Hey, everybody! Join us for Word Up’s next event. We’ll be hosting online due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We’ll continue to start at the usual 7 pm and feature one or two guest authors for panels or readings, followed by the ever-popular and always inspiring Open Mic.
March 11th | How to Build Suspense
Building the right amount of tension in your novel or short story can be tricky. Do you show the conflict on the opening line? When do you throw in your red herrings and how many is too many? Join our experienced, award winning panelists to discover just what the stakes are for your work.
Trevor Ferguson
Trevor Ferguson is the author of sixteen novels and four plays. The latter have been produced in both Montreal and New York. The film of his novel, The Timekeeper, was released in 2009. His thrillers, under the name John Farrow, have received extraordinary acclaim around the world, and are published in twenty-four countries. His most recent novel is Lady Jail (John Farrow, 2021, Severn House/ Canongate, U.K.) He lives in Victoria, BC.
Jessica Hamilton
Jessica Hamilton was born in Australia but grew up in Canada. She has lived and worked in the Czech Republic, Taiwan, India and Japan. She studied writing at the Humber School for Writers as well as George Brown College. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband, son and daughter. What You Never Knew is her first novel.
Judy Penz Sheluk
A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the author of two mystery series: the Glass Dolphin Mysteries and the Marketville Mysteries. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including The Best Laid Plans and Heartbreaks & Half-truths, which she also edited.
She splits her time between Alliston and Goulais River, Ontario, with her husband, Mike, and their golden retriever, Gibbs.
Upcoming Zoom Events in Development
Look for updated info on panelists as they are added on the following upcoming events:
April 8 | World Building. Level of Detail and Suspending Disbelief with Karen White, Anna Dowdall & Gord Grisenthwaite
Anna Dowdall, author of mysteries, After the Winter and The Au Pair and April on Paris Street, where murder meets carnivalesque play, against the background of Montreal’s mean streets and the Carnaval de Paris.
Gord Grisenthwaite, member of the Lytton First Nation, author of Home Waltz, with stories in Exile’s Bawaajigan Anthology and the forthcoming Food of My People.
Karen Lee White, whose work has appeared in Exile’s That Dammed Beaver: Canadian Humour; Laughs and Gaffs anthology; the collection of Indigenous writers Impact, Colonialism in Canada, and literary journals.
May 13 | Pacing and Action Scenes with Katie Zdybel and Brian Van Norman
Katie Zdybel, author of Equipoise, a collection of stories.
June 10 | Pride Month – LGBTQ in Writing with Kate Heartfield, H. Nigel Thomas and David Kingston Yeh
Kate Heartfield, sci-fi, fantasy and game writer, author of Armed in Her Fashion and the Nebula-shortlisted novella Alice Payne Arrives.
July 8 | Characters with Special Needs in Fiction with Emma Pivato
Want to Get Involved or Have Ideas or Contacts? Lets us know.
Look here for details.
February 11
Creating a Romantic Element: Keeping the Sexual Tension Heated
Writing romance not your thing, but you have to write a scene for your story or book? Join three experienced romance writers for tips on how to make your writing more steamy.
Rosanna Battigelli
As a teenager, Rosanna Battigelli loved reading historical, suspense, and romance novels, and dreamed of writing for Harlequin one day. She is thrilled that her early dream has come true, with two Harlequin Romances published in 2018 and one in 2020, and two more that will be released in March and July of 2021. Rosanna’s first romance, Swept Away by the Enigmatic Tycoon, is set Parry Sound and Georgian Bay, places she loves to visit. Captivated by Her Italian Boss takes place in Calabria, Italy, where Rosanna was born. Her third book, Caribbean Escape with the Tycoon, is set in the Caribbean and was written after going on a cruise. Rescued by the Guarded Tycoon features the hero’s cousin from the first book and takes place again in Parry Sound with scenes in Toronto. Rescued . . . will be released in March 2021. Rosanna’s fifth book, Falling for the Sardinian Tycoon, is set on a private island off the coast of Sardinia. It will be released in July 2021. The books are available at amazon and Chapters
MJ Moores
MJ Moores is a hybrid author who has traditionally e-published 2 non-fiction industry guides and 1 marketing guide. She has completed her self-published Sci-Fi/Fantasy series The Chronicles of Xannia, and now plays in the sandboxs of Romantic Suspense, Steampunk Superheros, and lite Urban Fantasy. Her writing articles have appeared in Authors Publish Magazine, Indyfest Magazine, Easy Writer, and in the Writers Guide: The Writing Spiral published by Sunshine in a Jar Press. MJ taught high school English, was a genre writing coach, freelance writer, and is currently an acquisitions editor for DAOwen Publications. She loves nothing more than helping writers through this crazy journey.
Learn more about here here: http://mjmoores.com
Tracey Richardson
Tracey Richardson is an Essex County girl and University of Windsor graduate who has called Owen Sound, Ont., home for the last 30 years. A now-retired daily newspaper journalist, Tracey is the author of 13 romance novels published by Bella Books. She is a two-time Lambda Literary Awards finalist as well as a first-place Rainbow Romance winner (Romance Writers of America) for contemporary romance. She is also a Word By Word (short story) second-place recipient and a finalist numerous times for the Golden Crown Literary Society. Tracey is a founding member of the Ascribe Writers group in Grey-Bruce. In her spare time, Tracey enjoys spending time with her wife and dogs as well as activities such as hockey, golf and other outdoor pursuits. And reading. Always reading!
Visit her website at www.traceyrichardson.net
January 14, 2021
Ready to give 2020 a hard kick? Start the New Year off with a solid plan to write that book or develop your writing skills. Word Up is changing things up this year. Join us on Zoom for a Panel with three skilled writing instructors and mentors who offer methods to stay motivated and techniques for better writing.
Sherry Coman
Sherry Coman is a writer, educator and story editor with more than thirty years experience in theatre and film as the author of her own plays, screenplays and fiction and as the consultant on story editing and film production for clients ranging from young new filmmakers, to emerging playwrights and established international film producers. As a playwright, she has been produced in Canada, the US and Great Britain and in 1991 was nominated for the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn prize.
James Dewar
James Dewar teaches fiction and poetry workshops in Canada and internationally. His short fiction and poetry have been published in several anthologies and literary journals. He edits poetry and prose in a mentorship capacity and enjoys his role as the publisher of Piquant Press. He is currently working on a novel and a new collection of poetry.
James has performed his work live on CBC Radio, on several university radio stations, particularly the HOWL Radio show on CIUT 89.5 FM in Toronto.
He has been producing and hosting the Hot-Sauced Words Poetry Performance Series in Toronto since 2006.
Susan (Deepam) Wadds
Winner of The Writers’ Union of Canada’s 2016 short prose contest, Susan Wadds’ short fiction and poetry have been featured in literary journals and anthologies, including Room and carte blanche magazines. The first two chapters of her novel, “What the Living Do,” won Lazuli Literary Group’s writing contest, and was published in Azure’s winter 2017 issue.
A graduate of the Humber School for Writers, Susan is certified in the Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA) method of writing workshop facilitation. She leads writing workshops and retreats virtually, in Canada, and internationally.
