Inspire Christian Writer's Group

December is here!

Hello Inspire Writers,

I’ve always heard that everything comes to a standstill in Christian publishing for the month of December. I’m not buying it. And if our Inspire calendar is any indication, there will be plenty happening this month!

Thursday, December 2

9:30 Inspire Fair Oaks at Sunrise Community Church (Workshop, A Step in the Write Direction –Childcare provided)

Monday, December 6

9am Inspire Governing Board will meet at Jericho Coffee.

Tuesday, December 7

 7pm Inspire Rocklin/Roseville at Harvest Church (Critique)

 7pm Inspire Sacramento at Capital Christian Middle School (Critique room C16)

Wednesday, December 8

3pm  Pitch for Charity at Chronicle Books in San Francisco. Several of us are going to pitch our books. If you would like to join us, let me know!

Thursday, December 9

9:30 Inspire Fair Oaks at Sunrise Community Church (Critique –Childcare provided)

9:30am Inspire El Dorado Hills at Sun Hills Community Church (Critique—Childcare provided)

Saturday, December 11

1pm to 3pm Bless the Beasts and the Children Booksigning at Berean (2659 Alta Arden, Sacramento) with Dee Aspin and Kathy Fellure

Monday, December 13

9:00am Whole Book Analysis at Jericho Coffee. We will analyze Francine River’s Redeeming Love. If you would like to participate, let me know and I’ll send you our guidelines for analysis.

Tuesday, December 14

6pm Inspire Christian Writer’s Annual Christmas Celebration at the Thompson home. For address and details, leave a comment.  

Thursday, December 16

9:30 Inspire Fair Oaks at Sunrise Community Church (Workshop, A Step in the Write Direction –Childcare provided)

Monday, December 20

9am-noon Self-Editing for Fiction Writers workshop at Jennifer Hamilton’s house. Let us know if you need directions. We don’t post addresses on the web.

Tuesday, December 21

7pm Inspire Rocklin/Roseville at Harvest Church (Critique)

7pm Inspire Sacramento at Capital Christian Middle School (Critique Room C16)

Thursday, December 23

No meetings today! Have a Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 28

7-9pm All Inspire Writers meet at Beth Thompson’s house for Prayer

It’s going to be a great month—a wonderful way to end a great year at Inspire. Hope your Christmas is filled with love, laughter and tremendous joy.

Gratefully,

Beth

Inspire's November Calendar

Hello Inspire Writers,

November is here—a time to shift gears to shorter days, cooler weather and a chance to reflect on all the people, places and things that make us grateful. I hope the rich colors of fall will inspire rich creativity in each of us.

November also brings a harvest of opportunities for writers to connect, critique and craft. Here are the dates of our meetings throughout the Sacramento Area. Be sure to mark your calendar for a special Thanksgiving Fellowship on the 17^th at Joanne’s house.

Tuesday, November 2

 7pm Inspire Rocklin/Roseville at Harvest Church (Critique)

 7pm Inspire Sacramento at Capital Christian Middle School (Critique room C16)

Thursday, November 4

9:30 Inspire Fair Oaks at Sunrise Community Church (Workshop, A Step in the Write Direction –Childcare provided)

Monday, November 8

9am Inspire Governing Board will meet at  Jericho Coffee.

Tuesday, November 9

7pm Inspire Rocklin/Roseville at Harvest Community Church (Critique)

Thursday, November 11

9:30 Inspire Fair Oaks at Sunrise Community Church (Critique –Childcare provided)

9:30am Inspire El Dorado Hills at Sun Hills Community Church (Critique—Childcare provided)

Monday, November 15

9am-noon Self-Editing for Fiction Writers workshop at Jennifer Hamilton’s house. Let us know if you need directions. We don’t post addresses on the web.

Tuesday, November 16

7pm Inspire Rocklin/Roseville at Harvest Church (Critique)

7pm Inspire Sacramento at Capital Christian Middle School (Critique Room C16)

Wednesday, November 17

6:30pm Thanksgiving Fellowship at Joanne Kraft’s home in Cameron Park. Let us know is you need directions.

Thursday, November 18

9:30 Inspire Fair Oaks at Sunrise Community Church (Workshop, A Step in the Write Direction –Childcare provided)

Tuesday, November 23

 7-9pm All Inspire Writers meet at Beth Thompson’s house for Prayer

Thursday, November 25

No meetings today! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

With all these options, you are sure to find a critique group and workshops that fit your needs and schedule. If not, let's plan one! Also, a few writers have expressed an interest in forming an online critique group. If this appeals to you, leave your email address in a comment and we will include you in the new online group.

Hope your November is filled with thankfulness.

Gratefully,

Beth

 

Inspire Christian Writers: October Events

Hello Inspire Writers,

Wow, I really have no idea where September went! I hope October ushers in some cooler weather and a slower pace. We had a great time at the Sierra Foothills Christian Writers Conference yesterday. If you are interested in attending next year, details will be available soon on their website: http://sierrafoothillsconference.com/

And speaking of exciting events, here are all the dates and meeting times for our critiques, prayer meetings and workshops for October.

Tuesday, October 5

 7pm Inspire Rocklin/Roseville at Harvest Church (Critique)

 7pm Inspire Sacramento at Capital Christian Middle School (Critique room C16)

Thursday, October 7

9:30 Inspire Fair Oaks at Sunrise Community Church (Workshop, A Step in the Write Direction –Childcare provided)

Monday, October 11

9am Whole Book Analysis Group at Jericho Coffee. We will be analyzing Kathy Macias' novel, Valeria's Cross  (If you need a copy of our analysis form, let me know and I will email it to you.)

Tuesday, October 12

7pm Inspire Rocklin/Roseville at Harvest Community Church (Critique)

Thursday, October 14

9:30 Inspire Fair Oaks at Sunrise Community Church (Critique –Childcare provided)

9:30am Inspire El Dorado Hills at Sun Hills Community Church (Critique—Childcare provided)

Monday, October 18

9am-noon Self-Editing for Fiction Writers workshop at Jericho

Tuesday, October 19

7pm Inspire Rocklin/Roseville at Harvest Church (Critique)

7pm Inspire Sacramento at Capital Christian Middle School (Critique Room C16)

Thursday, October 21

9:30 Inspire Fair Oaks at Sunrise Community Church (Workshop: A Step in the Write Direction –Childcare provided)

10am Inspire Elk Grove at Beth Thompson’s house (Writing Fiction for Dummies)

Tuesday, October 26

 7-9pm All Inspire Writers meet at Beth Thompson’s house for Prayer

Thursday, October 28

9:30 Inspire Fair Oaks at Sunrise Community Church (Critique –Childcare provided)

9:30am Inspire El Dorado Hills at Sun Hills Community Church (Critique—Childcare provided)

With all these options, you are sure to find a critique group and workshops that fit your needs and schedule. If not, let's plan one!

Have a wonderful October.

Gratefully,

Beth

 

WriteOnCon Online Children's Writers Conference

Hello Inspire Writers,

For all of you who write (or would like to write) for children, there is a free online writers conference designed specifically for you! Here’s the information:

WriteOnCon

Online Children’s Writers Conference

When: Tuesday – Thursday, August 10 – 12, 2010

Where: http://www.writeoncon.com

Cost: Free!

Check it out. It looks like a great opportunity.

Gratefully,

Beth

Register Now for the Sierra Foothills Christian Writers Conference

Hello Inspire Writers,

Now is the time to sign up for the Sierra Foothills Christian Writers Conference, before the price increases in August. Registration is only $40 if you sign up now.

October 2, 2010
9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Bayside Auburn Church
450 Nevada Street
Auburn CA 95603

And will include workshops by these fantastic authors:

Cindy Martinusen Coloma, award-nominated author of adult and YA fiction
Judi Braddy, speaker and author of five non-fiction books
Jan Coleman, speaker and author of non-fiction books for women
Kathleen Popa, author of To Dance in the Desert and The Feast of St. Bertie
Sharon Souza, author of Every Good and Perfect Gift and Lying on Sunday
Wendy Lawton, agent with Books and Such Literary Agency

For more information or to register for the conference, visit www.sierrafoothillsconference.com

Have a wonderful weekend!

Gratefully,

Beth

 

What I Wish I'd Known: Debbie Fuller Thomas

The Inspire Christian Writers Group

Proudly Presents:

“What I Wish I’d Known” –a fun, informative evening with

Award-winning Author Debbie Fuller Thomas

Please join us:

Tuesday, June 29 at 7pm

At the Carmichael Library

5605 Marconi Avenue

Carmichael, CA 95608

Debbie Fuller Thomas writes contemporary fiction from a historic Gold Rush town in Northern California. When she’s not working on her next book or planning children’s programs for her community, she enjoys singing with Colla Voce of the Sierras with her husband and catching up with her two adult children. Her debut novel, Tuesday Night at the Blue Moon was a finalist for the 2009 Christy Award and the 2009 ACFW Book of the Year. Her latest novel is Raising Rain.

                           

 

To learn more about Debbie and her first two books, visit her website: www.debbiefullerthomas.com or http://novelmatters.blogspot.com where she blogs with five other upmarket fiction authors.

If you have any questions about the Inspire author event on June 29, please contact Beth Thompson at 916-607-7796.

Gratefully,   

Beth

June Events

Hello Inspire Writers,

Lots of great things are happening in June! I hope you will take advantage of all the opportunities this month. You will not want to miss our guest speaker, Debbie Thomas on June 29^th.

Tuesday, June 8

 10am-noon Inspire Fair Oaks at Sunrise Community Church (Critique)

  7pm Inspire Rocklin/Roseville at Harvest Church (Critique)

Thursday, June 10

  10am Inspire Elk Grove at Beth Thompson’s house (Writing Fiction for Dummies, Ch. 3)

  9:30am Inspire El Dorado Hills at Sun Hills Community Church (Critique)

Monday, June 14

  9am-noon Whole Book Analysis Group at Jericho

  Read and analyze A Man to Consider by Dana Sudborough (If you need a copy, let me know and I will email it to you.)

Tuesday, June 15

  7pm Inspire Sacramento at Capital Christian Middle School (Critique)

  7pm Inspire Rocklin/Roseville at Harvest Community Church (Critique)

Monday, June 21

   9am-noon Self-Editing for Fiction Writers workshop at Jericho (Ch. 5)

Tuesday, June 22

   9:30-11:30am Inspire El Dorado Hills at Sun Hills Church (Critique)

   7-9pm All Inspire Groups meet at Beth Thompson’s house for Prayer

Tuesday, June 29

Special Guest Speaker: Author Debbie Thomas

7pm at Carmichael Library

Let me know if you have any questions or need more information. I look forward to seeing you soon. 916-607-7796

Gratefully,

Beth

 

New Location for Inspire Christian Writers Sacramento Group

Hello Writers,

Our Inspire Sacramento group has a new meeting location. As most of you know we are no longer meeting at Ettore’s and have met several times at Borders. I am pleased to announce that we have a new place to meet for our twice a month critique sessions.

We will be meeting on the first and third Tuesdays at 7pm at Capital Christian School in room C-16.

Here is a mapquest link to Capital Christian Church:

http://tinyurl.com/inspireccs

When you arrive, pull into the main driveway at the front of the church. Turn Left and park in the parking lot on the East Side of the main church. The room where we meet is directly behind the main sanctuary, in the wing marked “C.”

Should you have any trouble locating us, just call my cell phone and I will advise you.

I look forward to reading your submissions and seeing you on Tuesday.

Gratefully,

Beth

Time Change for 30th Anniversary Luncheon

Please note the time has changed for the

Sacramento Christian Writers

30^th Anniversary Luncheon

 

May 15, 2010 at 11:00am

 Ascension Church

Social Hall

7607 Garden Gate Drive

 Citrus Heights, CA 95621

I hope you will join us for a great event! For more information see yesterday's post. Thanks!

Gratefully,

Beth

Inspire Announces Complete Book Analysis Group

Attention Fiction Writers:

We are adding a new entrée to the Inspire menu of training options—The Complete Book Analysis Group.

This group will meet monthly to analyze an entire novel to discover its strengths and weaknesses. We will find out what makes characters unforgettable and dialogue intriguing. We will learn what works and what doesn’t when building a character arc.

If you have ever wanted to learn how authors keep their readers awake long into the night with can’t-put-it-down fiction, this group is for you!

Inspire’s Complete Book Analysis Group will meet the second Monday of each month at Jericho Coffee House in Roseville from 9am to noon.

Our first meeting will be May 10.

We will read and analyze (before May 10) Tuesday Night at the Blue Moon by Debbie Fuller Thomas. Note too that Debbie Fuller Thomas will be our special guest for a fiction workshop on June 29—details will be coming soon.

So, pick up your copy of Tuesday Night at the Blue Moon and plan to join us. You will need an Analysis Worksheet. These will be available from your Inspire critique group leader or you can email me for it.

After analyzing a published novel or two, we will turn our attention to the as-of-yet-unpublished novels of Inspire writers. We will analyze entire manuscripts so we better understand how all those chapters we are critiquing work as a whole novel. The goal of course, is to create our own can’t-put-it-down fiction that is ready for publication.

Let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to growing together.

Gratefully,

Beth