The Guild meets primarily as a critique group, averaging ten to twelve in attendance on any given week and we critique three presented scenes. We are meeting hybrid; writers join us via Zoom or in person. Among our writers are:
CAROL DEMENT writes mainstream/historical fiction. Her first novel, Saving Nary, was a finalist in the 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, a first prize winner in the 2018 North Street Book Awards, and an Honorable Mention in the 2019 Writers Digest Self-Published Book Awards. Saving Nary, a tale of Cambodian refugees resettling in the Pacific Northwest, is available in print or Kindle editions at Amazon.com and can be ordered by your local bookseller. She is currently at work on her second novel, due in 2023. A work of historical fiction, Broken Branches tells the tale of a young woman who must choose between solid family tradition and exotic foreign influences as she comes of age in Montana’s rapidly changing frontier.
DAN RICE While not entertaining a pair of young lads or pulling the 9 to 5, Dan writes YA fantasy. Dragons Walk Among Us, The Blood of Faeries and the soon to be released The Wrath of Monsters are the first three books in a YA urban fantasy series. He continues to write. To read his thoughts on writing and view his complete bibliography, please visit https://danscifi.com.
HAL DYGERT Educated and employed as a geologist and as an attorney, Hal Dygert writes hard-boiled crime fiction. He has set novels in the wilds of south-central Connecticut, among wheat and alfalfa ranches east of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State and on the muddier shores of the Columbia River. Visit his website at www.HalDygert.com
LAURA SWAN writes contemporary fiction and historical fiction. She is the author of five non-fiction books. One — The Forgotten Desert Mothers: Lives, Sayings, and Stories of Early Christian Women — has been translated into many languages, including Chinese. Her most recent book is Wisdom of the Beguines: the Forgotten Story of a Medieval Women’s Movement, all available at your favorite independent bookseller.
MARIA BARRS started as a TV reporter, then ran television newsrooms in markets large and small. TV news is adrenaline-fueled, constantly changing, and charged with conflict and emotion. She led teams covering everything from the September 11th attacks and devastating storms like Katrina to major elections and sports championships. Her focus was always on how people were affected. She has released her first mystery, Parallel Lives, and is writing the sequel. https://www.marialynnbarrs.com/
MICHAEL KRAMER’S poetry has appeared in numerous literary magazines. “For Despairing Love on Prozac” (The Pacific Review, Vol. 24, 2006) was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Swan Duckling Press published After the Waking Time, a chapbook, in 2002. Moon Tide Press published Hopeless Cases, a sequence of poems set in a fictitious boys boarding school, in 2011. Several short stories have been anthologized. He’s expressed views on the personal and literary life, most recently “Marriage: A Travel Guide” thecresset.org/2018/Trinity/Kramer
Retired, Kramer continues to work as a writing coach for writers on fiction and non-fiction. He serves on the advisory board of the Coffee House Writers Group. Four completed novels combining mainstream and literary fiction with traits of romance await some eager agent. He is currently working on a fifth novel, The Mad Queen and Lavender Farm. After retirement, Kramer relocated to Lacey, WA. Interested parties can find work and commentary through Facebook and @michaelkramerwriter.
PATRICIA MCCLURE is a Benedictine Oblate and retired early childhood educator. Her passion for storytelling is reflected in her protagonists’ struggles to balance their emotional, spiritual, and intellectual journeys with the constant, unexpected challenges life relentlessly throws their way.
Watch for her three-book series, The Benediction of Paul, and the prequel, with a publication date set for late 2023. The prequel showcases a Crow Indian learning to find his place in the world and struggling to find a balance between two cultures. The Benediction of Paul is set around a fictional abbey in eastern Montana. The story tells of a struggling monastery and two monks (one from the prequel) who become the foster parents of an orphaned child. Her protagonists struggle to find and define their roles as men, monks, and fathers. Each man must use his knowledge, strength, and courage to turn away from the destructive elements of church, self, and community to embrace the positive, the sacred, and the virtuous. She can be contacted at Ravenwings@comcast.net.
Lee Renwick Steele writes middle-grade/young adult fantasy. Her first novel, Griselda Rella, is a reimagining of the Cinderella story with the protagonist and antagonist characters reversed. She is currently writing a sequel. Her website is www.leerenwicksteele.com.
WILLIAM F. WALLES writes mainstream fiction. A survivor of thirty years of nonprofit leadership, he witnessed the terrible and dangerous life choices of individuals drained of resources, hope, and strength. His fiction focuses on the forces that drive people to savage each other: Pride, Power, and Money. His newest novel, All About The Money is available in paperback and on Kindle as well as your favorite independent bookseller.
