Hi! New here. Started writing a memoir about a month ago and finding out that sometimes it’s difficult to keep going. Some of what I’m writing about is dredging up difficult stuff. How do you stay the course when you’re running out of steam? Your experienced ideas are welcome! Thanks!

My name is Karen Neary Smithson and I'm the author of the Beth Getty Mystery series published by TouchPoint Press. Writing had never been on my radar. My passion was art--I wanted to be a painter--but not a starving artist. So I experienced a variety of careers such as a child advocate, a human rights commissioner, and an art educator. Somewhere along the line I began writing and found the act of creating my own world magical. I still paint and my work has been exhibited in local galleries and shows. I'm also a numismatic and am crazy about ancient coins of the Hellenistic period and the Roman Empire. I've been known to pop up as an extra in Baltimore based movies and television shows. I love the beach and spend many hours there planning and writing my stories. I live with my husband and three rescued turned show cats in Ellicott City, Maryland. My debut novel, "Death in Disguise" won a first-place 2018 PenCraft award in the Fiction-Mystery- Sleuth category. The sequel is scheduled to be released in Spring 2021.

Over the years I've heard about Savvy Authors. Now I've found you! Looking forward to discovering more. Zoe

Nice to meet you all.

I am brand new to Savvy Authors, set to teach my first class starting August 31st. It's been forever since I participated in forums for anything so there might be rust on my posts for a little bit.

I LOVE teaching and writing and talking about craft and process. The more tools we writers have in our box, the better we are able to navigate this calm and easy world we've chosen to exist in.

Have a great and peaceful week all! Many words to us all.

Hi Everyone!
I'm wondering how I can use this site (I'm a premium member now!) to learn and meet people. Where should I start? What should I do? WHERE AM I ??? hahaha. I am a romance writer, small press and indie published. I did sign up for some of the SavvyWriterCon events, so I'm looking forward to that.
Any advice about how you use this group would be appreciated!
Jess

Hello Savvy Authors!

My name is Jason Wrench and I'm in the process of publishing my first novel. It's slated for publication in November 2021 by Pride Publishing. Right now, I'm already working on the sequel which is due to my editor by the end of 2020. Let's just say that this has already been a whirlwind experience. I originally wrote the first book back in 2010. During this COVID-19 quarantine, I finally dusted it off and set about editing it. I found Pride Publishing and sent it to them just to see what would happen. The next thing I know I was signing a contract and discussing the sequel.

I look forward to "meeting" everyone here and getting to know other authors.

Jason

I always hate these new person intros, but here goes anyway. New author waiting to get my first book back from the editor. Here is the cool part, it is a romance set in the US Navy. Hope others like the idea as much as I did.

Hi all, Just wanted to mention that after a few years I am finally back to writing. Working on a Paranormal romance - not the normal werewoofie/vamp thing, but something I hope is different. I am looking for a few people interested in bouncing ideas and concepts off - and sometime soon some critting. Be glad to reciprocate.

Tom G

Hello! I'm new to the site, but not to writing. I thought I'd wave and provide a little intro.

I'm a U.S. expat, living in Germany. I have self-published several books and created my own imprint to provide services to other writers, along with publishing my own works.

It's been a while since I lived in the states, and one of the biggest things I miss is going to a bookstore. I used to spend my Friday evenings browsing Borders and then leaving with an armful of books. And I also miss the food. LOL!

I joined to see if I could help others and possibly get some feedback on my works.

Looking forward to meeting you!

I have a contract! Thanks to several courses I've taken over past years (and a special shout out to L.C. Hayden who wrote an endorsement for me!), my novel caught the eye of a publisher and may be out by the end of this year or early 2021!

I signed a contract with NineStar Press!!! They are going to publish my first book! I'm so excited! Miles of rejections. I gave up on querying agents and queried small presses I liked. I got a bunch of rejections there too but in the process cleaned up my manuscript a lot and really perfected my query letter. Then I put that MS aside and started working ont eh next book, which is where I am now. Out of nowhere it seemed, Ninestar comes and says they want to publish my book!

omg...how did I miss this profoundly talented sci fi author? How? HOW???? And all the Nebula's he has won and still I missed? aaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggghhhhh

I stumbled over his short story collection Exhalation, read the first story eponymously named, and fell in love. So now in true writer style, I MUST UNDERSTAND how he managed to create a fully formed vision of this totally alien world in a short story. I think this falls on @Walker talking about Asimov's classic Nightfall in the Bootcamp we are just finishing up. That lead me to read the full novel, not as good BTW. And I think that was how I ended up with the Chian collection. Anyone else read Exhalation or the one I am reading now The Lifecycle of Software Objects want to help me figure this out.

Good God, what I would not give to write like that.

Doing the socializing and extroverted thing is against my nature. I don't even make my classes go through first-day introductions, but here I am, not knowing what the heck to say in this post that isn't in my bio other than "Here I am."

I made a promise to myself that I was going to make a sincere effort to reach out and become part of a writing community, even though I have no idea how to do that, and I generally prefer not to call attention to myself.

So, anyway, I want to become part of a community, I want to improve my writing, and I want to find critique partners to get my writing to the point where I feel (semi) confident enough to self-publish. I also would not say no to some doughnut holes.

Hi all

I'm Nancy, I'm an aspiring novelist and live in Adelaide South Australia with my family. I write historical fiction (20th century) and short stories (any genre). I have a short story published in 'Easter Promises' and another coming out in July with the Romance Writers of Australia sweet treats anthology. I love learning and am endeavouring to improve my writing skills.

When I'm not writing or being a busy mum, I work part time as a research scientist and scientific editor. I have one ms under my belt that needs a bit more work and I am currently in 2nd draft of another MS. Both are set in Australia the first half of 20th Century.

cheers
Nancy

Hello everyone! I just discovered this site, and I'm excited to be a part of it and grow as a writer. I currently run a story telling podcast, but am also working on getting some of my work in print as well. I'm looking forward to getting to know some of you!

Hi,
My name is McKinlay Thomson and I write erotic romance. I live in Melbourne, Australia and am married with two kids.
I am here to connect to other authors and learn from others experience.
When I'm not writing I work at a pub as a chef or did until covid 19. I love reading, mostly romance, and have a large ginger cat who is my constant companion.
Thanks.

Hi there, I have two questions - Are the times the classes start set for west coast or east coast? And if I cannot register for a free class, does that mean it is full?
Thank you for your time!

Okay maybe NOT a bad penny, but you know they keep showing up. It has been a few years since I've been a member, but I've stayed in touch with my old NaNo/Bootcamp team. Never underestimate the friendships you can make in a virtual/forum world! So, after hearing they were considering bootcamp and remembering how much I missed it . . . here I am.

Like others life has happened, but I find myself hungry to write again. To date it has just been for myself, but we'll see what happens with the next chapter.

I am a crisis manager by day (a career that started in wedding planning, now there's a story that's been told before); and writing the last few weeks have just been a balm for the soul. I have mostly written romantic suspense, but have at least one fantasy book (not including fanfic).

Now I just have to relearn my way around the site but I can't wait to see what amazing things are happening!

I registered for the coaching opportunity that starts on Monday and I was just assigned a project at work that will interfere. How do I UN-register for June's class? I'd rather open the space for someone else and take the class later.

Hey Everyone,
I'm Sara Thompson, I started this account many moons ago to the point I was getting upset when the system told me my email was already in use. Imagine that.
Just wanted to pop in and say "hey," I used to be really bent on writing and getting my stories out there and somewhere life happened and I got lazy. Yet recently I have been feeling that itch and a friend told me to sign up for boot camp. To which I said fine and jumped without actually looking. Now I'm terrified. Hence this post, if theres accountability I wont hide and might get something out of the ordeal.

My biggest claims to fame are being publishes 3 times in anthologies celebrating David Bowie, Freddy Mercury, and Douglas Adams. If you can call those claims to fame. I have books on my self with my name on them and its pretty neat, even if I bought the books myself. Outside of those anthologies I tend to write Sci-fi and branching more towards historical fiction. I don't really know what to call my genre box, I like taking an idea that could possibly happen tomorrow and push it into the future or the past depending. I also tend to write a lot of YA.

So I guess that's it. I look forward to learning more and seeing where we go with this.

Hello All,

My name is Katherine Schlem. I'm often known online by my moniker, KitKat, an appellation given to me by Christine Feehan many many years ago.

I'm a married, stay at home mom of two teenage sons. My husband is visually impaired but telecommutes his job as an IT Programmer/Senior Analyst for the Financial Division of a major reinsurer. I'm first and foremost a poetry writer and have been since Middle School. I have a degree in Political Science, which I can talk more about if any are interested. I don't want to offend anyone.

I began extensive prose writing in High School and continued into post-college with a stint in Fanfiction, primarily Hannibal Lecter based. I began my own writing series in 2006-07 writing a somewhat controversial and touchy subject matter, the case of a High School student and her school librarian falling in love. There are many extenuating factors that cover this issue and make it reasonable and it is a reflection on my own relationship with an instructor in school. It's got many overtones: mafia, love of family, protection of the weak. It's also a paranormal romance that deals with the existence of Hindu Avatars manifesting into their human hosts on earth. It's also hypererotic in portions of the text.

I started it back then, but, as my first child got diagnosed with Autism I had to put it aside and focus on being a parent. I had 153 pages, entirely handwritten, back then. Since I picked up that manuscript back in around 2013 or so, I've now got three completed manuscripts in the series and one in progress. They're all handwritten and over 4000 pages so far. I expect about a 9 book series overall.

Thanks for welcoming me into your midst.
Katherine Schlem
aka KitKat
PenName to come later (when I figure it out)

Any advice on landing an agent? I've been at it for a year and I'm getting discouraged. Here's a review I received recently. Chief Louise Consola, the chief of police for the idyllic town of Beaumont, Massachusetts, must unravel the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of one of her best friends. As she unearths clues, it becomes clear that her friend’s death is part of a terrible secret that has been kept hidden for decades. Can Louise put an end to the evil that ravages her town and still protect those who have carried the secret? And can a town ever be washed clean from its terrible sin? (Summary via Amazon) A Run of a River by Rick Collins is a suspense novel……BOY is it !!! I’ll admit I didn’t read the summary of the book before I started reading it and quite frankly, it wouldn’t have mattered. Reading the little summary about the book does not, in any way, shape or form, prepare the reader for what they are about to get lost in. And when you start reading A Run of a River you are going to be completely lost in the story…..so much that everything around you will no longer exist. As long as the book is opened and you are reading the words, you will be under a spell. There will be no stopping it’s powerful hold on you until you get to the end, close the book and sit back. You are hanging out in Beaumont Massachusetts, a small town, with Police Captain Louise Consola who after the events of one day her town and her life are turned upside down. On the day long time baseball and basketball boys coach, Jack Monroe, is labeled a town hero and given the key to the city by the Mayor, a close friend of Louise and her husband commits suicide. As Louise and her husband Hank try to come to terms with Ken’s sudden death, Hank is in a car accident that turns out to not be an accident. It seems that a lot of people in this little town are hanging on to some deep, dark secrets that are starting to destroy them. Hank is carrying around a lot of guilt after Ken’s suicide and it puts him in the hospital. The Mayor is also hiding a lot of secrets that could destroy him and everything he has built of himself. While Louise tries to help her husband, she learns that some of the secrets if they came out could destroy her town. She is torn between doing what is right for the town but bad for it’s residents or turning a blind eye and letting things slowly destroy the ones she loves. Readers will be on the edge of their seats reading A Run of A River. Rick Collins writes in such a way that you will feel like you are right there along side the people in this small town. You will feel like you are caught in this web of secrets with them and will feel for Ken, Hank, Mickey and the rest of the boys coached by Jack Monroe. You will want to see justice done and stop the pain that is like a black cloud over Beaumont. And you will be in complete shock when you see how things turn out !!!