March 14th: Speaker: Krista Rolfzen Soukup: Building Your Brand

 

Krista Rolfzen Soukup is a literary publicist, marketing consultant and owner of Blue Cottage Agency, founded in 2009.

She has a passion for helping writers and authors successfully promote their work and establish their platform. Through her expert guidance, knowledge of the publishing industry and vast experience, she has successfully supported writers and authors across the country and Europe. 

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Marketing and has over 35 years of experience in sales, promotions, and marketing. Visit her website at BlueCottageAgency.com.

 Join us at The Library Center on S. Campbell in the Auditorium. TIME:  10:30 for Business Meeting

11 for Speaker.

November Meeting/ David Reed Presents: Identifying Cyber Threats.

 You cannot protect yourself until you learn to recognize the enemy and their tactics

Bio: David C. Reed is a veteran and a retired criminal investigator who channels real-world experience into taut, hard-edged storytelling that grips from the first line and cuts deeper with every page. His work is steeped in authenticity, grit, and the raw choices that reveal the best and the worst of us.

He spent forty years in law enforcement, sixteen of them leading a major crimes unit. If you went dead in his city, your ghost now haunts the pages of his novels.

His recent books,  Cold, Dark, and Silent and The Blockade Runners— draw from actual police cases. His next release, The Elite Watch, arrives soon.

 

Join Sleuths' Ink Saturday, Nov. 8th at the Library Center in Springfield, MO. We wll be in ROOM B for this month.  

Time is 10:30  

Sleuths' Ink Members are WINNERS

 Several of our Sleuths' Ink Members were big winners at the Ozark Creative Writers Conference.  Check out the stash of certificates in the picture  below.  

Congrats to from left to right.  Margarite Stever, Lois Curran, Lynn Combs (seated in front) Shirley McCann, Micheal Lee, Venessa Ceresale, Ruth Weeks, and Jen Kennings.  

Let's do this again next year. 

If you've never attended this conference, we highly recommend coming next October when they will be celebrating their 60th year of OCW.  

JULY SPEAKER/J.C.Fields - Writing the Short Story

 J.C. Fields is a multi-award-winning and Amazon best-selling author. Many of his fourteen published novels have been awarded numerous gold, silver and bronze medals in the Reader's Favorite International Book Awards contest.  

Over the past several years, many of his numerous short stories have been featured on the YouTube Podcast Fear From the Heartland, a part of the Chilling Tales for Dark Night network.

After a decade as an independent author, he signed a publishing contract with Vinci Books. Vinci Books is a world-class publisher created to offer independent authors the best of self-published and traditional publishing.

His passion for helping new authors reach their dream of publishing is reflected in his activity with numerous area writing groups and serving on the boards for the Between the Pages Writers Conference and the Ozarks Creative Writers Conference.

He lives with his wife, Connie, in Southwest Missouri.

Join us July 12th at the Library Center on S. Campbell at 10:30

May Speaker: Clarissa Willis - Marketing: Ads, and Facebook

 

Clarissa Willis is an author, consultant, and professional developmental

specialist. She provides workshops, keynote addresses, and customized professional development both nationally and internationally. In her spare time, she writes early childhood curricula, teacher resource books, and books for children.

Check out her published books on her website. https://clarissawillis.com/

  Join us at The Library Center on S. Campbell

Time:  10:30 

April Speaker: Duane Laflin - Writing to Build a Fan Base and Sell!

 

The key concept is how I've taken concepts from the entertainment world and applied them to being an author, ensuring I write

in a way that makes people want to read and promote my books.

 Although what I will discuss applies to marketing, much of it also relates to writing choices in terms of capturing interest, pacing a story, appealing to emotion, making people "care" about what we share, meeting expectations, and not boring our readers.

 I just completed and published my 15th novel, and my books are selling reasonably well. I still have a lot to learn, but it will be fun to discuss what I've learned so far.

 

Confessions of a Retired Police Officer

 

David C. Reed is a retired veteran with 24 years experience in criminal investigation and specialized law enforcement training. he retired as the Chief, Major Crimes Unit from Metro.

In his second career as a Department of the Army instructor, writer, and analyst, he conducted courses in special tactics and policing management worldwide.

He continues to be a highly sought-out instructor of state and local police. 

He has been published for over twenty years in official DoD publications and has written doctrine, policy, and college accredited curriculum since 1998.

As to his third career, his first published novel, "Cold, Dark, and Silent" was released in late 2024, and his second, "The Blockade Runners" is expected to be published in early 2025. Hopefully late March, but...you never know.

His third novel, "The Elite Watch" will be out late 2025.

Place:  The Library Center, in the auditoriuim

Time: Saturday, March 8th at 10:30 AM