Injecting Your Fiction with Life

*IMPORTANT NOTE*
Due to funeral needs at the church the ACFW DFW Ready Writers March meeting will be held in the chapel of Arlington Community church tomorrow. Same building as usual, just on the other end. Signs will be posted. See you then!


Please join us as we welcome Dr. Marie Sontag on Saturday, March 10, 2018 at 10:30a - Arlington Community Church as she presents “Research: Injecting Your Fiction with Life.”

Just how can we inject relevant research, at appropriate moments and in accurate amounts, to help bring our fiction to life?  

This workshop will provide tips about where to research in order to find the precise details needed to ground our fiction in reality. To get a more “hands-on” experience, you are invited to bring a laptop to further explore some of the sites that will be visited. Handouts will be provided.

Sontag loves to bring history to life through historical fiction. With a BA in Social Science, as well as both an MA and Ph.D. in education, she says teaching middle school for over 15 years has kept her young. Her middle-grade series takes place in Ancient Mesopotamia. Her “Ancient Elements” trilogy includes The Bronze Dagger, The Alabaster Jar, and The Silver Coin. When on author visits, Dr. Sontag is always accompanied by her authenticated 3,500-year-old bronze dagger, alabaster jar, and 2,300-year-old Phoenician coin. 

Her YA historical fiction book, Rising Hope, places readers alongside Polish Boy Scouts and Girl Guides who helped the Polish Underground fight the Germans during WWII. These are just some of her titles, along with several current works In progress. In addition to writing, she speaks at various functions including schools, Literacy Conferences, Writers Groups, Ethnic festivals, etc. Her topics are varied and entertaining.

Born in Milwaukee, WI, and having lived FOREVER in San Jose, CA, she currently makes her home in North Richland Hills, TX , where her favorite activities are attending concerts and musicals with her husband, and playing trains with her grandson.

Discover more about Dr. Sontag on her website: http://www.mariesontag.com/ or at: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMarieSontag/.

Although not mandatory, it is helpful for planning purposes to reserve your spot by emailing your name and telephone to: DFWReadyWriters.Events@gmail.com. Subject line: March 2018 or Marie Sontag.

To keep up to date on this and other ACFW DFW Ready Writers events, visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DFWReadyWriters/

The meeting will be followed by the usual pay-your-way lunch at a nearby restaurant for further networking, fun, and fellowship.

See you there!

Go Ahead, Make a Scene!

Join us on Saturday, February 10th at 10:30 a.m. at Arlington Community Church as Julie B Cosgrove, multi-award wining author of sixteen books with four more under contract, will lead a hands-on creative workshop on how to make a scene readers will enjoy.

Julie says, "When readers tell me they felt they as if they were watching a TV movie as they read my book, I inwardly pump my fist - nailed it!"

Today's readers have grown up being visually stimulated for their entertainment. From TV to movie theater graphics, to computer video games, gifs and You Tube, their eyes truly are the windows to their souls. With readership dwindling, authors have to change our way of thinking and writing in order to compete for people's time and entertainment needs.

To capture their attention, we must virtually insert our readers into the plot along with our characters. Julie will show us examples of how she does it by stimulating the reader's five senses in almost every scene. She will also show how to eliminate tags, which can often yank the reader out of the story the way mini-hiccups can interrupt a folktale teller's yarn.

Bring your creative juices and your laptop or pen (paper provided). There will be ample time during the workshop for you to create a scene and then, if you wish, share it with the rest of the Ready Writers that day.



Awarded "One of the 50 Writers You Should Be Reading" in 2015 and 2016 by the nationally syndicated radio program The Authors' Show, Julie B Cosgrove has been a freelance writer since 2007. Besides being a digital missionary on staff with Campus Crusades Canada's internet ministry as a writer and editor, Julie has written regularly for several other faith-based publications since 2009 including Daily Bread, Life from the Word, Good News Daily,Thoughts About God and The Journey.

Her novel, Freed to Forgive was a Grace Award finalist, and her suspense-romance, Legitimate Lies won Best Inspirational Fiction by a Texas Author in 2016 by the Texas Association of Authors as well as being an INSPY Award semi-finalist. Her first cozy mystery in the Bunco Biddies Mysteries, Dumpster Dicing, won Best Cozy by a Texas Author 2017. Three of her short stories have won awards as well.

Besides being a member of ACFW, Julie has achieved the highest level of public speaking in Toastmasters International, The Advanced Communication Gold. She is a member of the Advanced Speakers and Writers Association, and the Christian Authors Network(CAN).

Her own devotional blog, Where Did You Find God Today? has readership in 52 countries.

Reservations are not mandatory but are requested for this event. Reserve your spot today!

DFWReadyWriters.Events@gmail.com

Subject line: February 2018 - Make A Scene

Body of text: Name and best phone number for each reservation spot.

Share the usual Dutch-treat lunch afterward for further fellowship and networking.  

See you there!

Keep up with all the happenings of ACFW DFW Ready Writers here or by following us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DFWReadyWriters/

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR TAX SEASON??

Please join us as we welcome Paula Gibbons, CPA, on Saturday, January 13, 2018, at Arlington Community Church when she presents “What You Need to Know About Taxes.”  The meeting starts at 10:30a. PLEASE NOTE, this meeting will run longer than usual, ending at 12:30p. Attendees are invited to bring water and/or snacks. The usual Dutch-treat luncheon will follow.

In this presentation Gibbons will explain business tax planning and compliance for the self-employed individual. Earlier this fall she invited ACFW DFW Ready Writers members to submit their tax questions. She has received those queries and plans to answer as many as possible but due to the individuality of each tax payers information, the nature of the discussion, and her preparation requirements, these and other questions will only be answered as time permits.

Gibbons is a CPA with C.R Parr & Associates, PC, a full-service public accounting firm in Hurst. She works in tax services for individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations. Gibbons has been a CPA for 27 years and is a member of the American Institute of CPAs as well as the Texas Society of CPAs-Fort Worth Chapter.

After graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington with a BBA in Accounting, Gibbons began her career in the tax department of the Hunt brothers’ companies. She left the work force to raise a family but continued to maintain her CPA license and professional memberships. Later, she relaunched her career as tax staff for small and medium public accounting firms during tax season.

When not behind the desk Gibbons enjoys Zumba, baking, and Texas Rangers baseball. She and her husband have two children in college and are enjoying the empty nester life.

Learn more about Gibbons and the C.R. Parr firm at: http://www.parrcpa.com.

Reservations are not mandatory but are requested for this event. Reserve your spot today!

DFWReadyWriters.Events@gmail.com

Subject line: January 2018 - Taxes

Body of text: Name and best phone number for each reservation spot.

Share the usual Dutch-treat lunch afterward for further fellowship and networking.  

See you there!

Keep up with all the happenings of ACFW DFW Ready Writers here or by following us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DFWReadyWriters/

Christmas Cheer is Here! Leave the stress of the season behind and come laugh with us.

Join Ready Writers on Saturday December 9, 2017 from 10:30a-12:00p at Arlington Community Church for our annual Christmas celebration. 

Partake in games and activities designed especially for writers, and to help us get better acquainted.

Bring a dish to share for the potluck, and wear your favorite Christmas attire because there’s a good chance you’ll win one of our super ridiculous prizes.

Shout “Yes, I’m coming!” and click this link to reserve a spot so we can save you and your reindeer a seat. Reservations are requested for this event. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/2/#inbox or if that doesn't work... please copy/paste the email below and reply to our event email that you are coming. (Christmas party in subject line) DFWReadyWriters.Events@gmail.com

Christ is indeed the Reason,

J.A. Marx, President 

Launching Writers as Speakers Program

Please join us as we continue our yearly Launching Writers as Speakers program (LWaS) on Saturday, November 11, 2017, 10:30a at Arlington Community Church, 1715 W. Randol Mill Rd, Arlington. This event is designed to assist our member writers in the next step of their careers, that of becoming speakers, in the comfort and care of their fellow ACFW DFW writers and friends. This year we are blessed to have two speakers presenting at LWaS.

The presentations will begin with Jessica White speaking on “Successful Facebook Events.” Authors will learn how to set up FB events, master the tricky “invite a friend,” and be a gracious host that readers will love to hang out with.

White definitely knows her way around a computer. She writes for several blogs and online magazines, is an administrator and contributor for the online 10-Minute Novelists, as well as the creator and manager of their annual 365 Writing Challenge, which encourages writers to develop the habit of writing daily. She also hosts bi-weekly chats online discussing a variety of writing topics.

White is a prayer warrior who loves to encourage and teach others how to create safe spaces for the hurting and lost, and writes stories that shape the soul. She published her first book, Surviving the Stillness, in 2014.  

You can learn more about Jessica White at: https://authorjessicawhite.wordpress.com or facebook.com/authorjessicawhite

Stacy Simmons will conclude the program with her presentation, “Getting the Big Picture.” This is a hands-on workshop exploring the limitations we sometimes place on ourselves, as writers, when we paint too narrow of a picture for our reader.

Simmons worked with special education middle schoolers for many years but recently transitioned into the non-academic world as an office manager and marketer. Her real love though is writing, with the goal to encourage others and share His love for them.

Simmons has recently finished her first full-length manuscript. This and her other stories feature real-life situations of job loss, career decisions, and obedience to His will, with a little romance woven into the storyline. Her message of His love for us, even when we must endure stumbling blocks, is key to her characters’ endurance.

 She resides in Little Elm, Texas with her family - including the four legged variety of a dog, a cat, and a former show bunny. She enjoys spending time with her husband, their two daughters, and friends. Many fall weekends find Simmons cheering on her favorite teams, the Dallas Cowboys, and her oldest daughter’s team, the Texas A&M Aggies. When not busy writing you can find her with her nose in a book, a piece of chocolate in one hand, and a coffee mug in the other.

Stop by for a visit with Stacy Simmons at: http://www.fueledbyfaithandcaffeine.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/stacy.t.simmons.

As is usual, the meeting is followed by a pay-your-way lunch at a local restaurant for further networking and fellowship. 

Although reservations are not required for this program, it is helpful for the planning team. Email: DFWReadyWriters.Events@gmail.com. Subject: November 2017 – LWaS program and please give your name and best contact number.

You can follow this and our other monthly presentations on the ACFW DFW Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/DFWReadyWriters/.

Pacing Emotion

Join us as we welcome Linda Yezak at 10:30a, on Saturday, October 14, 2017, at the Arlington Community Church, 1715 W. Randol Mill Rd,(click to bring up map)

when she presents “Pacing Emotion.” 

With the information imparted by Yezak, we’ll discover techniques of evoking emotion with the simple use of sentence structure and other grammatical tricks.

Yezak is a Texan, accent and all. She is a lifelong penner of prose but her cats didn’t want anyone to know so they shredded much of her first works.

Since that incident she has gone on to publish or co-publish award-winning books and short stories including: Give the Lady a Ride, The Bucket List Dare, The Final Ride, The Cat Lady’s Secret, Simulacrum, and Writing in Obedience. All this in a relatively short time since she didn’t start writing professionally until she turned fifty. “Taking on a new career every half century is a good thing,” she jokes.

Yezak makes her home in a forest in deep east Texas, “where tall tales abound and exaggeration is an art form.” She lives there with her husband, with whom she shares five children, seven grandchildren, and a funky feline named PB. She has a deep and abiding love for her Lord, her family, and salted caramel. And coffee.

Learn more about Yezak at: https://lindayezak.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/GivetheLadyaRide.

Reservations are not required for this event but they are helpful to the planning team. Reserve your spot today!

DFWReadyWriters.Events@gmail.com

Subject line: Oct. 2017 – Linda Yezak

Body of text: Name and best phone number for each reservation spot.

Share the usual Dutch-treat lunch afterward for further fellowship and networking.  

See you there!

Keep up with all the happenings of ACFW DFW Ready Writers here or by following us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DFWReadyWriters/

Character Auhtenticity

Join us, Saturday, September 9, 2017, 10:30a.m. 

at the Arlington Community Church, 1715 W. Randol Mill Rd,(click to bring up map)

 as we welcome Dr. Bethany Huff to speak with us regarding “Character Authenticity.”

Earning her doctorate in Strategic Leadership gave Dr. Huff the chance to study neuroscience, leadership theories, organizational behavior, and a myriad of personality profiling tests and theories, a background well-suited for speaking on this character development topic.

“Characters who speak and act in agreement with their inherent motivation and personal values resonate deeper with the reader,” explains Dr. Huff. During her presentation attendees will learn four valuable concepts to help create genuine characters who speak, act, and react authentically. This deeper level of authenticity will allow readers to more deeply identify and connect with your fictional characters, allowing them to come to life.

While registering for this event is not mandatory it is helpful for planning purposes. Email: DFWReadyWriters.Events@gmail.com 
Subject line: Sept. 2017 – Dr. Bethany Huff

Info: name and best contact number of attendee(s)

According to Dr. Huff, she has always been intrigued by how people think and how our behaviors are influenced by our mind and by other people. She completed her doctorate after working for 14 years in the finance field. She currently enjoys teaching Psychology at The Center for Home Education in Watauga and speaks to various groups about the human brain and it works. 

Dr. Huff was born near Chicago but is profoundly happy she came to Texas when she was five years old. She is married to Dr. Glenn Huff and is passionate about being mom to her three girls. She loves God, Chocolate, and sharing love, confidence, and beauty with other women through her Mary Kay business.

Come meet Dr. Bethany Huff and learn how to make those characters jump off the page and into your reader’s hearts! 

See you there!

Stay in touch about this and other happenings for ACFW DFW on our website: http://dfwreadywriters.blogspot.com/ and on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DFWReadyWriters/