For information on how to view recorded webinars, contact the FHLCW VP.
January 2022
Dave Chesson on Atticus
Join Dave Chesson as he dives into the ins and outs of Atticus, the new all-in-one writing and formatting software. Atticus combines all the tools you need to go from planning to formatting in one place. Say goodbye to all the other apps you thought you needed to create a beautiful book.
Dave Chesson is the guy behind Kindlepreneur.com, a website devoted to teaching authors about book marketing. Recommended by Amazon KDP as the place where you can learn how to “optimize marketing for your books,” Kindlepreneur has grown to be one of the largest book marketing websites. Having worked with such authors as Orson Scott Card, Kevin J. Anderson, Ted Dekker and more, his tactics help both Fiction and Nonfiction authors of all levels get their books discovered by the right readers. Dave is also the creator of Publisher Rocket, a software that helps authors see what’s really going on in the book market, and thus pick better keywords and categories to help them sell more books.
February 2022
How to Get Good at Goodreads with Thomas Umstattd
Goodreads is a social network specifically for authors and readers. With over 20 million members it is one of the most visited websites in the world. Because of this book focus, GoodReads is more effective than Facebook and Twitter at boosting book sales. Learn how to use GoodReads to boost your book sales.
Thomas Umstattd is the founder of Author Media and the host of the Novel Marketing Podcast, the longest running book marketing podcast in the world. He also hosts the Christian Publishing Show. Thomas helps authors build their platforms, sell more books, and change the world with writing worth talking about.
March 2022
Deep POV: Increasing the Intimacy Between Your Characters and Your Readers with Karen Witemeyer
Breathe life into your narrative by learning to write with deep point of view. Learn techniques that will absorb your readers so completely, they will no longer simply consume the details of your story but will experience it alongside your characters.
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 multiple award-winning author and a firm believer in the power of happy endings. She is an avid cross-stitcher, tea drinker, and gospel hymn singer who makes her home in Abilene, TX with her heroic husband who vanquishes laundry dragons and dirty dish villains whenever she’s on deadline. Learn more about Karen and her books at www.karenwitemeyer.com or join her Facebook group The Posse.
April 2022
SPECIAL TWO HOUR WORKSHOP: The Story Cube: Rethinking Story From the Ground Up with Steven James
Ever since Aristotle, story theorists have been looking at story through a temporal lens—beginning, middle, and end, or first act, second act, and third act. But what if there was a way of conceptualizing story on a more elemental level? What if there was a way of understanding story that was easy to visualize and remember and that would apply to any genre you write? Well, there is, and in this seminar you’ll learn how it can transform your writing and storytelling forever.
Steven James is the critically-acclaimed author of seventeen novels. His books have been praised by Library Journal, the Associated Press, the New York Journal of Books, and Booklist, and garnered starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Library Journal. He has served as a contributing editor to Writer’s Digest Magazine and is the author of the groundbreaking book Story Trumps Structure as well as the guidebook used by thousands of novelists, Troubleshooting Your Novel, both from Writer’s Digest Books. 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. In addition to his writing and speaking, Steven also hosts the weekly podcast The Story Blender on which he has interviewed more than one hundred of the top storytellers and writers in the world.
May 2022
Agent Panel: Michelle Grajkowski of 3 Seas Literary Agency and Rachel Kent of Books and Such Literary Management
From the moment Michelle Grajkowski first opened the doors to the 3 Seas Literary Agency in August of 2000, she has been living her dream. (What could be better than surrounding yourself with amazing authors and their exciting and imaginative books?) Since then, her agency has sold more than 900 books to all the major publishing houses, and has grown from one agent to three! Michelle’s client list includes New York Times Bestselling Authors Katie MacAlister, Cathy McDavid, Kerrelyn Sparks and C.L. Wilson. She primarily represents romance, women’s fiction, young adult and middle grade fiction along with select non-fiction projects with a terrific message. She is currently looking for fantastic writers with a voice of their own. When not curled up with a great manuscript, Michelle loves to spend time with her husband, children and her crazy puppy who refuses to grow up.
Rachel Kent started at Books & Such as a summer intern while she was attending U.C. Davis and then, after graduating, worked part-time at the agency as an assistant. Rachel has been an agent with Books & Such since 2007, and has more than fifteen years of experience and training working closely with Janet Kobobel Grant and the Books & Such team. Through Rachel’s work at the agency and with authors, she has gained an understanding of the publishing process, contract negotiation, and what it takes to successfully write and market a book. Rachel’s goal is to develop strong relationships with her authors and to help them to develop lasting relationships with their editors and publishers. She and her family live in Northern California.
June 2022
Google for the Wise Genealogist/Writer with Angela Breidenbach
Everyone knows that Google is a powerful search engine, but for genealogists Google provides so much more. This course will explore Google programs and how they can be used to research family history. You will be introduced to a variety of Google products, how to navigate those products and specifically how to use them to further your genealogical research. Google provides free software, digitized books and articles, mapping, access to newspapers, translation tools and more. Learn how to use Google for finding information, creating and sharing documents, groups, websites and blogs as well as using it to map your ancestors. Learn about popular Google products like Google search, Google Maps and Google Books as well as the not so well-known products like Google Bookmarks, Google Alerts, Google Scholar, Google Groups and Google Sites. Google is the best non-genealogy, genealogy website there is!
Angela Breidenbach‘s new position, director of the National Institute for Genealogical Studies and president of Heritage Productions, straddles the US/Canadian border. She draws on experience in the publishing industry, international travel, outside sales, strong relational skills, and building business partnerships. Her extensive experience spans airline, HVAC, nonprofit ministry leadership as well as certifications in public speaking, media presentation, and coaching. She’s a multiple ECPA and Amazon best-selling author of faith-based books. Themes: Social pressure, caring for the vulnerable, overcoming past mistakes, and redemption/forgiveness using StoryTouch/StoryTeach concepts to encourage changed hearts and minds.
July 2022
Spotlight on Love Inspired with Shana Asaro, Editor
Shana Asaro is an Editor for Love Inspired, Harlequin’s inspirational romance series imprint, which publishes contemporary romance and romantic suspense. The Love Inspired franchise currently publishes twelve books of category-length (55,000 words) fiction every month and is always seeking new voices. We’ve also launched a trade paperback inspirational fiction program called Love Inspired Trade, which features the best in Romantic Suspense, Historical Fiction and Historical Romance, Women’s Fiction and Amish Fiction (80,000-100,000 words).
Shana has been with Harlequin for fourteen years. She graduated from Kent State University with a degree in journalism and worked at a literary agency before coming to Harlequin. When she’s not reading or editing, Shana spends her time with her husband, daughter and crazy dog. She also likes to travel, bake, watch movies, discuss the merits of Gilmore Girls and drink Starbucks lattes. You can find her on Twitter at @shana_asaro.
Website: www.loveinspired.com
August 2022
How to Sell Yourself with Thomas Umstattd
Have you ever wondered why some great writers go unsold while poorly written books become bestsellers? The answer is simple and may change everything for your book. Learn if and when it is okay to “sell” yourself as a Christian and discover three simple techniques that will help you become a bestselling author without being “salesy”.
Thomas Umstattd is the founder of Author Media and the host of the Novel Marketing Podcast, the longest running book marketing podcast in the world. He also hosts the Christian Publishing Show. Thomas helps authors build their platforms, sell more books, and change the world with writing worth talking about.
September 2022
Using Cross-promotion to Grow Your Professional Network, with Laurie Cooper
Join author marketing coach, Laurie Cooper from Pub-Craft: Marketing For Books & Brands, to learn how you can use cross-promotion to grow your professional network, better understand your genre, and gain increased exposure to your audience which in turn can increase book sales. This workshop teaches authors the benefits of cross-promotion as well as how to cross-promote with other authors and the online options available to do so.
Attendees will be able to:
– Select their desired options from the cross-promotion tools available to them
– Understand the benefits of cross-promotion
– Know how to connect with other authors for cross-promotion arrangements
This workshop will be presented online with time for Q&A. Then we will enter break out rooms to further discuss and brainstorm with each other.
Laurie Cooper launched her online business, Pub-Craft: Marketing for Books and Brands, in October 2013. She helps fiction authors go from struggling, feeling invisible, and not knowing what to do next, to finding and connecting with their ideal readers. In her first year of business, Laurie went from 1 to over 200 clients and helped 100+ authors hit the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Lists. While she works as a marketing coach with authors from around the world, Laurie calls Ottawa, Canada her home. Learn more about Laurie and her course,The Visible Author Method. Connect on Facebook (#AskPubCraft), Instagram (@pubcraftteam), and find out more about Pub-Craft at www.Pub-Craft.com.
SPECIAL TWO HOUR WORKSHOP
Two Inspirational Hours with Bill Myers
Bill Myers is an American Christian author, film director and film producer. He is most notable for the animated series McGee and Me! He is an author of books from many genres, including comedy, horror, thriller, fiction, and non-fiction. As author/screenwriter/director his work has won over 60 national and international awards, including the C.S. Lewis Honor Award. His DVDs and books have sold 8 million copies. His children’s DVD and book series, McGee and Me, has sold 4.5 million copies, has won 40 Gold and Platinum awards, and has been aired on ABC as well as in 80 countries. His My Life As… book series has sold 2.1 million copies. He has written, directed, and done voice work for Focus on the Family’s Adventures in Odyssey radio series and is the voice of Jesus in Zondervan’s NIV Audio Bible. As an author, several of his children’s book series and adult novels have made the bestseller list.
October 2022
From Pumpkin Patches to Christmas Cookies: How to Write a Heartwarming, Hallmark-Sweet Romance with Teri Wilson
Hallmark Publishing author Teri Wilson discusses the rising popularity of low-angst, Hallmark-style sweet romances and what specific elements set these stories apart from other varieties of closed door writing. Participants will learn how to craft a Hallmark-style story, why these feel-good romances have such mass appeal and how to get them published, both indie and traditionally. They will also learn how to generate conflict and romantic tension in a softer, hot-button-free world and how to craft “filmable” scenes that translate well to movie adaptions. Handouts will include a recommended viewing list—from Hallmark Channel favorites to shows like Gilmore Girls and Hart of Dixie—as well as a reading list of books that represent this very specific subgenre.
USA Today Bestselling Author Teri Wilson writes heartwarming contemporary romance with a touch of whimsy. Three of Teri’s books have been adapted into Hallmark Channel Original Movies by Crown Media, including UNLEASHING MR. DARCY (plus its sequel MARRYING MR. DARCY), THE ART OF US and NORTHERN LIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS, based on her book SLEIGH BELL SWEETHEARTS. She is also a recipient of the prestigious RITA Award for excellence in romantic fiction for her novel THE BACHELOR’S BABY SURPRISE. Teri has a major weakness for crowns, cute animals and pretty dresses, and she loves ballet and Audrey Hepburn films. Visit her at www.teriwilson.net or on Instagram @TeriWilsonauthor
November 2022
Using Art to Solve Crimes with Carrie Stuart Parks
One of the most interesting and unusual uses of art occurs in the forensic field. Americans are fascinated with the real life drama and mysteries around them. The forensic artist is trained to draw composites from the memory of witnesses, sketch crime scenes for the courtroom, and reconstruct skulls of unknown homicide victims. How do they do it? Find out from the woman who trains the artists.
Carrie Stuart Parks is a multi-Christy, Carol, Golden Scroll, and Inspy award-winning author in addition to numerous other awards. An internationally known forensic artist, she teaches courses in forensic art to law enforcement professionals across the US and Canada and is the largest instructor of forensic art in the world. Carrie is a popular speaker and presenter and has been the Special Guest at the Writer’s Police Academy, Early Bird Special Presenter along with Frank Peretti at the American Christian Fiction Writers, Keynote at the Oregon Christian Writer’s Conference, as well as presented at ThrillerFest, Daphne Du Maurier’s Kiss of Death, BlueRidge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference, and numerous other conferences. As a professional fine artist, she is a signature member of the Idaho Watercolor Society. Her paintings hang in a number of corporate and private collections. She has written and illustrated non-fiction best-selling art books for North Light Publishers.