2026: Enid Writers Club Fall Writing Workshop

Posted on September 13, 2026 by peggylchambers

The Enid Writers Club, St. Matthews Episcopal Church and Enid Arts Council, present their annual fall writing workshop on October 17, 2026, at St Matthews Episcopal Church, 518 West Randolph, Enid, OK 73703. Preregistration is required by October 12, 2026, and it  only costs $25.

We will begin the morning with check-in at 9:00 for coffee and doughnuts and to get acquainted. Speakers and members will have their books for sale, and you can get them signed. They make great Christmas gifts.

The first speaker at 10:00, Raven Lee, horror fiction writer, is an avid traveler. She has never met a spooky tale she didn’t love. Ghost towns, haunted houses, or mysterious forests, wherever the story, she is fascinated. When not traveling, she channels her paranormal obsession into writing her own stories, hoping to make you sleep with the light on. Raven haunts northeast Oklahoma.

The second speaker at 11:00 is Marcia Preston, presenting Fifty Shades of Crime Fiction. The world of mystery/suspense/thriller fiction includes many sub-genres that an aspiring author needs to understand. Marcia will define these categories, along with examples, and offer a modus operandi for the actual writing.

A boxed lunch from McAllester’s will begin at 12:00 with a choice of ham, turkey, or veggie sandwich, chips, and a cookie. Drinks will be provided.

After lunch (around 1:00) the third speaker will be Mariana Llanos, an award-winning writer, poet, translator, and teaching artist from Lima, Peru. In 2024, her picture book Benita and the Night Creatures/Benita y las criaturas nocturnas received a Pura Belpre Honor (American Library Association) and was the winner of the Oklahoma Book Award in the children’s category. She’s also the author of the 2022 Oklahoma Book Award winner Run Little Chaski/Corre Pequeño Chaski!, the chapter book series Vampirita among other titles.

It will be a great networking opportunity, cozy shopping excursion for books, lunch out, and you might learn something! I’m sure it will be fun.

You must pre-register, so we have a headcount for lunch. The entire day is only $25 including lunch and will be from 9:00 to 3:00. St. Matthews is a lovely facility and just small enough to be personable, not a huge lecture hall. Parking is in the back. There will be three speakers, with three topics, lunch, and an opportunity to get acquainted with other writers.

You can preregister here online at https://serendipitylanecreates.com/products/enid-writers-club-registration. Or you may send a $25 check made out to EWC to St. Matthews Episcopal Church, 518 W. Randolph, Enid, OK 73701. If there are questions, email Enid.wc@mail.com. With registration select your type of sandwich. Registration cut-off is October 12, 2026.

Come join us for a wonderful day!

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2026: The Joy of Urban Fantasy

Posted on September 6, 2026 by peggylchambers

A few years ago, I wrote an urban fantasy called Flatiron Death Grip by combining some short stories I had written earlier into a novel. I thought it would be easy to take stories that had already been written and make them into a novel. It was not. The idea took a while. I had to decide who was the main character of the novel, not just the main character of each short story. Then all the characters had to have one main goal—the hero’s journey. I finally made it. It was published, illustrated and later converted into a graphic novel script, too. That project never quite got finished, but the novel is available on Amazon at Flatiron Death Grip: Chambers, Peggy, Saenz, Gabriella: 9781953589101: Amazon.com: Books. It was a lot of work but I had fun putting it all together.

The blurb on the back reads like this:

Teasy Sanders patrolled the streets at night wearing her lime green F. U. tee shirt from Flatiron University where she wished she could have attended. Like so many people in her neighborhood she’s tired of the criminals like the Gray Wolf gang who’d taken over. Gangs had killed her family and friends and she wanted her neighborhood back. She had the tools to put an end to the criminal activity, but the air pollution in the city was getting worse by the minute. And Teasy and her new gang may have found an answer to that. The Civil Rights Act had once more been amended, and now included all life forms: humans, werewolves, vampires, and the most hideous, zombies. And suddenly the world was full of them. But could they save the world before everyone choked to death on the pollution?

I still love fantasy and sometimes I just need to create some more. There’s probably too much reality in the world. Pick up a copy and get ready for spooky season that is right around the corner.

What are you doing, writing, reading, or creating this week? How about a little urban fantasy?  

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2026: Tales of the Oklahuman

Posted on August 30, 2026 by peggylchambers

A few years ago, I met Jeff Provine, publisher of Okie Comics. He was at an author fest in Enid. He is originally from Enid, and he helped me learn the art of comic book writing. It is an art, just like the illustration. There are rules and he gave me examples of scripts (along with some from other comic book greats), and I attempted to write my first comic book script. I based it on a couple of books I had published set at the Heavener Runestone in southeast Oklahoma. The books were set in Oklahoma and were about Oklahoma characters. Those are the prerequisites for Okie Comics. And he paired my story with Mike Kennedy, an Oklahoma artist.

Then I got an opportunity to write another story about Oklahoma and our favorite springtime fun, tornado season. I wrote a story about a character I invented and sent it to Jeff. He was working on a magazine with stories about his character, the Oklahuman—all things Oklahoma wrapped up in a superhero. So, we tailored my story to his character and we were off. Mike Kennedy once again illustrated it and since I wrote it not long after the Enid tornado, last spring, I included that in the story. Fun with tornados!

There will be a comic arts festival: https://www.okcomicarts.org/ocaf-festival at the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center in Oklahoma City on Saturday September 12, 2026 from 1-6:00 and Okie Comics will be there. Many comic book artists will be in attendance. It will be loads of fun.

Then the artists and writers of the latest Okie Comics Oklahuman magazine have been invited to a book signing in Norman at Speeding Bullet Comics on September 19, 2026, from 12-3:00. https://www.facebook.com/events/4372841682978609.

Come out and join us for Okie Comics’ Tales of the Oklahuman, its creators, and all things Oklahoman. We’d love to meet you.

 What are you doing, writing, reading, or creating this week?

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2026: The Three Ps of Writing

Posted on August 23, 2026 by peggylchambers

A few years ago, I was invited to the public library in Enid and asked to teach children to write. I prepared a presentation for young children using simple tools and I took my presentation to the kids. When I got there, I found out they were not kids. They were in late middle school, taller than me, and much smarter. I had to come up with a quick plan. But my presentation could still be tailored to them on the fly, and it had too. It was a small group around a board table, and we began with the Three Ps like I had planned for younger kids. It could still work.

If you look that up, you will find the Three Ps of Diabetes, Business, and lots of other things. But in children’s writing they are Person, Place, and Problem.

The kids named their group The Awesome Authors, and they were. I went over the Three Ps, and it got us started then we wrote a story together. Everyone had an idea and the Three Ps kept them going the right way. A few months later at the Author Fest at the library they came to my table and presented a printed copy of their story to me. They were selling it for a dime and so excited. They were published authors! And I pulled what could have been a disaster out of the fire and they learned something. And they appreciated it.

In writing a story, the Person is the main character, or protagonist. I didn’t try that word on them, or they would have glazed over and not listened. Don’t ever dumb it down with kids or they will show you just who the dummy is, but the word Person worked out better here than the Protagonist.

The Place can be anywhere you want it to be; your hometown, the universe, the ocean, etc. You must have a setting to work with.

The third P is Problem. There is no story without conflict. Early in my writing I realized my characters were too nice—not like normal human beings. They had to have problems, be the problem, and go up against problems or the story would be boring. The problem is the goal of your main character. They must win (or fail) but they must have a goal to have an exciting story. In the case of the Three Ps, we added the antagonist, or bad guy, to the problem and it became one thing. Afterall without the antagonist, the goal would be achieved to quickly and the story would be over before it was begun.

So, Person + Place + Problem = Story.

 If you are writing a story and it just isn’t working out for you, look at the Three Ps. It is a good tool for children’s writing and adults. It gives a place to start and if you are confused along the line, it can give you a framework.

 Remember the Three Ps, stay cool out there, and what are you doing, writing, reading, fixing, or creating this week?

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2026: Do-it-Yourselfers

Posted on August 16, 2026 by peggylchambers

           

We’re do-it-yourselfers. Old ones. And this morning we were up to standards with our abilities.

            With all the news about Taylor Farms and lettuce lately, I had a conversation with friends about produce. My refrigerator looked like the Sahara Dessert lately, with nothing green for miles. We’ve been eating canned and frozen veggies, and I longed for a salad. This morning, I went to my local, and reputable, grocer and stocked up on produce. I bought Romain, not Iceberg lettuce just in case. Then I came home and washed, scrubbed, and soaked in cool water with baking soda, all my precious vegetables. (My precious!) Then I lovingly drained them and put them in the crisper for later. There will be taco salad for supper tonight!

            Then my husband got up to his standards of home improvement. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s hotter than . . . well, you know. And my living room ceiling fan quit. My do-it-yourselfer husband decided to call an electrician. But first, he took the plate off the switch on the wall that makes the fan speed variable. It looked okay to him but he’s not a professional. He put a multimeter on the switch to see if it was getting electricity, and it seemed to be okay. After that he was baffled. Then for some reason, he looked up at the fan and pulled the tiny chain that barely dangled from the bottom of the fan. We turn the fan off and on from the wall switch, not the chain. I don’t know how that chain had been pulled, but the fan had been turned off somehow on the chain instead of the wall. And we are the only two people who live here. Maybe we have a ghost?

            I don’t know, but I only spent $35 on produce that will become sustenance for us, and we are cool under the ceiling fan without the price of an electrician. Life is good.

            Stay cool out there and what are you doing, writing, reading, fixing, or creating this week?

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2026: Spark Your Imagination

Posted on August 9, 2026 by peggylchambers

I turned in a book yesterday and I wait to see what the publisher thinks. I poured my heart and soul into it, and now I wait to see if it is good enough. But it was full of my imagination and creativity. Today, I’m taking a break from writing except for the weekly blog. My imagination has been on high alert while I wrote. And in the process, I did some research on cranking up our creativity and learned a few things that I want to share today. I fell back on a presentation I did a few years ago on cranking up your imagination in case the summer heat has you down. Here are some things to ramp it back up again.

1. First accept that all people are creative. Some think they aren’t, but they need to  nurture that creativity more than others. Not nurturing your creativity freezes a part of you, and you lose the therapeutic value of creativity. Look at a potential problem from another perspective – like the perspective of your character – or imagine how another person would see it in another land. What things would still matter and what would not? You can also let your imagination run wild and exaggerate the situation in your mind – and then minimize the situation. Look at it from all angles. Think what the hero would do or imagine how someone beside yourself would accomplish it. Lewis Carroll once said, “Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

2. Play with abandon – all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Play some music in the background while you work. I have a friend who writes mysteries and she listens to heavy metal   turned up so loud her teenagers complain. That would not work for me, but it does for her. I like classical music playing softly in the background while I write. No lyrics, just instrumentals. I provide the words.

3. Find time to have no plans for an afternoon or morning when you can just wander out into your world and soak it up. That is easier said than done sometimes. But creativity comes from these moments. Cyberspace is not a good place to think because it is busy and exhausting. Stay off Facebook when you are creating.

4. Soak up solitude when you can get it and be comfortable just being with yourself. Find a place in the now and recharge. Revel in the connection of being with like minds. My writer’s club and critique group do wonderful things for my creativity in pointing out things I would never have thought about. Socializing with other creatives brings out the muse in all of us. Look for things that inspire you, like going to a museum or concert.

5. Always keep a notebook available for writing down those little flashes of genius – we all have them – so you don’t forget by the time you get home to your computer. I sometimes send myself emails if something comes to me during the workday. But now that I am retired, I still keep a small notebook in my purse. If you are going down the highway and lightning strikes, write it down.

            Be creative and practice that creativity in ways that work for you. Build your worlds and your characters looking at them from all angles, but always make sure your imagination is in high gear. As a writer, imagination is your job.

            Stay cool out there and what are you doing, writing, reading, or creating this week?

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2026: Manuscripts and Flower Beds

Posted on August 2, 2026 by peggylchambers

Last week we talked about how hot it was. We’ve had a small reprieve, but the temperatures will go up again this week. Surely this can’t go on forever. I keep thinking fall is on the horizon.

            This week, under the air conditioning, I finished the first draft of a middle grade reader I love. I can’t wait to publish it so you can read it. I think it is cute and kids will love the adventure. I do.

            However, every night, as I water my flower beds, I make plans for the ragged, sunburned plants that once graced my property. Irises need to be thinned out and are overgrown with Bermuda grass. Why is it that the best Bermuda grass grows in between the irises or cracks in the sidewalk when you need it in the lawn? That’s some healthy stuff! I’ve pulled it out and transplanted the hardy roots in blank spaces before and it works. But this time we sprayed it with a grass killer that won’t hurt the flowers. As I stand there nightly watering the flowers I’ve come up with a plan for a month or so down the road when it begins to cool. I’m going to cut them down, dig them all up (making sure the soil is moist), removed any and all grass and weeds, and only return a certain number back to the bed. It’s really the only way to clean up the mess and they will be healthy in the spring.

            Next comes the mint. It all goes. I am going to cut it down and then dig it up. My daughter has a lot of Lantana, and I hope to get some to replace the invasive mint. It will be attractive, bloom in hot weather, and hopefully make my flower beds look better. If she doesn’t have enough to share, there are these things called greenhouses that sell it.

            At my age all this has to be done slowly, but it will be accomplished, in small increments with moist soil, a shovel, and loads of hydration.

            So, tell me what you have been doing in this blistering heat? Are your flowerbeds sunburned no matter what you do? How’s that manuscript coming?

            Stay cool out there and what are you doing, writing, reading, or creating this week?

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2026: The Summer Heat

Posted on July 26, 2026 by peggylchambers

               

It’s hot! That is putting it mildly. The center of the country is hosting the heat dome this week, and we are getting triple digit temperatures. When you add in the humidity the Great Plains brings, that increases it even more. I saw a forecast for 114℉ heat indices, and that is not uncommon.

 I’m staying inside. Thankfully, I have that option—and I have a lot of writing waiting on my attention.

My husband and I take a walk early in the morning before it gets too hot and that way I do something besides sit and write. He also mows the grass early finishing before noon. If all else fails, we could run out and play in the sprinkler.

Many years ago, I managed the city pool and took my kids to swimming lessons in the morning. Their dad picked them up early afternoon and had them under the air conditioning before it got terribly hot. But we were young and the heat didn’t affect us a much as it does now. If I tried to work outside in the middle of the day now, I’d die. My hat is off to all the roofers, lawn services, and mail carriers—or anyone who works outdoors. My husband used to work on the flightline in the middle of the day during the summer (and the middle of the night in the winter).

Now we are retired and can stay inside most of the time. I have been thinking about making a Sonic run for a Cherry Limeade in my air-conditioned car. That shouldn’t be too painful.

Stay cool out there and  what are you doing, writing, reading, or creating this week?

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2026: Summer Gardening

Posted on July 19, 2026 by peggylchambers

I’ve been doing a little gardening this week. Yes, it is hot, but I’m still recovering from back surgery and I’m just beginning to get to the point of being able to weed my flower gardens. They have really taken a hit this year. I hope to do better next year.

The other night while I watered before dark when it was a cool as it was going to get, I ran into this guy in my shrubs. He is a hummingbird moth. They mimic the flight of a hummingbird and hover over flowers sucking nectar like a hummingbird. I gave up on my hummingbird feeders a few years ago when they were invaded by ants, wasps and the occasional meadowlark hanging upside down and sucking it dry. The hummingbirds never had a chance, and I was constantly cleaning them. Sorry hummingbirds.

So, now I have the moths. I find them interesting. Nature is normally interesting.

I have been weeding mornings and evenings and writing during the heat of the day. (Ah retirement!) And I have been making some great progress on writing my latest middle grade book that I find so much fun. I can’t wait to show it to you. Evidently, I’m a kid at heart.

It’s 100 plus degrees in the shade here in the heartland (at least we’re not on fire or flooding) and I am lucky enough to have an air-conditioned house and food to eat, so I write. I am blessed. How about you?

What are you doing, writing, reading, or creating this week?

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2026: Summer Vegetables and How to Use Them

Posted on July 12, 2026 by peggylchambers

I’ve been cooking for a long time. Some of my creations are better than others. But I’ve seen a lot of recipes on the internet lately with a come-on of “say hi or yum or something” and I’ll give you a recipe. No thank you. I don’t need a come on. So, I created my own recipe from what I remembered reading.

It is gardening season and if you have a vegetable garden you are up to your eyes in zucchini and tomatoes. I don’t have a vegetable garden, but I love to eat fresh vegetables and there are farmers’ markets everywhere.

 I found a recipe this week with layered squash, tomatoes, and cheese, and I decided to try to make it.

 I sauteed some chicken thighs in olive oil with garlic and Italian seasonings. Then I sliced and layered zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes (I forgot the onion) then put the chicken on top of it.

I made a cheese sauce and poured it over the top of the casserole and then added parmesan cheese (did I mention I used a lot of garlic and Italian seasonings?) Then I baked it at 350 degrees for 45 minutes and it was really good! It would be good without the chicken if you’re vegetarian or just need a side dish and a way to use up all those zucchinis!

Or you could make more zucchini bread.

But it turned out pretty good even without the onion and it made two meals for us. I served it with Naan and hot honey hummus. Yummy. We’ll have it again tomorrow night.

What are you doing, writing, reading, or creating this week?

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