April 13th, 10:00 a.m. retired LtCol Ryan Oakley at The “L” Offices River & Campbell – Real Life in the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG). Ever wonder who or what is JAG? What they do? Where they serve? What do Hollywood writers and popular authors get right and wrong in telling their stories?
We will not hold a meeting this month. Instead, members and author members will be at our booth at TFOB, talking up our club and our contests. And chatting with other book lovers, always a treat.
Saturday, February 10th at 10 a.m. at L Office, Campbell & River and Via Zoom
Award-winning author and writing instructor Kris Neri returns! We are thrilled to welcome back Kris. Her workshop will address why including a strong sense of place and rich character descriptions will make your writings come to life and make readers bond with the material.
Jan. 13th, 10:00 a.m. LT Patrick Hilliker: The “L” Offices River & Campbell On-the-Job Stories by a Popular Guest! Next Saturday we welcome back a compelling speaker, who brings stories about his work with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department SWAT team (and in other roles) along with a willingness to answer all the questions we can direct his way. Pima County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Patrick Hilliker has served various roles since hired in 1998 as a Commissioned Deputy with Pima County Sheriff’s Office.
It’s becoming a tradition! Again this year we’ll meet LIVE at Reid Park to celebrate the holidays.
We’ll have coffee, water, other treats, (and plates & utensils)! Plus last year’s favorite–hot chocolate.
Come on down to Reid Park and celebrate the season. See long-time friends and get to know new ones. If you wish, bring a check with your $45 dues for 2023. And we’ll announce the winners of our Adult Short Story Contest!
November 11, 10:00 a.m. : The “L” Offices River & Campbell & via Zoom
Meredith Aitchison, a certified Latent Print Examiner from the Tucson Police Department Forensic Lab, will expand on the fingerprinting lessons we had last year from Brian O’Sullivan.
October 14, 10:00 a.m. : LIVE at The “L” Offices at River & Campbell and Via Zoom
USING A MOVIE TO LEARN STRUCTURE & PLOT
Author and AMW member Clark Lohr will share how the compressed time frame of a movie allows us to observe story structure and better plot our novels. Using the model first set out by Syd Field in his 1979 book, Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting, Clark will explain how watching a film can allow us to observe the three parts of a classic story: what Field called Setup, Confrontation, and Resolution.
Saturday, August 12th 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Everybody wants to write—but why is it so hard to get started? Managing that first burst of energy can be the most difficult part of the project. In the workshop, author and member D.R. Ransdell will lead us through a series of writing prompts designed to get us past those initial hurdles. We’ll experiment with brainstorming exercises designed to keep us writing all day long—or at least through the day’s session. Come with your laptop charged or your pencil sharpened. We’ll dive in together and see what shakes loose.
Pima County Sergeant Erick Maldonado
July 8th, 10:00 a.m. Sgt. Erick Maldonado from the Pima County Sheriff’s is BACK!
Get your questions ready
We had such a wonderful time with Sgt. Erick Maldonado in May that we asked if he’d be willing to return and share stories from his long and varied career with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.
We’re delighted he agreed!
June Meeting: Saturday, June 10, 2023 at 10 am. Do Laughter & Murder Mix? Humor in Mysteries? Kathy McIntosh definitely believes there’s a place for humor in mysteries. She’ll share her thoughts on how humor helps our writing, where it got its start, and how to best include humor in your writing.
She’ll even provide a list of some of the classics and some new authors whose books made her chuckle. Bring your list of favorites to share!