2024 Happy Hours

Dates are subject to change. Please see your members-only newsletter for the most up-to-date information. For links to these events, refer to your monthly chapter newsletter. Friday, July 19, 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Happy Hour. Friday, Aug. 2, 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Happy Hour. Friday, Aug. 16, 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Happy Hour. Friday, Sept. 6, 5 p.m.-7 … Read more

November 13 Zoom Meeting: Hitchcock’s Films and Suspense Techniques

Brian Rose, professor emeritus in the Fordham University Department of Communications and Media Studies, will discuss the movies and suspense techniques of Alfred Hitchcock at our November meeting via Zoom. (Note: This meeting is on a Monday.) He’ll cover the director’s early career, Hitchcock’s most popular films, and the actors he liked to use. Brian’s talk will be … Read more

October 10 Zoom Meeting: Discussing NaNoWriMo with Gigi Panda

Award-winning author Gigi Pandian joins us via Zoom on Oct. 10 to offer practical advice and inspiration to those planning to participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November. NaNoWriMo is what got her to the finish line of her first novel, and after having 15 novels published, she still uses it each year. She’ll share her tips for how … Read more

July 11 Zoom Meeting: Dan Fesperman on Crafting Thrillers

New York Times bestselling thriller author Dan Fesperman joins us by Zoom on July 11 to discuss his career. The former Baltimore Sun foreign correspondent’s travel to war zones and 30 countries has inspired 13 novels with stories of intrigue on an international stage. Dan’s coverage of the siege of Sarajevo was the motivation for his first novel, Lie … Read more

May 9 Zoom Meeting: Pitching and Screenwriting

Jeanne Veillette Bowerman, a senior executive at Pipeline Media Group and Book Pipeline, will join us via Zoom on May 9 to explain the finer points of her service that helps writers pitch their books to publishers and movie/television producers. The concept: enter the Book Pipeline contest, pay a modest fee, and the winner’s work is pitched. This has resulted … Read more

April 11 Zoom Meeting: A Conversation With David Baldacci

New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci, who has sold more than 150 million copies of his thrillers worldwide, joins us via Zoom at 7:30 on April 11 to discuss his writing career, including how he juggles several series with diverse main characters, and how he does research. He has published 47 novels, all national and international bestsellers, with … Read more

March 14 Zoom Meeting: Writing and Keeping Secrets

Tom Straw, who authored seven New York Times bestsellers under the pseudonym of Richard Castle, will talk about novel writing, what it’s like to be a bestselling author who can’t reveal his success, the writers’ room in television, and show running. Tom originated the Nikki Heat series, based on the TV series Castle, about a famous novelist following a female detective around New York … Read more

February 7 Zoom Meeting: Writing Sex Scenes

With Valentine’s Day approaching, what better time to learn how to write sex scenes to advance your plot and increase reader investment? Let New York Times bestselling romance author Roni Loren and book coach/editor Dawn Alexander tell you how at our Feb. 7 Zoom meeting. Roni Loren is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a two-time RITA Award winner, and a HOLT Medallion … Read more