Veda Boyd Jones: Connections

Our lives are built around relationships with people. Although writing is a solitary endeavor, our writing lives are built on relationships with others, too. Let's be grateful to the people in our lives who opened a writing door for us. And let's think about those we can guide on their writing journey.

Veda Boyd Jones enjoys the challenge of writing for readers of all ages. She is the author of forty-nine traditionally published books (Scholastic, Chelsea House, Barbour Books, McGraw-Hill among others) that include nonfiction and fiction for children and romance novels for adults, and nineteen original ebooks. Other published works include over 700 articles and stories in children's and adult magazines (Cricket, Highlights, Humpty Dumpty, The Writer, Writer's Digest, Woman's World, etc.). Jones earned an MA in history from the University of Arkansas and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine. She posts a first-of-the-month essay on her website at vedaboydjones.com.

Robb Grindstaff: Scene Development: The Building Blocks of Story

Robb Grindstaff focuses on creating your story in scenes that build into a compelling story. Topics include how to start a scene while grounding readers in the story, how to end a scene that thrusts readers into the next chapter, and how to connect the two, including smooth transitions between scenes. We'll discuss scene arcs and how each scene fits into the overall narrative arc of your novel, driving your story forward with rising tension and conflict. This presentation is adapted from one of the sessions in Robb's 10-Week Writer Coach program.

Robb Grindstaff's journalism career took him from small towns in the south to Washington DC, five years in Tokyo, and nine years in Wisconsin. He has five novels and a short story collection published with a small press. He has edited more than 200 manuscripts, including clients who are traditionally published, bestselling independent authors, and new writers. Robb has taught writing courses for Romance Writers of America, Romance Writers of Australia, and the Novel-in-Progress Book Camp in Racine. Robb currently lives in the Lake of the Ozarks region in Missouri, where he writes, edits, and teaches full time.

Penny Shane Richards: A Rose is a Rose: What's in a name?

We will discuss the importance of choosing the right name for your protagonist, the setting, the important items/places in the story as well as who NOT to name. There will be a few exercises on how a slight change in a name can change the whole character, how people and place names help establish your setting, tone and aid in character development.
Other topics: surnames, regional names, time periods.

There will be much more, time allowing. Handouts will be available.

Penny Richards is the author of forty-six books for traditional publishing houses, including Silhouette, Harlequin, HarperCollins, and Kensington, many that have made best-seller lists, including Barnes and Noble and USA Today. Her books have won many industry awards, including Storyteller of the Year, a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times magazine, (Eden/Calloway Corners Series written with three other authors) and Reader's Choice award for Best Single Title of the Year (Dreamers and Deceivers). Unanswered Prayers (Crystal Creek) was a nominee for Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA Award in the Inspirational category as well as a launch title for Harlequin's Inspirational Love Inspired imprint.

Newest release: The July Fourth Murders: Independence Day - June 14, 2025
She is currently working on a non-fiction book, Romance on the Run: Keeping Love Alive.
Upcoming releases: Peace Like a River (release day pending)

Gary Jonas: How to Make a Living as an Indie Fiction Writer

If you want to make a living as an indie author, there's a simple method to get there. Note that simple does not mean easy. It's about mindset, productivity, and following a proven plan. And the best part? You don't have to study markets to see if domestic thrillers or mobster romance or romantasy is popular because those things change when the wind shifts. It's far better to write what you love. Note that this will be a fire hose of information, and he doesn't use PowerPoint because people try to read the screen rather than listen. So, he'll provide a handout at the end with the basics.

Gary Jonas started out in traditional publishing. He sold a bunch of short stories to various anthologies and magazines (Sword and Sorceress VII, Robert Bloch's Psychos, It Came from the Drive-In, etc). His first novel was published in 2002. He's best-known for urban fantasy. Modern Sorcery kicked off his Jonathan Shade series in 2011. Darkness Cries, the 17th Jonathan Shade adventure appeared in May 2025. (It was his 40th published novel.) He went indie in 2014 and took the plunge as a full-time author in 2015. He hopes he never has to take a regular job again.