Struggling to stay on track with your writing goals? SavvyAuthors' Accountability Group is a supportive group designed to help writers stay consistent, overcome procrastination, and make real progress on their projects.

We will focus on:

• Goal Setting & Check-Ins: Set writing goals and track your progress.
• Weekly Accountability Check-ins: Share wins, challenges, and next steps.
• Encouragement & Support: Connect with like-minded writers to stay motivated.

Whether you’re drafting a novel, editing a manuscript, or just trying to write more regularly, this group will keep you accountable and inspired. Join us and turn your writing dreams into reality!

Feeling stuck in your story? Struggling with plot holes, character motivation, or the dreaded writer’s block? Unlock the Block is a supportive brainstorming group designed to help authors break through creative roadblocks and get back to writing with confidence.

This group will help authors:

• Work through tricky plot points with group feedback.
• Help develop compelling, well-rounded characters (including root fear, emotional would, and misbelief).
• Get fresh perspectives on any craft story elements.
• Overcome any other writing block challenge.
• Connect with fellow writers who understand the struggle.

Writers can sign up to "share" their story or writing challenge with the brainstorming group each month and get feedback.

Whether you need a simple push or a story overhaul, we’re here to help you find the answers and reignite your creativity. Join us and get unstuck!

Want to sharpen your writing skills while discussing the best books on the craft? The SavvyAuthors Writing Craft Book Club is a space for authors of all levels to dive into insightful books on storytelling, style, and technique.How it works:

• Recommendations will be taken and members will vote on the craft book that we will read.
• Read and discuss books on all things writing, from plot structure to character development. Join a bi-monthly video chat to discuss the book of choice.
• Share key takeaways and how to apply them to our own work.
• Engage in writing exercises inspired by each book.

Whether you’re refining your prose, strengthening your storytelling, or seeking fresh inspiration, this club is for you. Join us as we learn from the masters and grow together as writers!

During the bi-monthly video sessions, cameras do not need to be turned on, and there is no pressure for anyone to do so.

Are you seeking a coach and mentor who listens? Doesn't squash your writing style? And who provides positive, constructive feedback to meet your goals?

As a certified coach with a background in education and over a decade of working with writers, my goal is to offer you an individualized mentoring/coaching program to help guide you through the writing and publishing process. No part of your writing process is too small or too large for us to tackle together.

We will work as a team on the writing goals that you wish to accomplish during the three-month program.

I am as comfortable working with new writers as with those who have multiple publishing credits. I also read and write across multiple genres and have worked with writers who write fantasy, science fiction, mystery, historical fiction, horror, romance, etc.

The direction of the mentoring and coaching is founded on the goals you wish to accomplish. I am flexible, if the needs arises, in changing the mentoring and coaching to suit your needs and wants. You should come willing and able to work on your writing and be prepared for honest feedback.

Your personalized mentoring/coaching program can include, but is not limited to:

• Unlimited access via email for brainstorming, coaching, specific questions and regular check-ins,
• Regular private online chats in the Savvy Authors chatroom, by phone or Skype (schedule and time to be mutually agreed on). NOTE: Most are weekly and from 30-60 minutes.
• Reviews of your notes, outline and draft or revised manuscript with feedback targeted to take you to the next step with your story, tailored to your current goals,
• A writing schedule to complete your draft or edits with prompts to remind you of deadlines and regular check-ins to help keep you on track,
• Mini-lessons, articles, resources and recommended reading as appropriate,
• Includes coaching on the pitch and the synopsis,
• Discuss and brainstorm path options for your writing career.

This program is not a workshop or class but those elements may be present at the discretion of the mentor based on the needs of the students. Students should be prepared to engage in regular discussion with the mentor in order to get the best out of this experience.

Enrollment is limited to five (5) students so I can give the attention needed to each writer.

According to the Gitnux report of September 8th, 2023 (https://blog.gitnux.com/book-sales-by-genre-statistics/), the most popular fiction genre books, based on sales, land in the mystery, thriller and crime niches. Grouped together, they account for 32% of all fiction sales, followed closely by romance with a 30% share of our marketplace. Considering romance alone annually generates over $1 billion in sales, the mystery related titles likely top that. Possibly more since James Patterson personally rakes in $90 million, nearly 70% more than his nearest competitor. But science fiction and fantasy clock in with $590 million, so neither are doing badly either.

The math seems to indicate that there really is only one bestselling genre category out there: action- adventure with niches that include mystery where it isn’t merely a crime to be solved but someone to be found and/or protected, treasure hunts for possibly mystical items or at least long lost ones, ticking clocks, political situations, main characters requiring near super (or at least special forces) one-on-one (or four or five) fighting techniques, then maybe salt with a sprinkle of romance or broken family life.

Yeah, it’s a long list of ingredients. And it can get even longer!

Which is why breaking things down into the elements you write best then ensuring that the story baked up fits in the cake pan is important.

Join me for a month of deconstructing and evaluating those “ingredients” to sort out what type of action-adventure story might have been on simmer in your muse’s kitchen.

Things we’ll look at are:

• what recipes the writers landing on the bestseller lists (and using metaphorical armored trucks to deliver mega royalties to their bank accounts) use when spinning their stories
• what percentages of mystery, treasure hunt, political, and pacing rates high on the list
• how ticking clocks, historical artifacts, and possibly magical realms or practices are worked in
• and, of course, possibly a bit of romance.

Dialogue is an important part of books—whether it’s lighthearted banter revealing character or stoic words hiding real feelings. Characters must sound real and yet talk in a way that conveys their feelings, thoughts and moves the story along—and the truth is, that can often be at odds!

How do you write dialogue that seamlessly blends everything together?

Great dialogue starts with a deeply drawn character. As we build these fictional souls, we cannot leave out how they communicate and how it varies from person to person, emotion to emotion.

We’ll discuss a character’s dialogue profile, including how they handle themselves with friends, loved ones, enemies and strangers. We’ll discuss things like accents and regionalisms, slang (among other things) and the ways they impact HOW a person speaks.

And finally, we’ll talk about the rhythm of writing dialogue, and how we can vary that from scene to scene, to get the most from every word.

In this class, a New York Times bestselling author of erotic romance explores how to write romance hot enough to burn the pixels off the screen.

Angela discusses the creation of characters with the kind of intense sensuality needed in erotic romance; building a believable erotic attraction that gets them into bed without turning either of them into a slut; designing a plot in which sex plays a major role in the plot without morphing into porn; and crafting an evolving romance with intense sexuality.

She’ll cover the use of everything from setting to sensual detail to BDSM. Most importantly, she’ll discuss how to give readers something they haven’t seen before.

* Critique include

• Start Date: Monday May 5
• End Date: Sunday October 19

Get ready to roll up your sleeves and bring your story to life in this intensive, bootcamp-style writing event designed to take you from a spark of an idea to a polished, pitch-ready manuscript for SavvyAuthor’s Autumn Pitchfest.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or reviving a dusty draft, this event will guide you through every step of the writing process—planning, disciplined writing, editing, and preparing your book for pitching in our October event.

Show Don’t Tell: The Writer’s Golden Rule looks at different techniques of putting your readers into your story, and how to use them.

We will cover:

• Show vs. Tell?—Examines the difference between telling a story and showing it.
• The Five Senses—How to use the senses effectively.
• Action!—Using strong, active verbs past.
• Actions Speak Louder Than Words—Using Body Language.
• I Second That Emotion—Action, reaction, and inner thought.
• The Do’s and Don’ts of Dialogue—The unique voice and speech tags.
• The Devil’s in the Details—Using details while avoiding detail overload.
• Where in the World?—Using setting to show your story.
• Final Lesson – Show me your show-don’t-tell!

Included in the workshop is a workbook with assignments, checklists, worksheets, and more.

You don’t have to know code or learn complicated programs to format your book for publication. You can format an eBook in a matter of a few minutes just using a word processor. Using a free program, you can format your print volumes in under an hour. This course shows you how

• A Quick and Easy Method of Formatting an eBook in Minutes
• Getting Started with Kindle Create
• Setting a Theme
• Setting up a Table of Contents
• Setting up Front Material
• Finishing Up
• Uploading to Kindle

This isn’t about perfection—it’s about action. Whether you’re starting from scratch or revamping what you’ve already built, this one-week intensive will help you get your platform in shape—fast.

You’ll build (or refine) a functioning website, a newsletter, and social media plan that fits your creative voice and goals. Perfect for writers who are tired of overthinking and ready to actually get their platform live. No matter where you're starting, this course will help you cut through the noise, clarify your message, and make your platform work for you.

Korean dramas have captivated global audiences with their emotionally rich storytelling, slow-burn romances, and unforgettable characters.

In this workshop, we'll explore the narrative techniques that make K-dramas so addictive—such as heightened tension, pacing, deep character development, and masterful use of tropes—and how romance writers can incorporate these elements into their own work.

Whether you're crafting heart-fluttering love stories or high-stakes romantic drama, this workshop will provide inspiration and practical strategies to elevate your writing.

Check out Romy's Instructor Spotlight!

Interested in penning the first of a paranormal romance series but not sure where to start? This course can help!

We’ll explore the paranormal romance genre, talk about tips for building a series, and workshop your ideas for paranormal romance plots and scenarios in real time!

Will include:

• What makes a romance paranormal?
• Paranormal Romance: Challenges and Opportunities Heat Levels
• A Plots and B Plots From Book to Series: Creating a Series Bible Getting Started and Finally Finishing

Are you a fan of detective shows? Love watching true crime? Read every Agatha Christie novel out there? Can’t get enough of Romantic Mysteries? Well, this is the class for you.

As with any genre there are rules you need to follow to be successful as a genre writer - and Romantic Mysteries, Cozy Mysteries, are no different. Come figure out what it takes to write a mystery or to put a mystery subplot in your book. Learn what you have to setup, where you should introduce things, and one of the best ways to plot out a mystery for your book.

Come have fun learning the best ways to kill people off, and how to make your amateur sleuth not only memorable, but lovable and competent.

This 4-week workshop is for everyone who is working on a long-form work of prose, particularly novels & memoir, but also useful for writers of short stories and essays.

We will take a deep dive into how to self-edit your work, covering everything from developmental to line edits and exploring different editing techniques to find those that suit you best.

Requirements: You should have at least a few chapters of a novel/memoir or a number of stories/essays you can work on. A complete project (or close to completion) would be ideal.

Outline:

• Overview of editing techniques & the big picture: developmental edits I — structure
• Developmental edits II — character
• Developmental edits III — setting
• Zooming in: line edits

Overview of how you can sell your books directly to your readers. We’ll talk some online platforms you can use, how to get paid, and how to deliver your books (and audio books) after the sale.

• Reasons why selling direct is growing in popularity.
• Overview of top platforms to use to sell your books directly to your readers.
• What you’ll need to set up your author storefront.
• Suggestions for pricing and promotions.

Romance is a complicated and far-reaching genre. As writers it can be challenging to properly categorize your story for the purposes of query and sale. In this course, we will talk specifically about romantic tragedy and women's fiction and how each should be used in this process.

This workshop will cover this:

• What are romantic tragedy and women's fiction?
• Similarities and differences between romantic tragedy and romance
• Similarities and differences between women's fiction and romance
• Okay, then what category is my story - steps to making the correct choice
• How to clearly explain the genre of your story during the querying and sale process

This course is applicable to writers with all levels of experience.

Prepare to haunt your readers with tales that leave them breathless and glancing over their shoulders. In Writing Supernatural Horror, you’ll explore the art of crafting horror that goes beyond jump scares—stories that linger in the mind and stir the soul. This workshop will take you through every bone-chilling element of supernatural horror, from creating unsettling atmospheres and unique supernatural creatures to using fear and psychology to its fullest.

Here’s what’s waiting for you:

• Lesson 1: Dive into the history and origins of supernatural horror to understand its eerie foundations.
• Lesson 2: Master the art of building tension, crafting atmosphere, and writing horror scenes that terrify.
• Lesson 3: Bring supernatural creatures to life and invent original lore that grips readers.
• Lesson 4: Explore classic horror archetypes and tropes, and learn to put your own twist on them.
• Lesson 5: Harness fear and psychology, and see how supernatural horror blends with other genres.
• Lesson 6: Design believable supernatural worlds that make the impossible feel real.
• Lesson 7: Add thematic depth, using fear and psychological tension as story-driving forces.
• Lesson 8: Write endings that leave readers questioning reality, with a touch of doubt and ambiguity.

If you're ready to transform shadows into stories that captivate and unsettle, this workshop is for you. Sign up and start weaving nightmares that thrill!

Explore power verbs, sensory language, literary devices, and more while uncovering creative ways to say that same old thing.

In this workshop, you will learn how to turn clichés into pizazz, give ordinary names punch, and write full force description that makes your mouth water. You will also learn when to say it plain and simple.

*Participants will receive a a full chapter critique of their prose at the end of the workshop as well as extensive word lists.

You don't have to be a historical romance author to benefit from studying Jane Austen. Whether it's her incredible characters or some other aspect of her writing, there are lessons to be learned.

In this course we will explore some of the things Austen is known for and how to adapt them to your writing.

• Lesson One: Why is Jane Austen still a legend in romance?
• Lesson Two: Austen's heroes
• Lesson Three: Austen's heroines
• Lesson Four: Austen's villains and side characters
• Lesson Five: Austen's settings
• Lesson Six: Austen's plots
• Lesson Seven: Putting it all together in your writing

This workshop is applicable to writers of all levels.

In this workshop, you will learn how to write fiction for kids, including picture books to middle grade readers. It is geared to writers who are trying to break into a new kind of kid-lit but are unsure which one to choose.

By the end of this workshop, you will certainly learn all the ins and outs of creating your children’s manuscript, whether it’s a picture book or middle grade novel.

You will also have a chance to start writing your first children’s story. We will start with the youngest ages and work up to the twelve age group.

I can’t underline how fascinating it is to write for this age group. Whether you’re new to writing or are currently writing in another genre, you will be fascinated by the themes and types of writing that are possible for this age group. You have the golden possibility of molding young minds and hearts in a way like no other type of writing offers you.

So, please try your hand at creating books for kids. Be prepared to be informed, inspired, and encouraged to try your hand at kid-lit of every kind. It is a workshop that will be as interesting and inspiring as it is informative.

As R.L. Stein once said, “Every story ever told can be broken down into three parts: the beginning, the middle, and the twist.” But crafting a good plot twist is certainly easier said than done. In this workshop, you’ll come to understand the inner workings of a plot twist, what makes them so popular, and how to effectively pull them off in your own writing. Whether you’re crafting a mystery, a thriller, or even a romance, a well-done plot twist can surprise your readers without making them feel cheated or confused.

• Lesson One: The Structure of a Plot Twist - Learn how a plot twist is structured and why the greatest plot twists both feel like a surprise and something that was coming all along
• Lesson Two: The Reveal - Learn effective ways to reveal a plot twist that feels natural in the setting and tone of your story.
• Lesson Three: Plot Runaways - Learn how to edit/rework your story when a plot twist surprises even yourself.

Welcome to Winning the Mind Games: Goal Setting! This course is designed to help you create actionable, achievable goals by breaking them down into manageable steps.

Throughout this program, you will learn how to set and refine goals using proven strategies that foster confidence, productivity, and success.

Course Structure & Schedule

This course runs for two weeks, with new lessons posted on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. There will be regular check-ins for discussion and Q&A. Each lesson includes a combination of instruction, exercises, and practical applications.

Week 1: Building a Goal-Setting Foundation

Lesson 1: The Power of Goal Setting

• Why goal setting matters and how it reduces anxiety.
• Creating a personal blueprint for success.
• Reflection exercise on areas in life that could benefit from goal setting.

Lesson 2: Types of Goals

• Understanding outcome goals vs. process goals.
• The ladder analogy for breaking down goals.
• Practical exercise on setting outcome and process goals.

Lesson 3: The Pressure of Goal Setting & Default Goal Setting

• How a lack of clear goals can lead to default goal setting.
• The White Bear Effect and its impact on goal setting.
• Strategies for reducing pressure and framing goals positively.

Week 2: Strengthening & Applying Goal-Setting Strategies

Lesson 4: Soft Discipline & Goal Adjustment

• Learning when to push forward and when to adjust.
• Avoiding overwhelm and burnout with soft discipline.
• Reflection exercise: Adjusting goals based on real-life challenges.

Lesson 5: SMART Goals & Practical Application

• Deep dive into Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound goals.
• How to transform vague goals into concrete action steps.
• SMART Goal Worksheet activity.

Lesson 6: Overcoming Setbacks & Staying Motivated

• Understanding setbacks as part of the process.
• How to revise goals when facing obstacles.
• Journaling and self-reflection techniques to maintain motivation.

Bio: Adrienne Giordano is a certified life coach and USA Today bestselling author of over forty novels. Adrienne’s experience from over 30 years in writing, marketing and client service helps her empower clients with personalized coaching that fosters growth and accountability.

Join AK Nevermore, an award-winning author of fantasy, romance, and sci-fi novels, as she shares her experience building an ARC team from the ground up. She’ll break down the strategies that have worked for her and how you can adapt them to your own brand. Learn how to get dependable reviews, build relationships with book bloggers, and how to be creative on a tight budget.

Week 1: Monday
Traditional methods on how to get reviews with resources and the pros and cons of each.
Round table discussion on student experiences

Week 1: Thursday
Defining an ARC, Street Team vs. ARC Team and how each works to support the other and How to find an effective audience for your work
Expansion on round table discussion, answering questions

Week 2: Monday
Resources and exercises on how to vet and onboard team members, and why that’s important.

Week 2: Thursday
How to utilize and your teams, keep them engaged and boost your street cred. on socials.

Our goal?
For you to leave with an actionable plan and way to keep track of their teams.

Those of us who loved history class…maybe even, like me, snapped up a college degree in history, planned all vacations around museums, castles (ruins and not ruins), ancient sites (Stonehenge, vanished pre-European period native American cultures), ghost towns, tours of historic homes, or volunteered at local historical places, or attended reenactments and Renaissance Faires…well, we can never get enough history in our diet, can we?

Even if you haven’t done these things, you could feel the lure of mystery. And history is if full of unsolved mysteries. They might have found Richard III at long last, but whether or not he was responsible for the disappearance of his two young nephews from the Tower is still hanging ten. H.H. Holmes was caught but Jack the Ripper’s identification is still in contention. And those are just the two best known unsolved mysteries to most of us. There are plenty of others.

But it doesn’t take an actual event – though it could – to write a story set in a historical time period where sleuths are numbered in the main cast members.

The title of this workshop covers many different ways in which a historical setting and a mystery can be presented in sync. Whether you want to change history (as alternative allows you to do in various ways, just jump in your time machine) or insert characters into an earlier era and give them a crime to deal with or a crime in the making if someone is hunting them, or use actual historical personages – or not – in a real historic mystery setting…well, this workshop will touch on them all.

There’s a balance to be preserved no matter which kind of tale you mix mystery and history together in, and it changes slightly with each niche, and with whether the story will be a standalone or part of a series. Why not join me to sort out what you already have and what you may need to gather further research on or simply dream up. We’ll do it all in 4 short weeks.