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/

Intentionally Creating Story Conflict – Naturally.

Please join ACFW DFW Ready Writers Saturday, August 12, 10:30a, at Arlington Community Church (click on name for map) 

as we welcome multi-published, hybrid author and freelance editor, J.A. Marx, presenting her interactive program, Intentionally Creating Story Conflict – Naturally.

J.A. Marx writes psychological suspense/adventure with threads of romance and supernatural undertones. Her writing works include books - The Destiny Series with Destiny Defied, Destiny Delivered, and Destiny Defended; Mirror, Mirror – an e-book publication, and two Amazon #1 co-written Christmas novellas: The Christmas Tree Treasure Hunt and A Ruby Christmas; as well as devotionals, articles and The Embattled Spirit weekly blog. 

With her presentation Marx will be teaching, and inviting participation, ways to help attendees learn to create distinct, organic characters who will run the story for the writer. Take-aways will include discovering how easily conflict arises when premeditated characters come to life naturally, leaving haphazard characterization behind, and intentionally equipping a captivating cast to drive every scene and chapter. As she says, “When characters possess unforgettable personalities, they can potentially cause twists in the plot and perhaps even tag themselves as protagonist for another book, turning your novel into a series.”

Growing up in Colorado, J.A. Marx spent much of her childhood climbing trees and rocks, and riding horses. She graduated from Colorado State University with a BA in Arts & Humanities and a double minor in French and Music. She is also a graduate of The Christian Writers Guild's elite Craftsman course under mentors Jerry Jenkins and DiAnn Mills. One of her favorite activities is a weekly, writers' critique group where she has the honor of helping other writers hone their craft.

She has lived in Tennessee and Ohio, but presently calls Texas home, near her children and grandchildren. She has been involved in Life Group ministry, marriage ministry, prison ministry, and church planting. Above all, her desire is to see people set free to live and to love.

J.A. Marx is taking on new writing mentees, see her website: http://jamarx.net/ for details. You can also follow her on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/embattledspirit, or on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ja_marx.

For the meeting address and directions, or to learn more about this and other events go to our website, http://dfwreadywriters.blogspot.com/, or to keep up with events and information, visit us on Facebook,  https://www.facebook.com/DFWReadyWriters/.

Hope to see you there!

Write an Attention Getting Book Proposal.

Join us Saturday, July 8, at 10:30 a.m.  when we welcome award-winning author, writing coach, collaborator and speaker, Dena Dyer, as she presents “Write an Attention Getting Book Proposal at. Arlington Community Church, 1715 W.Randol Mill Rd, (click to pop up the map) 

 She will be giving examples of actual proposals that garnered contracts – the attention we all want from editors!

Dyers books include, “Love at First Fight: 52 Story-Based Meditations for Married Couples,” authored with her husband; “Wounded Women of the Bible: Finding Hope When Life Hurts,” authored with Tina Samples; “Let the Crows' Feet and Laugh Lines Come,” “Mothers of the Bible, Grace for the Race: Meditations for Busy Moms,” and “The Groovy Chicks' Road Trip series with Laurie Barker Copeland.” In addition, she has hundreds of magazine credits to her name including those in Family Circle, Parenting, Redbook, The Writer, and Writer’s Digest.

Words aren’t the only thing that keeps this writer going, so does lots of coffee, dark chocolate, and all things literary. She’s been married to her husband, Carey, whom Dena says is a hilarious, talented guy, for twenty wonderful years--and two they don't talk about. They and their two creative sons live here in Texas. Her hobbies include traveling, blogging, cooking, and watching British television.
You can find out more about Dena Dyer on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/DenaDyerAuthor/ or on her website at: http://www.denadyer.com/.

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

DFWReadyWriters.Events@gmail.com

Subject line: July 2017 – Dena Dyer

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

As is usual, Dutch-treat lunch afterward for further fellowship and networking with your fellow writers.

See you there!

You can keep up about this and other ACFW DFW happenings by following us on Facebook as well: https://www.facebook.com/DFWReadyWriters/

Follow Your Dreams

Please join us Saturday, June 10, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. at ArlingtonCommunity Church 1715 W. Randol Mill Rd, as we welcome multi-published author, Martha Rogers, presenting “Follow Your Dreams.”

What does Rogers know about following dreams? Quite a lot, actually. A writer her whole life, she accomplished a life-long dream with her debut novel at the age of 73. Since then she has written numerous books including the “Where Love Grows” series, the “Love in the Bayou City of Texas” series, and the “Homeward Journey” series, among many others.

In addition to authorship, Rogers writes a weekly devotional for the American Christian Fiction Writers national group. She is the Director of the Houston Christian Writers Conference held in Houston in August each year, a member of ACFW, ACFW WOTS chapter in Houston, in addition to being a member of the writers’ group, Inspirational Writers Alive. She is a retired teacher with twenty-eight years teaching Home Economics and English at the secondary level, as well as eight years at the college level supervising student teachers and teaching freshman English.  

Martha and her husband Rex live in Houston, Texas where they are active members of First Baptist Church. They are the parents of three sons, grandparents to eleven grandchildren, and great-grandparents to four. 

For more information about Rogers visit her website at:  www.marthawrogers.com or on FB: https://www.facebook.com/MarthaRogersAuthor/

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

DFWReadyWriters.Events@gmail.com

Subject line: June 2017 – Martha Rogers

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

See you there!

As is usual, Dutch-treat lunch afterward for further fellowship and networking with your fellow writers.

And to keep up with announcements from the group, visit our FB page: https://www.facebook.com/DFWReadyWriters/

2nd ANNUAL MAY MINI CONFERENCE!!

The ACFW DFW chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers

Invites you to the

2^nd Annual May Mini Conference on Saturday, May 13, 2017 at the

Arlington Community Church 1715 W Randol Mill Rd.

9:30 a.m. - 4: 00 p.m.

Registration Required (info below)

Keep up with further info: https://www.facebook.com/DFWReadyWriters/

Keynote Speaker

Becky Wade – Extreme Survival Skills for Writers

At some point in every writer's journey, she or he will come up against the 'Joy Stealers': Comparison. Stress. Discouragement. Burn Out.  Joy stealers are real and dangerous.  They can detour writers, end ministries, and steal away a writer's love of their calling.  So how is a writer to survive?  And even thrive in the face of them? In this workshop, Becky will provide writers with soul-deep Biblical encouragement, testimonies from longtime writers, and practical tools for combatting the joy stealers so that we can, "throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And... run with perseverance the race marked out for us," Hebrews 12:1.

Wade is a California native who attended Baylor University, met and married a Texan, and settled in Dallas.  Originally a published general market historical romance writer, after caring for her three growing children, God called her back to writing, this time in Christian fiction. She’s the Carol Award, INSPY Award, and Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award winning author of the My Stubborn Heart, the Porter Family series, and the upcoming Bradford Sisters series. Visit http://beckywade.com/home/ or https://www.facebook.com/authorbeckywade/ to find out more about our dynamic keynote speaker.

Other speakers (alphabetically)

Lee Carver – The Real World Meets Fiction

Writing biography, memoir, and life experience using everything you know about writing fiction. Fiction and non-fiction writing share some interesting characteristics. Learn the intricacies of writing biography, memoir, and life experiences from a seasoned writer of both fiction and non-fiction who assists others in telling their story, getting it on the page, and out to the populace.

Lee Carver is once again failing at retirement. She is a hybrid author in every sense: fiction and nonfiction, traditionally and independently published. She is also a freelance editor with formatting, as well as print book and e-book upload expertise. During her husband's international career, Lee lived and reared their two children in multiple countries. She has traveled in approximately 49 countries, settings which become material in her novels. The Carvers have now settled in the Fort Worth area. For more information about Carver visit: www.LeeCarverWriter.com and https://www.facebook.com/lee.carver.507

Jackie Castle – Tracking Your Series

Are his eyes blue or brown? And what was the name of that dragon? Or the name of the street the antiques shop is on? Jackie Castle loves writing big books and long series and over time has haphazardly learned how to keep track of her characters, towns, and the folks that inhabit her story worlds. Come find out a few of her tricks and be willing to share your own ideas about what has worked for you.

Castle looks for the extraordinary in every ordinary day that she experiences. She is the author of The White Road Chronicles - a fantasy series, The Sentinel Archives for school-age readers, and newly released Madison Creek Bed & Breakfast romance series. She lives in her comfortable Texas home where she spins entertaining tales and enjoys relaxing in the evenings with her family. Find out more about her shenanigans over at Jackie Castle's Story World: www.jackiecastle.com and https://www.facebook.com/jackie.castle

Tina Johnston, NCC LPC MCC – Take Care of You/Take Care of Your Characters

Your characters have something to say to your readers, so it is important they be given adequate “voice.” By taking care of yourself, you are taking care of your characters so they can become fully developed to deliver their message to the reader, which is really just your message in disguise.  In this interactive presentation learn how to level up your God-given talent, your passion for writing, and an empowerment to be your best.

Johnston is a Licensed Psychotherapist and Director of NewStarts, located in North Texas. She specializes in Personal Development and Career Advancement for adults, teens, and adolescents. Additionally, she develops employee productivity programs for companies to improve company culture and financial stability. Her passion is helping others discover and reach for their God-given potential. Find out more about Johnston at: http://www.createnewstarts.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/CreateNewStarts/

Joy Massenburge – Plugging into the POWER!

A testimonial about operating in your God given gifts. Signs to look for when you’ve disconnected from the original power source. Learn everyday things you can do to get back on track.

Massenburge crafts the love stories of pastors and their kids. She was born the sixth child of a pastor. Thinking she had avoided the church scene, she married a football player but on signing day with the Green Bay Packers, Mr. Football advised her she would be a pastor’s wife. They raised pastor’s kids; a son, a daughter, and a god-daughter. With the kids married or off to college, she took the advice of her favorite author and joined ACFW and (coming from the more eastern side of the state) the not-so-local DFW chapter where she serves as Chaplain.  Visit her at: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJoyMassenburge/

PLEASE NOTE TIME DIFFERENCE FOR THIS EVENT

Reservations are required by Friday, May 5

DFWReadyWriters.Events@gmail.com

Subject line: May Mini Conference 2017

Body of text: Name(s) and best phone number(s)

A confirmation email will be sent with further info.

ACFW DFW members - $25 (member by April 15)

Non-ACFW DFW members - $30

High School and College students (WITH school ID) - $15

(Additional $5 for registration after May 5 for all the above)

Lunch is included in the conference fee.

Reserve your spot today!

See you there!