Memoirist Susie Baxter wanted to save the memories of her family and childhood growing up in rural Florida for future generations, but wasn’t sure how. After taking a Life History class, she quickly discovered her calling and began penning her memoirs. At first, she believed her tales of growing up to be fairly ordinary, until members of her critique group convinced her otherwise. Further proof? Susie won First Place for Published Memoir in the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Awards and … Read More »

The start of a new year often brings with it the desire to improve our lives over the next year. Are there ways we can improve our writing lives? Always! Get Real Although we’re all writers, we are as individual as the quintessential snowflake. It seems obvious, but a glance at any writing forum often reveals writers insisting that “everyone” should read a book a week or commit to 2500 words a day or write every single day without fail … Read More »

While Anne Hawkinson is accustomed to the long hours of writing in solitude, she recently enjoyed a collaboration with another author overseas—the fruits of their labors bringing two, soon three, adventurous novellas into the world. Inspired by her recent partnership, Anne adapted the concepts from the adult novellas to a young child’s perspective. My Faraway Friend won First Place for Unpublished Early Reader at the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Awards. Anne discusses the transition from working solo to collaborating and … Read More »

Jenny Ferns, a professional psychologist, knows the impact trauma can have on people. She uses this specialized knowledge to build character arcs and show the comprehensive impact on families in her stories. She also discovered through her own experience that writing memoir can be a therapeutic exercise. Using her memories from living in England for over twenty years, she created an authentic voice for her book, Ripple Effect, which won First Place for Unpublished Blended Genre in the 2018 Royal … Read More »

In this season of gift-giving, I look back with a grateful heart and mind at those I received that had a direct influence on my present status as a writer. I had no notion in those early years, but now I see that my family was (perhaps unknowingly) planting the seeds that would lead me to where I am today. I was read to. Often. Bedtime stories were a mainstay in our home—read to my sister and me by my … Read More »

Rhett DeVane has had a long, successful writing career including thirteen books and a number of short stories, but she found her passion dwindling after years of writing, wondering if all the time was worth it. Then something new and fun sparked her creative energy, reigniting her love of authorship. That new project encapsulated her years of experience and rejuvenated passion, winning First Place for Unpublished Young Adult or New Adult in the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Awards. In this … Read More »