Dear Reader,

I teach most of my workshops on Zoom these days, which has benefits and drawbacks. The benefit is that readers and writers from all over the world can attend. The drawback is that you're not physically in the same room as everyone, and that creates a different dynamic.

So I'm thrilled to be giving two in-person workshops in the coming weeks.

Writing Festival at The Fells in Newbury, NH

If you're within driving distance of this beautiful part of the country, this is a great time of year to visit the historic John Hay estate and absorb some writing craft wisdom from an impressive lineup of author presenters on October 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The theme of the conference is The Power of the Pen, and my interactive workshop's title is The Power of the Pen to Shape Experience.

Every decision an author makes on multiple levels affects the way a reader experiences the story. Genre sets reader expectations. Structure is how you meet those expectations by controlling pacing and story beats. Style is how you express what happens, and voice is what the reader perceives.

The session includes some exercises that will help attendees see how those elements affect their own work.

​You can register here—it would be so wonderful to see you!

WriteAngles Conference at Bay Path University

This annual one-day conference run by Straw Dog Writers Guild of Western Massachusetts is packed with 22 informative sessions ranging from poetry to publishing to ghost stories—and everything in between.

My talk is titled You Wrote the Book. Now What? and covers the different decisions to make about getting your book into the hands of the readers who are waiting for it—whether that's traditional publishing, hybrid, or self-publishing. I get pretty granular: detailing what you'll have to spend on each different path as well as how much of your time each one demands.

And it's all based on my own lived experience. 😊

There are also optional opportunities to pitch to agents in-person or online.

The conferences is on Saturday, October 24, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Reveal: A declassified mission from the Pinkstocking archives—and test your code-breaking skills!

One of the fascinating things I investigated while researching the Pinkstocking Club series was the role that coded messages played in the Peninsular War. Napoleon employed a complex nomenclator code to convey vital military information to French generals. It was devilish enough to stump the British for quite a while.

The story of that code and a historic image of the table created by the man who finally broke it for the British is part of the third big milestone reveal in the Kickstarter.

Plus, you can have a go at deciphering a (rather simpler) Pinkstocking nomenclator code when you visit the password-protect archive page on my website.

​The link to the page and the password are on my Kickstarter page.​

While you're checking out the reveal, why not become a backer? You can back at whatever level you want—from $1 to anything you're comfortable with. The digital rewards start at the $5 level and increase from there. If you want the special Kickstarter edition hardcover, that reward is yours at the $85 Founding Member level and higher.

And now that I'm fully funded—again (more to say about that later)—I'll definitely be creating all those goodies I promised.

Rewards or not, I'm grateful for any backing you can give!

With affection and gratitude,

Susanne

P.S. The Kickstarter campaign runs until noon on October 22. You have until then to back it and get those exclusive rewards.