Chicago Writes

An Award-Winning Author on Book Marketing Platforms and Strategies

Do you think of Book marketing as confusing and complex? You are hardly alone! Long time friend of the podcast and one of the most proactive authors for marketing, David W. Berner’s success doesn’t just happen but requires a bit of work and effort from the author. After speaking with Mike O’Malley from LitNuts last month, host WC Turck thought it would offer keen insights by prying open David’s bag of tricks and promotional secrets (and maybe a few scars and open wounds!).
The website is davidwberner.com
Chick out David's Substack page The Abundance.
The Chicago Writers Association is a 501c3 charitable organization. Visit chicagowrites.org
From everyone here at CWA, we wish you a warm and happy Holiday season and a very Merry Christmas.
 

Book Marketing on a Budget: A conversation with LitNuts cofounder Mike O’Mary

Mike O'Mary knows book marketing. As an Indie publisher he produced several NYT bestsellers, including Dina Kucera's Everything I Never Wanted to Be-A Memoir of Alcoholism and Addiction, Faith and Family, Hope and Humor. Together with his daughter, Kathleen Meyer, they began an online newsletter featuring only indie authors and publishers with some 13,000 subscribers. LitNuts.com features a unique and affordable platform to get your book in front of readers. Mike also offers advice and hard-learned lessons on creating a marketing strategy for Indie authors!
Links to all of our CWA programs, events, and resources are at Chicago Writes.org. Join today!
The Chicago Writers Association is a 501(c)3 charity, open to writers anywhere in the world. Unlock a wealth of writing resources at Chicago Writes.org

Chicago Writes October 2023: Ana Castillo and Michael Finney

Professor Ana Castillo is an author, poet and visual artist. Her latest critically acclaimed book is a thought-provoking collection of short stories transcending demographics titled Doña Cleanwell Leaves Home, published by Harper Collins. Available at Amazon and all fine bookstores. Her website is anacastillo.net.
Plus, Micheal Finney, business strategy consultant focused on media and message, talks sound scaping for ebooks and his new book, How to Create a Small Business Content Marketing Strategy in 10 Steps- A branding workbook for beginners.  The website is michael-finney.com.  
Chicago Writes in the official podcast of the Chicago Writers Association. Visit chicagowrites.org. Subscribe to this podcast.
Chicago Writers Association is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Join today, and like our community of writers, authors, poets and publishers on Facebook to unlock a wealth of writing resources and connections. 
 

Chicago Writes Compelling Sex Scenes and Publishing Cocktails

Writing compelling Sex Scenes for novelists, with author, screenwriter and Producer Dorothy Mackevich Marks. Her latest book is Les Beaux Châteaux which tells the story of father and son antique dealers amid the twilight of a romanticized legacy French culture. Visit www.dorothymackevichmarks.com. You can also keep up to date on facebook.com, at DorothyMackevichMarks
Also, in this episode of Chicago Writes, Publishing Cocktails, a meet-up for writers with Javier Ramirez from Exile in Bookville, exileinbookville.com, and author Keir Graff, keirgraff.com. 
Find Les Beaux Châteaux by Dorothy Machevich Marks on Amazon
Exile in Bookville is in the historic Fine Arts Building. 410 S. Michigan Avenue, Suite 210 in Chicago’s Loop. Call Exile in Bookville, (312) 753-3154
Instagram: @exileinbookville
Twitter: @BookvillExiles
Facebook: @exileinbookville
Visit chicagowrites.org

CNN’s Nora Neus on Writing Oral History

Nora Neus is an Emmy-nominated journalist and author. Neus field-produced Anderson Cooper’s CNN coverage of the 2017 white supremacist riot in Charlottesville, Virginia. Before joining CNN, she worked as a local news reporter and fill-in anchor for the CNN affiliate in Charlottesville. Nora also co-authored Muhammad Najem, War Reporter: How One Boy Put the Spotlight on Syria, available at Amazon.
Her latest book 24 hours in Charlottesville: An Oral History of the Stand Against White Supremacy  is available at Amazon. Her website is noraneus.com
Brought to you exclusively by the Chicago Writers Association. CWA is a 501c3 not-for-profit charity. Visit us at chicagowrites.org

Funny Business: Writing Humor and more with Author Maggie Smith

Maggie Smith founded ArtSource, a leading art consulting company. In 2017 she switched gears to pursue a dream to be a full-time writer. Her debut novel Truth and Other Lies is about truth and coming clean to yourself and about truth and honesty. It is about perseverance and second chances. Maggie is the host of the podcast Hear Us Roar for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and is available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, IHeartRadio, and Amazon Music. She is a frequent blogger on the topic of writing, including a recent piece title Funny Business: Incorporating Humor Into Your Novel. Her website is maggiesmithwriter.com
Read the full piece, Funny Business: Incorporating Humor Into Your Novel, at maggiesmithwriter.com
Links to the Chicago Writers Association are at chicagowrites.org
Our theme song, Midnight Ride from the album Snoviđenja is courtesy of Dino Olovcic and is available on Spotify.

Writing Fiction for Young Adults with Kristin Oakley

Kristin Oakley’s latest young adult novel is “The Devil Particle”. Kristin teaches writing workshops, has critiqued manuscripts through the University of Wisconsin‘s -Madison Division of Continuing Studies, and has helped writers hone their agent pitches at the Division’s Writers’ Institute. She is also the author of The Award-winning Leo Townsend Series, as well as blogs from writing to home schooling.
Her website is Kristin Oakley.net
The Devil Particle Release Party!Wednesday, June 7th, 6:00 p.m.Mystery to Me Bookstore, 1863 Monroe St., Madison, WI
Tickets are free but space is limited. Can't make it in person? The event will also be livestreamed www.crowdcast.io/e/devil-particle/register
Top 5 Tips for Writing Compelling Young Adult Fiction by Jessica Clausen at writersedit.com
Two resources about writing young adult fiction:
www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/how-to-write-a-young-adult-novel
www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-ya-fiction
A great, concise article on the 12 Types of Characters can be found at blog.reedsy.com/types-of-characters/
Submissions for The Chicago Writers Association's 13th annual Book of the Year Contest is currently open!
See the guidelines on the entry form via the link in the notes below and be sure your book is submitted to the correct category.
Entries will be accepted until August 1, 2023. Entries postmarked after midnight on August 1, 2023 cannot be accepted.
For details and entry form visit chicagowrites.org/book_of_the_year
Look for details about the 8th Annual First Chapter Contest coming soon in the summer of 2023. Polish, polish, polish and be ready to submit that winning first chapter. It could land you a once in a lifetime full scholarship to attend either the All-Genre Novel-In-Progress (NIP) Bookcamp & Writing Retreat on June 18-24, 2023 or the Speculative Fiction NIP Bookcamp & Writing Retreat, on August 13-19, 2023, at the Siena Retreat Center in Racine, Wisconsin. visit novelbookcamp.org, and chicagowrites.org and click on the Contest tab for details
The Chicago Writers Association is a 501c3 charitable organization, become a member today by visiting chicagowrites.org
Subscribe to this podcast for notification on upcoming episodes.
 

Chicago Writes Poetry and Artbooks

Christina D. Rodriguez is an award winning Latinx poet, and entrepreneur from New York, currently living in Chicago. Her poems have appeared in Tupelo Quarterly, Yes, Poetry, Rust + Moth, Satin Soulbits, and elsewhere. She is a board member of the Chicago Writers Association as the organization’s social media manager and poetry editor for CWA's The Write City Magazine. She is also a contributor to the Instagram poetry book club, Can We Discuss Poetry. Christina D. Rodriguez’s first book of poetry is a beautifully textured collection titled “Knees in the Garden” from Querencia Press, released in February 2023, is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and at KneesintheGarden.com, or to contact Christina, christina@crodonline.info.  
Prolific Chicago-based artist Leo Segedin turned 96 this year and still puts in an average of 6 hours of work daily. His website is leopoldsegedin.com. Paul and Ben produced three books of Leo’s Artwork. I had the honor of writing the afterword for Leo Segedin’s latest book, Leopold Segedin: The Holocaust Series. Paintings and Drawings 1967-79. Leopoldsegedin.com is the website. Leo is currently showing at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, Now through Tuesday, May 30, 2023, 927 Noyes St Ste 100, Evanston, IL (847) 328-2100.  Paul Segedin joins host WC Turck to talk about all that goes into that effort. To reach Paul Segedin, segedinpaul@gmail.com
The Chicago Writers Association is a 501(c)3 Charitable Organization, open to anyone in the world. For info and membership details visit chicagowrites.org
For more about the Educational Series, visit chicagowrites.org/educational series
 

Story Structure and Story Collaboration with Author David Fletcher

Chili Dog MVP: Dick Allen, The '72 White Sox and a Transforming Chicago, by David Fletcher, John Owens, and George Castle, was a runner up for this year’s Book of the Year Award for non-Fiction. David Fletcher speaks about the book, story structure techniques and collaboration on a writing project.
Chili Dog MVP is available at Amazon.
To register for CWA Presents with host Sandra Colbert and a conversation with the founder of the Chicago International Film Festival, Michael Kutza, about his memoir, “Starstruck: How I magically transformed Chicago into Hollywood for more than Fifty Years.” Saturday, April 15, 2023, at 1:00 p.m Columbia College, Ferguson Hall, 600 S. Michigan, in Chicago. Click this link.
Check out our Education Page at chicagowrites.org. Registration is now open for the CWA Education Series. Coming up, on Saturday, April 15, 2023: “Creating Unforgettable Characters” with award winning author Kristin Oakley. June 10, 2023 join award-winning writer and educator Tim Storm for “Story Structure and Editing”. What is the basic structure of your story and how can an editor help you discover it? What does an editor do and when do you need to hire one? And on Saturday September 23, 2023: “What Makes a Successful Website for Authors” with Celeste Anton of Dandelion Web Marketing.
Sessions range from complimentary to $20 per session. Registration is required for all. Paid sessions are $15 for members and $20 for non-members. Learn more about each session on the Education page at chicagowrites.org.
And our website, chicagowrites.org is a resource for your writing success as well. Chicago Writes offers tools and a wealth of information to help you become the writer you were meant to be. Check out our blog with tips and insights on the art and business of writing by some of Chicago’s best known writers, like marketing tips, the importance of networking, where and how to find Beta readers, the pros and cons of Indie Publishing, The Art of Misdirection: How To Keep Your Readers On Their Toes, And so much more. 24/7, 365 days each year at www.chicagowrites.org (backslash)/blog
The Chicago Writers Association is a charitable 501c3 organization.

Critically Acclaimed Author Toya Wolfe and Last Summer on State Street

Toya Wolfe scored with her debut novel, "Last Summer On State Street". This is good and necessary storytelling. Toya joins host WC Turck for a deep diving into this critically acclaimed, and CWA Book of the Year award winner for Traditional Fiction. From Faulkner to Sista Souljah and much more.
Find Last Summer on State Street on Amazon.
Check out more from Toya Wolfe at toyawolfe.com
Follow her on social media, at Facebook, on Twitter @toyawolves to keep up with all the latest author news and updates, and on Instagram.com/toyawolves. 
Visit The Chicago Writers Association at chicagowrites.org, 
Register now for this year's Let's Just Write: An Uncommon Writer's Conference, March 25-26th, 2023.
And don't forget to check out 79 original programs from 46 local presenters from the CWA Speakers Bureau!