Meetings

4th Tuesday each month at 7 p.m. EST
In-person and virtual.

What takes place at an ACFW North Georgia meeting? A lot! Every monthly meeting contains the following segments:

  • Introductions. We’ll learn a little about each other and the genre we each write.
  • Good News. Everything from getting a rejection to landing a contract to simply getting some writing done.
  • Writing-related devotion.
  • Industry News. Stay up on the latest happenings, contests, and conference news.
  • Tech Tip. Computers, social media, Scrivener… there’s so many things that can help with your writing.
  • Writing Tip. You’ll always go home with something that can make your writing better.

Each month will also bring in a speaker or panel of some kind to guide us in our learning. Check our the schedule below for a list of upcoming speakers and topics.

We currently meet via Zoom and send the access link the day before the meeting.

January 25
LARRY J. LEECH II
Strong Foundation, Strong Fiction
Writing coach, Larry J. Leech II, will present Strong Foundation, Strong Fiction. He has spent more than 40 years writing and editing. For the first 18 years he wrote, edited, and managed news and sports departments at daily newspapers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, California, and Florida. He next edited Christian Retailing magazine for five years. With more than 2,300 published articles and 13,000 interviews under his belt, Larry moved into freelance writing and editing in 2004. Since that time he has ghostwritten 30 books, edited more than 250 manuscripts, and written back cover copy and press releases for numerous publishers.

February 22
ATHENA DEAN HOLTZ
The Publishing Supply Chain
Athena Dean Holtz is an author, speaker, podcaster, blogger, bookstore owner, and a pastor’s wife. She’s also the publisher of Redemption Press, located in Enumclaw, Washington. She’ll explain the publishing process from when a manuscript goes to press to when it appears on bookshelves. And she’ll discuss the current state of our publishing industry’s supply chain challenges.

March 22
TONI SHILOH
Developing a Marketing Strategy
Toni Shiloh is a wife, mom, and multi-published Christian contemporary romance author. Her novels, Grace Restored, was a 2019 Holt Medallion finalist, Risking Love a 2020 Selah Award finalist, The Truth About Fame a 2021 Holt Medallion finalist, and The Price of Dreams a 2021 Maggie Award finalist. She has a tried-and-true marketing strategy that she’s willing to share with us.

April 26
CANDICE YAMNITZ
How to Succeed at Instagram Marketing
Candice Yamnitz, a mom of three from Chicago, debuted her first young adult novel, Unbetrothed, in February. Nine months before her launch, she earnestly began accumulating organic followers on Instagram. By the time Unbetrothed released, she had more than 6,200 followers. She’s going to share her tips and tricks with us.

May 24
ROBERT QUATTLEBAUM
“How to Sell Your Book to Perfect Strangers”
Having trouble finding local markets for your book? Totally lost trying to find new readers for your work? Scared stiff of “cold call” face-to-face selling? Rest easy! You can sell your book to perfect strangers without breaking a sweat. Robert Quattlebaum’s formula for direct selling makes it easy for even the shyest author to start selling hundreds of books per year and build a readership from ground zero. A professional systems analyst, he’s the author of two indie-published Christian novels.

June 28 – ZOOM ONLY
ZENA DELL LOWE
True Character vs Characterization
What is True Character vs. Characterization? Why do some characters seem real while others fall flat?  How can we create 3-D characters that our audiences will love and care about? Zena Dell Lowe’s session breaks down the essential elements of what makes a great character in a story and gives practical insights and tools that writers can immediately apply to their own stories.

July 26
KRISTI ANN HUNTER
Show vs Tell
A member of our chapter, Kristi Ann Hunter is a RITA award-winning author of Regency romance novels from a Christian worldview. Her eight books, two novellas, and six short stories reveal her expertise in “showing” her characters’ emotions.

August 23 – ZOOM ONLY
RACHEL HAUCK
Creating Tension
What is tension? How does it drive the story? What elements are needed for good tension? Watching two characters drink a cup of tea can be incredibly boring. Or incredibly tense! What makes one boring and one tense? Join Rachel Hauck as she teaches on the elements of dynamic tension in fiction.

September 27
HALLEE BRIDGEMAN
Developing and Maintaining a Knock-out Newsletter
With nearly a million book sales, USA TODAY bestselling and award-winning author Hallee Bridgeman has published 38 action-packed romantic suspense novels and four parody cookbooks. Her dynamic newsletter is an industry leader. To get a head start on her presentation, subscribe to her newsletter.

October 25
TANYA AGLER
Self Editing
A member of our chapter, Tanya Agler is an award-winning author of four sweet romances, three of which are published by Harlequin Heartwarming. An exacting editor, she’s always the first to catch errors on our meeting Powerpoint presentations.

November (no meeting because of Thanksgiving)

December 6 — Christmas Party

Archive of meeting speakers

Where we meet

Questions about membership? Get answers here.