Central Okanagan Writers (COW)

Bring your questions! About the writing process from initial idea to revisions, about publishing with Friesen Press, publicity (e.g. book signings and festivals), and so on.

This isn't a formal presentation. Karen will lead a conversation and answer our questions.

Karen Barrow is an award-winning author of atmospheric historical fiction and suspense. Her debut novel, Palmyra, winner of the 2024 Whistler Independent Book Award for Fiction, has received global recognition as a finalist for the Guernica Prize, the Page Turner Awards, and the Eric Hoffer Award.

Blending Caribbean Gothic suspense with literary depth, Palmyra unfolds on a remote cocoa estate in Trinidad, where the arrival of a charismatic young stranger sets in motion a haunting chain of events with repercussions that echo across generations.

Her follow-up novel, Dreams of the Alhambra, expands her range into dual-timeline storytelling, transporting readers between modern-day Spain and the 15th century in a richly layered exploration of love, identity, and resilience, infused with subtle magical realism.

Born in Trinidad and based in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, Barrow draws on her cultural heritage and international experiences to craft vivid, immersive fiction.

We'll meet at the downtown Kelowna public library, in one of the small meeting rooms. (I always try to get the upstairs room, but it doesn't always work out.)
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We'll use a Google folder to share our work for feedback.

I'll give access to the folder to everyone who RSVPs. (I.e. I'll email you the link to the folder.) You can upload your file that you want feedback on, and download others' files to give them feedback.

Post in this event when you've uploaded your work, so that people are (hopefully!) notified by Meetup. You should also periodically re-check the Google folder to see if anything new's been uploaded. (Especially the day before the meeting! 😉) Unfortunately, I don't know any good way to automate notifications.

Read the instructions inside the Google folder, if you haven't done so already.

Let me know if you run into any problems and I'll try to help: zenaryder@mac.com

If you don't get the link to the Google folder, please let me know!
Please let me know if you have any difficulty uploading/downloading files, and I'll try to help you out.

I think Google tends to have more problems with non-Gmail email addresses, so if you don't use Gmail and you have Google Drive issues, consider getting a free Gmail account just for this purpose. (Google sometimes has trouble with my work email, so I have a Gmail address that I use for almost nothing else but sharing files in Google Drive.)