What we’re about
We're a support network for Houston independent authors to socialize and gain insights into the business and marketing aspects of indie publishing. We're not focused on any one genre or way to write, and we welcome indie, trad, and hybrid authors at any stage of their career.
Though our focus is primarily social, our monthly meetup will include an education portion with professional speakers (marketers, editors, book designers, other authors with strategy insights, etc.).
Upcoming events (4)
See all- Writers Lunch - Tech and Magic Part 1: The EmpiricalLink visible for attendees
Creativity knows no bounds when it comes to science and magic in fiction. Science fiction and fantasy authors use magic and technology to build unbelievable worlds and superhuman characters, or even to make a point about society or human nature. Whether use as a set dressing or plot device, “hard” or soft”, the empirical and the arcane are generally considered to be separate and distinct. Science is not magic, and vice versa. But the growing sci-fantasy genre wields an amalgam of science and magic to great effect, its authors stretching their creativity further than ever before. After all, according to Arthur C. Clarke’s third law: “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
Join science fiction and fantasy author A.P. Hawkins for the first in a three-part Writers Lunch series dedicated to celebrating the magic and technology of science fiction and fantasy. This month, we're focusing on The Empirical - invented technology/biology and the various ways you can use it to serve your story.About our Speaker
Anna (she/her) is our world-building goddess. Her degrees in both biology and marine biology have given her an extensive understanding of niches, habitats, and circles of life. Her background in biology has given her unparalleled skill at helping writers get the details of their complex, immersive alien worlds onto the page, without excessive info dumping. Check out her blog post on “incluing” for some tips and tricks!
Anna has nearly a decade of editing experience transforming complex information into concise and engaging text for writers in multiple fields. This has allowed her to hone her line-editing skills for many types of readers. She has a keen eye for details in story elements like character arcs and pacing as well as on the line level for grammatical and spelling errors.
When she’s not editing, Anna writes stories that deal with disillusionment with institutions and characters who sometimes become the same kind of monster they rebelled against. You can find her work in Analog Science Fiction and Fact and several small press anthologies.
If your setting is just as integral to the story as your characters, Anna is uniquely qualified to assist you. - Writers Lunch - Reverse OutlinesLink visible for attendees
What's in your head and what made it on the page may not be the full story. If you're in between drafts, it's a good time to take stock of your plot with a reverse outline. Learn how to comb through your draft and find the meat of the story. Did you finish all your subplots, set up big reveals well, create compelling character arcs, and build tension all the way to the climax? Join Shannon for a how-to on reverse outlines.
About Our Host
Shannon’s (she/her) mind is a steel trap, and that’s what makes her so good with continuity edits and shoring up plot holes across all genres. Shannon is a whodunit mastermind who also loves zombies and old-world monsters. Her background in emergency and trauma medicine make her uniquely qualified to help you describe injuries, wounds, and diseases both in a modern setting and in the apocalypse. Shannon has been a professional editor for over a decade and even teaches workshops for the Editorial Freelancers Association to help new editors learn their trade.
Shannon has a penchant for educating her authors, and she likes to provide feedback that helps her authors grow and understand their genre expectations.
When she’s not editing, Shannon writes under a pen name and uses the things that go bump in the night to take the piss out of the patriarchy.
If you’re looking for an editor who can help you be consistent in your complex worldbuilding across an entire series or if you’re a new author who wants a guiding hand, Shannon is the editor for you. - Writers Lunch - Travel Like a WriterLink visible for attendees
When the mood strikes or fortune smiles upon thee, take the opportunity to travel! As a writer, experiencing the world from different perspectives is terribly important. "Write what you know" takes on a whole new meaning once you've had the chance to see the world! Have you ever walked a cobblestone street in Dublin? Watched the sun set from a beach in Tulum? Ridden a gaily painted bus in Belize? The experiences of travelling can be enhanced tenfold with a notebook in hand, a camera at the ready, and an eye for people-watching that can prompt poems and stories that you'd never get sitting behind a desk researching the world and its cultures. With tips and tricks to put ideas in place, we will explore how going the extra mile on vacation or a work trip can pay dividends in your writing life.
About our Speaker
If you are looking for an editor with a strong hold of epic sci-fi, climate fiction, or any of the punks, Sean Morrissey Carroll (he/him) is your man. Sean has an innate understanding of poetry in prose and linguistic interplay, making him a master in line editing for both style and substance. As both a seaweed farmer and restaurant owner, Sean has a strong comprehension of logistics in his toolbox to ensure your science fiction and fantasy epics are immersive and believable. His art degree and history of critical evaluation allows him to provide clear insights and guidance to move your idea from what you see in your head to a fully fleshed-out story. Sean is also adept at honing literary elements of fiction that will resonate and hook the reader’s emotions.
In his spare time, Sean writes near-future sci-fi with heart-wrenching themes about family and climate displacement. His stories can be found in Defunkt, Nebo, Punt Volat, Space City Underground, and decomp zine (intentionally lowercase).
Let Sean help you imbue your hard science with humanity. - Writers Lunch - Breaking out of the Medieval Western Europe Fantasy SettingLink visible for attendees
Tired of the same milieu of medieval tropes in your fantasy? Exhausted by Tolkien's monolithic shadow cast over the genre? Or perhaps you're just worn out on the influence Western Europe has on fantasy writers? Whatever the case, the world can provide far more inspiration, works, and authors than just the ones we're used to! Come discuss this week at Writer's Lunch why we've been trapped this way for so long, what works are out there that we can read to broaden our horizons, and how we can deconstruct our assumptions of the "default" culture!
About our Speaker
Do you want your fight scenes to pop so hard, your reader’s jaw clenches? Ian (he/him) is a master at blocking and describing fight scenes. Due to his experience as both an actor and a Muay Thai fighter, his ability to visualize and improve both large- and small-scale warfare is unparalleled. Ian has an invaluable background in both technical writing and news reporting that empowers him to help you accurately and clearly portray complex physical events while proportionally suffusing them with raw emotion and grit. Ian is an expert on a myriad of battle weaponry and field logistics and knows just how to knock a reader’s socks off with action.
In his spare time, Ian writes the Aspiring-Author-award winning Inheritors serial (renamed A Fraction of His Power) and other short fiction focusing on overcoming societal/economical barriers with fists, superpowers, and humility.
If you’re looking for an editor who can assist you with creating large bombastic science fiction and fantasy conflicts grounded in universally accessible emotions and pain, Ian is the editor for you.
