2006-2007 Speaker Schedules

Spokane Authors & Self-Publishers

2011 Speaker Information

(scroll down for newer information)

June 2, 2011

Blythe Thimsen is the editor of Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living. In her current role she is responsible for overseeing each issue of the publication from the beginning concept to the printed product. Her responsibilities include planning the content of each issue, personally writing five to six feature stories and several smaller pieces per issue, assigning additional stories to a staff of writers, managing freelance writers and story pitches, planning the editorial budget and editing the entire publication. Additionally, she coordinates and attends photo shoots, and works with the art department to select quality photos and create layouts that are aesthetically pleasing. In Blythe’s time as Editor at Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living, the magazine has grown from a 108-page, staple-bound publication to an over 200-page perfect-bound publication with increased production frequency and ad revenue.

July 7, 2011

Ruth McHaney Danner has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in education. Her first book, What I Learned from God While Quilting, was released in 2000 through a traditional royalty publisher and has sold over 72,000 copies. Since then, she has written self-published memoirs and biographies for local families. Her most recent was By My Side, the story of Eddie Eng, owner of the Cathay Inn. Ruth also writes non-fiction articles for a variety of nationally distributed magazines. Currently, she is working on her own book of memoirs. Besides writing, she keeps busy as a church pianist and as a part-time tutor at Sylvan Learning Center. Her hobbies include quilting, gardening, and bicycling.

August 2011

No Meeting Scheduled

September 1, 2011

Fascinated with the age of the sail and the great sailing navies, D. Andrew McChesney served in the modern US Navy as an aviation electronics technician. Sometime after completing a twenty-two year career he revived and revised a story first conceived in high school. The first two books of the Stone Island Sea Stories are complete and work continues on the third. He edits the Rear Engine Review, the Inland Northwest Corvair Club’s monthly newsletter. An essay, Tennis Balls and Broadsides, won first place in the initial Author! Author! Periodic Awards for Expressive Excellence, and was published in Gray Dog Press’ SpokeWrite. The next book of the series placed second in the Author! Author! Great First Pages Contest. Usually answering to “Dave”, he is President of Spokane Authors and Self-Publishers, and a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association.

He resides in Spokane with his wife Eva, daughter Jessica, a Quaker Parrot named He-lo, a corn snake called Teako, a 1962 Corvair Rampside known as Tim, and a 1965 Corvair Monza coupe identified as Ralph. Patiently waiting to win the Lotto or for his book(s) to become best-sellers, Dave works in janitorial services with a local private club.

October 6, 2011

Victor Bobb has enjoyed teaching at Whitworth University since 1986. He will talk about making money as a full-time freelance writer, a career path he pursued during more than two years of financial difficulties at the north Spokane school. Born in Pullman, he graduated from WSU in 1971 and received a PhD in English from the University of Oregon. Victor began his teaching career at Eastern Illinois University in 1977. Along the way he has played rugby, acquired a wife, a couple of kids, and some dogs.

Victor was first published 1979. Over the years since he has written serious fiction and articles about a variety of subjects. He has penned juvenile horror fiction, inspirational essays, pulp-style science fiction stories, and a hardboiled detective novel. Victor also collaborated with Cynthia MacGregor on ten family activities books. He has served as fiction editor for two magazines and for nineteen years has contributed a monthly article to Ruralite, a magazine focusing on life on the Colville Indian Reservation.

November 3, 2011

Mike V. Miller (no biographical information currently available)

December 1, 2011

SASP will celebrate the conclusion of another successful year. We invite members (and possibly guests) to share their work during an “open mic” session. Individual readings should be no longer than about five minutes in length.

We will also hold elections/confirm office holders for the coming year.

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January 5, 2012

We will begin the new year with a potential two-part program. First, we will hold an OPEN FORUM to discuss RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS as they pertain to publishing. If there is sufficient time remaining, we will continue with more OPEN MIC presentations.

February 2, 2012

Jessica Titchenal is a multi-published author who lives in the Inland Northwest with her family. She writes romance, urban fantasy, non-fiction, and middle grade. Jessica also teaches writing classes for children and adults. Her next novel, STONE COLD REVENGE, will be released in the spring. When not writing, she stays busy reviewing books, teaching yoga, crafting, and gardening. You can find her online under her pen name, Jess Macallan, and at RockYourCreativeSelf.wordpress.com.

Ms. Titchenal’s talk is titled Don’t Shoot Yourself in the Foot. “Your manuscript is polished and ready to submit or publish. How you conduct yourself from here plays a key role in your platform and career success. Avoid unintentionally shooting yourself in the foot with these tips and tricks. Learn how to engage readers, create lasting relationships with reviewers, work with your publishing team, and maintain your professionalism in the face of disappointment.”

March 1, 2012

Shann Ferch is a professor at Gonzaga University and author of American Masculine. He will speak on “writing characters of darkness and light.”

Jung's concept of the Shadow helps create the ground for more full and alive characters who are capable of profound action. An understanding of the Shadow, alongside an understanding of transcendent character qualities, leads to greater narrative power, greater depth, and strong resolution in poems, stories, and novels.

April 5, 2012

After nearly two years, Dr. William Stimson will once again be our guest speaker. He will talk about “Obstacles to the Writing Process.” He is currently the Director of the Eastern Washington University Journalism Program.
Dr. Stimson was born and raised in Spokane. He graduated from Eastern Washington University and holds both a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Washington State University. Dr. Stimson has been a newspaper and magazine journalist for most of his life and contributes regularly to The Inlander. He has written two books, Going to Washington State: A Century of Student Life and A View of the Falls: A History of Spokane.

May 3, 2012

This month’s guest speaker will be SASP member John Heffernan. He is a retired Corrections Superintendent and author of Not One Drop of Blood, published by Gray Dog Press. John will be speaking about working with local access television (channel 14) for author publicity and marketing.

Spokane Authors

& Self-Publishers

Page revised 04/29/2012 DAM