Meetings

Regular meetings are usually held in-person and on Zoom, on the second Saturday of the month (unless otherwise noted) in January, March, April, May, June, September, October, and November. February is our annual Valentines luncheon and July is when we have our summer picnic. There are no meetings in August or December.  Directions for in-person meetings can be found here. Meetings typically consist of a two-hour workshop and may include a brief business meeting and, if needed, a lunch break.  Please see workshop descriptions below for times.

**Guests are welcome to attend one or two regular meetings before joining. Please e-mail us for more information.**

*Please note, dates and/or times are subject to change based on workshop presenter’s availability.

 

April 12, 2025

Topic: Choosing the Fatal Flaw & Boffo Beginnings and Fab Finales
Speaker: Laurie Schnebly Campbell
Location: UVic, Engineering & Computer Science Building, Room ECS660, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria and via Zoom
Time: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

CHOOSING THAT FATAL FLAW: Giving likable, plausible characters a compelling conflict is easier with Enneagrams. Counsellors and HR managers use this tool to identify the nine personality types: Reformer, Nurturer, Achiever, Romantic, Observer, Trooper, Adventurer, Leader and Peacemaker. Each one has its own uniquely heroic and distinctive traits (as well as a troublesome weakness) that naturally brings them into conflict with other people…AND with themselves.
 
BOFFO BEGINNINGS & FAB FINALES: How can you make sure your book will draw readers in from the very first paragraph, through the next several pages, continuing through scene after chapter after chapter, until they realize they can’t put this story down? How can you leave them, after reaching The End, so wonderfully satisfied with the book they just finished that they’re already vowing to read whatever else you’ve written and are going to write next? That’s what this workshop is about.
 
Laurie Schnebly Campbell, a lifelong Arizonan, published half a dozen romances with Harlequin — one of which beat out Nora Roberts for “Best Special Edition of the Year” — before discovering she liked teaching even more than writing. Since then, she’s acquired 50-some books with dedications from authors who’ve loved her classes, and she can’t wait to see what the next will be. 

 

May 17, 2025 (AGM)

Topic: Publishing in Audio on a Budget: How to Work with Human Narrators without Breaking the Bank
Speaker: Karen Grey
Location: UVic, Engineering & Computer Science Building, Room ECS660, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria and via Zoom
Time: Workshop: 10:00 am to 11:30 am; Lunch: 11:30 to 12:00 pm; AGM: 12:00 pm

Twenty-plus year veteran of the audiobook industry and indie author Karen Grey shares her insights and experience in this practical workshop. We’ll cover:

  • Evaluating your current sales levels and skills sets to determine which publishing path will work best for you.
  • The evolution of the audiobook marketplace.
  • Finding, choosing, and hiring narrators.
  • Budgeting and payment.
  • Distribution options overview and more.

The owner of Home Cooked Books, Karen Grey has narrated audiobooks from 1999 – 2022. With more than 400 titles to her credit, she recorded for Audible Studios, Blackstone Audio, Books-on-Tape, Dreamscape, Harper Audio, Hachette Audio, Highbridge Audio, Penguin Random House Audio, and Tantor Audio as well as indie authors and publishers. She’s a multiple winner of Earphones Awards, Publisher’s Weekly and Listening Journal Starred Reviews, and is a three-time Audie Finalist. She served on the Audiobook Publisher’s Association PR & Events committee from 2016 – 2019, and was Vice Chair of SAG-AFTRA’s Audiobook Steering committee from 2012 – 2022. She has appeared on conference panels for the Audiobook Publishers Association, the Virginia Festival of the Book, Romance Writers Association, Booklovers Con, Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Georgia Romance Writers Moonlight & Magnolias, and RT Con. In 2019 she created a new course for the UNC-Wilmington Creative Writing Department, Special Topics in Publishing: Digital Formats. In addition to helping other authors find avid listeners for their audiobooks, she publishes her own audiobooks and has been an AudioFile Earphones winner and Independent Audiobook Award and Sultry Listeners Award finalist.

 

June 14, 2025

Topic: TBD
Speaker: TBD
Location: TBD
Time: TBD

 

July 2025

Summer Picnic—Details to come!

 

August 2025

No Meeting

 

September 13, 2025

Topic: Your Brain on Story
Speaker: Barbara Longley
Location: Via Zoom/In-Person Hybrid
Time: TBD

Join us for this fascinating neuro-biological look at how our brains react to stories, and how we can incorporate that knowledge into our writing.

Barbara Longley graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education/Human Relations, and holds a Master’s in Ed./SLD from the University of Minnesota. When the integration district where she taught dissolved in 2015, she transitioned into writing full time. Ms. Longley is listed on RWA’s Honor Roll of Bestselling Authors, and her books have garnered many awards, including a Maggie, the Holt Medallion, a National Readers’ Choice, two Heart of Excellence awards, a Bookseller’s Best award, and the Diamond Award for reaching more than a million readers. Barbara creates memorable heroes and heroines who grow into their strength and go on to save the day. She is a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), Romance Writers of America (RWA), and the Writers Guild of America (WGA).

 

October 18, 2025

Topic: Creating a Substack Publication
Speaker: Matthew Gallagher and Leigh Jarrett
Location: Via Zoom/In-Person Hybrid
Time:  TBD

We’ll walk you through setting up a Substack publication from start to finish so bring your laptop to the workshop and we will help you through each step.  You might ask why would I want a publication. Here are the benefits of a publication/subscription service:

  • Steady Revenue Stream
    • Subscription models provide authors with predictable, recurring income, which can help smooth out the fluctuations that come with traditional and independent book sales. Instead of relying on one-time purchases, authors can earn a consistent income as long as subscribers remain.
  • Wider Audience Reach
    • Platforms that offer subscriptions expose authors to new readers who may not have discovered their work otherwise. Subscription models encourage readers to explore more content because it’s already available for them for a flat fee.
  • Creative Freedom
    • With a steady income from subscriptions, authors might feel more financially secure and able to take creative risks. They can experiment with new genres, formats, or themes without the pressure of having to hit bestseller lists for each new release.
  • Direct Relationship with Readers
    • Subscription services allow authors to build a direct connection with their audience. This relationship can lead to loyal fans who are more likely to support the author’s future work, purchase special editions, or contribute to funding campaigns.
  • Reduced Dependency on Publishers
    • Subscription platforms offer authors an alternative to the traditional publishing route, which can be competitive and gatekept. With subscriptions, authors have more control over their content and how it’s distributed.
  • Better Engagement
    • Subscribed readers are often more engaged because they are paying for access. This means that authors can develop a closer connection with their audience, who may offer feedback, share the work, and provide support that can lead to long-term growth.

 

November 15, 2025

Topic: Seeing Through the Mediocrity of the Male Gaze: How We Can Write Different with the Female Gaze 
Speaker: Amy Z. Chan
Location: Via Zoom/In-Person Hybrid
Time: TBD

How does invisible misogyny and unspoken patriarchy show up in the stories we tell? This introductory workshop looks at the male gaze and how it subtly shapes the way we tell stories. We’ll explore how a specific type of masculinity has advanced a limited view of gender that harms both women and men, while disregarding the full range of human experiences. We’ll introduce the idea of the female gaze—not just as the opposite of the male gaze, but as a more open, transformative way to approach storytelling. You’ll also see examples of stories that break away from traditional gender roles, creating complex female characters, showing positive masculinity, and telling stories that are more authentic, inclusive, and real. We’ll also look at how one country has not only commercially successfully exported stories that center the female-gaze but also created superfans beyond language and culture (K-Dramas!) By the end of the workshop, writers will have a better understanding of how gender is portrayed in the media, giving them the tools to create stories that challenge the status quo and offer more inclusive, genuine perspectives.

Amy Z. Chan is an author of romantic comedies and other stories with escapist happily ever afters.  A daughter of Chinese immigrants, a feminist, a foodie, and a California girl by way of NY/NJ, Amy is also a member of the Mod Squad at the Kiss and Tell Literary Salon, a monthly in-person romance reading series, at Books Inc. in Alameda, CA. Formerly a successful indie author with several secret pen names, she has presented writing and marketing workshops at Clarion West, Romance Mastermind, Willamette Writers Conference, New England Romance Writers, the Northern Toronto Romance Writers and many more. She is now represented by Hillary Fazzari at Bradford Literary.

 

December 2025

No Meeting