December 5, 2020 APW Board meeting agenda
All members are invited to attend.
Date: Dec. 5, 2020
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Place: ZOOM (Contact Marie for the link)
Topic: APW Board of Directors Meeting
Agenda
Call meeting to order- President’s Report – Marie Fasano
Minutes from the May meeting- Secretary – Brenda Whiteside
Treasurer’s Report- Cheryl Kohout
Vice- President’s report- Bobbie Bennett
Membership Report- Connie Cockrell
Central Chapter report – Barbara Lacy
Rim Country Chapter report – Connie Cockrell
Southern Chapter report –
Webmaster report- Jaimie Bruzenak
Old Business:
Skirting Traditions Distribution of Book and new storage – Marie
Scholarship Committee
New Business
New APW Book Club- Barbara
Plans for April 2021 convention- Bobbie
Discussion of scheduling virtual meetings
Committee to select New Officers 2021-2022
Other Business
November 2020 meeting of the APW Book Club
Join the NEW APW Book Club for our second meeting November 28, 10:00 am on Zoom (url to be emailed a few days before the meeting), showcasing Marylee MacDonald’s new publication, Surrender.
APW members and nonmembers are welcome to download a 15-chapter sample of the book. If you’d like to join our group and discuss it, then Marylee will be happy to provide the FULL COPY of the book for free. Email Marylee for a copy. Maybe this will be an incentive for you to join! It’s so interesting to see the diverse perspectives everyone brings to a book discussion. We really enjoyed discussing Karen’s memoir, Timeless Dance.
Below is the Amazon book blurb for Surrender:
Her young life changed in an instant. Now she shares her story with the child she gave away.
Adopted at birth, Marylee’s parents told her she was a “chosen child.” She tried her hardest to make them proud, but her parents’ divorce sent her into the comforting arms of a handsome Catholic boy. Convinced that he was her Romeo and she a modern-day Juliet, she surrendered to passion. Unfortunately, it was 1961. Pregnant girls were sent away, and their babies given up for adoption.
Nature vs. nurture: Which plays a greater role in who we become? The family we were raised in, or the parents we never knew? In telling her adult son the story of his birth, can the narrator find compassion for her own wounded inner child?
If you like truthful accounts laced with the passion of youth and the wisdom of age, read Marylee MacDonald’s funny and poignant memoir about how we grow up, grow old, and learn to accept ourselves.
The ebook version of SURRENDER is available for preorder now on Amazon with a delivery date of November 19.

Important links:
- Download a 15-chapter sample at https://BookHip.com/GPKGG
- Here’s the preorder link. https://www.amazon.com/Surrender-Memoir-Nature-Nurture-Love-ebook/dp/B08F7CYSNY/
- If folks would like to know more about Marylee and this book in particular, then please visit her book launch page. https://booklaunch.io/maryleemacdonald/surrender.
- Obtain a free copy of the book if you plan to attend the Book Club Meeting by emailing Marylee at mm@maryleemacdonald.org
- If you are a member and would like your book to be discussed at a future meeting, email or call Karen Lateiner: kslateiner@gmail.com, 973-997-7204
- Zoom link: APW members will be sent the Zoom link a few days before the meeting. If you are not a member and would like to attend, email Marie Fasano at mfasano.apw@gmail.com Put “Nov 28 Zoom link” in the subject line.
November 11 Virtual meeting with Connie Cockrell
This month APW Rim Country’s guest on Wednesday, November 11 at 1:00 p.m. is our own Connie Cockrell.
Topic: APW Meeting -How to conquer Amazon Ads with Connie Cockrell
Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Time: 1:00 PM Arizona (MST)
Zoom: The link has been sent to members though all are welcome. If you did not receive the link and would like to attend, send an email to Marie Fasano. You’ll receive the link a day or so before the meeting.
How to conquer Amazon Ads
Connie Cockrell has just immersed herself in Amazon Ads. Think it’s too hard? Think again. Some tips and tricks to start small and, perhaps, gain much. Plus, some links to help you along the way.

Connie Cockrell Bio
A 20-year Air Force career, time as a manager at a computer operations company, wife, mother, sister and volunteer, provides a rich background for Connie Cockrell’s story-telling.
Cockrell grew up in upstate NY, just outside of Gloversville, NY before she joined the military at age 18. Having lived in Europe, Great Britain, and several places around the United States, she now lives in Payson, AZ with her husband: hiking, gardening, and playing bunko. She writes about whatever comes into her head so her books could be in any genre. She’s published twenty books so far, has been included in five different anthologies and been published on EveryDayStories.com and FrontierTales.com. Connie’s always on the lookout for a good story idea. Beware, you may be the next one.
She can be found at ConniesRandomThoughts.com, on Facebook, on Twitter or on Amazon.
New APW Book Club!
After a lively discussion during our October meeting, a few members expressed interest in forming a book group to read and review each other’s books. Book group meetings will be held virtually at 10 am on the 4th Saturday of every month. Karen Shiffman Lateiner has agreed to coordinate the group. If you are interested in participating, please email or call her: kslateiner@gmail.com, 973-997-7204.
The first meeting will be – Saturday, October 24, at 10 am. Timeless Dance: A Story of Change and Loss by Karen Shiffman Lateiner is the first selection. It is available in Kindle or paperback on Amazon. If you are unable to obtain it, please let Karen know and she will arrange for you to get a copy.
The November selection will be Surrender by Marylee MacDonald, and December’s will be one of Jody Sharpe’s books.
Looking forward to seeing you at the launch of our APW Book Group. Contact Karen to join and stay tuned for further details.
Karen
973.997.7204
Karen Shiffman Lateiner, M.Ed.
Author,
Hike and Write Facilitator
Gender Diversity Educator

October 14 Virtual meeting with Laurie Fagen
This month the APW Rim Country meeting will have an exciting guest – Laurie Fagen.

Laurie will talk about the challenges of writing crime fiction during the pandemic, and how she created a project that was more inspiring and positive.
Laurie Fagen had a great career in radio, commercial and cable television, video productions and print journalism. She has published two crime fiction mystery novels, Fade Out and Dead Air in her “Behind the Mic” mystery series, along with two audio books and two novellas.
She recently launched “AZ Creates!” and hosts the twice-monthly YouTube web series to highlight creatives in Arizona. Each show also includes an interview with a published writer who reads from their book; a highlighted arts nonprofit; and upcoming arts events in “Something to Look Forward to.” The episodes can be seen at https://is.gd/AZCreates, and her writing website is http://www.ReadLaurieFagen.com.
You may find out how to be a guest on Laurie’s show!!
Topic: APW Rim Country Guest Laurie Fagen
Time: October 14, 2020 01:00 PM MST
Members and nonmembers are invited to participate. Members have been sent the Zoom link. If you did not receive it contact Connie Cockrell, Rim Country Chapter Chair for the link.
NFPW 2021 Communications Contest opens for entries
NFPW Communications Contest opens for entries The National Federation of Press Women’s 2021 communications contest is open and accepting entries. The year 2020 has been a year of constant changes, surprises and the unexpected. Many of our members have been documenting this year via methods including the written word, photographs, books, campaigns and presentations. Now is the time to recognize some of those efforts by entering the NFPW communications contest. Entries for the 2021 contest must be published or broadcast in some format between Jan. 1, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2020. The NFPW professional contest is a two-tiered contest. Entrants first enter a state level contest in the state they live in or are a member of, People living in a state without a state contest, are encouraged to enter the at-large contest. When entries warrant in the at-large contest, the contest may be split into regions to create a more level playing field. First-place winners in the state-level contest and the at-large contests are eligible to move to the national level of judging. To be eligible for compete in the national level, the entrant must be a member in good standing with the National Federation of Press Women. Unless the affiliate contest requires membership to participate, the entrants can join NFPW once they learn of their winning status. The deadline to join to compete in the national contest is March 15, 2021.
APW members submit their entries in the at-large contest. You do not need to be a member to participate though you must join NFPW if your entry can advance to the national level.
The 2021 contest is available here.
The professional contest deadlines are:
- Early entry deadline — January 27, 2021 at noon in the entrant’s time zone (the first entry submitted by an entrant after this deadline will be charged a $25 fee)
- Final book deadline — Feb. 3, 2021 at noon in the entrant’s time zone
- Final contest deadline — Feb. 10, 2021 at noon in the entrant’s time zone
- Winners must be NFPW members — March 15
- National winners announced and honored at NFPW conference — June 11, 2021
There is also a high school contest.
Marsha Ward’s new book: Surprising Charity
- Marsha Ward
- Marsha Ward – Surprising Charity