Want to learn more about writing fiction? Check out the upcoming SCWC Virtual Fiction Workshop

 The SCWC Virtual Fiction Workshop takes place on Saturday, January 18

We'd love for you to join us!

Our Virtual Fiction Workshop on January 18 will provide you with a wonderful opportunity to learn more about various aspects of writing novels and other fiction stories and to be encouraged to go after your writing dreams. Leaders are published novelists, editors with experience in fiction publishing, members of the SCWC staff, and other professionals. 

The workshop's topics and leaders include:

Plotting your Novel with K.C. Hart

Researching Fiction with Joanne Sloan

Writing Historical Fiction with Marilyn Turk

Writing Suspense Novels (and in fiction)

Advice from the Editor's Desk with Chandra Splond

How I Sold my First Novel with Elise Burke-Brown

Making a Social Media Plan for your Book Release with Scout Wray

(SCWC coordinator Cheryl Wray will lead opening and closing sessions)

How will the Virtual Fiction Workshop work?

It takes place LIVE in a private Facebook group on Saturday, Jan. 18,  with workshop sessions going from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  and other interactive activities happening throughout the evening. You can watch and participate in everything LIVE that day.

OR... if you can't watch it all live that day, you'll be able access sessions at any time at your convenience. It's a great way to enjoy instruction and encouragement from the comfort of your own home--whether doing it on Saturday or any time after.

The Virtual Fiction Workshop costs just $30 (** note that if you're a paid subscriber to "The Ready Writer" Substack, you receive 10% off); subscribe HERE to take advantage of this discount and other VIP offers).  It's a great day for a day of great information and inspiration!

Let's meet our workshop leaders:

Elise Burke Brown comes from a family of detectives, including a grandfather who filled her childhood with true crime stories she learned not to repeat at daycare. She is the award-winning author of the New Orleans-based Chase Harlem series (which is "a puzzle through the Crescent City...served up with a gumbo of mystery, mischief and a side of sass that will leave readers thinking of the story long after the page turns"). Elise teaches composition at the University of Alabama and runs the popular book blog, https://coupleofbeesread.com/. You can connect with her on Instagram as @EliseBurkeBrown_Author on on X as @couple_of_bees. Her session will provide insight from her experience getting her debut novel represented and published. 

KC Hart is the award-winning author of best-selling contemporary Christian small-town romance and  Christian cozy mysteries. KC’s goal is to seamlessly bring entertaining stories full of small-town life to her readers that gently weave in the faith and the love of Christ. KC sincerely believes that well-written Christian fiction can change lives. When a novel has strong Christian principals woven intricately into a well-written plot, the reader bonds with lifelike characters who struggle with trials, temptations, and struggles that the reader identifies with. Learn about KC's books at her website, www.kchartauthor.com. 

Joanne Sloan has been a published author for 40 years with hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles in such magazines as Focus on the Family and Home Life. She has co-authored four non-fiction books including Faith Stories and A Life that Matters: Spiritual Disciplines that Change the World, published by New Hope Publishers. She writes a monthly column, “Heroes of the Faith,” in The Alabama Baptist. She is also the author of her novel The Widows’ Tea Challenge and is currently working on its sequel.  She and her husband, David, are the co-founders of the Southern Christian Writers Conference. Much of her nonfiction work, as well as work on her novels, have involved extensive research. See The Widows' Tea Challenge on Amazon.

Chandra Sparks Splond has worked for Kensington Publishing as the consulting editor for BET Books/Arabesque romance, and also done work for HarperCollins Christian, Random House, Moody Publishers, Kimani Press (formerly known as BET Books), and Hyperion. She has edited books for several New York Times, USA Today and Essence bestselling authors; she's also worked for Good Housekeeping, Black and Married with Kids, Brides Noir, Weddingpages, Newsday, The Morning Call and Romantic Times.  She is the owner of West End Publishing, LLC, and is also a novelist;  her young adult novel Make It Work was named Alabama’s Great Read 2017, Spin It Like That was chosen as a Popular Paperback for Young Adults by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), and The Pledge was a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. Learn more at www.chandrasparkssplond.com. 

Marilyn Turk's books include a book of devotions (Lighthouse Devotions), as well as contemporary and historical fiction books and ten novellas. Her historical books span the Civil War era and World War II. Coastal Lights Legacy is a series of four standalone novels with stories set around four different Florida lighthouses from 1861 to 1883. Her World War II novels include The Gilded Curse, and Shadowed by a Spy (now called Shadow of the Curse). Abigail’s Secret, is a dual time book set around a lighthouse, and was a finalist for the Maggie Awards. Her newest book, The Escape Game, is set in World War II England and in a POW camp in Germany. A native of Louisiana and a resident of Florida, her favorite place is near the water; as a result, lighthouses always appear in her books. Find Marilyn at her website, www.pathwayheart.com. 

Scout Wray is the Technical Director for the Southern Christian Writers Conference and is also an expert on social media, especially in the way it relates to book publishing. She owns an online book shop (Scouting Books) and is also active on BookTok and Bookstagram; she reads and reviews ARCs for upcoming book releases and is active in the online community with authors and book lovers. She serves as the SCWC's registrar, social media manager, YouTube director, and "The Ready Writer" podcast coordinator. Her "day job" is working as a medical assistant for a dermatology clinic.

Cheryl Wray will lead opening and closing sessions for the Virtual Fiction Workshop. She's published thousands of articles for magazines, newspapers, and online publications and over the years has worked as copy editor for a book publishing company, assistant editor for a small town newspaper, and sports reporter for The Birmingham News. Today she's the cover story writer for Christian Family Publications, contributing writer for "It's a Southern Thing," editor of "The Ready Writer" on Substack, and editor of Anchored Magazine. She's published numerous books on writing topics (including Writing for Magazines: A Beginner's Guide, Masterpieces of Reporting, and Secrets to Successful Query Letters), and became coordinator of the Southern Christian Writers Conference in 2018. She loves writers, and believes it's her call to encourage their faith and writing success. 

Want to participate in the SCWC Virtual Fiction Workshop? It's easy to register! Sign up using the SCWC Virtual Fiction Workshop registration form.  After signing up, you'll receive a confirmation email and further instructions the week of the workshop. Email us at scwritersconference@gmail.com if you have questions or need further information.

We look forward to being with you on January 18!