Monday, June 14 with MIRALEE FERRELL

The next meeting of the ACFW Portland Chapter will be held Monday, June 14. Our guest speaker will be our own Chapter President, Miralee Ferrell.

Miralee's presentation will center around her writing journey, finding an agent, and marketing. It will be a relaxed evening with plenty of opportunity to ask questions.

Miralee serves as president of the Portland, Oregon, chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers and belongs to a number of writer’s groups. She also speaks at women’s groups, libraries, and churches about her writing journey. When she started writing fiction Miralee believed that she’d always stay with women’s contemporary, but has since branched out to historical romance. Exploring family and marriage issues, The Other Daughter follows a family of four who receive a shock in the form of a 13-year-old girl who lands on their doorstep, claiming to be the daughter of the husband/father of the family—a girl they didn’t know existed. Finding Jeena features a secondary character from the first book and explores socioeconomic issues through a single woman’s sudden job-loss and ensuing struggle for survival. She’s working on her third historical romance with Summerside Press in their Love Finds You series, set in Tombstone, Arizona.

All the Love Finds You books are stand-alone novels, and take place in a real town in America. Miralee’s first two are set in 1877, Love Finds You in Last Chance, CA, and 1902, Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon. Each has a suspense thread as well as romance. Miralee and her husband Allen have been married 36 yrs. They live on 11 acres in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge in southern Washington State, where they love to garden, play with their dogs, take walks, and go sailing. Miralee also rides her horse on the wooded trails near their home with her grown daughter who lives nearby.

Find out more about Miralee and her books on Facebook and her FB Fan page and visit her website.


Please come around 6:30 pm to socialize and snack. Miralee will speak at 7 pm.

Don't forget the wonderful "twist" to our meetings. Each ACFW Portland Chapter member will be eligible to win a weekend Beach retreat at Lincoln City. The winner will be drawn at the end of the calendar year (our last meeting of the year.)

How do you win this stay in a four bedroom beach house with a view? Everyone who attends any given meeting will receive a slip of paper to enter. Also, everyone who brings a snack will receive an entry slip. Whenever you buy a book from our used book fund-raiser, bring a friend, or you or your friend joins our chapter, you will earn a chance as well. So, the more you attend, bring snacks, bring friends, and buy books, the more chances you have to win the stay in Lincoln City!

More information about the raffle and the beach house will be available at the meeting.

DIRECTIONS TO VANCOUVER CHURCH OF CHRIST:
To get to the church, follow I-205 to the Padden Parkway exit #32 and go east on Padden. Turn left at the 94th Ave light, then take the first left and turn left again into the church parking lot.

April 26: Strategic Planning for Novelists with RANDY INGERMANSON

Monday, April 26th at 6:30pm: Portland Christian Writers & Portland ACFW is pleased to introduce a new workshop from Randy Ingermanson on Strategic Planning for Novelists. If you write fiction for publication, you won't want to miss this!

Strategic Planning for Novelists

How's that fiction writing career of yours going? These are tough times for writers. There's more on our plate than ever. Publishers and agents expect us to be brilliant writers, dazzling self-editors, and sexy self-promoters. It's darned hard to get it all done. What's a writer to do?

Get strategic!

You can't possibly get it all done, until you get a handle on what "it" is and make a plan to do "it." I'll walk you through five simple steps to do exactly that. If you do all five of these steps, you'll get an amazing amount done this year.

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A little about Randy:

Randy Ingermanson was both the class clown and the class nerd. He is the author of six novels and has won numerous awards for his writing, including two Christy awards. Randy serves on the ACFW Advisory Board, holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics, and is known around the world as "the Snowflake Guy" in honor of his widely used method of designing a novel. He is also CEO of Ingermanson Communications, a small publishing company. His most recent book is WRITING FICTION FOR DUMMIES, published by John Wiley, Inc.

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Leave a comment and let us know if you plan to attend. Guests of Portland ACFW are welcome to visit twice before deciding to join the chapter. Cost is $10 per year for ACFW members. Join us!

From the desk of our Vice Prez:

And don't forget--we're continuing the Beach House Getaway Drawing "twist" to our meetings. Each ACFW Portland Chapter member will be eligible to win a weekend Beach retreat at Lincoln City. The winner will be drawn at the end of the year.

How do you win this stay in a four bedroom beach house with a view? Everyone who attends any given meeting will recieve a slip of paper to enter. Also, everyone who brings a snack will receive an entry slip. Whenever you buy a book from our used book fund-raiser or bring a guest, you will earn a chance as well. So, the more you attend, bring snacks or a guest, and buy books, the more chances you have to win the stay in Lincoln City!

More information about the raffle and the beach house will be available at the meeting.

Also: Please let me know if you can bring snacks or beverages! And remember--attendance, donating snacks, bringing a guest, and buying a book each gives you an extra chance to pick up entries for the Beach House Weekend Getaway Drawing!

DIRECTIONS TO VANCOUVER CHURCH OF CHRIST:
I-205 to the Padden Parkway exit
Go east on Padden. Turn left at the 94th Ave light
Take the first left and turn left again into the church parking lot.

Monday, February 22: Meet JUDY GANN

Drive-by Signings & Other Adventures of a Reluctant Marketer


Publishers expect authors to take an active role in promoting their books. But what if the thought of “book promotion” makes you break out in a sweat? Join a reformed reluctant marketer as we explore the unique challenges of marketing fiction, how to select the marketing avenues that best fit your personality and gifts (you can’t do it all!), as well as practical and relatively painless ways to connect with readers.



A librarian for over twenty-five years, Judy Gann selects Christian fiction for a large library system in Washington State. Although once a reluctant marketer, she conducted “drive-by” book signings in over 135 bookstores in thirteen states to promote her book The God of All Comfort: Devotions of Hope for Those Who Chronically Suffer (AMG Publishers). When she isn’t writing, speaking, or playing matchmaker for books and readers, Judy enjoys cheering the Seattle Mariners, collecting children’s books, and taking long walks—even in the rain. Visit her web site at http://www.judygann.com/

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And don't forget--we're continuing the wonderful Beach House Getaway Drawing "twist" to our meetings. Each ACFW Portland Chapter member will be eligible to win a weekend Beach retreat at Lincoln City. The winner will be drawn at the end of the calendar year (our last meeting of the year.)

How do you win this stay in a four bedroom beach house with a view? Everyone who attends any given meeting will recieve a slip of paper to enter. Also, everyone who brings a snack will receive an entry slip. Whenever you buy a book from our used book fund-raiser or bring a guest, you will earn a chance as well. So, the more you attend, bring snacks or a guest, and buy books,
the more chances you have to win the stay in Lincoln City!

More information about the raffle and the beach house will be available at the meeting.

That brings me to snacks. Who is willing to bring SNACKS for the February meeting? Let me know if you can help, and what you plan to bring. Thank you!

Also, I believe that it's time to pay the chapter DUES. Please come prepared to give $10 cash or check (payable to PORTLAND ACFW) to Camille.


DIRECTIONS TO VANCOUVER CHURCH OF CHRIST:
To get to the church, follow I-205 to the Padden Parkway exit and go east on Padden. Turn left at the 94th Ave light, then take the first left and turn left again into the church parking lot.


Please let us know if you can bring snacks or beverages! And remember--Attendance, donating snacks, bringing a guest, and buying a book each gives you an extra chance to pick up entries for the Beach House Weekend Getaway Drawing.

The drawing for the Beach House get-away in Lincoln City was held at our December Portland ACFW meeting and we have a winner. Congratulations to MESU ANDREWS! Woo hoo!

We had fun with this membership incentive this year, so we plan to do it again in the coming year for another weekend getaway. Make plans to join us in February (date to be announced) for special guest Judy Gann, and mark your calendar for the Master's Seminar coming to Portland in April. (This is open to contracted and published book authors.)

Reminder: Annual dues are due in January for 2010. Please send $10 (checks made out to Portland ACFW) Address: Portland ACFW, 17950 Davis St, Sandy, OR 97055.

Also: Miralee, Cheryl and Camille would like to thank members for the vote of confidence and will be serving another year as officers on the board.

Merry Christmas! See you in February.

"My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer." Ps 45:1

Our next ACFW Portland Chapter meeting is Monday, December 14. We will meet at 7 pm this month so you have time to eat dinner, but save room for Christmas treats. You won't want to miss this one---we are drawing the winner for the Two Night Beach House Getaway!

By attending, bringing a treat, buying a book, and bringing an ornament to exchange, you could earn up to FOUR more entries before we draw the winner.

Please bring some kind of Christmas cookie or treat to share and an ornament to exchange. We're planning on a very festive evening!

For the ornament exchange--please wrap, bag, or box your ornament. We can decide how we want to exchange. There are a couple choices, so we'll see what everyone prefers.

Leave a comment and let us know if you plan to attend. Hope to see you then!

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DIRECTIONS TO VANCOUVER CHURCH OF CHRIST

From I-205 North, take exit 32 (toward Battleground)
East on NE Padden Parkway
North on NE 94th Ave
West on NE 86th St

New Master Seminar for Authors Coming Soon

Chip MacGregor, Tiffany Colter and a group of ACFW authors are hosting a Master Seminar in various cities across the country. They’ll be coming to Portland in the spring (2010) and more information will be posted as the time draws closer. This is for published and/or contracted authors. Here’s some basic info, and we’ll be sending out an email showing a member discount via our Yahoo group. Email Miralee Ferrell (miralee at gorge dot net) if you have further questions.

What are the Master Seminars?

The Master Seminars are a series of events to be held across the US covering marketing and craft. Each city we go to will cover a single topic. The first two events [Nov. in Dallas and Dec. in Indianapolis] are on marketing. These events are limited to 16 participants. Each participant will leave with an actual step-by-step plan for marketing their novel. This is customized to each person and you will be able to brainstorm with Chip and Jim on your own project. Jim is a full time marketer and Chip is a top agent. We also have two different seminars on craft. One is on writing bestselling fiction and the other is on adding depth to your fiction. Again, these will be done with top authors [Susan May Warren, Lisa Samson and Susan Meissner] working side by side with you on your specific project.

These seminars are designed to help authors master their craft and master their marketing. In one weekend you can save time and money you would have wasted on trying old, worn out ideas. Our goal is to have authors leave these seminars with new excitement for their writing and a very clear plan to reach their writing goals both in craft and in sales.

FAQs:
1. Who are these events for?
These seminars are designed for contracted and published authors.

2. Is there a fee?
Yes, there is a fee of $399 for the November/December events in Dallas and Indianapolis. The other events are $500 BUT we may extend a special discount to our zones and chapter members.

3. How does this benefit our chapter/zone?
There are both direct and indirect benefits to your zone.

a. First, we all root for each other in ACFW, so these events offer a chance for members of our chapters to get the skills necessary to build a strong writing career.

b. Next, we will have non-ACFW members at our events and we want to promote the participating zones/chapters to our attendees. We will be distributing ACFW brochures in our marketing materials. We want to point these published and contracted authors to the local zones where they can get connected locally.

c. Third, Tiffany would like to have a promotional event in each city, if possible. Each meeting extends Friday-Saturday and goes from 9am-5pm. She would love to hold a multi-author book signing at a local bookstore or other event that is put on by the local ACFW chapter and The Master Seminars. If this is not possible then she would like to offer other ideas to draw attention the local media to The Master Seminars and the Local chapters/Zones of ACFW. Some ideas are a meet-and-greet or she could come and speak on business principles for aspiring writers.

Please email Miralee Ferrell (miralee at gorge dot net) if you have questions.

Beach Drawing & Other News. . .

Our next Portland ACFW writers' meeting, the last one for this year (around the end of Nov---the date will be announced soon) we will hold the drawing for our 2009 Beach Weekend Giveaway! You will have one last chance to get your entries in! Entries are earned by attending if you're a member, joining our chapter if you're not, bringing a guest, bringing a guest who becomes a member, bringing snacks, buying books from our used book library or from our guest speakers . . . and probably a few other ways as well.

We thought we'd post a few pics now just to taunt & torture you, get you dreaming and drooling of sand and sea and salty air, and with any luck, sun.

What will the winner receive?

A weekend at Blessings By The Sea in Lincoln City, Oregon: a 4 bedroom, 3 bath house with an ocean view and close beach access.

Our last meeting for this year will be a special one. In fact, it's so special we can't tell you about it yet. Just be thinking steaming hot cocoa , tea and spiced cider, cookies, a roaring (electric) fire, some Christmas readings, some fun, a drawing for that sweet beach trip, and of course, delectable Christmas treats. You WON'T want to miss it!

AND . . . if you're a writer of fiction, another thing you won't want to miss: the release of the long awaited Writing Fiction For Dummies, co-authored by Randy Ingermanson. I'm still not sure if it's me or my audience to whom the title refers, but either way, my copy is going to get plenty of wear. Order yours today! Get it just in time to wrap it up and slip it under your Christmas tree. Just think how surprised you'll be in a few weeks when you open it!

BOOK CLUBS: the contest ends soon for the ACFW chapter to start the most book clubs. We're hearing some exciting feedback so far for our chapter. Start a book club that agrees on a book to read as a group and meets to discuss it either in person or online. That's all! Your club doesn't need to be comprised of ACFW members. ACFW wants to promote fiction reading. The chapter with the most book clubs will win a prize.

If you're starting a book club, or if you have any questions about American Christian Fiction Writers or Portland Christian Writers, just leave a comment here. Thank you!

~Camille Eide

Sec/Treasurer, Portland ACFW