August 2025 Meeting Information

 

Lori Freeland -- ILL / CANCELED

Join us Saturday, August 16, 2025 at 11 AM

at La Hacienda Ranch Restaurant in Colleyville for

Writing Sprints and Brainstorming

Bring your laptop and/or your plot problems!

 

July 2025 Meeting Information

 

Image courtesy of IMGBIN.com.

Join us Saturday, July 19, 2025 at 11am

at La Hacienda Ranch Restaurant in Colleyville for

Audra Lewandowski and Jen FitzGerald

Using AI for Writing & Research

(And Other Fun Things)

Yes, your mileage may vary on using AI when writing, but the fact is, AI is here to stay...

Our intrepid president, Audra Lewandowski will share what the ramifications of using it in the present might be as well as what may come in the future and talk about where AI could be headed.

NT's own Jen FitzGerald will discuss various AI platforms, how they work, how to use them, and what to use them for. She'll also share some examples of her own interactions with ChatGPT.

 

June 2025 Meeting Information

 

Join us Saturday, June 21, 2025 at 11am

at La Hacienda Ranch Restaurant in Colleyville for

Carolyn Williamson

Luring Readers into Living Your Story

Through Deep Viewpoint

Learn how to write the story from a main character's viewpoint, showing thoughts and action and how to blend narrative into the story without a lot of description that may bog down the story. Learn how to change viewpoints so the reader immediately knows whose viewpoint is being followed and will worry about the character's chances of achieving his or her goal.

* * * * *

Carolyn Williamson writes romantic suspense as Carolyn Rae. In her stories, bullets fly, people die, and lovers resist attraction until they can escape the danger following them.

She is the author of multiple series and has given talks on Finding Time for Your Dream, and How to Eat Healthy and Enjoy It. Her travel articles have appeared in the Dallas Morning News, the Fort Worth Star Telegram, Romance Writer’s Report, and other newspapers and magazines.

Carolyn Williamson has a master’s degree in home economics and is the co-author of There IS Life After Lettuce, a cookbook for heart patients and diabetics. She has taught home economics, family living, and English, as well as supervised ironwork, painting, and carpentry inmates at a federal prison. She has also worked as a paralegal.

 

2025 Carolyn Readers Choice Winners

 

CONGRATULATIONS to the winners of the

2025 Carolyn Readers' Choice Award!

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE (LOW HEAT)

Showdown in the Rockies by Kathleen Tailer

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE (MID/HIGH HEAT)

Once Upon A Goth Dog Solstice by R.L. Merrill

HISTORICAL ROMANCE

The Duke's Unexpected Love by Alexa Aston

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Ultimate Justice by Tee O'Fallon

SPECIALIZED ROMANCE 

Jingled, Jangled, and Jinxed: A Love Story by Fenley Grant

WOMEN'S FICTION

When She Gets Conned by Miriam Allenson

 

May 2025 Meeting Information

 

Join us Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 11am via Zoom for

Great (Editing) Expectations

Thanks for checking us out!

Anne will explore the process of finding a freelance editor. This will include a brief overview of the production process (which service/s you need) and also a discussion of how to vet candidates. You need to find someone who makes the editing process as smooth as possible, an editor you can mesh with who will help polish your manuscript and be a part of your production team for a long time to come.

* * * * *

About Anne:

My name is Anne Victory, and I’m the founder of Victory Editing. The business name isn’t just a gimmick or a catchy phrase–I came by it honestly.

So, how did I decide on editing as a career choice? Like many of my clients, I’ve been an avid reader since I was about five. I read thrillers, mysteries, some horror, true crime, science fiction, and of course, my great loves: romance and fantasy.

I’ve always been a stickler for grammar, and at every job I was “volunteered” (or volun-told) to either write or proofread everything from menus to game manuals to advertising copy. That business writing and editing experience came in handy when I started to work in fiction. I enjoy reading, and I enjoy polishing the written word. Common wisdom says do what you love and you’ll live a long and happy life. With my background in English literature, grammar, and library science, it was a fairly easy decision to work with authors.

In December of 2010, I started offering “final pass” proofreading services (also known as cold reads). Monique Martin jokingly called it “Oops Detection,” and the name stuck. Oops Detection® was an instant hit, and over time I had requests for manuscript-level services as well. In response to that growing demand, I expanded my services to offer editing in addition to after-formatting proofreading. The rest, as they say, is history.

 

Carolyn Contest Finalists

 CONGRATS TO THE FINALISTS!!

April 2025 Meeting Information

 

Join us Saturday, April 19, 2025 at 11am via Zoom for

Self-Promotion Doesn't Have to Be Scary:

How to Talk Authentically About Your Work

(otherwise known as self-promotion)

Whether it's in person or on-line, talking about your books and writing are the keys to connecting with readers and other writers, but it can feel very overwhelming to put yourself out there. Emily will talk about ways to reframe self-promotion and help with concrete plans for becoming your own best hype squad to every stage of your author career.

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EMILY ROBERSON is an author, screenwriter and an Arkansan. She is the award-winning author of LIFESTYLES OF GODS & MONSTERS (Macmillan), a retelling of the Minotaur myth with a reality TV setting. Emily has been a bookseller in Little Rock, a newspaper reporter in Vicksburg, a marketing manager in Boston, and a writer in Chapel Hill and Dallas. She graduated from Brown University and has a master’s degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin. She now lives in Little Rock, Arkansas with her husband, three sons and no pets. You can find her on the web at www.emilyrobersonbooks.com, on Instagram @robersonemilym, and on Bluesky and TikTok as @robersonemily.