Doors Open

Ask-an-Author—Marie Loggia-Kee/Louisa Bacio & Karen Leabo

Do you have a question that a published author can answer? Then plan to come to the meeting a little bit early. Each month one or two published authors host an informal round table discussion group and you are welcome to sit in.

Critique of the Month—Loggia-Kee/Louisa Bacio

Free for OCC Members Attending the Meeting--Monthly Critique Drawings!  Print out your FIRST chapter and bring it to the monthly meeting! Then add your name to the list of critique hopefuls, located at the membership table.

Morning Workshop: Jillian Stone

“WORLD BUILDING IMMERSION: Tips & Techniques”

Whether you’re constructing a paranormal setting full of shapeshifters, pulling together the details of a historical that’s set in Victorian London, or bringing to life a fictional, dust-bitten, small-Texas contemporary town, world building is a skill that will make your story come alive. As Jillian says, “Every writer world builds, but if you are looking for reader immersion, then your world building has to integrate with character and plot on every page.” There are two essential parts to world building, the macro environment your characters inhabit, which can actually shape the story itself, and the ongoing use of detail (micro) which is the secret sauce to keeping the reader immersed in your story.

Jillian won the Golden Heart award for her debut novel, An Affair with Mr. Kennedy, the first adventure in her sensual and suspenseful new Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series. She is also author of the just released The Seduction of Phaeton Black, a steamy Steampunk paranormal which received a Top Pick from RT REVIEWS. For more, go to http://jillianstone.com

Lunch Break

To order a delicious box lunch from the Corner Bakery in Brea, click here.

Booksignings

• To be determined

Meeting resumes; Chapter Business, etc.

Afternoon Speaker: Syrie James

“MY WRITING JOURNEY: How I Made the Leap from Category Romance to Hollywood Screenwriter to Bestselling Author – and What I Owe to RWA”

Syrie James is the bestselling author of five critically acclaimed novels:  Forbidden, Nocturne, Dracula, My Love, The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë (2011 Audie Romance Award; Great Group Read, Women’s National Book Association), and the international bestseller The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen. Hailed by Los Angeles Magazine as “the queen of nineteenth century re-imaginings,” Syrie’s books have been translated into 16 foreign languages. Syrie’s short story leads the anthology Jane Austen Made Me Do It. A lifetime member of JASNA, RWA, and WGA, Syrie’s next novel will be published by Penguin Books in January 2013. Visit Syrie on facebook, Twitter, and http://www.syriejames.com