Meetings and Events
Lunch and Networking beforehand from 12:00 – 1:00 MT
1:00 – 2:00 Program MT
2:15 – 3:00 – Business Meeting MT
Non-members are invited to attend two business meetings per year for free.
(Speaker events are a non-refundable $10 for non-members)
All events are also posted on the chapter’s Facebook page.
Meetings are on Saturdays: 1/6, 2/3, 3/2, 4/6, 5/4, No June meeting,
7/13, 8/3, 9/7, 10/5, 11/2, No December meeting
2024 Programs
November 2: Ask Me Anything about Book Design! A Q&A conversation with TeaBerry Creative by Tara Mayberry. IN-PERSON ONLY at 1pm, Smoky Mountain Pizza 415 E Parkcenter Blvd.
Tara Mayberry is the owner of TeaBerry Creative book design and creative services. A seasoned graphic designer of over 30 years, she enjoys working with fonts and photographs in page layout projects, and although her love is book design, she has experience in everything from logo design to signage. In her free time, she enjoys practicing kung-fu and tai-chi, cooking, traveling, photography, and cannot start the day without a cup of hot tea.
Program Description:
In a conversational-style presentation, Tara will answer any of your questions about book design—both covers and interiors—while also discussing the ongoing debate about stock photography vs. custom image compositing vs. generative AI for book cover and interior images.
Non-CBC members are welcome to attend for the non-refundable fee of $10.
October 5: Imprint Publishing: A Guide for Romance Writers by Madi Vale, IN-PERSON ONLY at 1pm, Smoky Mountain Pizza 415 E Parkcenter Blvd.
Madison (Madi) Vale is an independent author with a life-long passion for words. She publishes under multiple pen names for her own genre-fiction imprint, Madison Vale Publishing. Madison has published six titles across three genres and counting, with an upcoming fantasy project on the horizon. She lives and writes in the Treasure Valley with her husband and two dogs.
Explore the concept of imprint publishing with Madison Vale Publishing. Attendees will learn about the benefits and strategies of creating and managing their own imprint. Madi looks forward to an active, engaged conversation with our chapter.
Non-CBC members are welcome to attend for the non-refundable fee of $10.
September 7: Ask Me Anything: Productivity and Your Author Business by Gemma Cates and Megan Bryce IN-PERSON ONLY at 1pm, Smoky Mountain Pizza 415 E Parkcenter Blvd.
Gemma Cates writes flirty paranormal, fantasy, and alien romances with plenty of the steamy stuff and a solid dash of humor. If you’re looking for hot otherworldly fun and laughter, she’s happy to oblige.
When Gemma’s not cooking up new happily-ever-afters for her fanged and clawed heroes and heroines, she might be writing books in other, sweeter genres. (She’ll never tell.)
Megan Bryce writes contemporary and historical romance and is working on her first urban fantasy romance. She enjoys reading and complaining about writing, and loves to talk incessantly about the business of being an author.
Program Description:
Ask Kate (aka Gemma Cates) and Megan anything about growing and maintaining your author business! Each of them will share about 10 minutes of tips on how to game and maintain productivity, and the rest of the program will be an open Q&A session.
Non-CBC members are welcome to attend IN-PERSON ONLY for the non-refundable fee of $10.
August 3: Nuance in Fiction: Saying More by Saying Less with Jenny Proctor, award-winning author of more than twenty romantic comedies and an Amazon bestseller, VIA ZOOM ONLY at 1pm MT. The meeting room will open at 12:30 for networking.
She began her career in publishing in 2013; her writing has been a constant since then and is now her full-time focus, but in the past, she spent several years as the owner and managing editor of Midnight Owl Editors and as the chair of the Storymakers Conference.
Wired for relationships, Jenny loves public speaking, teaching, and building lasting connections. Jenny was born in the mountains of Western North Carolina, a place she considers one of the loveliest on earth. She loves to hike with her family and spend time outdoors, but she also adores lounging around her home, reading great books or watching great movies and, when she’s lucky, eating delicious food she doesn’t have to prepare herself.
Class Description: Ernest Hemingway said, “If a writer of prose knows enough of what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them.”
In this class, learn how to balance the things you must tell your readers with the things you should lead your readers to discover on their own through nuanced clues and intentional omission. Free yourself from info dumps, clean up unnecessary dialogue, and make your readers feel smart by saying more with less.
Non-CBC members are welcome to attend VIA ZOOM ONLY for the non-refundable fee of $10.
July 13: Writing Mini-retreat from 10am-2pm, Marion Bingham Room at the Main Library, 715 S. Capitol Blvd.
No June Meeting
May 4: “Show, Don’t Tell” What It Means, What It Looks Like, and Why It Matters with developmental editor Cristen Iris IN-PERSON ONLY at 1pm, Smoky Mountain Pizza 415 E Parkcenter Blvd
Cristen Iris is a neurodivergent, award-winning ghostwriter and developmental editor who specializes in working with mission-driven clients on high-impact and engaging books and documentary film projects. Her author clients have contracts with Big 5, academic, and respected independent publishers and have earned more than 60 book and writing awards; bestseller rankings, including New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon Charts; and media placements, including Parade Magazine, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and New York Post. And their books have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
Confused by the advice “Show, don’t tell”? You’re not alone. Even experienced writers struggle with this one.
After nine years of substantive editing, Cristen Iris has come to the conclusion that novelists and memoirists stumble in this area because sometimes it’s better to show and sometimes it’s better to tell. Writers instinctively understand this, but struggle to identify showing versus telling in different contexts and which to do when and why.
If this sounds like you, join us at the May Coeur Du Bois Chapter (CBC-RWA) meeting for a writing workshop with real-world help, including real-world, compare-and-contrast examples and a take-home tip sheet.
April 6: Becoming Your Own Publisher with Val Roberts. MEMBERS ONLY IN-PERSON at 1:00pm, Smoky Mountain Pizzeria and Grill, 415 E. Parkcenter Blvd, Boise, ID 83706. **No Zoom Available**
Idaho native Val Roberts has been a historical reenactor, typesetter, journalist, analytical chemist, Y2K consultant, electronics design technician, event planner, and technical writer. She can herd cats and web programmers in the same day. She lives in her hometown with a spooky disabled vet and a varied assortment of dogs and cats. She loves stories about human people in times and places that only exist in her head, where anything can happen and usually does.
This workshop is an Indie publishing overview from a business perspective, including the to-do list, tips and tricks, and how to stay sane and organized while doing the work of an entire team. Find out the one secret every author needs to know.
The presentation will touch on everything from choosing your business entity to finding editors and covers; copyright and why you need to understand it, and…marketing (which is an entire college major all by itself, so we’ll hit the highlights).
February 3: Indie Author Alignment workshop with Megan Bryce and Tracie Lee. IN-PERSON ONLY at 1:00pm, Smoky Mountain Pizzeria and Grill, 415 E. Parkcenter Blvd, Boise, ID 83706. **No Zoom Available**
Why do you write? What do you need to get out of publishing? Should you go trad or indie? Chapter Treasurer Megan Bryce and VP of Programs Tracie Lee will co-lead a fun, informative, interactive workshop based on Claire Taylor’s Indie Author Alignment class. Join us for the rest of February, too, in a Finish the Damn Workshop challenge!
It’s helpful if you know your Enneagram type before the workshop. Take a free test at PersonalityPath.com (and read about your type) or take the $12 test at the Enneagram Institute (includes a comprehensive report of your results).
Visitors welcome (no speaker fee).
January 6: Mini-Writing and Marketing Retreat 10am to 2pm @ Boise Main Library, Marion Bingham room (715 S. Capitol Blvd)
Start the year off write! Come join us for a one-day mini-writing and marketing retreat and get some good words in on the current WIP. Megan will be available for individual marketing/advertising sessions for members and non-members alike.
Visitors welcome (no speaker fee). Please note that only small, packaged snacks and beverages in closed containers are allowed in the library.
2023
November 4: How to Use 12 Fiction Inspection Points to Write and Revise Your Novel with developmental editor Cristen Iris IN-PERSON ONLY at 1pm, Smoky Mountain Pizza 415 E Parkcenter Blvd
Cristen Iris is a neurodivergent, award-winning ghostwriter and developmental editor who specializes in working with mission-driven clients on high-impact and engaging books and documentary film projects. Her author clients have contracts with Big 5, academic, and respected independent publishers and have earned more than 60 book and writing awards; bestseller rankings, including New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon Charts; and media placements, including Parade Magazine, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and New York Post. And their books have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
Cristen believes that writing and editing are a way of life, the constant creation and refinement of thought and action that leads to our highest level of contribution and agrees with Robert McKee that “in a world of lies and liars, an honest work of art is an act of social responsibility.”
Non-CBC members are welcome to attend IN-PERSON ONLY @ Smoky Mountain Pizza, 415 E Parkcenter Blvd. for the non-refundable fee of $10.
October 7: Nanowrimo Tips and Strategies – How to Write 50K in 30 days with Melanie Olsen IN-PERSON ONLY at 1 PM MT @ Smoky Mountain Pizza, 415 E Parkcenter Blvd.
Melanie has participated in Nanowrimo seven times since 2009. She’ll share what has and hasn’t worked for her for each of the years she’s participated along with her strategies for writing 50k words in the month of November.
Melanie Olsen writes romantic suspense and contemporary romance. She enjoys writing imaginative characters with complicated backgrounds. She cherishes books with plot twists, humor, and happily ever after’s.
Born and raised in California, Melanie has also lived in Illinois, Texas, North Carolina, Idaho, and England. She served as a military spouse alongside her active-duty husband in the US Air Force for twenty-one years. She holds bachelor degrees in English, and Geology after discovering her love of rocks during a camping trip to a gold mine as a child.
When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two adult children, and one adorable golden retriever at their home in Boise, Idaho. She also enjoys gardening, gluten-free baking, and random home improvement projects.
Non-CBC members are welcome to attend IN-PERSON ONLY @ Smoky Mountain Pizza, 415 E Parkcenter Blvd. for the non-refundable fee of $10.