Monthly Archives: April 2017

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Online Class: Make Your Writing Shine through Self-Editing

April 18, 2017 by in category Online Classes tagged as , , , ,

self-editing class badge

Make Your Writing Shine Through Self-Editing
with Linda Carroll-Bradd

Class Dates: May 15 – May 26 (two-week class)

http://occrwa.org/classes/may-online-class/

Learn how to identify shallow POV and make it deeper.
Learn how to change your writing from Telling to Showing.
Want to perk up the pace of your prose?
Need help pinpointing weak spots in your writing style?

This workshop will provide tips to help you tighten your sentence and paragraph structure to make your writing shine! Through the use of checklists, topical lectures and structured writing/revision exercises for each lesson, I supply tangible examples of what to look for and how to fix it. You’ll get interactive assistance from freelance editor and award-winning author, Linda Carroll-Bradd.

Linda Carroll-Bradd

Linda Carroll-Bradd

About the Instructor:

The years Linda Carroll-Bradd spent working in secretarial positions paid off when she ventured into writing fiction. Along her writer journey, she put her skills with spelling, grammar, and punctuation to use and edited other authors’ manuscripts—first with just friends and then friends of friends. In 2012, she formalized the process and Lustre Editing was created. Linda has a clientele that includes USA Today and NY Times bestselling authors and has worked on all subgenres of romance, plus narrative nonfiction, memoir, middle grade fiction, and police procedural novels.

Married with four adult children, she now lives in the southern California mountains with two beloved dogs. In addition to working as a freelance editor, she is the author of more than 50 contemporary and historical stories that range from heartwarming to erotic (written under pen name Layla Chase).

Class fees: $20.00 for OCC members & $30.00 for non-members.

Link to join the class: http://occrwa.org/classes/may-online-class/

If you have questions, send a query to OCCRWAOnlineClass@yahoo.com.

Here’s a list of the rest of the 2017 schedule of classes:

June 12 – July 7: Horse Sense with Shannon Donnelley

August 14 – Sept. 8:  Monster Revisions with Suzanne Johnson

Oct. 16 – Nov. 10: Time Management Secrets for Authors with Stacy Juba

Nov. 13 – Dec. 8 – The Feminine Journey with Mary O’Gara

 

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Meet The Extra Squeeze Team

April 17, 2017 by in category The Extra Squeeze by The Extra Squeeze Team, Writing tagged as , , ,
The Extra Squeeze | A Slice of Orange

Ever wonder what industry professionals think about the issues that can really impact our careers? Each month The Extra Squeeze features a fresh topic related to books and publishing.

Amazon mover and shaker Rebecca Forster and her handpicked team of book professionals offer frank responses from the POV of each of their specialties — Writing, Editing, PR/Biz Development, and Cover Design.

Meet the Extra Squeeze Team

Rebecca Forster | Extra Squeeze

Rebecca Forster

USA Today Bestselling author of 35 books, including the Witness series and the new Finn O’Brien series.

Jenny Jensen

Developmental editor who has worked for twenty plus years with new and established authors of both fiction and non-fiction, traditional and indie.

Jenny Jensen | A Slice of Orange

H.O. Charles

Cover designer and author of the fantasy series, The Fireblade Array

 

Robin Blakely

PR/Business Development coach for writers and artists; CEO, Creative Center of America; member, Forbes Coaches Council.

Robin Blakely | The Extra Squeeze Team | A Slice of Orange

If you have a topic or question for the Extra Squeeze Team,  contact the Extra Squeeze online producer Marianne Donley by using the form: http://www.asliceoforange.net/contact/the-extra-squeeze/

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Happy Easter

April 16, 2017 by in category Writing

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Choosing The Write Life

April 15, 2017 by in category The Write Life by Rebecca Forster tagged as

There are only two times in my entire life that I have truly made a deeply thoughtful decision about how I want to live. Up until then, I sort of plucked choices out of the air. For instance:

I went to college far away from home (Chicago) because I had never been far away from home before.

I took the first job that came my way after college – working a switchboard at a big company – because it was offered to me.

That job slid me into an assistant position in a marketing firm when another person quit to get married.

A snowstorm drove me out of Chicago and back to California where I grew up. That really was more of a reaction than a decision. Have you ever lived through an Illinois winter?

Back home I got married (okay, that was a great decision).

I got my MBA because the company I worked for paid for it.

One day someone dared me to write a novel – something I had never imagined doing – and I did it because they dared me.

That was when I started making real life choices. I had found something I was passionate about (other than my husband). The challenge of writing, the flights of imagination, the nail biting wait to see if an editor would even look at my book created a thrill that I had never experienced before. After my first book was published, I chose to become a writer, an author, a novelist. I decided that I would be the best storyteller I could be and for over 30 years I have pursued that goal. I have had my ups – including best seller lists – and my rejection/bad review downs.

When A Slice of Orange asked me to pen a blog, I thought this would be the perfect place to talk about everything I have learned, about the everyday decision-making that comes with this career. I want to tell you what it’s really like to make a living as a novelist, how other people have done it and why there is no one-size-fits all when it comes to a writing career.

This will be a blog about permissions, and fun stuff, and objectives and questions and hard looks about the decisions authors make every day. This will be a blog about choosing how to proceed on your own terms.

The beauty of the Write Life is that it’s all about choice – yours, mine and ours.

Rebecca

RebeccaForster.com

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Editor Meghan Farrell at Santa Clarita Romance Writers

April 14, 2017 by in category Writing, Writing Meetings tagged as , , ,

This Saturday, April 15th, is Santa Clarita Romance Writers’ monthly meeting.

 
 
Santa Clarita Romance Writers

Our speakers will be Meghan Farrell, Executive Editor of Tule Publishing.

You might be familiar with some of the authors published by Tule: Charlene Sands, Barbara Ankrum, Justine Davis and Jane Porter. (By the way, Jane is Founder and CEO of Tule.)

Meghan’s talk is going be on the almighty “query letter”. She’ll also be giving an overall view of Tule, on how they run and what they’re looking for.
 
 

Come for the meeting. Stay for lunch.

 
 
The meeting is from 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM at The Newhall Library-24500 Main St. Newhall, CA (aka Santa Clarita). We’re in the Heritage Room on the second floor. After the meeting, we will be taking Meghan out to lunch. Anyone who wants to join us is welcome to come. This is a great opportunity to spend some up-close and personal time with an editor. The meetings are casual, and best of, they’re free if you’re a first time visitor.

More about our new chapter.

 
 
Debra Holland and Bobbie Cimo

Our chapter might be new, but the quality of our speakers is top notch. So far we’ve had Tessa Dare (2017 Rita finalist), Debra Holland, Elena Dillion, Debbie Decker, Lisa Green, Martina Boone and our own Margaret Brownley (author of over 40 books and also a Rita finalist for this year).

If you can’t make this month’s meeting, here’s list of some of the upcoming speakers for the rest of the year, Mia Hopkins, Judy Duarte, Linda O. Johnston, Susan Squires and Liz Donatelli of Liz D Publicity Promotions. The name of Liz’s talk is, “Authors Meets Reader: Engaging in a Real Life Love Affair”. She’s going to explain why it’s important to make personal appearance, along with book signing events. Knowing how most writers are introverts, she’ll also be giving out pointers on how to feel comfortable at these events, even when they’re not buying your book.

Santa Clarita Romance Writers Meeting
If you want to know more about our chapter, check out our website. Santa Clarita Romance Writers. Hope to see some of you this Saturday–don’t worry taxes aren’t due until the 18th this year.

Bobbie Cimo

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