Are You Connected?

Me

You thought I meant social media, right? 

Wrong! 

Dora here, and today I want to talk about connecting to a local writers group.

"Just one more thing to swallow more of my time." 

Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on the group. The dynamics, the schedule, the speakers, even the centrality of the meeting location.

Recently, under the leadership of newly elected president, Myra Johnson, (Yay, Myra!) our group transitioned to every other month meetings from our previous quarterly schedule. We also moved to a new, permanent location, a fire station "community room" conveniently located to a major interstate that connects both North and South Carolina. The new facility boasts a kitchen, WiFi access, and a large meeting area that accommodates up to fifty people.

Carolina Christian Writers ~ New Meeting Location

Like the new digs? Yeah, me, too.

But I digress. Of course, you're not just interested in visiting the fire station. But what if a Fire Chief talked about fire scenarios for your fiction? What if he cited examples or helped untangle plot issues? 

Missy Tippens, Love Inspired Author

OK. Maybe you're not working on a fire scene right now. You're polishing your manuscript and praying over it before you send it off to a publisher. Would you be interested in the advantages of working with a smaller publishing house? Or in a multi-published, award-winning Love Inspired author's presentation on Writing Proposals That Sell The First Time?  

Perhaps you just received a rejection from a contest entry. Would you want to hear an author with vast experience in winning and finaling in contests share tips? 

Or maybe you just want to connect with like minds and hang out with some of your favorite authors?

From L-R: Jennifer Hudson Taylor, Myra Johnson, Dora Hiers, Sandra Ardoin (standing), Mary Annslee Urban, Lynette Eason, Jennifer Fromke, Amy Clipston. Where is Angie Arndt?

There she is! Angie Arndt

Would it be worth a couple hours every other month?

Not yet? Really?

Hmmm...

What if you received a publishing contract from one of these meetings?

Ahhh...your eyes just lit up. Now I have your attention.

I'm a member of the Carolina Christian Writers, the local ACFW chapter serving both Carolinas. My first contract with Pelican Book Group (PBG)/White Rose Publishing was a direct result of one of our meetings. One of my CCW friends directed me to PBG, who was about a year old and hadn't blipped my radar yet. Would I have found my publisher had I not connected with CCW? Only God knows that, but He definitely opened a door where I had no idea one even existed.

For me, the benefits and blessings I gain from my CCW connection far outweigh the time commitment. You see, on March 15, I celebrated my fifth release with White Rose.

What about you? Are you connected with a writers group? 

If not, did I convince you to get connected?

If you are, what meeting topics would interest you?

Purchase Link

After a humiliating breakup, best-selling romance author Teal Benning flees to Promise Lake to complete her current novel, minus paparazzi and flashing cameras. Suffering from writer's block and a broken heart, Teal accepts the offer of help from neighbor, Hunter Miciver. 

Hunter longs to be more than the friend who picks up the shattered pieces of Teal's heart, but when Teal finds out his secret, will she see him for the man he is—a man of faith and devotion, a man who would cherish her for the rest of her days—or will she lump him into the same category as all the other men in her life, including her father?

Will Teal recognize when truth whispers her name?