Sept. ‘26 President’s Newsletter
WHAT'S INSIDE
Note from the President - You Wrote It, Now What Happens
An Article by First Vice President Jacque Hillman
Webinar - Write It - Publish It - Voice It - Sell It
What's Happening in APW - Upcoming Events
New Book Releases
Special Article On Book Signings
What's Happening and Available from Arizona Authors Association
WHEN THE DOOR OPENS
A white door opening on a hallway
You Wrote It. Now What?
Last month, I told you about the end of July and what happens when there is no Plan B.
This month, I want to tell you what happens when Plan B walks through the door on its own.
On Saturday, October 3, Arizona Professional Writers is holding its very first webinar. One day. Four speakers. Virtual, on Zoom, from wherever you happen to be sitting. The title tells you what you get: Write It. Publish It. Voice It. Sell It.
I want to tell you why I put this thing together, because it is not the reason you might think.
I did not build it for beginners. I built it for me.
When I finished my first manuscript, I thought the hard part was over. I had the story. I had the ending. I had the thing I wanted to write since Junior High, sitting there in a file, done.
It was not done. It was not even close.
Nobody had told me that the book is where the work starts, not where it ends. Somebody has to turn it into a book that can be held and sold. Somebody has to decide whether it gets a voice, and whose. And somebody has to stand at a table and convince a stranger to take it home.
That somebody is you. Every time.
I learned each of those jobs the slow way — one mistake at a time, usually with money attached. What I would have given, back then, for one day with four people who had already made those mistakes and could tell me which ones to skip.
So that is why I did it.
Ben Spada
WRITE IT. Ben Spada opens the day. Ben writes the Black Spear series, novels built straight out of lived experience, and his session is called “Bad Times, Good Lessons: Turning Lived Experience into Narrative Tension.” If you write fiction, this is for you. If you write memoirs, this is for you. If you have ever wondered how the thing that actually happened becomes the thing a reader cannot put down, sit in the front row.
A. G. Billig
PUBLISH IT. A.G. Billig is an author, a book coach, and the founder of Self-Publishing Mastery. She takes a finished manuscript and walks it all the way to a professionally produced, branded book. Her session is “The Author Growth Framework: Build Your Brand. Grow Your Audience. Promote Your Book.”
Kris Keppler
VOICE IT. Kris Keppeler has narrated and produced more than fifty audiobooks and hosts a podcast that has passed three hundred episodes. Her session is “The Audiobook Prep Guide for Authors” — what to do to your book before anybody ever reads it aloud, and how not to pay for that lesson twice.
Robin Eddleman
SELL IT. Robin Eddleman closes the day. Robin is a business-growth coach with a background in marketing, business development, and — I love this — auctioneering. Nobody understands what makes a room reach for its wallet the way an auctioneer does. Her session is marketing and selling your book, and the mindset that turns a book into a career.
In the middle of the day, we put all the speakers on the screen at once for a lunch-hour panel and hand the microphone to you. Bring the question you have been carrying around. That is what the hour is for.
Now, about Plan B.
Our original opening speaker had to step away this summer. You know by now how I feel about that kind of phone call. But this time I picked up the phone myself and called Ben, and Ben said yes. That is how the day got better instead of smaller. I am telling you this because it is the same lesson as last month, from the other side: sometimes the door that closes is the one that was in the way.
Here is the part I need from you.
This webinar is a pilot. We are trying to learn whether this is something APW should be doing for you every year — a way to bring real training to every member in the state without anybody driving four hours to get it. The only way we find out is if you show up.
And showing up is the easy part this time. No crowds to fight, no parking, no name badge. You can sit in your own chair and absorb it. Or put it up on the big screen in the living room and invite a few writer friends over — one registration, a pot of coffee, four experts, and the best conversation you will have all month.
Some of you have done all of this thirty times. Fifty times. I hear you. And I will tell you what I told you in July: every time I sit in a room like this, I walk out with one nugget that changes how I do some piece of the work. One nugget is worth a Saturday.
The details, so you do not have to go hunting:
Saturday, October 3, 2026. Nine in the morning until a little after three, Arizona time. Live on Zoom.
Forty-five dollars. APW members save ten percent — that discount is part of what your membership buys you, so use it. If you are not a member yet, you can join and still get it.
Cannot make the whole day? A recording is available, both as an add-on for people who register and on its own for people who cannot attend live. Every dollar goes to APW.
Register at arizonaprofessionalwriters.org/events
Registration is open now.
You wrote it. Come find out what happens next.
I will see you on the third.
Hugs,
Kathleen Osborne
President, Arizona Professional Writers
Meet the Executive Board Members of APW
A new series —
Every month a different board member will be sharing.
We are starting something I have wanted to do since the day I took this job. Every issue, one member of your Executive Board is going to write to you directly — in their own voice, about whatever matters to them. You should know the people making decisions on your behalf. Better yet, you should get to read them
Meet First Vice-President Jacque Hillman
BOOK AUTHORS & PUBLISHER ARE CREATIVE ENTREPRENEURS
“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” — Albert Einstein
A creative entrepreneur is an individual who builds a sustainable business around their artistic or innovative talents, such as design, writing, or content creation. They combine passion with business skills to turn ideas into profit.
How did I end up creating and building two businesses? Because I believed I could edit and publish better than other people. Because I believed I could design jewelry that would reflect a life’s journey.
I believed in myself. My life has had a few segues, but every side road leads to where I am now, as vice president of Arizona Professional Writers and a successful publisher.
In high school, I was the literary magazine editor. I wrote poetry. I took art and designed small sculptures and enjoyed watercolor, pen and ink drawings. I was a dancer. I took French and Latin.
In college, I choreographed productions. I wrote for the college newspaper and literary magazine. I studied German. I took more art classes.
After college, I taught English and creative writing classes. I ran a high school newspaper and yearbook. I choreographed for school theater and painted backdrops.
Then I GOT DIVORCED. Needed more money. Isn’t that always a factor in life’s side roads?
I went to work for the Commercial Dispatch in Columbus, Miss., as the features editor. Three years later, I married my soulmate. I began working at the Jackson Sun in Jackson, Tenn., and for twenty-three years, I moved through various jobs until I was a senior editor.
I left in 2012 and created my book company. Here’s why: A friend published a photo book on American lighthouses. She spent $25,000 with a Virginia company. I opened the front page and saw that the “editor” didn’t know the difference between naval, as in ships, and navel, as in belly button.
I showed the book to my husband and said, “We can do better than this.” We started our book company. We have all five-star reviewed books and national award winners.
Jacque Hillman, Emerging Artist, Tennessee Association of Craft Artists
We’re a small, boutique book company with a great team of editors and illustrators. We offer personal service 24/7 to our authors. I always answer the phone. My editorial board chooses a select group of books to edit and publish. We expanded into children’s books, and our first one, “Mrs. Mullendeck’s Big Sneeze” by Suzanne Evans, won the national IBPA gold award.
I become good friends with our authors. I love helping authors achieve their goals.
Some things I’ve learned over the years:
• Be honest but tactful with authors.
• Determine what they want to achieve. Is it just for family and friends? Do they want to sell in the retail market? If so, authors must believe that they are entrepreneurs. They must set up book signings and meet people in order to sell books.
• Keep up with trends in the publishing industry. We study constantly.
Why did I create a jewelry business?
Because I dreamed that I did, and I saw the designs in my dream. I woke up and told my husband that I was going to create jewelry. He said, “Well, OK, then.”
I study architecture, not traditional jewelry designs. Jewelry pieces are small pieces of architecture featuring geometric angles, the Fibonacci principles, fractals, and include semi-precious gemstones. I studied the chemistry of stones. I never thought I’d need my knowledge of chemistry and geometry. But here we are.
Many years of studying art helped me design. When I design late at night, I feel peaceful, and creativity flows through my fingertips.
What I tell my authors and other artists is that each of us must start somewhere.
I began with one author and his book on prayers and meditations in 2010. His book cover design of angel wings, a photo I shot, is on exhibit at Mesa Art League at Next Phase at the Superstition Springs Mall. People love it so much that I’ve been asked to create a T-shirt design and holiday cards.
My second book was written by Shorty Freeland on Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton, who was kicked out of office. Freeland was his executive assistant. In August, I was asked if I’d republish the book, which is out of print.
Right now, I’m publishing a marvelous children’s book, “Orville the Snail,” by Mark Avella, illustrated by Wolff Hansford.
And I’m publishing Bill Haltom’s book on Lucius Burch, a renowned Memphis attorney, and his younger partners who believed in social justice. They represented Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in court the day of his assassination. This is Haltom’s third book with us. His second book, The Other Fellow May Be Right: The Civility of Howard Baker, has been a bestseller for my company. The University of Tennessee Knoxville gives copies to their Baker Scholars annually for the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs.
I began with one Reconfigured Art Jewelry show at a small gallery in Jackson, Tenn. in 2008, and my show was featured in Art World News. I was accepted for my first major art festival in Nashville, and in 2010, I was chosen Emerging Artist of the Year by the Tennessee Association of Craft Artists and was featured on PBS’s Tennessee Crossroads. Now I design in copper, sterling silver, and gold.
We all begin somewhere with our dreams. We can become entrepreneurs with our books because we start with what we love. We accept there will be financial and personal risks. We become adaptable because we have to balance our artistic flow, our creative spirits, with practical business needs like marketing and sales.
We have a strong vision. That’s true whether you write books, edit or publish books, or design jewelry. You set your goals because that will give you direction.
You will be a perpetual learner. And that will keep you young longer.
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” — Maya Angelou
First Vice-President Jacque Hillman
Jacque Hillman, a newspaper and magazine editor for over 35 years, is senior editor/CEO of The HillHelen Group LLC. She edits and publishes award-winning books nationwide. She is a member of the Independent Book Publishers Association, Historical Novel Society, National Federation of Press Women and Phoenix Business and Professional Women; vice president, Arizona Professional Writers Association; president, Mesa Art League; co-founder, NFPW award-winning Tennessee Woman Suffrage Heritage Trail.
She is an alumnus, Class of 2010–2011, Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy, Delta Regional Authority, selected by then-Governor Phil Bredesen for a year’s study of influential economic factors. In 2014, she won the Sterling Award: 20 Most Influential Women in West Tennessee.
If you were at the White Mountains Writers Conference in July, you heard Jacque walk the room through “The Publishing Plot 2026: Solving the Mystery.” She began with a line worth keeping: you have value because you are writing.
Reach Jacque via email or
APW WEBINAR
October 3rd, 2026
Registration is OPEN NOW
APW EVENTS
Check out the Arizona Professional Writers
Upcoming Calendar for Scheduled Events
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Central
Every 2nd Wednesday 6:30 P.M.
SEPTEMBER GUEST SPEAKER
When: Wednesday, September 9, at 6:30 PM AZ time
Where: On Zoom.
Nouha Deliou is a published children’s book author. Her inspiration to write Mona’s Scrapbook Adventure arose when she noticed the lack of Algerian culture in children’s literature. She combined her love of scrapbooking and Algerian heritage to ensure her children can see themselves in the books they read. She hopes to create more children’s books with inspirational Muslim representation that is relatable to kids from all walks of life.
She also designed the Islamic Reusable Sticker Books for Ramadan, Eid and Hajj, the perfect gift for Muslim children to teach them how to perform salat, learn the moon phases and more. Nouha received her Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy and lives in Arizona with her family.
You can find all her products at www.nouhasbooks.com
Contact Fawzia Tung for information or the Zoom link.
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Rim Country
1st Thursday of the Month
Friends with Pens at Noley’s Bookstore
Corner of Hwy 87 and Hwy 260
For information, contact: Marie Fasano
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White Mountains Chapter
Share Your Word – Open Mic
September 11th, 5-7 pm, at the Arts Alliance
251 Penrod, Show Low
$10 donation appreciated for venue and food
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September 22th, Tuesday, 6 pm Business Zoom Meeting
All members & those interested in joining are welcome.
September 29th, Tuesday, 6 pm Open Meeting, via Zoom
Jonathan Pembroke
Retired Air Force Meteorologist and Fantasy Author
Contact Kathleen for the Zoom links.
GOOD ARTICLE
To all of you authors, planning a booksigning? Make it special. Be sure to read "Beyond the Booksigning: How Themed Bookstore Events Turn Readers into Loyal Fans" by Rachel Carrington in the 9/4/26 Writers Weekly.
ARIZONA AUTHORS ASSOCIATION UPCOMING EVENTS
Two free Zoom sessions from our friends at AAA.
Both start at 10:00 a.m. Arizona time.
Finish Your Book: The Power of the Writing Community
Saturday, September 12, 2026 · 10:00 a.m. MST · Zoom
Being part of a writing association already puts you ahead of most writers — but there is a whole world of additional resources that could support your writing in ways you have not considered. Lorraine Haataia, PhD, founder of Prolific Writers Life and author of Finish Your Book: Plug Into the Power of the Writing Community and Get It Done, walks through the four kinds of writing community every writer moves through, the resources for legal questions and beta readers most writers do not know exist, and an open discussion where you share your own treasure map.
Register: Zoom registration
The Author’s Tactical Promotion
Saturday, October 24, 2026 · 10:00 a.m. MST · Zoom
Jeanne Burrows-Johnson — author of the award-winning Natalie Seachrist Visionary Hawaiian Cozy Mysteries, marketing consultant, and motivational speaker — shares ideas for strengthening the creative professional’s self-promotion as we look at this year and plan for 2027. Bring your questions and your own experience; she will answer both.
Find out more at jeanneburrows-johnsonsimaginings.com · Register
APW AUTHORS NEW RELEASES
Book cover
Detective Tony Wagner’s family vacation to Sitka, Alaska, doesn’t go quite as planned
On the second day, Miriam Decker—a friend of his host, Laurel Sarkov—disappears. Laurel believes searchers are looking in the wrong place. To ease her mind, Tony volunteers to check Miriam’s favorite hiking trail.
He finds her body at the base of a cliff, murdered.
Because of his work with the Alaska State Police the previous summer, Tony is recruited to consult on the investigation.
Then the FBI arrives, bearing the news that this might not be an isolated attack. They suspect Miriam is the latest victim of a murderer who has struck throughout the Pacific Northwest.
While his family goes home, the manhunt keeps Tony in southeastern Alaska. He once again joins an FBI task force trying to stop a serial killer before he strikes again.
Paula Winskye, Author
“The Reverend’s Working Vacation,” scheduled for release late this year, is the 15th in Winskye’s Tony Wagner mystery series.
Children’s book cover
“Try a Little Harder to Find a Little Joy” is an uplifting picture book that encourages children to
look for the good around them. Perfect for reading aloud at home and in the classroom.
