Come and Share Some Chuck Wagon Grub With Us This Saturday!

The February ACRA meeting will be held at member Dolores Wilson's home north of Jacksonville.

PLEASE NOTE - this is for the February 22, 2014 meeting only. In March, we'll resume meeting at the library as usual.

The theme is "Dixie Cowboy." Casual dress is welcomed. Jeans, boots, and Western hats encouraged!

Plan on an 11:30 am arrival. A "chuck wagon grub" lunch will be served at noon.

If you plan to attend, please email Dolores to let her know, and for directions. This is important for two reasons:

• So Dolores knows how many of us will be there to consume her fabulous cooking, and she makes enough for everyone;
• So you know how to get there. (It's easy to find.)

Please email Dolores for directions.

Dolores and her pal Vickie King will present a surprise program.

This would be a good time to bring a friend who has admired what you do, and expressed an interest in writing. Joining ACRA (via RWA) is a great first step for anyone who wants to write. Everyone is welcome, but we ask that only those 18 or older attend our meetings.

See you there!

PS: Dolores will make a surprise announcement at this meeting. If you love her writing, you do not want to miss this.

PPS: Seriously, you do not want to miss this! (See Dolores smiling in the above photo? She's going to smile bigger than that when she shares her news.)

PTSD & Service Dogs ~ June 22

Sheri & Lola.

Join us on June 22 for a heartfelt discussion with Marine Veteran and Army Combat Veteran Sheri Martinez of Jacksonville. She'll be talking about her life pre- and post-PTSD and how her Service Dog, Lola, and K9s for Warriors changed her life for the better.

Sheri served in the Marines from 1984 to 1986 and the Army from 2006 to 2009. During her 20-year break in service, she raised a family of three children and received a B.A. in English with a concentration in Creative Writing with a minor in Writing and Rhetoric from Trinity College. Sheri is now medically retired from the Army and spends several hours per week volunteering at K9s for Warriors to give thanks for all that they have done for her.

Originally from Hartford, Connecticut, Sheri lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her best canine friend, Lola, and companion, Oscar Rodriguez. When she’s not volunteering, she keeps busy reading, playing online bingo, or watching NCIS.

ACRA meets on the 4th Saturday of each month at the Southeast Regional Library, 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd, Jacksonville, FL. Phone (904)-996-0325. Bring your lunch and socialize from 12:30 - 1pm, followed by a workshop.

Write The Perfect Query

"Some people spend more time on their synopsis than they do the query letter they send to an agent or publisher. Yet if your query doesn't get their attention, the synopsis won't be requested. I'll be presenting a workshop on "Getting the Most from Your Query." My query letter has been complimented by an agent at The Knight Agency for being very professional and told by another agent that it was exactly what they were looking for in a query letter." Kathyn J. Bain.

Yes, we know you'd rather suffer a migraine while dropping an anvil on your foot instead of writing a query, but you know it has to be done. Join us on May 25 as Kathy Bain guides us through painlessly writing the perfect query. You'll enjoy a great workshop, plus you'll have a lot of fun!

Kathryn J. Bain began writing more than twelve years ago. Her fifth book, Beautiful Imperfection, will be available September 29, 2012.

She is the former President of Florida Sisters in Crime and is currently the Public Relations Director for Ancient City Romance Authors.

To survive and pay bills, she has been a paralegal for over twenty years and works for an attorney who specializes in elder law.

She has two daughters and a dog named Gretchen. Her first grandchild, Hope, arrived on May 10, 2013. Kathryn grew up in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. In 1981, she moved to Boise, but it apparently wasn't far enough south, because two years later she headed to Jacksonville, Florida and has lived in the sunshine ever since.

ACRA meets on the 4th Saturday of each month at the Southeast Regional Library, 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd, Jacksonville, FL. Phone (904)-996-0325. Bring your lunch and socialize from 12:30 - 1pm, followed by a workshop.

Valerie Bowman Joins Us for the April 27 Meeting

Join us on April 27 for a fun workshop with author Valerie Bowman of Jacksonville. She'll be encouraging aspiring authors and sharing her experiences with the publication of her Secret Brides Regency series.

Valerie has a B.A. in English Language and Literature with a minor in History from Smith College and has been writing and editing professionally for over 15 years. She is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), and a member of The Beau Monde, Regency special interest chapter.

Originally from Rantoul, Illinois, Valerie lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her rascally dog, Roo. When she’s not writing, she keeps busy reading, traveling, or watching Hoarders.

Valerie is represented by Kevan Lyon of the Marsal-Lyon Literary Agency.

ACRA meets on the 4th Saturday of each month at the Southeast Regional Library, 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd, Jacksonville, FL. Phone (904)-996-0325. Bring your lunch and socialize from 12:30 - 1pm, followed by a workshop.

Meeting ~ January 28 ~ Village Bread Cafe'

In January (and January only) we will move our meeting to:

The Village Bread Cafe, 10111 San Jose Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32257.  Phone is 904-262-0740. (This is NOT the Village Inn Restaurant, also on San Jose.)

Schedule:

Lunch 12:00-1:00

Workshop 1:00-2:30

We're looking forward to a great workshop! Authors Elizabeth Sinclair, Dolores J Wilson, and Vickie King will present:

EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT CRITIQUE GROUPS, PARTNERS, AND ACCEPTING AND GIVING CRITIQUES WITH OTHERS.

As part of the workshop, we'd like to invite you to submit the first 3 pages of your work for us to critique.  Before you submit, make sure:

1.) You are ready to hear what we have to say about your baby.

2.) You have no objections to us discussing your work in front of the attendees which may include outside guests.  Your name will not be revealed unless you wish to let them know it is yours.

3.) There is no guarantee we will get to all submissions.

Send the first three pages of your work to: djwilson77@aol.com.

Write CRITIQUE in the subject line.

We need a few days to go over the submissions, so please send them as soon as possible. (Note: at this late date there may not be time for late-arriving critiques.)

Directions to The Village Bread Cafe':

From the South: If you are going south on 295, take the first exit after you cross the Buckman.  This is San Jose Blvd.  Turn left back under the overpass and go approximately one mile.  When you see the Hess Station on the right, it is the shopping center on the right just after the Hess.  The cafe is midway down the shopping center between Tropical Smoothie and Honey Baked Ham.

From the North: If you are traveling north on 295, take the first San Jose Exit and turn onto San Jose Blvd.  From there, go approximately one mile, and follow the same directions above.