Click HERE for information on the next meeting.

NOTE: MEETING TIME HAS CHANGED. The meetings now start at 6:00. PLEASE CLICK ABOVE FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION.

Once again, NETWO has secured a great faculty for the Spring Conference, April 27 and 28. 2012 Headlining the group is four time RITA winner Jodi Thomas. Ms. Thomas is a NYT and USA Today bestselling author, and has won more awards than we can list here.

Two New York agents will be available for one-on-one conferences. Mary Sue Seymour founded the Seymour Agency in 1992. She is a member of the Author’s guild, the AAR, ACFW, WGA, and RWA. Publishers Marketplace lists her as one of the top dealmakers in the country. Weronika Janczuk is an agent with Lynn Franklin Associates. She represents a wide range of fiction and non-fiction for YA and adult markets. Of importance to our attendees, she is actively looking for new clients.

Vivian Zabel is the publisher of 4RV, which published Confessions of a Former Rock Queen, the 2010 Oklahoma Book Award winner in fiction. Jacque Graham, herself a published poet, is an editor at 4RV Publishing.

Three other authors make up the faculty. They are: Jaye Wells, urban fantasy writer, who will present a two hour workshop on Friday afternoon, plus a presentation on Saturday; Corey Mitchell, a Los Angeles Times and Borders International Group bestselling author of crime fiction; and Sylvia Dickey Smith, a woman with international credentials who writes women's fiction.

The 2012 spring writers' conference moves to the Mt. Pleasant Civic Center. Conference Director Pattie Ball and Conference Consultant James Callan promise that the new venue will provide much better facilities for the general sessions, more options for the workshops, and ample private locations for the one-on-one interviews with agents, editors and publishers.

Two outstanding workshops will be presented on Friday, with Saturday given over to shorter presentations, plus one-on-one interviews. Circle April 27 and 28 on your calendar. You won't want to miss this outstanding conference.

The rules for the NETWO 2012 Short Story Contest are posted on this website. Click on the button at the upper left labled, "Contest."

The contest opens January 2, 2012. The final deadline for receiving entries is March 15, 2012. Once again, the top story will receive $150 and an offer of publication. Other cash prizes are: $100, $50, and $25. There will be three separate judges. Check out the complete details by clicking here.

NETWO presented its fall workshop October 22 and by all accounts, it was a great success. Speakers Stephen Woodfin, Caleb Pirtle and Rusty Shelton gave impressive presentations on the changing world of book publishing to a full house. And they made a strong case that there has never been a better time for the author.

Woodfin gave facts and figures to illustrate the rising importance of e-books. Pirtle discussed the emergency of the small, independent publisher. He also explained how Gallivant Press publishes e-books, and actively markets not only the books it publishes, but also paperback and e-books issued by other publishers.

Shelton explain the changing landscape in book promotion and what the author can do to lift his or her book above the horde. All three speakers answered questions from the audience.

Comments after the workshop, which ran from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., were enthusiastic. Here are a few of the e-mails already received from attendees.

• "Thank YOU NETWO, Stephen, Caleb, and Rusty! This was a terrific,eye-opening, shove out of some comfort zones day. ..." - Donna
• "I second Donna's comments!! It made me realize I really need to change the way I approach getting my children's book published! " - Dorthy
• "I've been to a lot of conferences in my time in the book biz...A LOT! But this weekend was absolutely one of the most informative, useful and inspiring I've ever attended. And I am not just saying that...I mean it most sincerely. I drove home thinking that this may well be the beginning of some of the best times to be a writer in the history of the written word. Great job...great speakers. Thank you so much." - Ginnie
• "I agree that the workshop on Saturday was really great, and thanks so much to all at NETWO who organized it." - Maryann
• "The enthusiasm from the attendees was probably the greatest of any workshop we have produced." James R. Callan
• "I don’t usually attend workshops because I find them boring and full of redundant information. This one was in an area where I find myself pathetically lacking. It was informative, and interesting...thanks for the invite." - David

Stephen Woodfin & Caleb Pirtle        Rusty Shelton  

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NETWO Authors Participate in Mt. Vernon Bookfest

A number of writers from NETWO participated in the Mt. Vernon Bookfest 2011. Here is Mike Clifton, with his new book, The Treasure Hunt.. Others signing books included
Jory Sherman
Patty Ball
Bill Carl
and Whit Gentry.

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NETWO Author Patty Ball Interviewed for KLTV

Patty Ball, whose humorous romance mystery Laid Out and Candle Lit was released in September, will be featured on Joan Hallmark's Proud of East TExas on KLTV Sunday, October 16 during the 10 p.m. news. It will be repreated on Good Morning East Texas Monday a.m. on KLTV. It will also run on an additional 10 p.m. news slot, and then be available on KLTV.COM.

Congratulations, Patty. Laid Out and Candle Lit is available in paperback and in a Kindle Edition on Amazon.com.

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Officers		Chair Persons
President - Skip Hughes		Publicity Chair - Karen Watt
Vice-President - Karen Watt		Membership Chair - Earlene Callan
Secretary - Joy Chitsey		Communications Chair - Susan Royal
Treasurer - Bryan Freeman		Conference Director - Pattie Ball

Conference Consultant - James R. Callan

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Tribute to Ted Rankin, former President of NETWO

Tribute to Georgia Henson, Charter member of NETWO

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On-Line Critique Group

NETWO has set up an on-line critique group. This will allow writers to get written critiques on their work, and to help others by critiquing the work of others. The rules it will work under are simple.

• The writer will query the group to see who feels qualified/interested in the piece and can devote the time necessary for a thorough critique. The writer should state the genre and the approximate length of the work. If a large number reply, then the writer can choose however many people he wants to see his work. The key element is communication.
• If you accept a piece to critique and circumstances arise which are going to delay your review, by all means let the writer know immediately so that he can go to someone else.
• Make comments within the work using different color font. At the end, make general comments concerning story line, characters, etc. If you do not want to use this method, then use something else....we are not going to make this a show stopper.
• Please make your critique within seven days or notify the writer that you will delayed.
• No particular style will be used (i.e. Chicago, AP, etc).

If you want to participate, send your name and e-mail address to Paul Paris at: pnp3421@aol.com.

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NETWO Awards

Click HERE to see various awards and publications for NETWO members.

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A Treasure Box,
NETWO's latest anthology, is available,
and everybody is talking about what a beautiful, well-produced book it is. And, as award-wnning author Jory Sherman says, if you write, you can learn from this book. If you haven't gotten yours yet, order one on-line by clicking here or, pick one up at the next NETWO meeting. Not only will you be supporting your writers group, but you will read some terrific stories and poems, and learn more about the creative process.

Editor James R. Callan suggested these make terrific gifts. It is a beautiful book, it's interesting, and it encourages reading - something all writers should do.

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The Northeast Texas Writers' Organization is a group of northeast Texas area persons interested in the craft of creative writing, or the support of that endeavor. We accept all members, regardless of age or persuasion, in the belief that variety enhances learning. Included in the group are writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, scripts, and journalism. Under fiction, many different genres are represented for both adult and children. In non-fiction, the interests range from medical and technical writing to memoirs, from religious to nostalgia. Any phase of the writing craft is welcomed. Many of the members of NETWO have been published, but many have not been - yet.

The purpose of the Northeast Writers' Organization is to promote literary pursuits in this area. Some of the activities include critique sessions, lectures, book signings, publishing, and writers' workshops and conferences.

Members are encouraged to submit items for our newsletter, With Pen in Hand, including their opinions concerning programs we have had or should schedule, short works of most any kind, brief bios, notices of writing contests and conferences, and just about any news of interest to our members.

The Northeast Texas Writers' organization meets on the second Thursday of each month, except December. Click HERE for detailed information on the next meeting.
A short business meeting begins at 5:30 pm. A program follows the business meeting. This may consist of a critique session, a speaker, a tutorial, or a workshop.

NETWO is always looking for new members. If you have an interest in writing, come visit a meeting and see how friendly and helpful NETWO members can be. Click HERE for information on the next meeting. For more information, call Galand at 903-572-0580 or 903-563-1352.