CWOW is an Affiliate of American Christian Fiction Writers
CHRISTIAN WRITERS OF THE WEST
Welcome to CWOW! We are a group of Christian authors located in the greater Phoenix area, with memberships spanning from Benson, to Gilbert, to Sun City West, and six more Arizona cities. We usually meet the second Saturday of the month and strive to grow our knowledge from workshops on craft, to website building, to "Do I need an agent?" Our authors are seasoned (30+ published works) to intermediate (3+ multiple published works) to beginning (I'm going to see my first publication soon). Walk through the door to our meeting, you will shake hands with traditionally published, self-published, hybrid, and even cartoonists.
In-Person Meeting Location
Denny's
Address
3315 N Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
Time
12:00 - 2:00
But, we start arriving at 11:30 to eat and network
Denny's
Address
3315 N Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
Time
12:00 - 2:00
But, we start arriving at 11:30 to eat and network
October 12
Brian Lawrence
Being a Brave Author: Writing about Tough Issues.
Should Christian authors write about controversial subjects? Should Christian authors write about difficult subjects? Can fiction with a Christian worldview be used for social change? There are many topics that brave authors choose to focus their fiction on. For B.D. Lawrence, one of those topics is sex trafficking. B.D. will talk about why he chose this difficult subject, how he writes about it, how sex trafficking today should be portrayed in fiction, and what other difficult subjects brave Christian authors are taking on. Come and be inspired to tackle the tough subjects in your fiction.
B.D. Lawrence has always loved reading fiction. Ironically, his worst subject in high school was English. In his early thirties, he decided to give writing a try. During his writing journey he’s dabbled in several genres, including mystery, suspense, science fiction, fantasy, and literary fiction. He currently is focusing on crime stories of justice, vengeance, and redemption. He wants his books to bring hope to readers that may not know Jesus as Lord. His novels are be written from a Christian world view and present the Gospel in some form by some character or characters.
November 9 - (Craft) Tina Wheeler: "Writing Fast-paced Suspense"
December - Party
Brian Lawrence
Being a Brave Author: Writing about Tough Issues.
Should Christian authors write about controversial subjects? Should Christian authors write about difficult subjects? Can fiction with a Christian worldview be used for social change? There are many topics that brave authors choose to focus their fiction on. For B.D. Lawrence, one of those topics is sex trafficking. B.D. will talk about why he chose this difficult subject, how he writes about it, how sex trafficking today should be portrayed in fiction, and what other difficult subjects brave Christian authors are taking on. Come and be inspired to tackle the tough subjects in your fiction.
B.D. Lawrence has always loved reading fiction. Ironically, his worst subject in high school was English. In his early thirties, he decided to give writing a try. During his writing journey he’s dabbled in several genres, including mystery, suspense, science fiction, fantasy, and literary fiction. He currently is focusing on crime stories of justice, vengeance, and redemption. He wants his books to bring hope to readers that may not know Jesus as Lord. His novels are be written from a Christian world view and present the Gospel in some form by some character or characters.
November 9 - (Craft) Tina Wheeler: "Writing Fast-paced Suspense"
December - Party
CWOW President: Pamela Tracy
Pamela Tracy is an award-winning author who lives with her husband (He claims to be the inspiration for most of her heroes) and son (He claims to be the interference for most of her writing time.) While earning a BA in Journalism at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, Pamela picked up the pen ( it was an electric typewriter on which she wrote a very bad science fiction novel) and eventually, after graduating, getting that first job, etc, she purchased a computer and began again - romances. First published in 1999 by Barbour Publishing, She has since published more than thirty books and sold more than a million copies. She's written contemporary, historical and suspenseful - all in the romance genre. Her 2007 suspense Pursuit of Justice was a Rita finalist. Her 2009 suspense Broken Lullaby won the American Christian Fiction Writers' Book of the year award. In 2014, she finally earned a USA Today Bestseller designation. Her next book Christmas Conspiracy releases in 2023.  Leola Ogle lives in Arizona with her husband, Jeff, and their two rescue dogs. They have a large blended family of eight children, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She has authored several novels, plus several published short stories. She and her husband have been in ministry most of their adult lives. She has a passion to write about real life issues based on her ministry and family experiences.
CWOW Secretary & Membership
Leola Ogle |
CWOW Treasurer
Rebecca Bruner Rebecca D. Bruner is a multi-published author, Bible teacher, and conference speaker. She writes in a variety of genres, including non-fiction, speculative fiction, contemporary, and biblical fiction. Her most recent women’s fiction novella, “Midlife Crisis,” was a finalist in ACFW’s 2022 First Impressions Contest. It was published in the novella collection, Journeys of Forgiveness, which was a finalist in the American Fiction Awards. She has an adult son and daughter, who make her very proud, and she lives in Mesa with her husband. 
CWOW Vice-President
Ora Smith Ora Smith’s an author, artist, genealogist, seamstress, lover of a good book, traveler, antiquer, upcycler, and history buff. Although she’s lived in Arizona since 1986, she spent her early life in Lake Tahoe, California, where her passion to write blossomed on a tranquil riverbank with a beautiful backdrop of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. As a genealogist, she spent thirty-plus years researching her family histories. With her historical “Heritage Fiction” novels, she’s made a niche in writing about ancestors, creating fascinating stories based on true events. She loves nothing better than to be whisked off to past eras to meet those whose lives are worth sharing. |
Join CWOW today, or
Renew your membership online!
You may visit our meetings as a guest twice before
joining our group.
Renew your membership online!
You may visit our meetings as a guest twice before
joining our group.
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CWOW MAILING LIST . . .
STAY CONNECTED TO CWOW EVENTS! Want to make sure you get the latest update and exciting information from CWOW? Whether you want to sign up or if you have changed your email address, make sure you don't miss any club notifications by signing up for our mail list here. |
ACFW membership required to join CWOW
Visit ACFW CWOW is the greater Phoenix area chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers. |
Speakers . . .
We are pleased to host a variety of quality speakers at CWOW events! For upcoming meeting dates, locations, and information, please see Speakers page.
*We do not meet the summer months of June, July, & August
*Most meetings are in-person but we do an occasional Zoom, so check by to see what's happening.
*Guests can attend one meeting without joining the National organization.
*To join the national organization, please visit the website for American Christian Fiction Writers, cost is $75
* After joining Nationals, to join CWOW, please go to the member page, fill out the form and submit. Cost is $15.
We are pleased to host a variety of quality speakers at CWOW events! For upcoming meeting dates, locations, and information, please see Speakers page.
*We do not meet the summer months of June, July, & August
*Most meetings are in-person but we do an occasional Zoom, so check by to see what's happening.
*Guests can attend one meeting without joining the National organization.
*To join the national organization, please visit the website for American Christian Fiction Writers, cost is $75
* After joining Nationals, to join CWOW, please go to the member page, fill out the form and submit. Cost is $15.