An online promotional and news source for all Oklahoma writers, authors, artists, publishers, or creatives who work with Oklahoma related materials. We are especially supportive of independent authors and small presses.

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3/27/13

Ventana Sierra Advanced Writing Workshop,


Attention all writers! Help us help youth-in-need, while deepening your craft, honing your skills and working toward personal writing/publishing goals at the Ventana Sierra Advanced Writing Workshop, June 14-16, 2013 in Carson City, NV. Our stellar faculty includes three top US writing coaches; five literary agents; two publishers; two editors; two college-level creative writing teachers; two poets; and five award-winning, bestselling authors.

The Ventana Sierra Advanced Writing Workshop was created specifically to help writers of all genres reach a higher plateau. The craft breakouts are specifically designed to go deeper than those you might find at other conferences. Faculty-led group critique and optional one-on-one manuscript critiques are apex-level. State of the industry talks and agent/editor panels provide the latest information to help you decide the best way to reach your publishing goals. Plus: networking, food, readings, a “meet the authors” evening, book signing, and an open mic for the brave. We’re talking some serious fun!

In addition, there is a Saturday-only track for teen writers, who will work with an agent and four award-winning, bestselling young adult authors, learning what it takes to become a published author. Best of all, the teen track is cost-free, and Foreword Literary will help the young writers e-pub their best at Smashwords and Amazon.

This event is the brainchild of nine-time NY Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins, whose travels as a young adult author have brought her into contact with young people with big dreams but limited resources. Ellen founded Ventana Sierra, a 501(c)(3), to help youth-in-need off the street, into safe housing and working toward career goals through higher education, vocational training, apprenticeships and the arts. Learn more about our goals here: www.ventanasierra.org. All net proceeds from the Ventana Sierra Advanced Writing Workshop directly benefit Ventana Sierra’s nonprofit programs.

There is a $100 discount for registrations received by May 15, 2013. Find out more about our workshop at http://ventanasierraworkshops.com/

3/24/13

AUTHOR BOOK SIGNING with MARJORIE SIMMONS


Saturday, April 6, 2013

Agora Coffee Shop 4959 South 79th East Avenue Tulsa, OK 74145

call Cheryl for directions (918) 270-9996

Read more about Marjorie at her Amazon author page.

3/21/13

'This Lesser Earth' Is A Superior Read


"Mary Margaret Woodward married a man who could pay one of those debts for her family. It didn’t take Mary long to decide her part in the transaction was paid-in-full, and she escaped into another world far more dangerous than any she knew existed. Surrendering her son, her pride, and any hope she had for any kind of normal happiness, Mary Margaret, the Southern Belle, became Maggie, the parlor girl, selling the only thing she had left to survive.


Jacob Granger was a war-weary survivor with little reason to rise each morning and face another day. After burying his wife, Lydia, with their child still wedged within her body, he couldn’t understand – or accept – God’s will for any of them… including the little woman He delivered to take Lydia’s place.

When two men from Maggie’s past seem to conspire to take her, too, Jacob has to fight another war, return to a god he no longer trusts, and leave Lydia behind – or lose his love again."



This Lesser Earth is available from Amazon in both print and Kindle formats.  exccellent addition to historical fiction and romance collections.   



With a style strongly reminiscent of Daphne duMaurier, author Jennifer Dahl delivers a dark story filled with passion, intrigue, love, hate, obsession, and manipulation from beyond the grave. At no time is there any guarantee that there will be a happy ending. Most of her waking hours are spent listening to the voices of the characters inside her head tell her what she's gotten wrong and how she can make it right. She is currently at work on her fourth novel, Fort Ruby, which introduces us to the challenges facing a woman doctor in her efforts to make her place in a small military town in Nevada's Old West.

3/15/13

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR RUSSELL FERRELL


Russell Ferrell is a non-fiction historical writer and educator. He has worked as a journalist and educator and in several varied occupations. He owned and operated a cattle ranch in Atoka County, Oklahoma, before moving to Red Oak, Texas, where he currently resides with his wife, Waynetta, and their four dogs and five cats. He was working on several projects in the historical field when he put them all aside to write the true story of Cephis Hall and Sid Love, the two amateur naturalists who discovered and excavated the Acrocanthosaurus in McCurtain County, Oklahoma - one of the greatest dinosaur discoveries and excavations in history. 

When you are not writing or being you, what is your work or activity?
I am a retired educator. I have taught science and history. I do a lot of reading and try to stay informed about the world by watching a lot of Link TV, Current TV, and the news programs on CNBC and MSNBC, such as the ED SHOW and the Rachel Maddow Show. I read such publications as The Nation, Mother Jones, The Progressive, and The Oklahoma Observer to stay abreast on current events. My hobbies are gardening, travel, carpentry, nature, outdoors, movies, museums, documentaries, and learning for the mere sake of learning. I love dogs and cats, and enjoy working with cattle.

When did you become an author? How did it develop, and what was your inspiration?
I had always wanted to research and write. Ideas and knowledge have always been important for me. Since grade school, I had always been told that I was a good writer – good at expressing myself with pen and paper. I considered it as one of my natural talents or gifts that I was born with.  In my view, either you were born with an ability to write, or you weren’t.  If you don’t have an innate capacity to write, you can never learn or excel in the trade. Your brain has to be properly wired to be a writer. Perhaps there is an inherited base to it. I learned from my genealogy that I share common great-grandparents with many famous writers.  I must admit, however, that I am an obscure, unknown writer that may fall flat on his face.

Writing and publishing a book was one of my goals in life, but I did not get serious about a particular project until reaching the age of 52. With more discretionary time, I started work on several projects within the historical field. I was doing research and had written a few chapters on a book about barbarians and their contributions and legacy to the modern world when the story of Cephis Hall and Sid Love was sort of dropped in my lap. After learning about their story from my son, Thomas, who had visited Cephis Hall, I soon took up the challenge of telling their story to the world.

What are some interesting events from your career as (the writer, Russell Ferrell)?  Any bloopers?
Meeting and interviewing Cephis Hall and gradually learning his story was a breakthrough. Although I am still waiting, as of yet there have been no other major events or breakthroughs. Becoming a writer and publishing a book is certainly the greatest challenge I have ever undertaken. It is an extremely tough business in which to get a break and get your feet planted squarely on the ground. The publishing industry, in my view, is sort of rigged and monopolized. The industry is controlled by a few big publishers, distributors, and media conglomerates.
Although it has become easier for the new and independent author to self-publish, the market still favors the brand name, celebrity authors.  At the same time, there appears to be a declining literacy and book reading audience, at least in the United States. Marketing the finished book and getting access to book stores and distribution chains is certainly as challenging as actually writing it. Also, a depressed economy is hurting the book industry. Books rank low on the priority list of consumers, at least in the US. Americans will go out to eat or go to a movie or sports event before buying and reading a book. The digital generation reads even less than their ancestors.

What do you think your impact has been among members of your audience?  Your community? 
I am the type of reader who reads primarily to learn. Entertainment is secondary for me. As a writer, my purpose is to inform and educate, as well as entertain. My job as an educator is to convey information and ideas – to impart knowledge to the audience. This bias is reflected in my writings. 

As a reader, if I can’t learn anything new or get some kind of new insight from a piece of writing, I have little or no use for it. With each book or piece that I read, I want to be able to see the world in a different light and with a little more clarity. That is the same hope I have for my readers. When you read a book rich in new ideas and insights, that book becomes part of you as if its content has been encoded on your DNA.

I hope that my impact as a writer will be to inform, educate, and entertain my audience. If I can accomplish that, I have at least partially succeeded, even if I make little or no money from my finished products. That, however, presumes that the audience will expand to a meaningful size.

What would you have liked to do with your work if there was more time, money, wider support, funding, staff, etc.
Like an impractical idealist, I hope that my work will have a larger, redeemable benefit to the overall society, to humanity, and the environment.  If a single piece of writing can change ideas or open people’s eyes and minds to a larger picture or purpose, than I have contributed to making this a better world.

Where do you see yourself in the coming years?  Will [insert author name here] remain or transform within the book world or move on to something else?
The odds of a new writer making a successful, long-term career out of writing are tenuous. It is extremely hard to make money in this business. Although money should never be the prime motivating factor, it takes money to remain viable and stay in the game. I have many ideas and projects on the burner and have already broken ground on other book projects. However, if the writing effort is not financially sustainable, I, like so many others, will probably fall by the wayside.
I plan to take on and finish one or two more projects to get a better gauge on the market and my potential. One of these must find an audience that will provide enough monetary sustenance to keep me hanging on as a writer. 

As a writer, what and who are your influences?   Where do you get your ideas?
A writer must also be a reader. My reading of the works of other authors has kept me active in the world of literacy and ideas. Once people stop reading and learning, they are on a dead end road to mental atrophy. American society does not value books and learning like it should. This trend is threatening the viability of our democratic institutions. Without an informed public, democracy or a representative republic cannot stand.

To remain a social activist or functioning member of a democratic republic, one must read plenty of non-fiction exposes that give good insight into the workings of society and government. People must cultivate new ideas and be able to question the status quo; otherwise, the society becomes stagnant and degenerate. Fiction can also be good if it opens peoples’ minds and senses while according new insight into the ways of the world.

I get my ideas from books, magazine articles, documentaries, and television news programs. Or at least these sources allow me to establish a framework within which I can synthesize my own ideas.

Readers often like to find authors similar in tone, subject, or style to another.  Who would most enjoy your work: readers of Stoker, Lovecraft, Shelley, King, Koonze, etc? 
Since I am not a novelist or writer of fiction I am not really able to answer this question.
Readers of non-fiction who like history, science, adventure, mystery or just simply a good story, should find my book The Bone War of McCurtain County compelling.

When you write, do you require a special place, quiet, mood music, a favorite chair or sweater, etc.?
I like to be comfortable. I may prop up on my bed and write with pen and paper, or sit at a computer and compose. Generally I prefer quiet, but music or noise does not necessarily distract me.

Who is [insert author name here]?  How similar are the two personas of author and [insert author name here]?  In the real world, do you like sports or other pursuits?  On any given day where would someone find you and what would you be doing?
I am, as is claimed to be the case for most authors, rather introverted. I am usually content to muse and ponder ideas and issues in a solitary mode. I prefer to use my own intuition and don’t like to follow the noise of the crowd. Being a recluse or hermit has some value for me as long as I can indulge in the world of ideas.

What is the next big thing on your personal and professional agenda?

I am driven by a desire to share the story of Cephis Hall and Sid Love with the world. I am indeed fixated on making The Bone War of McCurtain Countya success, although, I admit, it is an uphill battle. Beyond that, it is my desire, and the desire of Cephis Hall, as well, to see the story made into a major motion picture that becomes a smash hit. Virtually everybody who knows the story or has read the book agrees that it would make a great movie. We have, indeed, already been approached by a small film company in Texas, but prefer to wait on a big Hollywood production company. You only get one shot at something like that, so I want to take my best shot with the best producer I can match.  I want the world to finally learn the amazing story of Cephis Hall and Sid Love.

To order visit Amazon.

ISBN: 9780983355106
Rabelius Publishing, Waxahachie, Texas.

3/10/13

Insightful Work Reissued


This insightful, practical, and purposeful book, PEOPLE ARE FOR CARING,  originally appeared in 1980.  The author was a man who believed much in the concept behind the title.  His faith was such that he never saw strangers but only potential members of  a great family of God.  The original description from the book says it all :

"Damon Burrows Is a person-who cares about people. In his individual and group experiences, he has developed a series of practical exercises that teach - "Caring is being like Jesus."

Reverend Burrows is now Evangelism Consultant for the General Department of Evangelism in the Pentecostal Holiness Church. He has been trained to develop specific church growth ministries which has involved over 100 lectures on his "Clinic on Church Healing."

A native of Oklahoma, Damon Burrows has served as an evangelist and pastor for ten years. He is a graduate of Southwestern College in Oklahoma City and has done graduate work at the Nazarene Theological Seminary and Midwestern Theological Seminary in Kansas City. He was a personnel man in the United States Navy for four years which began his 15 years of experience in counseling."

After the recent death of this minister, family and friends urged his family to reissue this timeless work to continue to bless and inspire others.  To most importantly continue the objective made clear through Damon Burrows' life, people are for caring.  It is a splendid book to add to collections of people based outreach, ministry, evangelism, Pentecostal authors, and related subject areas. 

To order click here. 

3/7/13

Edmond Writing Group



Writers in the Edmond area ooking for community, network and support on their journey, take note. Pen-Keyboard Writers Group meets in the conference room at Mardel's, 33rd and Boulevard in Edmond. They meet the 2nd Saturday each month from 10 AM - noon. They offer memberships at several levels: beginning writers, readers, published authors. The group is an affiliate of OWFI.


The Pen and Keyboard Writers website is http://pen-keyboard.weebly.com.

Program Will Feature Copyright Protection Basics


Calling All Writers! Protect all the hard word you have put in as an author by learning the basics of copyright protection. Janet Brennan Croft is Head of Access Services at the University of Oklahoma libraries.  Ms. Croft is listed as a “Tolkien scholar” in the credits of the movie "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." 

This award winning author and editor of multiple books including several on J.R. R. Tolkien will present a workshop to answer important questions of copyright. Light refreshments will be provided.

Warr Acres Library will host and they are located at 5901 NW 63 OKC 73132.  Tuesday, March 19 at 7-8:30 pm.          Questions? Call 721-2616

3/6/13

STATE PUBLISHER WINS AWARD


Edmond, January 9, 2012 — 4RV Publishing LLC has been selected for the 2012 Best of Edmond Award in the Book Publishers category by the Edmond Award Program committee. 

4RV Publishing has been in business since 2007 and is a traditional press. The company pays for all expenses to produce an accepted book. To date, 100 books have been published.

4RV Publishing is a traditional publisher and does not charge authors for cover designs, editing, illustrations, or any other regular services. If authors order extra copies of their books, they receive a good discount.

The selection of 4RV Publishing is a reflection of the hard work of not only the staff, editors, authors, and illustrators, but of many people that have supported the business and contributed to the subsequent success of the organization.

Each year, the Edmond Award Program identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Edmond area a great place to live, work and play. 

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2012 Edmond Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Edmond Award Program and data provided by third parties.
4RV’s website is http://4rvpublishing.com.


For more information on this company contact Vivian Zabel,  President, 4RV Publishing LLC
"Quality books by quality authors & illustrators"
4RV Publishing: 

State Publisher Starts New Fiction Series





It is exciting to see Oklahoma businesses expanding and especially those dealing with authors and books.  New Forums Press, a new entry on the Publishers page,  is now seeking works of fiction, novels and collections of short stories, that are devoted to the people, culture, and history of Oklahoma and surrounding states. Read our guidelines.

Contact  them at: fiction@newforums.com

3/5/13

POSSIBLE BOOK MARKET PLANNED


A local group is considering a book market as a feature of part of the revitalization of the historic Farmer's Marker.  The idea would be for books to be set up and local talent be represented there.  A start date is planned for May. 

So I am looking to get a local book market started and was hoping you would be interested in helping out. The plan is to have two stalls set aside for local authors to have their work for sale, and if they would like be available to talk about their work with the public stopping by the booth. 

For information feel free to contact Nikki Alden at (605)-254-6896.