Workshop Presenters
Meet the 2025 Virtual Conference Presenters
Workshops, Chats and Conference Events will take place on
Friday and Saturday, October 17 – 18, 2025
Let the Feelings Show!
Susan Marlow
While the adage “show don’t tell” applies to all fiction writing, it becomes even more of a priority when writing for children. Young readers do not have a lot of patience for wordiness and “telling.” Instead, you must bring your young characters to life by “showing” their feelings.
This “Let the Feelings Show!” workshop shows attendees how to recognize the difference between telling and showing and teaches them how to avoid pesky “feeling” words in their stories.
Learning how to show your characters’ feelings is on the tip of the cutting edge for excellence in writing, whether you write early chapter books, middle-grade, or YA novels.
Susan Marlow grew up writing stories, mostly about outer space. As an adult, she homeschooled her four children during the day and escaped into the Old West in the evenings by writing her “Andi Carter” stories. She never intended to become a published author. She simply liked writing stories for herself.
However, once Susan began sharing her stories, enough people encouraged her to submit to publishers. They wouldn’t let her give up! With the publication in 2005 of her first middle-grade novel (Kregel Publications), she discovered that it really is more fun to share her stories with others than to keep them to herself.
Susan has written six series (38 books—early readers through young adult) set in the Old West, with over 225,000 books in print. She enjoys helping writers of all ages improve their writing skills with her Writers Roundup Workshop. In her spare time she is a freelance editor. She and her husband, Roger, live on nine acres of ponderosa pine at 3,500 feet in north-central Washington state. Visit Susan at SusanMarlow.com
Europe’s Market: Translations, AI, and online marketing from Western History lover to international author
Manuela Schneider
English to German done with AI. Why doesn’t it work? What are the downfalls of AI in this case. What is the German book market like, are they interested in the Western – and Pioneer genre? Translated books with new covers of WWW members who are now on the German market. Consequences for your book and reputation if certain things are not done right. Specific advice about keywords, category placements, promotion, blurb. Is AI the enemy number one or could it be of advantage for an author? If so, how can an author use it in ethical ways? Self-publishing versus traditional publisher pro and contra.
Drawing energy from strong pioneer women of our past, Western Fiction author, Manuela Schneider, is driven to create captivating sagas of strong female characters who are immersed in a battle against hardship, mystery, and deception while searching for true love and a better life. To date, Schneider has written fifteen Western Fiction novels that ultimately leave readers wondering, “Will the story continue?”
Writing Hope In Polarized Times
Adrienne Scanlan
“Writing Hope in Polarized Times” introduces intermediate to advanced fiction and nonfiction writers to the psychology of authentic hope and how it can educate nonfiction readers or create realistic yet impassioned fictional characters. A Powerpoint presentation and audience Q&A will include research, writing, and publication strategies.
Adrienne Ross Scanlan is the author of Turning Homeward – Restoring Hope and Nature in the Urban Wild (2017 Washington State Book Award Finalist, Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award 2016 Notable Book, Nautilus Book Awards 2016-2017 Silver Medal). Her writing has appeared in City Creatures, Bluestem, For Love of Orcas, The Fourth River, and many other magazines and anthologies. She is a freelance book reviewer, a frequent presenter at writing conferences, and a developmental editor and book coach. Learn more at: adrienne-ross-scanlan.com.
Publishing 101 – Helping Authors Pick the “Right Horse”
Jayme Mansfield
As the winds of change blow in the publishing industry, authors need to be informed about their options. Learn the advantages and disadvantages of traditional, small independent, online subsidy, and independent publishing. We’ll look at expected costs, potential royalties, and steps involved in each sector to help make the best decision for publication.
Loosening the reins and leaning into a creative life—that’s Jayme H. Mansfield’s sweet spot as an author, artist, and founder of Cowgirl Publishing. Speaking at book clubs and conferences, teaching the writing craft, and encouraging others’ artistic pursuits at writing and art retreats on the ranch where she and her husband live in southern Wyoming, is icing on the cake. Visit www.JaymeHMansfield.com and www.CowgirlPublishing.com
Edit Yourself: A Guide to Self-Editing Your Self-Help
Carly Catt
Learn how to self-edit your self-help book with confidence and clarity. This session walks aspiring authors through the stages of self-editing—from big-picture structure to polished prose—so you can revise effectively before hiring a professional. Perfect for self-publishers ready to take their manuscript from rough draft to submission-ready.
I’m the owner of Catt Editing, LLC, and a professional developmental and line/copy editor, proofreader, and ghostwriter for nonfiction books. I live in Arizona, have a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Arizona, and am a member of ACES: The Society for Editing. I work hard to make your writing better while letting your unique author’s voice shine through.
Using Zotero to Organize Research and Create Citations
Eilene Lyon
Any researcher can use free Zotero software to create a single entry for each resource. It can then be organized in multiple folders with attached notes and links. With the Word add-on, you can easily enter footnotes, endnotes, and bibliographies into your .docx in a multitude of formats, including CMOS.
The author of two books of historical nonfiction, Eilene Lyon has spent decades researching families (hers and others’) to piece together narrative stories about the past. Fortune’s Frenzy: A California Gold Rush Odyssey, revealing previously unknown aspects of the gold rush, is a Spur Awards finalist and winner of a Will Rogers Bronze medallion. What Lies Beneath Colorado Pioneer Cemeteries and Graveyards explores the hidden personal trials and triumphs discovered in Colorado’s oldest cemeteries. She writes regularly on her blog, Myricopia (Meer-uh-COPE-ee-uh), and has published articles in local and regional genealogy and history magazines. She shares her passion for family history by giving presentations on research, writing, and genealogy to local, regional, and national audiences, helping others to know their ancestors with greater compassion and historical context.
Writing with AI. Should I? Or Shouldn’t I?
Tamara Merrill
For many writers, AI has reared its ugly head and created more questions than answers. In a single-presenter workshop, I will discuss this cutting-edge technology that has become part of everyday life. Together, we will explore ways to determine where and when to incorporate AI into our writing.
Tamara Merrill has three happy places: reading, writing and painting. When she was a child, she thought she’d grow up and live in a loft in Manhattan where she would spend her time doing all three. Tamara hasn’t done that, but she does live in two lovely places, Coronado, CA and Wickenburg, AZ.
How To Finally Get It Written
Carol Cartaino
Writing has the distinction of being one of the most procrastinated pastimes in the world. Many people have a deep desire to write a book, article, or memoir, but they never get around it. The author of Get Organized, Get Published! will help you overcome the formidable forces of inertia, distraction, and overcommitment to finally get it done!
Carol Cartaino has more than forty years of highly professional experience in the world of books, fiction and nonfiction. She was a trade book editor for Prentice-Hall, Inc., in New Jersey for ten years, then spent the next decade as editor-in-chief of Writer’s Digest Books in Cincinnati, the fountainhead of information and inspiration for aspiring writers.
Since then she has been a freelance editor, ghostwriter, and advisor for authors, publishers, and literary agents all over the country from her small farm in Adams County, Ohio. She has written Myths and Truths About Coyotes, It Happened in Ohio!, and The Man Behind a Billion Screams: Stan Checketts (the biography of one of this country’s best-known inventors of high-thrill amusement park rides), and coauthored Clutter’s Last Stand Get Organized, Get Published! and many other books by best-selling author Don Aslett.
She has given speeches and workshops on writing, publishing, and the subjects of her books at writers’ conferences, libraries, colleges, nature centers, and more, in twelve states.
Finding Freedom From Guilt and Fear When Writing Memoir
Alice Sullivan
Women’s voices have too often been silenced. Sometimes we even face self-censorship through our guilt and fear of others’ reactions. Learn practical strategies for telling your truth including legal precautions, fictionalization techniques, and embracing your narrative ownership. Discover how honoring your authentic experiences empowers both yourself and your readers.
Alice is a #1 bestselling Wall Street Journal ghostwriter, New York Times bestselling editor (11 times over), collaborator, and speaker. An avid storyteller, she has written 65 books and edited over 1,300 titles since 2001. Her clients include speakers, educators, entrepreneurs, athletes, CEOs, and creatives. She specializes in memoir, business and thought leadership, and self-help/personal growth because she loves stories of triumph, determination, and personal reflection.
From Screen To Book – Shaking It Up
Vicki Felmlee
We’ve all heard of “book to screen” but this workshop shakes it up a bit. Participants will receive a short youtube clip two weeks before the conference with instructions.
V P Felmlee is the author of The Color of Fire, In the Dark Night, as well as The Abandoned Trilogy: Prince Tadpole & Princess Clara; Good Boy Ben; and the third book in the series, Autumn and the Silver Moon Stallion, which won the Silver Medal in the prestigious 2024 WILLA Literary Award competition. She is a former newspaper reporter and editor. With a degree in geology, she worked in the environmental field and has been active in historic preservation and animal welfare issues. Her articles have appeared in several magazines and has won numerous awards. The 2025 President of Women Writing the West, she lives in Grand Junction, Colorado, with her husband, two dogs, and six cats.
Chat with an Author
Jane Little Botkin
National award-winning author Jane Little Botkin melds personal narratives of American families, often with compelling stories of western women. Her books have won numerous awards in biography, western historical nonfiction, and women’s studies, including two Spur Awards in Biography, two Caroline Bancroft History Prizes (Denver Public Library), the Barbara Sudler Award for best book about the American West by a woman (History Colorado). Finalist awards include Women Writing the West’s Willa Literary Award, Colorado Book Award, Oklahoma Book Award, High Plains Book Award, Foreword Reviews Indies Biography Book Award, the Sarton Book Award in Women’s Studies, and Forewords Reviews Indies Award Honorable Mention in Pop Culture. Her newest book, The Breath of a Buffalo, A Biography of Mary Ann Goodnight, will release fall 2026 from the University of Oklahoma Press.
A member of Western Writers of America since 2017 and past vice-president of its board of directors, Jane judges entries for the WWA’s prestigious Spur Award, reviews new releases, and writes articles for Roundup. A late-bloomer, Jane served as a public-school teacher for thirty years before turning to historical investigation and writing. In 2008 the Texas State Legislature honored her career in education and publication of historical journals by formal resolution. Now Jane blissfully escapes into her literary world in the remote White Mountain Wilderness near Nogal, New Mexico.
Website: https://janelittlebotkin.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaneLittleBotkin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janebotkin/