For information on how to view recorded webinars, contact the FHLCW VP.
January 2021
Staying Organized During the Chaos of Writing a Novel with Robin Lee Hatcher
Chaos is often a good description of a novelist’s life. A writer must keep track of plot, characters, productivity, and much more while also trying to stay on top of life in general. In nearly forty years as a writer, Robin has developed a number of techniques and strategies to help her stay organized even in the midst of chaos. This workshop will look at many of the tools she uses or has used to organize her characters from book to book, to make sure her imaginary world comes to life, and to keep herself as productive and positive as possible.
Robin Lee Hatcher is the author of 82 novels and novellas with over five million copies of her books in print. She is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. Her numerous awards include the RITA® Award, the Carol Award, the Christy Award, the HOLT Medallion, the National Reader’s Choice Award, and the Faith, Hope & Love Reader’s Choice Award. Robin is also the recipient of prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards from both American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America®. When not writing, she enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, Bible art journaling, reading books that make her cry, watching romantic movies, and decorative planning. Robin makes her home on the outskirts of Boise, sharing it with a demanding Papillon dog and a persnickety tuxedo cat.
February 2021
Creating Memorable Characters with Kate Breslin
Are your hero and heroine larger than life? Sympathetic? Believable? Join award-winning author Kate Breslin for a Zoom workshop on how to develop complex, engaging characters in your work of fiction that will invest readers in the journey and keep them turning the pages. Kate will share her toolkit of experience: building great story conflict, honing point of view, creating good dialog, and establishing strong motivation in order to breathe new life into your story cast. Hand-outs will be available to print. For beginner/intermediate level writers.
Former bookseller-turned-author Kate Breslin enjoys life in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and family. A writer of travel articles and award-winning poetry, Kate’s first novel, For Such A Time, was shortlisted for both the Christy and RITA awards, and won American Christian Fiction Writers 2015 Carol Award for Debut Novel. Kate’s fourth novel, Far Side of the Sea, released in March 2019. When she’s not writing inspirational fiction, Kate enjoys reading or taking long walks in Washington’s beautiful woodlands. She also likes traveling to new places, both within the U.S. and abroad, having toured Greece, Rome, and most of Western Europe. New destinations make for fresh story ideas!
March 2021
Podcasting for Writers with Sarah Hamaker
In late 2020, 104 million people listened to one of the 1.5 million podcasts available, up from 32% in 2019, according to Infinite Dial 20. Why will podcasts continue to be one of the hottest forms of media in 2021? Podcasts offer bite-sized chunks of information perfect for drive time and busy routines. In this webinar, author and podcaster Sarah Hamaker will discuss how to start your own podcast as well as tips on how to be a good guest on a podcast.
Sarah Hamaker has been spinning stories since she was a child. While she’s had two traditionally published nonfiction books (Hired@Home and Ending Sibling Rivalry), her heart is writing romantic suspense. Her latest book, Illusion of Love, came out in the fall. You can find a list of her books, listen to her podcast, “The Romantic Side of Suspense.”
APRIL 2021
Designing Your Own Book Cover with Angela Hunt
So, you’re thinking about indie publishing and you need a cover. Whether or not you attempt to create your own, your cover still must WORK. What are the guidelines that govern the creation of a good book cover? Veteran Angela Hunt, who traditionally and independently publisher her work, will teach us those guidelines and principles in this hour-long class.
Christy-Award winner Angela Hunt writes for readers who expect the unexpected in novels. With over five million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the best-selling author of more than 150 works ranging from picture books (The Tale of Three Trees) to non-fiction books, to novels.
Her books have won the coveted Christy Award, several Angel Awards from Excellence in Media, and the Gold and Silver Medallions from Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Award. In 2007, her novel The Note was featured as a Christmas movie on the Hallmark channel. Romantic Times Book Club presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from American Christian Fiction Writers in 2019.
MAY 2021
Write Your Novel From the Middle: A New Approach for Plotters, Pantsers and Everyone in Between with James Scott Bell
Based on the #1 bestselling writing book, this workshop will teach you a unique method for crafting a powerful, unified novel by way of the “mirror moment” — a crucial beat that happens right in the middle of great and enduring stories. From several examples you’ll learn:
- How to discover the true heart of your novel
- How that knowledge brings both beginning and end into focus
- How this method can be used at any time during the writing process
Have your WIP handy as there will be exercises.
JAMES SCOTT BELL is a winner of the International Thriller Writers Award and the author of the #1 bestseller for writers, Plot & Structure (Writer’s Digest Books). His thrillers include Romeo’s Rules, Romeo’s Way and Romeo’s Hammer (the Mike Romeo thriller series); Try Dying, Try Darkness and Try Fear (the Ty Buchanan legal thriller series); and stand-alones including Your Son Is Alive and Final Witness (which won the first Christy Award for Suspense).He served as the fiction columnist for Writer’s Digest magazine and has written several popular writing books, including Just Write, Conflict & Suspense, and The Art of War for Writers (all from Writer’s Digest Books). He’s also published How to Write Dazzling Dialogue, Write Your Novel From the Middle, Super Structure, and How to Make a Living as a Writer. Links to all his writing books may be found HERE.
Jim has taught writing at Pepperdine University and at numerous writers conferences in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand. He attended the University of California, Santa Barbara where he studied writing with Raymond Carver, and graduated with honors from the University of Southern California Law Center.
A former trial lawyer, Jim now writes and speaks full time. He appeared as an expert commentator on Good Morning America, CBS radio, and in Newsweek magazine during the O. J. Simpson murder trial. His book on search and seizure law is the leading authority in its field, used extensively by lawyers and judges throughout California every day. He lives in Los Angeles.
JUNE 2021
Learn About Book Brush with Kathleen Sweeney
Join Kathleen Sweeney from Book Brush for a fun live walk-through of the Book Brush tools. Get ready to embrace the marketing side of writing & see why authors say Book Brush saves them both time and money!
Learn how easy it is to use Book Brush to create your own eye-catching marketing images, design book covers and all things social media. Plus explore video effects, create Box Set images and more! Kathleen will share handy tips & tricks along the way and have time for Q & A, too.
Kathleen is the Manager of Marketing and Customer Service at Book Brush. She has over 19 years of client service and business assurance experience. She thoroughly enjoys working with authors and helping them create eye-catching images. She lives in central Illinois with her husband and three busy boys. Her hobbies include reading and turning socks right side out.
AUGUST 2021
HOW I USE SCRIVENER TO WRITE MY NOVELS with Robin Lee Hatcher
Robin under-utilized Scrivener for several years, intimidated by its many features. Even so, it improved her writing life. So she persisted in exploring the application until she began to find the ways Scrivener worked best for her and her writing life. In this workshop she’ll share some of the ways she used Scrivener in the past and the way she’s using it now. Then she’ll take questions and explore the application with attendees. [Note: Robin uses the Mac version and there are some differences with the Windows version.]
Robin Lee Hatcher is the author of 83 novels and novellas with over six million copies of her books in print. She is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. Her numerous awards include the RITA® Award, the Carol Award, the Christy Award, the HOLT Medallion, the National Reader’s Choice Award, and the Faith, Hope & Love Reader’s Choice Award. Robin is also the recipient of prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards from both American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America®. When not writing, she enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, Bible art journaling, reading books that make her cry, watching romantic movies, and decorative planning. Robin makes her home on the outskirts of Boise, sharing it with a demanding Papillon dog and a persnickety tuxedo cat.
September 2021
AUTHOR PANEL with Tamera Alexander, Robin Lee Hatcher, Becky Wade, and Karen Witemeyer
Join four of FHL’s amazing authors as they answer questions and talk about their writing process and journey. Tamera Alexander (Colors of Truth), Robin Lee Hatcher (Make You Feel My Love), Becky Wade (Let it Be Me), and Karen Witemeyer (The Heart’s Change) will join us to for an evening of enlightenment and encouragement, a time of learning and laughter. They will answer questions and talk openly about their triumphs and pitfalls, about why they write, and maybe even share some secrets.
USA Today bestselling author Tamera Alexander is one of today’s most popular writers of inspirational historical romance. Her novels continue to garner reader loyalty around the world, with her most recent, Colors of Truth, hitting the Netherlands bestsellers list right out of the gate. A Christy Award Hall of Fame author, Tamera seeks to draw closer to Christ through her writing and is thrilled when readers share that, through reading one of her novels, they’ve taken steps closer to Him as well. Tamera lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, not far from the Southern mansions that serve as the backdrop for many of her critically-acclaimed novels. Learn more at
Robin Lee Hatcher is the author of 85 novels and novellas with over six million copies of her books in print. She is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. Her numerous awards include the RITA® Award, the Carol Award, the Christy Award, and the Faith, Hope & Love Reader’s Choice Award. Robin is also the recipient of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards from both American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. She lives outside of Boise with a demanding Papillon dog and a persnickety tuxedo cat.
Becky Wade’s a California native who attended Baylor University, met and married a Texan, and settled in Dallas with their three children and two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. She loves writing emotional contemporary romances laced with mystery! She’s the Christy and Carol award winning author of My Stubborn Heart, the Porter Family series, the Bradford Sisters series, and the Misty River Romance series.
For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Voted #1 Readers’ Favorite Christian Romance Author in 2019 by Family Fiction Magazine, Karen is a firm believer in the power of happy endings . . . and ice cream. She is an avid cross-stitcher, and makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children.
October 2021
WIRED FOR STORY: WHAT YOUR READER’S BRAIN REALLY CRAVES AND HOW TO DELIVER ON IT with Lisa Cron
Imagine knowing what we’re hardwired to crave in every story we encounter, what hooks readers from pre-school to 80, and what keeps them turning pages. The answer is a game-changer, especially since the secret to writing a compelling story has very little to do with the surface plot or learning to “write well.” We’ll explore what the reader’s brain is hungry for, why, what a story actually is, and why writers are therefore the most powerful people on the planet. The result? You’ll be able to zero in on what your story is really about before you write word one (or if you’re in the midst of your umpteenth rewrite, before you write another word). You’ll not only produce a more powerful novel, chances are you’ll drastically reduce your rewrite time.
Lisa Cron is the author of Wired for Story, Story Genius and most recently, Story or Die: How to Use Brain Science to Engage, Persuade, and Change Minds in Business and in Life. Her video course, Wired for Story: How to Become a Story Genius can be found at CreativeLive.com, and Writing: The Craft of Story at Lynda.com. Her TEDx talk, Wired for Story, opened Furman University’s 2014 TEDx conference. She spent a decade in publishing, and has been a literary agent, television producer, and story analyst for Hollywood studios. She has also served on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts MFA program in visual narrative and, since 2006, has taught in the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. In her work as a private story coach, Lisa works with writers, nonprofits, educators, and organizations, helping them master the unparalleled power of story.
November 2021
STORY TRUMPS STRUCTURE: HOW TO WRITE UNFORGETTABLE FICTION BY BREAKING THE RULES with Steven James
When you focus on what lies at the heart of story—tension, desire, crisis, escalation, struggle, discovery—rather than plot templates and formulas, you’ll begin to break out of the box and write fiction that resonates with your readers. This workshop is filled with practical insights, dozens of ways to fix plot flaws, time-tested writing secrets and easy-to-implement ideas.
Steven James is the critically-acclaimed author of seventeen novels. He is a contributing editor to Writer’s Digest Magazine and is the author of the groundbreaking book Story Trumps Structure as well as the award-winning guidebook used by thousands of novelists, Troubleshooting Your Novel. Publishers Weekly calls him “[a] master storyteller at the peak of his game.” When he’s not working on his next novel, Steven teaches Novel Writing Intensive retreats across the country with New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni. Steven’s latest book is a near-future sci-fi thriller called Synapse.