Writers conferences aren’t cheap, but their benefits are priceless. Registration opened November 1st for the 30th Annual Pikes Peak Writers Conference and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. America’s Friendliest Conference is where the spark of my writing journey caught flame. The benefits of writers conferences like PPWC keep the fires burning even when rejection letters or life’s interventions threaten to dowse them with stank bog water. If you’ve never attended a writers conference, for those that are con-curious, please, allow me to illustrate a few reasons to fork over the dough and go… Read Article →
Posts by: Bowen
Yes, Please! Talk to any stuck-in-the-chair writer and they will tell you the true value of caffeine. It gets the morning going and keeps the afternoon creative. Whether it’s coffee or tea for you (or, dear lord, soda), if you’re a writer you have your favorite and, like dog people vs. cat people, you’l defend your preference with vehemence. Now, most of us fit somewhere along the coffee versus tea spectrum. Some are fully in one camp or the other, claiming those on the other side are ignorant morons who want to destroy the world… Read Article →
October 27th at Tattered Cover in Colorado Springs Please, join me for a book signing event at Colorado Springs’ newest bookstore, Tattered Cover. Featured authors from Pikes Peak Writers will be on hand to sign both Dream (2022) and Fresh Starts (2021). My story Dawn Trouble features in the latter. So come and explore the newest addition to our region’s bookselling scene at 112 N Tejon St. While browsing, pick up copies of the two PPW anthologies and get them signed at our author table. Chat with us, we’re pretty nice folks. Pikes Peak Writers… Read Article →
Attend any marketing workshop or read any agent/editor/publisher blog and you will quickly learn that an author needs a strong social media presence. Authors must have a following even before they’re published. But, whether you’re a published author or new to the writing scene, there are some guidelines we must follow as we build our brand as writers on social media. First, writers MUST have a social media presence. Today, a writer’s Twitter, Facebook, and/or Instagram (plus Reddit and other sites) serve as the gateway for readers and writers to connect. Websites may be where… Read Article →
What’s the difference and why it’s all good With the huge resurgence of bourbon in recent years, spirits fans (like me) have started exploring the variety of palate pleasing offerings that fall under the label of whiskey. Only once I did so did I learn that not all whiskey is whisky and that each option on the market has a devoted and vocal fanbase. Bourbon is America’s official spirit. To be called a bourbon, several qualifications have to be met: mash bill, aging, proof, and must be distilled and bottled in the United States. Bourbon… Read Article →
After months of waiting, Dawn Trouble is now on Amazon.com as a Kindle ebook. Sorry (not too sorry), but it’s not available for free through Kindle Unlimited. While I encourage readers to enjoy my wayward heroes Rom and Drood as part of Pikes Peak Writers debut anthology Fresh Starts, if you’re a Kindle reader, you can now own the tale as a standalone ebook. Anything new if I get Dawn Trouble on Amazon? Well, you get my sweet cover art, some nifty new formatting, and a shameless plug to read my other stories on the… Read Article →
Part 3: Writers Groups and Networks Surprise! A Writer’s Toolbox was originally intended as a two-parter focused on print and digital resources I use to help me in my fiction writing journey. However, no writer’s kit is complete without actual human resources. You know, peers and pros, fellow writers and the knowledge and wisdom they provide both as individuals and in organized (sometimes) groups. So, this unforeseen third installment of A Writer’s Toolbox will look at the people who help me out. Thank you to every one of them! At a certain point (the earlier… Read Article →