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“Falling in love makes us feel alive in a way we rarely get to feel,” Jane Porter says. “I couldn’t imagine not writing love stories.”
In September, we’ll learn just how the California author successfully penned and published nearly 80 women’s fiction and romance novels. Porter, who is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, has more than 15 million books published in 20 languages and sold in more than 25 countries.
For years, Centralia author Debby Lee, who is a member of my Inklings writers’ critique group, asked us to invite Porter to teach at the conference, and we’re fortunate to have her keynote the conference and teach two workshops on Saturday, Sept. 13, at Centralia College’s Walton Science Center.
She and W.F. West Bearcat alum Patrick Hutchison, whose debut memoir “Cabin: Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman” was released last December to great acclaim, will also answer questions about writing and their journey to publishing at the AAUW’s Evening with Authors on Friday, Sept. 12. Hutchison, who lives in Tacoma, will also share his inspirational journey at the conference on Saturday morning. “The Today Show” anchors described Hutchison’s memoir as hilarious, touching and beautiful. He narrated the audiobook himself, and I laughed aloud several times while listening to it.
After graduating from W.F. West in 2004, Hutchison attended the University of Washington, where he double-majored in anthropology and history. Then he traveled to China, backpacked through Europe, lived in Argentina, and wrote freelance newspaper and magazine articles before working as a copywriter for a tech startup in Seattle and then Expedia. That’s when he found an old cabin in Index, Washington, on Craigslist for $7,500 that he described as an “oversize doghouse” and renovated it with his friends. That journey laid the foundation for his memoir and a new career building custom-designed tree houses.
“I had no idea what I was doing, which in hindsight was probably the best,” Hutchison said in an interview earlier this year. “Because if I’d known anything about building, when I went up and looked at the cabin, I would have seen all the problems with it … I didn’t know enough to know what was really bad about it.”
The 11th annual Southwest Washington Writers Conference features a terrific weekend of learning from well-established and debut authors with a Friday master class and a Saturday conference that offers keynotes and a selection of 24 workshops. Topics include writing heroes and villains, pacing commercial fiction, pitching to agents and editors, marketing books, structuring stories, drafting flash fiction, writing dialogue, adding sensory details, editing, publishing fiction and nonfiction, penning poetry, starting a podcast, formatting books, and conducting research. Sandra Crowell, author of “The Land Called Lewis” and “The Ravaged Forest,” will partner with me to teach two workshops on writing, publishing and marketing books.
Growing up amid the orange blossoms in Visalia, California, Porter dreamed of fearless knights, beautiful princesses and happy endings. She wrote her first picture book in second grade and her first novel in fourth grade, inspired by Louisa May Alcott and her character, Jo, from Little Women as well as Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the “Little House on the Prairie” books.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from UCLA and worked in sales and marketing. She later earned a master’s in writing from the University of San Francisco and taught junior and senior high school English. She’s married to a surfer, lives in San Clemente, and has three sons and three dogs.
Porter said she has always admired strong women, loved to travel, and believed that stories matter. And so does love.
Harlequin Presents published her first novel in 2000. She’s been a finalist six times for the Romance Writers of America’s RITA and won it in July 2014 for “Take Me, Cowboy.”
She also founded Tule Publishing in February 2013 to provide more opportunities for romance and women’s fiction writers. The company has published more than 2,000 books.
Two novels in her “Taming of the Sheenans” romance series — “An Autumn Romance” (originally “The Tycoon’s Kiss”) and “A Christmas Miracle for Daisy” — were turned into movies for the Great American Family Network. Lifetime aired “Flirting with Forty” as a movie in 2008 starring Heather Locklear. Another book, “Christmas at Copper Mountain,” which won the Booksellers Best Novella award, has been optioned for a movie. And a Hollywood producer has optioned “Mrs. Perfect and Odd Mom Out.”
If you’ve ever wanted to write your life story, don’t miss the Friday morning three-hour master class, “The Story of Your Life: The Art of Memoir,” taught by Seattle’s William Kenower. He is the author of “Fearless Writing: How to Create Boldly and Write With Confidence” and several other books and editor-in-chief of Author magazine. He’ll teach how to find the narrative arc in a personal story, how to write about painful memories, how to write about people who have mistreated you, and how sharing the challenging moments from your life can help others.
“There is an art to taking the sprawling events of your life and reducing them down to a personal essay or memoir,” he said. His inside-out approach to writing helps identify the story. “All stories are worth telling when you find their heart.”
In the afternoon, Eugene author Miriam Gershow, award-winning author of “Closer, Survival Tips: Stories” and “The Local News” and a two-time finalist for the Oregon Book Awards’ Ken Kesey Award for Fiction, will teach a three-hour class on “Successful Revision: Principles and Practices to Drive the Process.” The revision process helps clarify the story, the characters, the plot, and the meaning of a story.
Then, two senior editors from Sasquatch Press will discuss “Secrets of a Winning Nonfiction Book Proposal: An Honest Conversation Between Editors.” Avalon Radys of Portland acquires and develops nonfiction titles in health and wellness, parenting, creative how-to, and narrative nonfiction, and Jill Saginario of Seattle acquires cookbooks and other lifestyle nonfiction. They’ll talk about what happens when proposals land on their desk and why some demonstrate commercial viability while others don’t. Learn how publishing decisions are made and the elements that can make or break a submission.
After the master class, head over to the TransAlta Commons for the AAUW Evening with Authors, which features raffle baskets, book sales and refreshments. Proceeds benefit Hope Alliance, formerly the Human Response Network, which helps survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Porter and Hutchison will discuss writing in a presentation moderated by longtime Centralia College instructor Doris Wood.
On Saturday morning, the conference begins with a presentation by Hutchison, who will talk about his journey to publication with Cabin, followed by Porter’s keynote, “How to Be the Hero in Your Own Story.” She’ll also teach two workshops — “Intense & Tight: Pacing Commercial Fiction” and “Writing Great Dialogue.”
Greyhaus Literary agent Scott Eagan of Puyallup will teach two workshops — “Marketing Your Writing, Finding Your Audience” and “Developmental Editing Your Fiction Writing.” Editor Christine Pinto of Shoreline will teach “Connecting from Beginning to End: Building the Structure That Supports Your Story” and “Mastering Sensory Detail.” Author Christina Suzann Nelson of Philomath, Oregon, winner of both Carol and Christy awards, will teach “Short and Captivating: Writing Two-Hour Reads That Leave a Lasting Impact” and “Plotting for Pansters: How to Find Structure Without Stifling Creativity.”
Portland’s Melanie Dobson, a five-time Carol Award-winning author of nearly 30 novels, will teach “What I Wish I’d Known: Thirty Lessons Learned in Thirty Years.”
In addition to their master classes, both Kenower and Gershow will teach workshops at the Saturday conference. Kenower will teach “Fearless Writing” while Gershow will teach “More Joy of Flash.” Alle Hall of Seattle will lead two workshops — “Get Your Pitch Right” and “Their Book Gets All the Attention.” “Monsters Are Needy,” as Erick Mertz of Oregon City will share in his workshop, and Curtis C. Chen of Vancouver will teach how to overcome the blank page in “Yes, and Keep Writing: First Draft as Improv.” From Craig Allen Heath of Longview, participants will learn how to “Write Poems for Fun and Craft,” while Tracie Heskett of Vancouver will share “Research Skills for Writers.” Anyone ever wanted to start a podcast? Jan Johnson of Astoria will show you how to do it.
Fifth-generation Texan Paula Peckham from Burleson, Texas, will teach two workshops — “So You Want to Be a Writer?” and “Formatting Skills for Self-Published Writers.” Former educator and author Julie Merrick of Olympia will provide tools for aspiring authors to publish their books in “Done Is Better Than Perfect: Essential Advice to Becoming a Published Author.” And author and coach J.B. Kish of Portland will teach “Project Managing Your Novel: How to Write a Book in Ten Months.”
The nonprofit, volunteer-run conference offers a little something for everyone interested in writing. Joy’s Once Upon a Thyme in Chehalis will provide scrumptious lunches both days. To save money, sign up before July 31st at www.southwestwashingtonwriters.com
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Julie McDonald, a personal historian from Toledo, may be reached at memoirs@chaptersoflife.com.
