APW Central Chapter Zoom meeting with Katrina Shawver 9/13
Susan Anderson is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Writing Lean – Make Every Word Count
Date: Saturday, September 13
Time: 10 a.m. Arizona
Join Zoom: Members have been sent the Zoom link. It is also posted in the Members-only section of the website. https://arizonaprofessionalwriters.org/members-only/apw-virtual-meetings/ Contact your chapter chairperson well in advance of the meeting if you have forgotten the sign-in or have lost your invitation.
Nonmembers are welcome to attend and should send an email to Marie Fasano mafasano1 @ gmail.com or Jaimie Bruzenak calamityjaimie @ gmail.com requesting the link, Please request the link by Wednesday, September 10.
Topic: Writing Lean – Make Every Word Count. From newspapers to novels, it’s critical to be frugal with words for maximum impact. Katrina will share tips and tricks to make every word count.
Author Bio:
Katrina Shawver is an experienced writer, speaker and long-time history geek. As a journalist, she wrote for The Arizona Republic, Arizona Parenting, Phoenix Downtown, and other publications for many years. In 2002, she met Henry Zguda, a Polish Catholic survivor of German concentration camps, and soon offered to write his incredible story. She spent over ten years researching Poland, World War II, and the Holocaust. Her award-winning book, Henry: A Polish Swimmer’s True Story of Friendship from Auschwitz to America, is available in English, Polish, and Czech.
Katrina is a seasoned Toastmaster and has presented to many audiences. She served as a writer in residence at the Glendale Public Library in Glendale, Arizona. In previous lives she worked as a project manager in software support, a paralegal, a tax preparer, answered phones for a forensic psychiatrist, hiked the Grand Canyon three times, and still wishes sweet potato fries counted as a vegetable. For more information, visit katrinashawver.com.
APW Typerider August 2025
Carol Osman Brown gave me a plaque that says, “The ultimate inspiration is the deadline.” That was never truer than this past week when I tapped my keyboard into submission. My A, S, and E buttons are blanks. It is time for a reset. A trip to the White Mountains is calendared into my future. Will I see you there?
Carol Baxter, APW President
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CHAPTER NEWS
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White Mountain
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White Mountain Festival of Books
There are still a few seats remaining for Take Your Writing to New Heights on Friday, August 8th. Click the button to register.
White Mountain Festival of Books
Shop the White Mountain Festival of Books on Saturday, August 9th.
Location: Elks Lodge, 805 East Whipple Street, Show Low, AZ 85901 
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For news from Rim Country, Payson Book Festival recap, Central, the Book Club and NFPW Convention, click here .
APW Typerider – June 2025
June 2025
Click here to see this month’s issue with the recap of the winners of At-large Communications Contest. our annual State Conference and to see coming events.
APW Central Chapter Zoom Meeting 6-14-25 Carol Baxter
Susan Anderson is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Carol Baxter – At the Intersection of Wordsmithing and Art, One Woman’s Journey
Date: Saturday, June 14, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM Arizona
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81862254003?pwd=KFVyqUyfiQcc9yHzQkoAieOnCmCftQ.1
Meeting ID: 818 6225 4003
Passcode: 979135
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbFsjuLHKR
Topic- At the Intersection of Wordsmithing and Art, One Woman’s Journey
Peer inside the mind of an award-winning author who wears (too) many hats. Carol Baxter will regale you with how she went from crafting stories in her head, to being a features reporter at the Payson Roundup Newspaper, to writing grants, to curating content for art supply companies, to website creation, to writing memoirs for people to give to their children and future generations, to trying to crack the first draft of a novel. Carol has a fun, quick, writing exercise planned. You can download the PDF and print it out on your computer: https://www.talesofalifetime.net/memoir-starter-questions-examples-musings-carol-baxter-blog/my-lil-memoir-zine
Website: www.talesofalifetime.net/
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/caroljeanbaxter/
Blog: medium.com/@rainofstars.carol
APW Typerider Newsletter – April 2025
I’ve heard the word “authentic” bandied about the past decade, and in being authentic advice on the amount to share on social media.
Practical advice: If selling a book or class, the 80/20 rule applies. That is 20 percent sales, 40 percent behind the scenes of the book or class, and 40 percent fan and potential fan engagement.
For me, March was filled with the anticipation of a first grandbaby and the loss of a family member.
I was deep in the mists (pun intended) of writing a novel that began with a death and a life, but reality struck hard. My heart grew heavier than the novel I wanted to share with my readers, about a crone that lives in a forest in a house built on the legbones of a dragon and the pair of children that adopt her. Eyes tired from tears, I stepped back from my to-do list. I sought solace in time with my daughter, placed my hands on her belly, and told her son, “I can’t wait to meet you!” I called and had a wonderful conversation with a friend who I wished lived so much nearer than Michigan. I found mirth binge-watching “Nobody Wants This” on Netflix. I’ve kneaded bread dough, walked in the woods, and moved the island table in my office back about three inches – ah, breathing room … joy rediscovered in my one wild and precious life.
Those last four words belong to a quote by poet Mary Oliver (1935-2019)
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
This month, I will hold a grandson in my arms, write grants, finish designing the pages of a cookbook, swim, write the crone and those foundlings into the next scene, and the next, and the next.
In May I will stare at the Grand Canyon, laugh and soak in the sun from the deck of a pontoon, and celebrate being a wordsmith with professional writers.
How about you? Care to celebrate your gift?
Wishing you health and joy,
Read the rest of the newsletter to find out what is happening in each chapter. And it’s not too late to sign up for our State Conference to be held May 17.
APW Central Chapter Zoom Meeting 3/8 – Virginia Mohler
Susan Anderson is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: “To Retire or Retread, That is the Question.”
Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM Arizona
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81633563990?pwd=rGSwTTbQi414NCHk4nHbPzgs59rf25.1
Meeting ID: 816 3356 3990
Passcode: 415018 – You will need the passcode at sign in.
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcFBAgQFqq
To Retire or Retread, That is the Question
Author Virginia Mohler retired from teaching in June of 2020 after over 50 years in the classroom. She presently writes children’s books that inspire and encourage young minds, as well as history and humor for adults. Virginia writes a weekly blog on her website to inform and entertain. These funny stories and little-known historical facts are meant to encourage and uplift those of any age.
Takeaways from Betsy Love’s talk
Betsy Love spoke on Zoom to the Central Chapter of APW on Saturday 2/8/25. Betsy is a prolific writer. She has 33 published titles with two more that are close to completing. Her website is https://betsylove.com. Besides writing, she provides editing services and speaks at writers conferences. She agreed to share some of the resources she mentioned.
What do you do to jump start your writing if stalled? One inspiration for Betsy is the book The Elephant and the Ant: Leadership for the Self by Vincent Poscente. Poscente likens the dynamic between the conscious and subconscious minds to an ant and an elephant: “Our minds are separated into two distinct functions: the conscious and subconscious elements. Our ant is the intentional part of the brain, but our elephant is the instinctual, impulsive part of the brain that houses emotions and memories and even guides the body to perform vital functions. While we tend to know our conscious minds—our ants —rather well, we often overlook the power of our elephantine subconscious minds. When we do, unfortunately, we squander a wellspring of human potential.” Recognizing this makes a world of difference.
Betsy also shared the 5-count method for switching gears. If you are procrastinating, for instance, on working on a piece, then switch to that tab or program and count backwards aloud from 5 to 1 and start. The counting acts like a switch in your brain and helps you get out of that feeling of procrastination. Mel Robbins, author of The Let Them and other works, explains how it works on this podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRzWRZahOVU Betsy also finds this podcast on the 5 things you do before you go to bed here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFFsYZhn8Rg
Setting goals is also important. The Kanban Board developed by Sarra Cannon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3TN_CsT7Dc&t=585s – helps layout your quarterly goals which more workable than monthly or yearly goals. You get a bigger picture but not as overwhelming as looking at a whole year. With it you visually track your progress, current tasks and successes. Betsy posts it on her bedroom door so she passes it many times a day.
One example she gave from her writing life was deciding to write 12 books last year. She listed four on the first quarter that she was working on. She broke down her tasks. Most satisfying is when she could move a task to the completed section. She wrote 11! She admitted she’d never have written that many without having set a lofty goal.
If you get the opportunity to hear Betsy speak, take it. And go to her website for inspiration.
Central Chapter meeting 2/8/25 with Betsy Love
Susan Anderson is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: “Remaining Positive and Creating Achievable Goals” with Betsy Love
Date: Saturday, February 8, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM Arizona
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84304161514?pwd=kb5ux0A4VsDkC5QaJJ3JYH0UIEs2hD.1
Meeting ID: 843 0416 1514
Passcode: 402179 You will need this to join the meeting
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcSDkvwBkS
Betsy’s Bio:
Betsy Love has loved to write from the moment she could hold a pen and has been creating stories since she was in elementary school. In high school, her creative writing teacher told her one day she would be published.
After raising her family, she graduated Suma Cum Laude from Ottawa University with a bachelor’s in English and Secondary education. Besides, her family, she loved teaching high school theater and English.
When not sitting at her computer pouring her heart and soul into her novels, she loves spending time with her family. She is the mother of eight children and at last count, has 21 grandchildren.
If she had a horse, she’d ride it. If she had a pool, she’d swim in it. But since she doesn’t have either, she writes. And her amazing husband has accepted that pajamas are an acceptable attire for her profession.
Time to renew your membership!
If you have renewed, Thank you. If not yet …
Now is the time to renew your membership for Arizona Professional Writers. If you join or renew now, your membership is good through December 2025!
The Board is grateful for your continued support.
The application is at the Join tab with directions on by check or by Zelle at ArizonaProfessionalwriters.
Please let me or any member of the APW board know if there is anything we can do to improve your experience with our organization. You can reach me at mafasano1@gmail.com.
Membership in APW shows you are making an investment in yourself and your career, and we are committed to providing you with valuable professional development through the following benefits:
APW Central meets via zoom every other month on the second Saturday at 10:00AM; APW Rim Country meets every month now via zoom and in person on the third Wednesday at 1:00 PM; the APW White Mountain meets once a month the fourth Tuesday at 6:PM on zoom; the APW Book Group meets on zoom the last Saturday of every month at 10:00AM.
You have many opportunities to enhance your writing and publishing knowledge.
More APW Benefits:
1. Meet and exchange ideas with local authors.
2. One or two virtual meetings a month with a local speaker on a writing or publishing topic.
3. Present your book to members and get exposure and reviews with the APW Book Group.
4. Ability to use APW Zoom for your book presentations or other writing-related meetings.
5. Enter the At-large contest for the National Federation of Press Women. First place winners go on to the national level. Many categories for these prestigious awards.
6. Post on our Facebook page more than once about your book. Share your new publications, wins and writing events.
7. Post your events on the APW website.
8. Keep up on local book writing events and contests in Arizona
9. Yearly APW conference
10. Payson Book Festival and Show Low Book Festival
Hope to see you at the meetings.
Sincerely,
Marie
Marie A Fasano, APW Membership Chair
APW Typerider Newsletter – December, 2024
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To see the newsletter and the coming events, click here.
NOTE: If you join NFPW you also pay an extra $15 for your APW membership. If you join APW as a state-only, the dues are $30/year.
Arizona Professional Writers 