across the nation for the way the characters work their way in to your heart, inspiring change. Christmas Notes is in Hollywood right now being negotiated to be made into a movie. Clint’s second book is due to be published this October, and already has been desired by the same movie company. Dyslexic, working 50 hour weeks, balancing family life with young children, church service and community involvement; Pretty impressive “to-do” list. Yet, he made time to see this project through, find out how he made the time and made it all work.
Scott Forman
K. Scott Forman is a writer and editor. He has worked with writers in flash fiction, newspaper reporting, the Intelligence Community, and currently teaches composition at Weber State University. He is a founding member of Fast Forward Press and dabbles in Internet publishing and holiday chapbook creation with Fear Knocks Press/fearknocks.com. His most recent work can be read in Morpheus Tales and 605 Magazine. Like many writers, he is working ardently on the Great American Novel, but has a weakness for haiku and the Romantics.
Darren HansenDarren graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Utah. His advertisements have been in The New York Times, Newsweek, and Time magazine. He's the creator of inkPageant.com, which collects useful blog posts for writers. He spends every other Wednesday night with his critique group. When he's not writing, he enjoys ultimate frisbee, making websites, and spending time with his wife and three young boys.
Donna Hatch
Author of Historical Romance and Fantasy, award-winning author Donna Hatch is a sought-after speaker and workshop presenter. Her writing awards include the Golden Rose and the prestigious Golden Quill. Her passion for writing began at age 8 she wrote her first short story, and she wrote her first full-length novel during her sophomore year in high school, a fantasy which was later published. In between caring for six children, (7 counting her husband), her day job, her work as a freelance editor and copywriter, and her many volunteer positions, she still makes time to write. After all, writing IS an obsession. All of her heroes are patterned after her husband of over 20 years, who continues to prove that there really is a happily ever after.
Chas Hathaway
Chas Hathaway is a full-time author and musician, happy husband and father of four. His books include: Marriage is Ordained of God, but WHO Came Up with Dating?, a humorous LDS dating guide, published by Cedar Fort in 2011, and Giraffe Tracks, a memoir of his mission to South Africa, which is independently published. Cedar Fort will be releasing his third book this year, which is a book of over a hundred unique scripture study methods.
Chas also has five new age music albums and a wide variety of favorite solo piano hymn arrangements available in sheet music.
Chas also enjoys writing middle grade fiction and national market nonfiction. You can learn more about Chas and his books, see his video and audio podcasts, and listen to his music at http://chashathaway.com. From there you can link to his various social networks (Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Youtube, etc).
Sonja Herbert
Sonja Herbert and her five siblings were raised in a caravan, traveling the carnival circuit from town to town in post-WWII Germany.
Sonja converted to the LDS Church, served a mission, married an American soldier, and immigrated to the USA. She received a BA at SUU in Cedar City, and an MA in Language Acquisition from Brigham Young University, taught high school and ESL for many years, and is now an English-to-German proofreader and editor. In her free time, Sonja writes and designs and knits clothes for herself and her large family. A mother of six and grandmother of thirteen, she resides in Provo, Utah.
Her childhood memoir, Carnival Girl, was published in June 2012. Sonja has also written and published many other auto-biographical stories, like these:
"A Lesson for a Son," and "Final Goodbyes," Patchwork Path: Dad's Bowtie, July 2009
"Schooled," Ask Me About My Divorce: Women Open Up About Moving On, June 2009
"Goodwill to Men," The Ultimate Christmas: The Best Experts' Advice for a Memorable Season with Stories and Photos of Holiday Magic September 2009
"Letting the Light Shine," Christmas Traditions: True Stories that Celebrate the Spirit of the Season, November 2008
"A True Mother," Chicken Soup for the Soul: Divorce and Recovery: 101 Stories about Surviving and Thriving after Divorce, October 2008
“Just a Small New Year’s Resolution,” Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Resolution, February 2012
A biographical novel about Sonja’s half-Jewish mother’s experiences in Nazi Germany is almost finished.
Sonja lives in Provo with her husband and cat. You can find more about her unusual life at Germanwriter.com.
Cindy M. Hogan
Cindy M. Hogan is the author of the best selling Watched Series (Watched, Protected, and Created). She loves a good scare, but not the gory type. She loves reading suspense with a bit of romance, but keep it clean. She graduated with a secondary education teaching degree at BYU and enjoys spending time with unpredictable teenagers. More than anything she loves the time she has with her own teenage daughters and wishes she could freeze them at this fun age. If she's not reading or writing, you'll find her snuggled up with the love of her life watching a great movie or planning their next party.
Karen E. Hoover
Karen E. Hoover has been writing Young Adult fantasy for the past twenty years and has been an avid reader since the tender age of six. She is the author of two books in The Wolfchild Saga (The Sapphire Flute and the Armor of Light) and one book in The Misadventures of a Teenage Wizard (Two Souls are Better Than One.) She has taught after school writing classes at her local junior high for the past five years, and loves every moment.
About her writing, Karen says “I’d love to write a great mystery. You know the kind—the brilliant detective who uncovers the truth about the cold case that’s been haunting the community for decades. Unfortunately all my detective turns into a werewolf and my suspects into various fae, so I’ve learned to stick with what I’m good at. ”
Karen lives in Tooele with her husband, two sons, multiple cats and dogs, and the occasional stray.
Pendragon Inman
Author of the Shinehah Saga
Pendragon first got her name as a black-belt martial artist in Haidong Gumdo (think Samurai) and Shaolin Kung Fu. She was born in Phoenix, Arizona but currently lives in Utah with her husband, son, demanding macaw, and bearded dragon who is far more lazy than the stubborn dragons she writes about.
Discover more at www.ShinehahSaga.com
C. Michelle Jefferies
C. Michelle Jefferies writes futuristic suspense, a stark contrast to her rural life in South Eastern Utah with seven kids, house, husband, and chickens. Although her heart resides in the future, she has been known to be distracted by Urban Fantasy. Her first novel EMERGENCE was released in October 2012, and she is looking forward to three new books being released this year.
Heather JustesenHeather Justesen is the author of ten novels, two novellas, a non-fiction book and numerous short stories. She works with her husband in their small business and formats books for other authors who are self publishing. When she has free time (whatever that is) she likes to read, bake and cultivate her garden though she grows mostly rocks. Her heart is at Snow College where she graduated as a Super Sophomore before completing a bachelor's in English lit.
Carla Kelly
Called “the grandmistress of Regency Romance,” Carla Kelly is a veteran of the national and international publishing world. She began writing short stories about the Indian Wars, two of which earned Spur Awards from Western Writers of America. She spent years writing Regency Romances for Signet, earning two Rita Awards for Best Regency of the Year from Romance Writers of America, plus a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times. Venturing into LDS themes, she received a Whitney Award in 2012 for Borrowed Light for Best Romance of the Year, from LDStorymakers. Carla now writes for three publishers – Harlequin, Camel Press in Seattle, and Cedar Fort, and has been published in at least 12 languages. On her scholarly side, Carla edited an 1854 fur trade journal for Oklahoma University Press, and a history of Fort Buford, site of Sitting Bull’s surrender. So far she has 26 novels and umpteen short stories in print, with older Signets now in ebook. Three new novels are due in 2013, plus one non-fiction collection. Carla loves to write. She relishes the challenge of blending history with fiction and making both ring true.
Martin Kelly
B.A. in Speech and Dramatic Arts, BYU, 1969
M.F.A. in Directing, Brooklyn College, CUNY, 1973
Ph.D. in playwriting with a major in English, BYU, 1984
Retired as Professor Emeritus, Valley City State University, Valley City, North Dakota, 2009
In addition to teaching many theatre classes, Martin Kelly also taught creative writing, playwriting and film. He’s written many one-act plays and several full-length plays. The play, AND THEY SHALL BE GATHERED was staged at BYU in 1968 and 1969, and published by the LDS church and produced at June Conference in PMT at the University of Utah: subsequently produced in many locations.
Two plays, WITH GOLDEN FIRE (dealing with the life and works of the Bohemian reformer Jan Hus), and a modern domestic drama, MONTAGUE STREET, were accepted as part of doctoral dissertation at BYU in 1984.
Many of his students have written and produced good quality one-act plays.
Abel Keogh
Abel is the author of the novel The Third, the memoir Room for Two, and the relationship trilogy Dating a Widower, Marrying a Widower and Life with a Widower.
During the day, Abel works in corporate marketing for a technology company. His main responsibilities include making computers and software sound super sexy, coding websites, and herding cats. At night and during full moons he transforms into a writer which isn’t nearly as exciting as, say, turning into a werewolf. He also speaks Bulgarian but doesn’t get a chance to practice it except when he’s cut off in traffic or smashes his finger with a hammer.
To keep his sanity in check, Abel runs 20-25 miles a week. He uses that time for plotting out his next book, fine tuning his plan for world domination, and keeping up with his marathon running wife, Julianna (a.k.a. Marathon Girl).
Abel and his wife live somewhere in the beautiful state of Utah and, as citizens of the Beehive State, are parents of the requisite six children.
David P. King
David was born in beautiful downtown Burbank, California, where his love for film inspired him to become a writer. He consumes all things science fiction and fantasy and he has a soft spot for zombies and the paranormal. David now lives in the mountain West with his wife and two children.
His YA fantasy debut WOVEN will be released by Cedar Fort, October, 2013
Jeff Lamb and Japanese Club students: John Pack, Tina Trevino, Jazmen Tuchawer
Angie Lofthouse went to college with every intention of becoming a particle physicist, but through a series of misadventures, found herself studying Shakespeare instead. After college she combined her love of science and her love of words into a science fiction writing career. She lives in a little canyon in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains with her family of writers, artists, singers, composers, illustrators and musicians. Learn more at her websitewww.angielofthouse.com
Dene Low
Dene Low has loved the rich landscape of language since she was a small child. Stories have always captivated her. So, the story of how language works and why it is so powerful has been of powerful interest to her. She worked as a journalist and editor, has a master’s in creative writing, a PhD in rhetoric and composition, and currently teaches writing at the university level. Her publications include hundreds of articles, several essays, chapters in collections, and short stories, as well as three novels. Her novel Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone (published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) received several awards and was a finalist for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award. Two more books are scheduled to come out in 2013: RScue (Covenant) and Grandparenting in Blended Families (Familius). She is represented by the JABberwocky Literary Agency. When she's not teaching or writing, she can be found touring on her motorcycle.
Jennifer MooreBefore taking the plunge into mommyhood, Jennifer got her degree in Linguistics and taught ESL. When she's not watching her kids play sports or driving carpools, she loves shopping for shoes, losing herself in a delicious romance novel, and stealing time to write about people falling in love. She lives in Kaysville, Utah with her husband and four sons who spoil her shamelessly and treat her like a princess.
Kate Palmer
Kate began her career as an elementary school teacher but was soon promoted to full-time mom. She is the mother of six, and she and her family live in the country, where her husband is trying to teach her to be a farm girl. She can’t saddle a horse, but she knows how to butcher a chicken. After a day of chasing children, cooking meals, and doing laundry, she likes to escape into a good book.
Tristi Pinkston
Tristi Pinkston is the author of fifteen books, the mother of four children, the wife of one man, and the taker of innumerable naps. She works as a freelance editor and teaches at writers conferences up and down the Wasatch Front. She won the Silver Quill for Fiction for her novel Secret Sisters last year, and is a very, very awesome person. You can learn more about her at www.tristipinkston.com
Cory Poulson
Cory Poulson is the author of the fantasy novels "Reiyalindis" and "The Ashen Swarm," and has been an avid writer of fantasy since elementary school. He is currently pursuing a degree in secondary geoscience education, and lives with his wife and children in Utah.
J. Scott SavageJ Scott Savage has been reading and writing for as long as he can remember. (He regularly cut school to go to the library.) But it wasn’t until he published his first book just over ten years ago, that he realized it was something he wanted to do full time. He has since published eleven novels including the Farworld fantasy series by Shadow Mountain, the Case File 13 middle grade series by Harper Collins, and Dark Memories, the first horror novel published by a mainstream LDS publisher. Scott has presented at more than500 schools, taught numerous writing classes, and presented at many writing conferences.
Berin Stephens
Berin Stephens was born and raised in Alaska. He teaches saxophone and clarinet lessons and is the adjunct saxophone instructor at Utah Valley University. His novels are The Dragon War Relic (a YA fantasy/sci-fi comedy) andTime Gangsters (urban fantasy). He also has stories published by Big World Network, one is called Delroy Versus the Yshtari (sci-fi/comedy) and the other is Tales of Myrick the (Not-so) Magnificent: The Lord of the Socks (YA fantasy/comedy). Berin currently lives in Orem, Utah with his wife, five kids, dog, cat, and aloe plant. For more information, visit his website berinstephens.com.
Michael Young
Michael is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a degree in German Teaching and a minor in Music. He puts his German to good use teaching online German courses for High School students. Though he grew up traveling the world with his military father, he now lives in Utah with his wife, Jen, and his two sons. Michael enjoys acting in community theater, playing and writing music and spending time with his family. He played for several years with the handbell choir Bells on Temple Square and is now a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
He is the author of the novels THE CANTICLE KINGDOM, THE CANTICLE PRELUDE and THE LAST ARCHANGEL. He is also the author of the inspirational pamphlet PORTRAIT OF A MOTHER, a contributor to the anthology PARABLES FOR TODAY and the author of several web serials through BigWorldNetwork.com. His most recent work is SING WE NOW OF CHRISTMAS, an anthology of short stories with the proceeds going to charity. He has also had work featured in various online and print magazines such as Mindflights, The New Era, Allegory, and Ensign.
Liz Adair
A late bloomer, Liz Adair published The Lodger, the first of her three Spider Latham mysteries, about the time AARP started sending signup invitations. Spider was on the job in two more books: After Goliath and Snakewater Affair. Moving from mystery into romantic suspense, her next book, The Mist of Quarry Harbor was a best seller for Deseret Book. Counting the Cost, a novel based on family history, won the 2009 Whitney Award and was a finalist for the Willa Award and Arizona Publisher Association’s Glyph Award. Returning to writing what she calls “cheap vacations” (romantic suspense), her latest book is Cold Harbor. Liz is the current chairman of the board for LDStorymakers, is active in ANWA, and has just organized a writers group in Kanab, UT, where she and her husband, Derrill, live. Liz’s blogs at www.sezlizadair.blogspot.com.
Nancy Campbell AllenNancy Campbell Allen (N.C. Allen) has a degree in elementary education and has been writing for fun since the third grade. Her first book was published in 1999, and she now has eleven books to her credit—four contemporary romance and seven historicals, including the award-winning Civil War series Faith of Our Fathers—and plans to write until the day she dies. She loves to read, travel, and spend time with family and friends. She has completed two half marathons and is trying to talk herself into doing another one. Nancy lives in Ogden, Utah, with her husband and three children, although one recently married, moved out, and brought a son-in-law to the mix. She still maintains that this does not make her old.
Shirley Bahlmann
Eclectic author Shirley Bahlmann has published over 20 books in the past 12 years. Her wide variety of genres include historical fiction, how-to, how-not-to, biographies, near-death, and how to ride a unicycle. She’s published across the spectrum, from traditional to indie publishing to becoming an award-winning journalist. She’s currently pursuing her next new adventure of netting an international agent, using her new contemporary magical element MG books as bait. Visit her website at www.shirleybahlmann.com, or laugh along with her blog at shirleybahlmann.blogspot.com.
Mikey Brooks
Mikey Brooks is a small child masquerading as an adult. On occasion you’ll catch him dancing the funky chicken, singing like a banshee, and pretending to have never grown up. He is the author/illustrator of several books including Bean’s Dragons and the ABC Adventures series. His art can be seen in many forms from picture books to full room murals. He loves to daydream with his two daughters and explore the worlds that only the imagination of children can create. Find out more about Mikey at: www.insidemikeysworld.com
Clint Cox
As a business man and a plumber he is your unexpected and unconventional author. Probably the least likely person you would expect to write a book, Clint Cox beat the odds against him and published his novel. Christmas Notes his first novel has received recognition across the nation for the way the characters work their way in to your heart, inspiring change. Christmas Notes is in Hollywood right now being negotiated to be made into a movie. Clint’s second book is due to be published this October, and already has been desired by the same movie company. Dyslexic, working 50 hour weeks, balancing family life with young children, church service and community involvement; Pretty impressive “to-do” list. Yet, he made time to see this project through, find out how he made the time and made it all work.
Scott Forman
K. Scott Forman is a writer and editor. He has worked with writers in flash fiction, newspaper reporting, the Intelligence Community, and currently teaches composition at Weber State University. He is a founding member of Fast Forward Press and dabbles in Internet publishing and holiday chapbook creation with Fear Knocks Press/fearknocks.com. His most recent work can be read in Morpheus Tales and 605 Magazine. Like many writers, he is working ardently on the Great American Novel, but has a weakness for haiku and the Romantics.
Darren HansenDarren graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Utah. His advertisements have been in The New York Times, Newsweek, and Time magazine. He's the creator of inkPageant.com, which collects useful blog posts for writers. He spends every other Wednesday night with his critique group. When he's not writing, he enjoys ultimate frisbee, making websites, and spending time with his wife and three young boys.
Donna Hatch
Author of Historical Romance and Fantasy, award-winning author Donna Hatch is a sought-after speaker and workshop presenter. Her writing awards include the Golden Rose and the prestigious Golden Quill. Her passion for writing began at age 8 she wrote her first short story, and she wrote her first full-length novel during her sophomore year in high school, a fantasy which was later published. In between caring for six children, (7 counting her husband), her day job, her work as a freelance editor and copywriter, and her many volunteer positions, she still makes time to write. After all, writing IS an obsession. All of her heroes are patterned after her husband of over 20 years, who continues to prove that there really is a happily ever after.
Chas Hathaway
Chas Hathaway is a full-time author and musician, happy husband and father of four. His books include: Marriage is Ordained of God, but WHO Came Up with Dating?, a humorous LDS dating guide, published by Cedar Fort in 2011, and Giraffe Tracks, a memoir of his mission to South Africa, which is independently published. Cedar Fort will be releasing his third book this year, which is a book of over a hundred unique scripture study methods.
Chas also has five new age music albums and a wide variety of favorite solo piano hymn arrangements available in sheet music.
Chas also enjoys writing middle grade fiction and national market nonfiction. You can learn more about Chas and his books, see his video and audio podcasts, and listen to his music at http://chashathaway.com. From there you can link to his various social networks (Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Youtube, etc).
Sonja Herbert
Sonja Herbert and her five siblings were raised in a caravan, traveling the carnival circuit from town to town in post-WWII Germany.
Sonja converted to the LDS Church, served a mission, married an American soldier, and immigrated to the USA. She received a BA at SUU in Cedar City, and an MA in Language Acquisition from Brigham Young University, taught high school and ESL for many years, and is now an English-to-German proofreader and editor. In her free time, Sonja writes and designs and knits clothes for herself and her large family. A mother of six and grandmother of thirteen, she resides in Provo, Utah.
Her childhood memoir, Carnival Girl, was published in June 2012. Sonja has also written and published many other auto-biographical stories, like these:
"A Lesson for a Son," and "Final Goodbyes," Patchwork Path: Dad's Bowtie, July 2009
"Schooled," Ask Me About My Divorce: Women Open Up About Moving On, June 2009
"Goodwill to Men," The Ultimate Christmas: The Best Experts' Advice for a Memorable Season with Stories and Photos of Holiday Magic September 2009
"Letting the Light Shine," Christmas Traditions: True Stories that Celebrate the Spirit of the Season, November 2008
"A True Mother," Chicken Soup for the Soul: Divorce and Recovery: 101 Stories about Surviving and Thriving after Divorce, October 2008
“Just a Small New Year’s Resolution,” Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Resolution, February 2012
A biographical novel about Sonja’s half-Jewish mother’s experiences in Nazi Germany is almost finished.
Sonja lives in Provo with her husband and cat. You can find more about her unusual life at Germanwriter.com.
Cindy M. Hogan
Cindy M. Hogan is the author of the best selling Watched Series (Watched, Protected, and Created). She loves a good scare, but not the gory type. She loves reading suspense with a bit of romance, but keep it clean. She graduated with a secondary education teaching degree at BYU and enjoys spending time with unpredictable teenagers. More than anything she loves the time she has with her own teenage daughters and wishes she could freeze them at this fun age. If she's not reading or writing, you'll find her snuggled up with the love of her life watching a great movie or planning their next party.
Karen E. Hoover
Karen E. Hoover has been writing Young Adult fantasy for the past twenty years and has been an avid reader since the tender age of six. She is the author of two books in The Wolfchild Saga (The Sapphire Flute and the Armor of Light) and one book in The Misadventures of a Teenage Wizard (Two Souls are Better Than One.) She has taught after school writing classes at her local junior high for the past five years, and loves every moment.
About her writing, Karen says “I’d love to write a great mystery. You know the kind—the brilliant detective who uncovers the truth about the cold case that’s been haunting the community for decades. Unfortunately all my detective turns into a werewolf and my suspects into various fae, so I’ve learned to stick with what I’m good at. ”
Karen lives in Tooele with her husband, two sons, multiple cats and dogs, and the occasional stray.
Pendragon Inman
Author of the Shinehah Saga
Pendragon first got her name as a black-belt martial artist in Haidong Gumdo (think Samurai) and Shaolin Kung Fu. She was born in Phoenix, Arizona but currently lives in Utah with her husband, son, demanding macaw, and bearded dragon who is far more lazy than the stubborn dragons she writes about.
Discover more at www.ShinehahSaga.com
C. Michelle Jefferies
C. Michelle Jefferies writes futuristic suspense, a stark contrast to her rural life in South Eastern Utah with seven kids, house, husband, and chickens. Although her heart resides in the future, she has been known to be distracted by Urban Fantasy. Her first novel EMERGENCE was released in October 2012, and she is looking forward to three new books being released this year.
Heather JustesenHeather Justesen is the author of ten novels, two novellas, a non-fiction book and numerous short stories. She works with her husband in their small business and formats books for other authors who are self publishing. When she has free time (whatever that is) she likes to read, bake and cultivate her garden though she grows mostly rocks. Her heart is at Snow College where she graduated as a Super Sophomore before completing a bachelor's in English lit.
Carla Kelly
Called “the grandmistress of Regency Romance,” Carla Kelly is a veteran of the national and international publishing world. She began writing short stories about the Indian Wars, two of which earned Spur Awards from Western Writers of America. She spent years writing Regency Romances for Signet, earning two Rita Awards for Best Regency of the Year from Romance Writers of America, plus a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times. Venturing into LDS themes, she received a Whitney Award in 2012 for Borrowed Light for Best Romance of the Year, from LDStorymakers. Carla now writes for three publishers – Harlequin, Camel Press in Seattle, and Cedar Fort, and has been published in at least 12 languages. On her scholarly side, Carla edited an 1854 fur trade journal for Oklahoma University Press, and a history of Fort Buford, site of Sitting Bull’s surrender. So far she has 26 novels and umpteen short stories in print, with older Signets now in ebook. Three new novels are due in 2013, plus one non-fiction collection. Carla loves to write. She relishes the challenge of blending history with fiction and making both ring true.
Martin Kelly
B.A. in Speech and Dramatic Arts, BYU, 1969
M.F.A. in Directing, Brooklyn College, CUNY, 1973
Ph.D. in playwriting with a major in English, BYU, 1984
Retired as Professor Emeritus, Valley City State University, Valley City, North Dakota, 2009
In addition to teaching many theatre classes, Martin Kelly also taught creative writing, playwriting and film. He’s written many one-act plays and several full-length plays. The play, AND THEY SHALL BE GATHERED was staged at BYU in 1968 and 1969, and published by the LDS church and produced at June Conference in PMT at the University of Utah: subsequently produced in many locations.
Two plays, WITH GOLDEN FIRE (dealing with the life and works of the Bohemian reformer Jan Hus), and a modern domestic drama, MONTAGUE STREET, were accepted as part of doctoral dissertation at BYU in 1984.
Many of his students have written and produced good quality one-act plays.
Abel Keogh
Abel is the author of the novel The Third, the memoir Room for Two, and the relationship trilogy Dating a Widower, Marrying a Widower and Life with a Widower.
During the day, Abel works in corporate marketing for a technology company. His main responsibilities include making computers and software sound super sexy, coding websites, and herding cats. At night and during full moons he transforms into a writer which isn’t nearly as exciting as, say, turning into a werewolf. He also speaks Bulgarian but doesn’t get a chance to practice it except when he’s cut off in traffic or smashes his finger with a hammer.
To keep his sanity in check, Abel runs 20-25 miles a week. He uses that time for plotting out his next book, fine tuning his plan for world domination, and keeping up with his marathon running wife, Julianna (a.k.a. Marathon Girl).
Abel and his wife live somewhere in the beautiful state of Utah and, as citizens of the Beehive State, are parents of the requisite six children.
David P. King
David was born in beautiful downtown Burbank, California, where his love for film inspired him to become a writer. He consumes all things science fiction and fantasy and he has a soft spot for zombies and the paranormal. David now lives in the mountain West with his wife and two children.
His YA fantasy debut WOVEN will be released by Cedar Fort, October, 2013
Jeff Lamb and Japanese Club students: John Pack, Tina Trevino, Jazmen Tuchawer
Angie Lofthouse went to college with every intention of becoming a particle physicist, but through a series of misadventures, found herself studying Shakespeare instead. After college she combined her love of science and her love of words into a science fiction writing career. She lives in a little canyon in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains with her family of writers, artists, singers, composers, illustrators and musicians. Learn more at her websitewww.angielofthouse.com
Dene Low
Dene Low has loved the rich landscape of language since she was a small child. Stories have always captivated her. So, the story of how language works and why it is so powerful has been of powerful interest to her. She worked as a journalist and editor, has a master’s in creative writing, a PhD in rhetoric and composition, and currently teaches writing at the university level. Her publications include hundreds of articles, several essays, chapters in collections, and short stories, as well as three novels. Her novel Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone (published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) received several awards and was a finalist for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award. Two more books are scheduled to come out in 2013: RScue (Covenant) and Grandparenting in Blended Families (Familius). She is represented by the JABberwocky Literary Agency. When she's not teaching or writing, she can be found touring on her motorcycle.
Jennifer MooreBefore taking the plunge into mommyhood, Jennifer got her degree in Linguistics and taught ESL. When she's not watching her kids play sports or driving carpools, she loves shopping for shoes, losing herself in a delicious romance novel, and stealing time to write about people falling in love. She lives in Kaysville, Utah with her husband and four sons who spoil her shamelessly and treat her like a princess.
Kate Palmer
Kate began her career as an elementary school teacher but was soon promoted to full-time mom. She is the mother of six, and she and her family live in the country, where her husband is trying to teach her to be a farm girl. She can’t saddle a horse, but she knows how to butcher a chicken. After a day of chasing children, cooking meals, and doing laundry, she likes to escape into a good book.
Tristi Pinkston
Tristi Pinkston is the author of fifteen books, the mother of four children, the wife of one man, and the taker of innumerable naps. She works as a freelance editor and teaches at writers conferences up and down the Wasatch Front. She won the Silver Quill for Fiction for her novel Secret Sisters last year, and is a very, very awesome person. You can learn more about her at www.tristipinkston.com
Cory Poulson
Cory Poulson is the author of the fantasy novels "Reiyalindis" and "The Ashen Swarm," and has been an avid writer of fantasy since elementary school. He is currently pursuing a degree in secondary geoscience education, and lives with his wife and children in Utah.
J. Scott SavageJ Scott Savage has been reading and writing for as long as he can remember. (He regularly cut school to go to the library.) But it wasn’t until he published his first book just over ten years ago, that he realized it was something he wanted to do full time. He has since published eleven novels including the Farworld fantasy series by Shadow Mountain, the Case File 13 middle grade series by Harper Collins, and Dark Memories, the first horror novel published by a mainstream LDS publisher. Scott has presented at more than500 schools, taught numerous writing classes, and presented at many writing conferences.
Berin Stephens
Berin Stephens was born and raised in Alaska. He teaches saxophone and clarinet lessons and is the adjunct saxophone instructor at Utah Valley University. His novels are The Dragon War Relic (a YA fantasy/sci-fi comedy) andTime Gangsters (urban fantasy). He also has stories published by Big World Network, one is called Delroy Versus the Yshtari (sci-fi/comedy) and the other is Tales of Myrick the (Not-so) Magnificent: The Lord of the Socks (YA fantasy/comedy). Berin currently lives in Orem, Utah with his wife, five kids, dog, cat, and aloe plant. For more information, visit his website berinstephens.com.
Michael Young
Michael is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a degree in German Teaching and a minor in Music. He puts his German to good use teaching online German courses for High School students. Though he grew up traveling the world with his military father, he now lives in Utah with his wife, Jen, and his two sons. Michael enjoys acting in community theater, playing and writing music and spending time with his family. He played for several years with the handbell choir Bells on Temple Square and is now a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
He is the author of the novels THE CANTICLE KINGDOM, THE CANTICLE PRELUDE and THE LAST ARCHANGEL. He is also the author of the inspirational pamphlet PORTRAIT OF A MOTHER, a contributor to the anthology PARABLES FOR TODAY and the author of several web serials through BigWorldNetwork.com. His most recent work is SING WE NOW OF CHRISTMAS, an anthology of short stories with the proceeds going to charity. He has also had work featured in various online and print magazines such as Mindflights, The New Era, Allegory, and Ensign.
