Learn and grow with us
 

Our meetings are held the third Saturday of each month, with the exception of our December Christmas party. Locations are at various metro libraries and are announced a month or so ahead of the meeting date.

August Meeting, Saturday, August 17, 2024 - 1:30

Meeting location:

Edmond Library, 10 S Blvd, Edmond, OK 73034  

Program:

How to write a compelling mystery by Jude Bayton 

Mysteries are written jigsaw puzzles, requiring multiple components to form a worthy story with a satisfying result. But how do you keep countless details organized, deliver pertinent clues, and still keep the reader guessing to the end?

Jude Bayton is the author of seven published Historical Mysteries. A Londoner, her books are set in England, and other countries she has lived in. A longtime fan of Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney, Jude’s books have a gothic touch.

Recently, Jude has been signed to Harlequin, to write for their Harlequin Romantic Suspense Line. In addition, she writes a monthly blog, The Brit on the Block, at https://judebayton.com. and pens short stories in a collaborative series, entitled ‘Friday the 13th’, writing as DJ FitzSimons.

Jude is a member of several writing groups: OWFI, Tornado Alley, Sisters in Crime, CROW, OKRWG, and Fictional Characters.

September - Retreat

October 19 - Romancing the Monster Contest, plus:

Character Therapy with Rene Gutteridge:

"Come learn how to strengthen your character using deep point-of-view and give your character some much needed "therapy" along the way. Bring a computer or pen and paper, plus your imagination, as we have fun learning one of the most important elements of fiction writing--characters."

Rene Gutteridge has been writing professionally for over twenty years, with diversified expertise in fiction, non-fiction, comedy sketches, novelizations and screenwriting. She is the multi-genre author of 24 novels plus several non-fiction titles. Her indie film SKID won deadCenter’s Best Oklahoma Feature in 2015, and in 2016 her novel My Life as a Doormat was adapted into the Hallmark movie Love’s Complicated. She is co-writer on the feature film Family Camp, a Movieguide award winner and a Dove Award nominee for 2023. She is also a Screencraft finalist in true-crime. Rene is co-director of WriterCon in Oklahoma City, senior contributor at Writing Momentum and is the head writer at Skit Guys Studios. Find out more at ReneGutteridge.com.

November 16 – Lisbeth McCarthy – Murder Follows Me Around

Lisbeth L. McCarty has been on both the prosecutorial and the defense side of criminal law. As an appellate criminal defense attorney for more than 30 years, she has represented and sat across from murderers (including some on death row). She has also known people personally who have been murdered, including her beloved niece, Lauren. She gave an impact statement at the guilty plea hearing of Lauren's murderer. Lisbeth has also written a book called Mental States of Murderesses. The book covers a female killer in each of the 50 United States.

BIO: Lisbeth L. McCarty has a B.A. in Professional Writing and a J.D. in Law, both from the University of Oklahoma. In 2016, McCarty received the Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Association Thurgood Marshall Award for Outstanding Appellate Advocacy. She is on the Board of the Oklahoma Criminal Defense Section of the Oklahoma Bar Association and writes a column for that organization's newsletter Q&A. She has twice won the Norman Galaxy of Writers (NGW) Bonnie Speers Crème de la Crème prize. She creates monthly puzzles for the NGA newsletter WriteLine. Her books are available on Amazon and Kindle. McCarty publishes under her own name, as well as under the names Lindley O’Vannigan East, Kyle Boyd, and KJ Katsuji. She has a free, monthly newsletter available at https://lisbeth.substack.com/ and her website is www.lisbethmccarty.com.

December 14 – Christmas Party