Dear ,

"Don't be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart."

— Roy T. Bennett

The calendar is turning over to a new year and with it comes hopes, fears, and expectations of what we want to accomplish. Life is always a mix of good and bad and at times the balance between the two can feel off. This is your reminder that while we can’t control what happens, we do control how we respond. Know that we are here to celebrate all those wins with you and to cheer you on when things feel difficult. Our wish for you is to be led by your dreams this year. May they light the way to better tomorrows.

Workshop Wednesdays

January 7: Character Arc with Eileen: What do we mean when we say a character has an arc? How do we show that changes over the course of the novel? We’ll do a dive into showing how our characters grow and evolve.

Jan 14: Craft Book Club with Jenny: This month we’ll be exploring The Virgin’s Promise by Kim Hudson. This takes a feminist perspective on the more well known Hero’s Journey.

Jan 21: Blue Pencil with Bonnie: Here’s your chance to have up to 750 words of your manuscript, query letter or synopsis reviewed by your peers.

Jan 28: Mind Mapping with Jacqui: Brainstorming is always a good way to gather new ideas, but doing it with the hive mind gives you even more. Here’s your chance to mind-map anything from plot, to characters to new marketing ideas!

Events:

12 WEEK YEAR/PLANNING SESSION: If you’re wondering how to get the most out of your writing this year be sure to add these regular planning sessions to your schedule. By breaking the year down into manageable chunks you’ll find it easier to move forward. This is your chance to celebrate our wins from the last 12 weeks and re-orient our priorities, patterns and projects for the coming season!

FORUMS/GENRE MEET-UPS/ ACCOUNTABILITY GROUPS: Now is the time to get to know more of your writing community! Be sure to check the events schedule for the regular genre meet-ups and weekly accountability groups. You can join those communities (they’re all listed down the left side of the main page) so that you’re notified when events are happening.

May 2026 be good to all of us. Here is to having a year full of good books and good friends.

xo

Eileen and Stephanie