Scheduled Speakers
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RENEE GEORGE
USA Today Bestselling Author
USA Today Bestselling Author, Renee George writes paranormal mysteries and romances because she loves all things whodunit, Otherworldly, and weird. Also, she wishes her pittie, the adorable Kona, could talk. Or at least be more like Scooby-Doo and help her unmask villains at the haunted house up the street.
When she’s not writing about mystery-solving werecougars or the adventures of a hapless psychic living among shapeshifters, she dons her superhero cape and rescues kittens. Okay, the kitten totally showed up one day and suddenly she’s got a new pet named Simon.
She lives in Missouri with her family and spends her non-writing time doing really cool stuff…like watching TV and cleaning up dog poop.
SESSIONS:
Marketing On A Budget Part 1
First Things First
Renee will share about audience reach through social media, websites, cross-promotion, and newsletters, including practical strategies to achieve your goals. Discover practical and cost-effective strategies to market your books and connect with readers. In this session, you'll learn how to leverage social media platforms, participate in free book blasts, create an engaging author website, utilize tools like BookFunnel, and build a powerful newsletter list—all without exceeding your budget. Perfect for writers at any stage of their journey, this workshop provides actionable tips to grow your audience and boost your book's visibility.
Marketing On A Budget Part 2
Putting the Nitty in the Gritty
Paid social media advertising, paid Newsletters, and Amazon Marketplace promotions to extend audience reach beyond word-of-mouth marketing. Take your book marketing to the next level with targeted paid strategies that maximize your budget. This session explores the effective use of Facebook Ads, Amazon Marketplace promotions, and popular paid newsletter platforms like BookBub, Freebooksy, and eReader News Today. Gain insights into selecting the right advertising channels, crafting compelling promotions, and optimizing your campaigns to reach more readers without overspending. Perfect for authors ready to invest strategically in their book's success but don’t want to take out a second mortgage to do it.
TERRY ZAHNISER MCDERMID
Author / Writing Instructor
Terry Zahniser McDermid started telling stories when she was little, according to her parents. Her first writing success came in fourth grade, when the teacher read a story of hers out loud to the class. The teacher added that she might think about writing as a career. A dream and a goal was born that day.
Her first story was submitted when she was eleven. The story wasn’t published but she did receive a postcard from the editor, stating that Terry could order the magazine at the “Author’s price.” Since that early submission, she has sent out - and published - stories, articles, and novel ideas.
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During her elementary teaching years, she published articles and ideas in both educational and church magazines (Teaching Today, Instructor, Learning, Wonder Time, Primary Treasure, Power and Light, to name a few). She sponsored an elementary writers’ club and published a quarterly magazine with the students. Her educational resource book, A Tapestry of Reading, was published by Good Year Books and used in classrooms in school districts in several states. Other publishing credits include romance novels for Avalon Books and Harlequin; articles for Harris’ Farmer’s Almanac: and short romance stories in Woman’s World.
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In addition to writing, she enjoys teaching workshops on the craft of writing and was an instructor for the Institute of Children’s Literature. For the past ten years, she has worked with community groups on writing their own life stories. Her weekly blog, “Monday Musings,” became a book encouraging others to write their own thoughts, too.
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Please visit her website: www.tessamcdermid.com
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SESSIONS:
Your Story, Your Legacy
Everyone has a story to share filled with the places they've traveled or lived. Their career experiences. Their hopes and dreams, family adventures, and so much more. Whether you're wanting to share your story with the masses or with your grandchildren, Terry shows ways to write and finish your memoir to leave a lasting legacy.
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Elbows and Knees: How Your Life Story Can Enrich Your Writing
Writers pay attention to the world around them and everything involved can become part of a story, an article, or a blog. Recording what is experienced may not be enough in a story, though. Terry will share tips to weave life events into fiction and nonfiction.
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TIM RITTER
Author / Historian / Storyteller
A native of Springfield, Missouri, award-winning author Tim Ritter has written articles for trade magazines and has been the featured speaker at hundreds of seminars across the country.
His book, Sarah Burning, released in 2021, tells the true story of a fatal housefire in rural Missouri in 1959, and the struggle of the three survivors who had to put the physical and emotional pain, survivor guilt, and horrifying memories of that night behind them. It is a story of perseverance, strength, and redemption in which everyone, including the rest of the family, had to literally rise from the ashes.Soul Sketches – 2nd Edition, released in 2020, is a heartfelt collection of short stories and poems, most of which are based on Tim's personal
experiences. He refers to the book as a “real, sometimes brutal, look at live, love, marriage, divorce, and everything in between”.
The Lantern series of books is a collection of Tim’s lectures which have been presented to Masonic lodges in Southwest Missouri and has received critical acclaim from members of the fraternity across the state.
Tim lives outside Fair Grove, Missouri, with his wife, Lisa, writing full time and speaking to civic groups and organizations on a variety of topics. In addition to being past president of the Springfield Writers Guild, he is a member of the Douglas County Historical Society, the Christian County Historical Society, Ozarks Genealogical Society, and the Poe Studies Association.
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Visit his website: www.timritter.net
SESSIONS:
Publishing Poetry with a Spoonful of Prose
Writing poetry can be a daunting task. Publishing poetry is no less challenging. Join author Tim Ritter, for a lively exploration into the ins and outs of publishing poetry, and how adding prose can help bring the collection of writings to a new dimension.
Research: Sometimes You Get Lucky
Whether writing fiction of nonfiction, the research process can be filled with crippling quicksand. Join award-winning author Tim Ritter on a journey through his research experiences during the writing of two books and the astounding discoveries along the way.
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JAN MORRILL
Author/ Poet / Artist
Jan Morrill's debut novel, The Red Kimono (University of Arkansas, 2013) was selected Historical Novel Society's Editor's Choice and was selected as a 2013 Arkansas Gem by the Arkansas State Library. Her other books include a non-fiction book on characterization (Creative Characterization) and a book of haiku (Life: Haiku by Haiku.) Now that she's retired, she has returned to working on the sequel to The Red Kimono and enjoying her grandchildren.
SESSIONS:
Creative Characterization, Part I
Do you want to create characters who will tell both you and your readers a story? In this session, through discussion and exercises, Jan Morrill will show you two of her methods: Interviewing Your Character and Describing a Photo from Your Character's Point of View.
Creative Characterization, Part II
Learn two new methods to help you create rich characters to tell their stories and to help you with writer's block. (Creative Characterization Part I session is NOT needed to take this session.) Through discussion and exercises, Jan will show you two new methods: 1) Writing an Existing Scene from a Different Point of View, and 2) Writing Letters To Your Characters
R. H. BURKETT
Author / Speaker
R.H. Burkett, also known as Ruth Weeks, is the author of six published books. Her latest release, Dixie Dandelion and the White Doves (Solander Press), was released in 2025. That same year, her book Moon Child Rising was adapted into an audiobook. Other works by Ruth include Soldiers from the Mist, Daughter of the Howling Moon, Broom Flyer’s Tales and Spells. She wrote a children's book, Fred Finds a Fur-Ever Home, under the pen name Winnie Watson in honor of her rescue cat, Fred. In addition to writing, Ruth is a public speaker, an international tarot card reader, and broom flyer. She is also a twin; she and her brother were the first boy/girl twins born at Washington Regional Hospital in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
A graduate of Fayetteville High School, Ruth majored in drama at the University of Arkansas.
Ruth resides in Springdale, Arkansas, with her two feline muses, Fred and Coco. She is currently working on four new paranormal suspense novels while crafting fresh spells to captivate her readers, both young and old.
SESSION:
Ruthie’s Rookie Writing Tips
Want to write a novel but don’t know where to start? Never fear. will help get you started.Tips covered in this presentation include:· What a good critique group should include
· The Holy Trinity of Writing: Point-of-View, Sense of Place, and Internalization
· Why you should read your work out loud
· First person vs. third
· Lazy words and verbs
· How to dress-up your characters and sense of place
· Basic formatting of a manuscript
· A good working knowledge of basic grammar
· The importance of being professional
Using examples from the good and bad of her own writing, Ruth Weeks will help guide the beginning writer in effective writing. No big terms. No over-whelming language. Just down-to-earth advice that is both instructive and fun.
Hand-outs will be available.
DUKE PENNELL
Writer / Editor / Publisher
Duke and his wife Kimberly founded Pen-L Publishing in 2012, and have now published over 130 fiction and non-fiction books. (Sorry, they are now closed for submissions.)
Named one of the Top Ten Editors of both Novels and Ezines by “Preditors & Editors,” Duke has edited many books that won national and regional awards and is himself an award-winning author. He also publishes the ezine Frontier Tales, a monthly assortment of tales of the Old West. (It is open for submissions.)
Among other occupations, he’s also been a fire fighter, police
officer, jeweler, and computer systems engineer. Duke’s advice to writers is, “Write for your ideal reader, because no one can please everyone, so don’t try. Also, learn the rules of writing and grammar. Then, when you break one, you’ll know what you did and why you did it.”
He and Kimberly live in the woods outside Fayetteville, Arkansas. And by the way, Duke is his real name.
SESSION:
Self-Publishing: The DIY Handbook for Authors.
Whether you’ve written a book of short stories, poetry, or a novel, self-publishing is easy. All you have to do is... everything. But what if you don’t have the time, knowledge, skill, or money to do it all? Learn how to decide what to do on your own and what you want to have someone do for you.
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MARGARITE STEVER
Author / Blogger
Margarite Stever grew up in Asbury, a tiny Missouri town of just over 200 people. She lives in a larger city now but tries to stay true to her small town, country roots. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Missouri Southern State University. She is an award winning author who writes stories and essays that touch a person’s heart. She is a member of Joplin Writers’ Guild, Missouri Writers Guild, Sleuths’ Ink Mystery Writers, serves on the board of Ozarks Writers League, and is Vice President of Ozarks Romance Authors. She published her novel, Sally’s Secret Legacy, in October of 2023 and her short story collection, Moonbeams and Ashes, in October of 2021. Her work has appeared in Romance, Poetry, Mystery and More: An Anthology by Ozark Romance Authors Members,
Chicken Soup for the Soul: It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas; Joplin Writers’ Guild Anthology, Seasons of the Four States; Anthology 2019 Sleuths’ Ink Mystery Writers; Missouri’s Emerging Writers; Legends: Passion Pages; 50-Word Stories website; and several other literary journals and magazines including Writer’s Digest: Show Us Your Shorts.
You can visit her website at www.margaritestever.com. Her seeds of wisdom and joy can be seen on her blog at http://ozarksmaven.com.
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THURSDAY AFTERNOON SESSION: My Convoluted Journey to Authorship
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R.J. CARTER
Logistics / Publishing / Podcasting / Consulting
R. J. Carter is the author of such things as Alice's Journey Beyond the Moon and Time Hunter: The Sideways Door, as well as a handful of titles in the Warren Murphy Media franchise, The Destroyer. He is currently publisher at Critical Blast Publishing, producing anthologies like Gods & Services and More Monsters Next Door, as well as reviving several 80s and 90s comic book series into large-form hardcover anthologies for fans of indie titles like Flare and Southern Knights.
SESSION:How to Make Engaging Promotions for Your Book Using Internet tools to help create engaging and memorable ads and videos to promote your book title.
BOARD TALK
CLARISSA (CHRISSY) WILLIS
OCW Treasure / Contest Chair
Clarissa (Chrissy ) Willis is the product of a minister and a drama teacher. She has always had an active imagination and enjoys speaking and writing. She has presented workshops and keynote addresses in all 50 states and five foreign countries. She was senior vice president of publishing at Kaplan Early Learning Company and has been an educator for over 40 years.
Clarissa has written curricula for Frog Street Press, Kaplan Early Learning Company, and Scholastic. She is the author of nineteen teacher resource books, including the award-winning Teaching
Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In addition,
Chrissy has written five children's books and is working on a nonfiction book about writing. She owns Solander Press, a service company that helps independent authors publish professionally. In her spare time, she serves on the board for Ozark Creative Writers, Between the Pages Writer's Conference, and the Missouri Writer's Guild. She lives with her dogs, George Maurice and Sophie Grace, in the Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas.
SESSION:
The Elephant in the Room
After your book is published, what comes next? This interactive session will focus on marketing, promoting, and branding yourself as an author. In addition, participants will learn about planning for their taxes, how to prepare for a book launch, and how to stay competitive in the ever-changing world of social media.
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