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Guest Speakers

June Speaker – Robert A. Lane

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Workshop Title: Art of Audiobook Narration (and Marketing)

NOTE: This meeting will take place on the 4th Saturday of June, on June 28th.

Narrating an audiobook is more than just grabbing your book and hitting the record button. There are two factors that are key to creating an engaging audiobook – the practical and the intangibles.

In this interactive presentation, participants will not only learn but discover that they CAN narrate their own audiobook. They will also learn the practical steps needed to create an audiobook as well as tools to build confidence in their voice.

We will also talk about ways to market your audiobook before, during and after your audiobook is launched.

Robert’s Bio:

Robert A. Lane is an Audiobook Coach & Producer as well as a Transformational Speaker. After working 30+ years in the entertainment industry, Robert founded Robert Lane Coaching in 2020 as a career and life coach, then expanded his business to help nonfiction authors narrate their own audiobooks by creating the “Your Book Your Voice” audiobook coaching program, getting authors published on Audible, Amazon & Apple Books in six weeks.

You can connect with Robert here:

Website – https://www.robertlanecoaching.com/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/robertlanecoaching/
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@robertlanecoaching
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-a-lane/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/robertlanecoaching
“Lights, Action, YOU!” (Book on Amazon) – https://amzn.to/3Ly833t

Meeting on Saturday, June 28, 2025
Breakfast begins at 8:30 am
The general meeting begins at 9:15 am
Hodel’s at 5917 Knudsen Dr, Bakersfield

Writers of Kern Monthly Meeting and Workshop Fee. Breakfast is included.

April Featured Speaker – Michele Drier

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Workshop Title: Adding Tension to Your Work

No matter the genre, tension is the driving force that keeps readers hooked and turning pages. In this session, Michele will share practical strategies to heighten tension in your writing, helping you create stories that captivate and leave readers wanting more.

How do we create these tensions that add action and spice to our stories? Michele explains, “The way I’ve found–both in working with reporters in journalism and as an author myself–is to ask: ‘What If’? At any spot in your story, your characters will have opportunities to change their realities and shift their responses, and this is where you can examine the ‘What if…’ and bring in a nail-biter.”

Bio:

Michele Drier is a fifth generation Californian. During her career in journalism at daily newspapers in California, she won awards for investigative series. She is the past president of Capitol Crimes, a Sisters in Crime chapter; the Guppies chapter of Sisters in Crime; current president of NorCal Sisters in Crime, co-chaired  Bouchercon 2020, the world’s oldest and largest convention for mystery fans and authors and is the co-chair for Left Coast Crime in San Francisco in 2026.

Her Amy Hobbes Newspaper Mysteries are Edited for Death, (called “Riveting and much recommended” by the Midwest Book Review), Labeled for Death and Delta for Death. A stand-alone, Ashes of Memories was published May 2017.

Her paranormal romance series, SNAP: The Kandesky Vampire Chronicles, named the best paranormal vampire series of 2014 by PRG includes: SNAP: The World Unfolds, SNAP: New Talent, PLAGUE: A Love Story, DANUBE: A Tale of Murder, SNAP: Love for Blood, (Best paranormal book 2013, PRG reviewers); SNAP: Happily Ever After?, SNAP: White Nights, SNAP; All That Jazz ( best paranormal vampire book of 2014, PRG reviewers), SNAP: I, Vampire, SNAP: Red Bear Rising, SNAP: Pandemic Games.  She’s currently working on the twelfth book in the series.

Her new series is the Stained Glass Mysteries, Stain on the Soul, Tapestry of Tears, and Resurrection of the Roses.

She lives in Sacramento with her cat, Malley.

Visit her webpage, www.MicheleDrier.me

Or her Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMicheleDrier

Or find her on her author page at http://www.amazon.com/Michele-Drier/e/B005D2YC8G/

Meeting on Saturday, April 19, 2025
Breakfast begins at 8:30 am
The general meeting begins at 9:15 am
Hodel’s at 5917 Knudsen Dr, Bakersfield

Writers of Kern Monthly Meeting and Workshop Fee. Breakfast is included.

2025 Spring Conference

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Our Spring Conference will be held on Saturday, March 15, from 9 am – 1 pm.
Cinnamon rolls for breakfast and buffet lunch are included.

SPEAKERS

Yumi Tomita: How to Unleash Your Creativity with Music and Imagination

Is writer’s block affecting your productivity? Learn how to tap into your creative mind when you need it most. This presentation will help you unleash your creative mind to generate fresh ideas with music and imagination exercises. You will learn about the science and philosophy behind the methodology of music visualization exercises you can do anytime to tap into endless writing inspiration.

This session is perfect for anyone facing writer’s block, writers looking to enhance their creativity and develop new strategies for idea generation, and individuals interested in combining wellness practices with creative writing. This inspiring and practical workshop will help you start writing.

Yumi Tomita is the chief director of the Imagination Improvement Institute. She holds a BA in Biochemistry from Occidental College and has been a certified senior trainer for Imagination Improvement since 2014. She’s held trainings for executives and CEOs for Japanese corporations, group sessions for parents and busy professionals, and has run workshops at universities for over ten years. Yumi helps people care for and enhance their creative minds through a combination of music and visualization exercises. She was born in Japan, raised in Palo Alto, and calls the Bay Area home.

Jenna Brandt: Marketing for Indie Authors

This session will cover practical, effective marketing strategies tailored for authors, including the best ad platforms, social media advertising, and how to optimize Amazon ads with the right keywords. You’ll also learn how to automate newsletters, grow your email list, and keep readers engaged.

Jenna will explore tools like Publisher Rocket, Amazon Affiliate Links, and online giveaway platforms to help expand your reach. She will also discuss the importance of a strong book cover—your most powerful marketing tool. Whether you’re new to book promotion or looking to refine your strategy, this session will provide actionable insights to make your marketing efforts more effective.

Jenna Brandt is an international bestselling and award-winning author who writes inspirational romance. Her page-turning books have elements of humor, suspense and faith. She has several best-selling series including Disaster City Search and Rescue, First Responders of Faith Valley, Badges & Baristas, and The Lawkeepers all based off the life of her husband in law enforcement.

Matt Woodman: (Not) Just the Facts – Writing the Scientific Poem

In this writing workshop, Matt Woodman will discuss how poets have incorporated scientific insights, processes, and language into their creative work; the workshop will lead attendees through various generative strategies and techniques so that everyone will leave with a draft of their own scientific poem.

Matthew Woodman’s poems, stories, and essays have appeared in publications including Puerto del Sol, Sonora Review, Hawai’i Review, Fourteen Hills, Catamaran, and The Moth. He was named the 2018-2023 Kern County Poet Laureate and was awarded the 2018 Outstanding Lecturer at California State University, Bakersfield, where he currently teaches.

Saturday, March 15, 2025
Meeting begins at 9:00 am
Hodel’s at 5917 Knudsen Dr, Bakersfield

Get Your Conference Tickets Here!

February Featured Speaker – Terry Willey

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Workshop Title: Artificial Intelligence for Creatives

Discover Practical Ways to Use AI in Your Writing Journey

AI is everywhere these days, but how does it fit into a writer’s life? If you’ve ever been curious—or maybe a little skeptical—about how AI could help you as a creative, our next program, “Artificial Intelligence for Creatives,” might be just what you’re looking for.

This session isn’t about replacing creativity. It’s about exploring how writers can ethically and practically use AI tools to make their work a little easier, whether that means brainstorming a logline, drafting a query letter or book proposal, or creating promotional artwork.

What Will Be Covered:

  • Simple ways to write prompts that help AI give you the results you need.
  • How AI can be a helpful assistant for tasks like proposals and marketing.
  • Tips for saving time without losing the personal touch in your writing.

What You’ll Take Away:
Terry Willey will show ways that AI can free up your time so you can focus on what you love—writing. He’ll also share tips for using AI to enhance your marketing effectiveness, even if you’re not a tech expert.

What to Expect During the Talk:
Terry has learned through trial and error what works for writers (and what doesn’t), and is looking forward to sharing those insights with you. He also plans to do a live demonstration with work from attendees, showing step-by-step how AI can help with specific tasks like creating a logline, synopsis, or mockup artwork.

If you’re curious but cautious, this session is for you. AI doesn’t have to be intimidating or impersonal—it can be a simple tool to support your creative goals. We’d love to see you there!

*Note: The above blog post was written by AI and edited by a human! 🙂

Bio:

Terry Willey and Carol Baker are award-winning writers of full-length plays, one-acts, screenplays, teleplays, short stories, novels, and biscuit and gravy reviews. Their book, Time Travel for Fun and Prophet, won second place in Humor and third place in Science Fiction in the 2024 CIPA EVVYTM Book Awards. They’re original members of Writers of Kern and have been published in the WOK Anthology 1 and Anthology 2. They were members of the screenwriting and scifi critique groups and are members of the Coastal Dunes CWC. Their new book, Rio Cyborg, will be coming out in 2025.

Meeting on Saturday, February 15, 2025
Breakfast begins at 8:30 am
The general meeting begins at 9:15 am
Hodel’s at 5917 Knudsen Dr, Bakersfield

Writers of Kern Monthly Meeting and Workshop Fee. Breakfast is included.

January Featured Speaker – Carla Martin

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Workshop Title: A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Words

This workshop will focus on using visual mediums as a source of inspiration.

In this workshop participants will:

  • Examine the use of paintings
  • Listen to the life stories of the artists and absorb their colors, shapes, and messages.
  • Write using a visual prompt
  • If you’d like to, share your work

Carla Joy Martin is a poet, pastel artist and piano instructor. After living in New York, Scotland and Pasadena, she found herself in Bakersfield and has been here for thirty years now. She obtained her MA in English Literature from Stanford and enjoys promoting the arts in Bakersfield. She hosts the Dukes Memorial Concerts as well as co-hosts the First Friday Open Mic Nights with Portia Choi. She published her first poetry chapbook, A Kaleidoscope of Love, in the middle of the pandemic. A member of Writers of Kern for many years, Carla is the current Critique Group Chair. She can’t thank WOK enough for all they have done to nurture her talents.

Hope to see you there!

Meeting on Saturday, January 11, 2025
Breakfast begins at 8:30 am
The general meeting begins at 9:15 am
Hodel’s at 5917 Knudsen Dr, Bakersfield

Writers of Kern Monthly Meeting and Workshop Fee. Breakfast is included.