Monday, March 4, 2024

March Meeting

  Schyrlet Cameron- Schyrlet is half of the writing team CC Brown. CC Brown is the pseudonym adopted by the two sisters, Schyrlet Cameron and Kathy Brown. Growing up in the Ozarks their curiosity about the supernatural was sparked by their grandmother. As children, much of their time was spent on their grandparent’s farm, where she


always kept them entertained... tending the garden, feeding the chickens, milking the cows, and telling deliciously spooky late-night tales. Their fascination with ghosts and spirits from beyond the grave has not diminished over time. Paranormal thrillers by CC Brown include Ghosts Live HereGhosts of Perry HouseBlack Widow Society, and Wolf Stone. Schyrlet will speak about networking and researching your topic. In addition, she is also the co-owner of HomeGrown Books a network of authors who support each other through reviews and grass-roots marketing.

Saturday, January 27, 2024

FEBRUARY IS OUR ANNUAL JANO PARTY FOR MEMBERS ONLY

 If you're a Sleuths' Ink member, you won't want to miss this fun annual event.

Our members have been striving to write 50,000 words during the month of January.  

We'll announce members' successes and award prizes at the February JANO party, however you MUST be a member in order to attend this fun event.

Check out the JANO page to see what it's all about.  Maybe you'll decide to join Sleuths' Ink and be eligible to participate in 2025.



Tuesday, December 19, 2023

JANUARY/JANO

 

JANO 2024

 

About JANO

During January, 2010, Sleuths’ Ink held it’s first-ever JANO challenge. Modeled after the popular National Novel Writing Month in November, JANO begins in, you guessed it, January.
Participants are challenged to write a 50,000-word novel during the month of January. Join us and kick off the new year with a novel.

Two good reasons we picked January: 


1) You get an extra day to write. To complete 50,000 words during January, you only need to write 1,613 words a day.

2) The holidays are over. Winter has set in. What better way to spend a long, dreary month than writing a novel?



JOIN US FOR JANO 2024!


Rules: There may be no actual writing on your JANO Novel until January 1, but you may plot your novel, create character sketches, and do research before January 1. On that date, begin writing like mad (no editing) the entire month in order to reach the 50,000-word goal.   

You must be a paid member of Sleuths' Ink by February 1st to qualify for prizes and attend the party. 




THE CELEBRATION PARTY: THERE WILL BE NO REGULAR MEETING IN FEBRUARY. Instead we'll have our annual JANO PARTY.  
MEMBERS ATTENDING WILL BE REQUIRED TO PAY $10 TOWARD THEIR MEAL. SLEUTHS' INK WILL FOOT THE BILL FOR THE REMAINDER.  

The PARTY WILL BE HELD AT THE PASTA EXPRESS AT 3025 W. REPUBLIC ROAD FEBRUARY 10, 2024 

Prizes will be awarded for: 

$50 prize for the most words over 50,000 words

All others who reach at least 50,000 words will be entered into a drawing where two more people will win $25 prizes. 

Best 100-word blurb (anything over will be cut)  $25

Best 30-second Elevator Pitch  - $15 prize

Best Hook: 1st sentence of first chapter- (Anything over one sentence will be cut) $10

Various doorprizes during the party.

Monday, November 27, 2023

DECEMBER HOLIDAY PARTY

 It's time for our annual holiday party.  

WHERE:  McAlister's on W. Battlefield
WHEN:  December 9th at 10:45  (Doors open at 10:30)
WHO:  Sleuths' Ink Members
WHY:  Because we love to party!

What to bring?  

Your 25-word holiday contest.
Guidelines:  Your story MUST include a crime and a holiday (any holiday, it does NOT have to be Christmas).  The story must be 25 words EXACTLY.  This count does not include the TITLE.
Send you story to sleuthsink95@gmail.com before Dec. 7th.  (This way we can have a print out sheet of all the stories so we can read and judge at the meeting)

A wrapped gift ($10 limit) We will play DIRTY SANTA.

There will also be a few fun holiday games where you can win prizes.

Plus we will read our 2023 writing goals and create new writing goals for 2024.  

Let's PARTY. 

Monday, November 6, 2023

November Speaker, Kim McCully Mobley discuss Storytelling and A Sense of Place

 

Kim McCully-Mobley is a writer, editor, publisher, educator, storyteller and historian who describes herself as a gypsy/rebel/pirate/cowgirl with a cause. She holds degrees in journalism, English and education. She has a background with newspapers and magazines and cur


rently teaches English, Leadership, Film & Fiction and Creative Writing at Aurora High School. She is also an adjunct for Drury University and Crowder College.

She serves on the board of directors for the Aurora Area Community Foundation, the Children's Smile Center of the Ozarks and the Aurora Area Chamber of Commerce. She hosts a popular podcast called "All Roads Lead Home" through her home-based company called The Ozarkian Spirit. She is the co-director of the Aurora Houn' Dawg Alumni & Outreach Center in Aurora, as well.

She keeps busy with non-profit work, research, grant-writing, freelancing and creating a variety of sense of place projects throughout the Ozarks. She makes her home in rural Barry County with her husband, Al. She is working on a memoir called All Roads Lead Home, as well as a website (coming soon) to archive stories, research, artifacts and photos through: https://houndawgoutreach.us


Join us November 11th at 10:45 at McAlisters on West Battlefield.

sleuthsink95@gmail.com

 

 

 

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

OCTOBER MEETING DATE CHANGE/SPEAKER INFO

 

Our meeting will be held Saturday, October 21st (3rd week of October) this month only due to the Ozark Creative Writer's Conference in Eureka Springs. 

Sharon Kizziah-Holmes will talk to us about formatting our manuscripts with Microsoft Word. 

Sharon is a retired professional musician. She and her husband lived on the road playing honky tonks in Alaska, Canada and the lower forty-eight states. Now, she lives in the beautiful Ozarks with her husband Dennis and dogs, Willie and Waylon.


 She has been an indie-author since 2002 and is well versed in the self-publishing industry. She is the co-founder and co-owner of Paperback Press LLC., with imprints Paperback Press, Kids Book Press, Indie Pub Press and Audio Book Press. 

 She has served as publishing coordinator to over 150 authors, assisted in publishing 500 plus books for writers in the US and abroad. Several have become bestselling, self-published authors.

 A board member of Ozarks Creative Writers Conference, Co-Chair and conference coordinator of Between the Pages Writers Con and past president of Ozarks Romance authors, Sharon also remains active in many other writers’ groups.

Friday, September 8, 2023

September Speaker & NEW MEETING PLACE

 Join us on Saturday, September 9th, at McALISTER'S on West Battlefield, across from Hyvee to hear author Tim Ritter talk about Mailchimp and how to gain emails for newsletters.

As authors, it's important to utilize social media so you won't w
ant to miss this informative meeting.

Check out Tim's website at https://www.timritter.net/

Doors at the restaurant open at 10:30, so business meeting begins at 10:45.  


Hope to see you there.  

March Meeting

    Schyrlet Cameron-  Schyrlet is half of the writing team CC Brown. CC Brown is the pseudonym adopted by the two sisters,  Schyrlet Camero...