My writing is one of the most important parts of my life. I over-extended myself a bit where my writing career is concerned this year, but I’m reaping the rewards. I belong to four writers’ groups: Joplin Writers’ Guild, Ozarks Writers League, Ozarks Romance Authors, and Sleuths’ Ink Mystery Writers. I also have an amazing critique group that meets once a month to provide feedback on up to 25 pages for each other.
I’m not able to attend every meeting of each group, but I do my utmost to attend each of them whenever possible. Ozarks Romance Authors and Sleuths’ Ink Mystery Writers meet in Springfield, which is about an hour and a half away from my house. Ozarks Writers League meets two to four times per year in Branson, which is a little over two hours from my house. My home group, Joplin Writers’ Guild meets in Joplin, which is only about 20 minutes from where I live.
Each group offers me something different and helps me grow as a writer in unique ways. Today I’d like to talk about Sleuths’ Ink Mystery Writers. I’ve only attended a handful of meetings for that group, but they’ve each been extremely beneficial to my writing and the marketing of my writing. They usually have a speaker who talks about real life things that make our prose sparkle.
The speaker during one meeting was a mechanic who taught us how to disable a car in a hurry. Mystery writers often write about foul play, so it was a perfect topic. It was helpful for me because on the first page of my second novel, my protagonist breaks down on the highway and has to call for help. The mechanic’s presentation made that scene in my book more realistic. He as also entertaining.
I’m honored to be included in Anthology 2019 Sleuths’ Ink Mystery Writers. I didn’t think I had anything that was appropriate for the collection until last month’s meeting when we discussed it in more detail.
I realized I had the perfect story to submit, one of my favorites. The editor was accepting submissions until midnight that night. So, I rushed home from Springfield and emailed my short story, “Lost Sheep,” for her consideration. She accepted my story, and Anthology 2019 Sleuths’ Ink Mystery Writers e-book is now available for pre-order on Amazon for $2.99. The release date is July 16, 2019. The paper version should be available to order soon.
I’m excited to be a part of this great book, but what thrills me to no end is the cover. The contributing authors are listed on the front cover, and that includes me. My name is on the cover of a book! I’ve enjoyed having several of my stories published in my life, but this is the first time a person can look at a book and immediately know one of my stories can be found within.
I haven’t read any of the other stories in the anthology, but I’m anxious to do so. I’ve been getting to know the other authors, and they are great people. I can only imagine what creative genius they put on a page.
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