Tornado Alley SinC Writing Conference

Posted on March 23, 2025 by peggylchambers

I went to the Tornado Alley writers conference yesterday in Norman. It’s a two-hour drive for me from Enid. But I made that drive every other Saturday for two years while I was getting my Paralegal certificate (as I worked and raised teenagers). It wasn’t as easy as it was when I was young. But it was worth it.

Tornado Alley is a state-wide group of mystery writers who are affiliated with the National Sisters in Crime club. I got to rub shoulders with some of the best writers in the state and I was in my element.

The keynote speaker was Hank Phillipi Ryan Hank Phillippi Ryan – Wikipedia, an investigative reporter for Channel 7 out of Boston and a bestselling writer of many mystery and suspense novels. She talked to a room full of writers about the “Muddle in the Middle” or what to do with that story you are writing that has a great beginning and even better ending—but what do you do with the middle where it sags.

Mel Odom Mel Odom (author) – Wikipedia, creative writing professor from OU and author of over 200 titles, spoke on using AI in your writing and when you shouldn’t.

Peggy Doviak Peggy Doviak | Syndicated radio host, speaker and bestselling author spoke about finances and writers.

It was a great day, and I learned a lot from all the speakers. I’d do it again.

Headed home we were stuck in 5 mph traffic on the I-35 and then detours. It took a while to get home, but I slept well last night!

The venue was wonderful, and I was in my element with 50 plus authors who were all there for the same reason—to learn to make their writing better. I can’t wait to do it again.

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

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2025: Blowing in New Cars

Posted on March 16, 2025 by peggylchambers

Oklahoma almost blew away last Friday. Wildfires were everywhere and many homes were destroyed. We were lucky. I only had to clean up the dirt after the windstorm. However, I heard that tornadoes and hail pummeled Missouri and Arkansas ahead of the wind we sent them.  Someone always gets it worse than you.  Now the Texas Hill Country is burning. We really need some rain, not more wind. But that is not in the forecast. Maybe St. Patrick’s Day luck of the Irish will help us on Monday.

I bought a new car this week. We left the dealership in shock (not sticker shock) at about 2:00 in the afternoon and the wind was already picking up. We put it in the garage and hunkered down inside; two old people with a fancy car that is much smarter than them.  What have I done? “It just works on apps like your phone!” That should have been my first indication that I might not be able to drive it home. I could.  It drives beautifully. But the apps? That will take some time to get used to. I need a GPS (I’m directionally challenged) but my old Equinox had a screen and you typed the address into it.  Now, Google Maps does it for you. I hope. Sounds easy, right?  Getting old is no fun. I will drive it to Norman next week and hopefully I will be able to find the address of the church I’m traveling to. 

The Tornado Alley writing conference this week is at St. Thomas Moore Catholic Church in Norman from 9:00 to 4:00. The cost is $45 for nonmembers or $35 for members, including lunch. There will be door prizes and a book table for purchasing books authored by the speakers and members and you can have them signed while you are there.

We’d love to have you. To register, go to http://tornadoalleysinc.org/ and sign up for the Saturday conference.

So be weather aware this week. Water your grass and help this state green up. Tornado season is right around the corner.

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

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2025: New Books, Writing Conferences, and Cataracts

Posted on March 9, 2025 by peggylchambers

It’s been an eventful week. I had cataract surgery (second eye), and I whined a lot about that. In case you’re facing it, you will find it is not that bad other than the first day. But it is done, and now I need new glasses.

The cover for my new book, Smugglers of Sandhill Island, came out. I still don’t have a release date, but when I do, you’ll be the first to know! It is the final in the series set on the little tourist island off the coast of Corpus Christi and includes some of the characters I’ve come to love over the years and a few new ones. If you’ve read the series, I hope you enjoy the last one. I’ll be writing more about this as time goes on.

The annual Tornado Alley Sisters in Crime writing conference is coming up. It will be held March 22, 2025, in Norman. There’s a great line up of presenters including the keynote speaker, Hank Phillipi Ryan. She is a mystery writer and New York Times bestselling author and will be great to hear. Other speakers include Peggy Doviak and Mel Odem. Each year the club picks a charity to support with proceeds from the conference. This year it is Shelter for Friends in Norman.

The conference is at St. Thomas Moore Catholic Church in Norman from 9:00 to 4:00 and lunch is provided. The cost is $45 for nonmembers or $35 for members, including lunch and there will be door prizes and a book table where you can purchase books of the speakers and members and have them signed while you are there.

We’d love to have you. To register, go to http://tornadoalleysinc.org/ and sign up. The last day to register is March 15 (next Saturday) and the following Saturday is the conference.

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

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2025: Sisters in Crime Annual Writing Conference

Posted on March 2, 2025 by peggylchambers

The annual Tornado Alley Sisters in Crime writing conference will be held March 22, 2025, in Norman. There’s a great line up of presenters including the keynote speaker, Hank Phillipi Ryan.

Each year the club picks a charity to support with proceeds from the conference. Melissa Hearn, President of Tornado Alley SinC, provided the name of the charity this year. Here is what she had to say about it:

“Shelter for Friends in Norman. They are an outstanding institution, run completely by donations. They help people get on their feet as well as attend to people’s immediate needs.

They have temporary housing–priority given to women with children–counselling, a food pantry, two meals a day on site, and socks, dog food, diapers, and toiletries. There are volunteers who manage a free laundry service and a sign up for private showers. They help people find resources for clothing and transportation for job interviews and serve as an address for people to receive mail. Everything they do comes from the heart. “

This will be a great event and I’m sure I’ll learn from the speakers as well as help out a local charity. If you would like to donate canned goods, socks, or toiletries, bring them with you to the conference. They will be greatly appreciated.

The conference is at St. Thomas Moore Catholic Church in Norman from 9:00 to 4:00 and lunch is provided. The cost is $45 for nonmembers or $35 for members, including lunch and there will be door prizes and a book table where you can purchase books of the speakers and members and have them signed while you are there.

We’d love to have you. To register, go to https://tornadoalleysinc.wixsite.com/tornadoalleysinc/2025-meet-the-speakers.

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

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2025: Tornado AlleySinC Conference

Posted on February 23, 2025 by peggylchambers

It’s almost spring, I know because the frozen tundra we’ve been living with is melting and the sun is out.

I often attend several conferences and workshops in Oklahoma during the year. I love the opportunity to hear different speakers and their take on writing and to mingle with like minds. But there’s a great one coming up in Norman on March 22, 2025.

Sisters in Crime is a national mystery and crime writing association which has local divisions. The Oklahoma chapter is aptly named Tornado Alley. They’ve been in existence for a few years and are growing. I joined a couple of years ago to learn all I could about mystery writing and to mingle with others who do the same.

The keynote speaker for this year’s conference is Hank Phillipi Ryan, Hank Phillippi Ryan – Wikipedia investigative reporter for Channel 7 News on WHDH-TV, a local television station in Boston, Massachusetts. She is also an author of mystery novels. Hank Phillippi Ryan – Book Series In Order. She will be speaking on “Conquering the Muddle in the Middle.” If you’ve ever attempted to write a novel, or any story, you know what she means.  I am looking forward to learning about her way of writing mysteries.

The other speakers include Peggy Doviak (Financial Tips for Writers) and Mel Odem (What Writers Need to Know about AI). There will be a panel discussion in the afternoon discussing The Artist versus the Professional—A Balancing Act with Alicia Dean, Mary Coley, Mark E. Jones, and Dianne McCartney.

The conference is at St. Thomas Moore Catholic Church in Norman from 9:00 to 4:00 and lunch is provided. The cost is $45 for nonmembers or $35 for members, including lunch and there will be door prizes and a book table where you can purchase books of the speakers and members and have them signed while you are there.

We’d love to have you. To register, click the QR Code on the poster or go to www.tornadoalleysinc.wixsite.com. We’d love to see you.

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

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2025: And it Snowed

Posted on February 16, 2025 by peggylchambers

I don’t know where you are but here in the mid-west we are once again snowed in. We have two inches of snow on the ground and that is enough for this old body to stay away from.  Tuesday we should get an additional three to six inches with single digit temperatures.  I think I’ll write, in the comfort of my own home.

In the writing world, it is contest and conference time. I have entries waiting on printing for my local club. There’s much to do. I have final edits to be completed on my latest Sandhill Island novel, Smugglers of Sandhill Island, and its soup weather.  So, I’ll complete my duties, stay in, and stay warm.

My 18-month-old dishwasher quit again, and it seems the repairman is busy with others, so I’ll wash my own dishes. My work is cut out for me just waiting to be stitched together.

I’ve never been a fan of winter.  I could live happily on a tropical island in a hammock with a drink in my hand, but that doesn’t seem to be in my future.

Maybe this is God’s way of getting me to complete my tasks. Patience is a virtue. Spring is about a month away. This cold snap should last about a week and then, knowing Oklahoma, will be replaced by 70-degree weather. By then all my indoor tasks will be completed, and I will be ready for that hammock. I will be thankful.

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

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2025: Whoopsie

Posted on February 9, 2025 by peggylchambers

This morning, I have my babies on my mind as I sit and wait for warmer weather. It was a lot of years ago that I was a young mother, but those days are still precious. Due to an assignment with my writing club this week, I needed a story with the title “Whoopsie.” I thought of this time with my young son and decided to share it with you. These “Roll Call” assignments are meant to make you keep your writing concise with only 150 words. Sometimes it is a chore.

One warm day I took my toddler outside while I weeded the flowers.  He could play while I worked.

When the skies darkened, large drops pounded the ground.  I hated quitting, but I gathered my son, and we ran for the shelter of the porch. 

I sat him down and leaned over grabbing the weeds. The rain created a bog in the flowerbed, but we were dry.  He sat beside me and chattered while I worked. 

Suddenly there was a “splash!”  The toddler lay face down in the mud.  I jumped into the mess and snatched him up. Standing him upright I sighed in relief that there was no blood, then stifled a giggle.

He was muck from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. Then his eyes opened wide wailing. Clear blue eyes stared out of the brown body.

“I pull weeds!” he squalled.

 Whoopsie.

Children grow up quickly. Enjoy them while you can.

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

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2025: New Eyes!

Posted on February 2, 2025 by peggylchambers

I had cataract surgery this week. I guess when you get to be ___ years old it is the thing to do. My husband had it 5 years ago in the middle of the pandemic. I wasn’t far behind him. Now that we’re retired, we go to the dentist and optometrist together, we might as well, there’s not a lot to do and our schedules are flexible. But five years ago, when he was told he needed cataract surgery, the optometrist looked at me and said, “yours are slow growing.” I dodged that bullet. Until this last fall. We had appointments for our annual exam, and I knew I needed a new prescription. I wasn’t seeing as well as I had. No, I needed surgery.

I’ve seen people with cloudy eyes and knew they had cataracts. Both of my old dogs got them. They are a thing of life that you don’t avoid if you grow to an old age. But I was terrified. Knives and eyes don’t go together. The idea of surgery on my eyes did not set well. I talked to lots of people who said, “it’s simple and you’ll be very happy with the results.” I didn’t know. But it turned out they were right. I was in and out of the operating room in record time, it was easy, painless, and even the IV went in easily.

I’ve been wearing a cover over my eye at night and putting drops in endlessly! But in a few weeks, we will do the other eye. And I won’t be as terrified this time.

I’ve had surgeries before; some with anesthesia that lasted a long time. I survived. And this time, it was easier than I expected. Now I want to finish the job and get on with my life.

Old age and physical problems. They are endless. But I’m alive to gripe about them. Not everyone was given that privilege. Next time I see you, the vision won’t be so fuzzy—I hope.

What are you reading, writing, creating, or recovering from this week?

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2025: The Birds are Starving!

Posted on January 26, 2025 by peggylchambers

I don’t know if that title is correct, but the birds in my yard have eaten almost nothing from my bird feeder this winter. They were thick in the summer. I would have thought that in frigid winter when worms are deep in the earth and plants are not putting out seeds, they would need some supplement to their diet. I provided that with a suet feeder. But they weren’t interested. It is the same stuff they ate last summer, but no.

I read somewhere that in really freezing weather, like we had last week, they would enjoy some plain cooked oatmeal or cooked rice. We’ve had single digit temperatures, and the suet feeder hung unused. So, I cooked some oatmeal—one bowl for me and one for them. I let it cool and put it on a disposable pie pan and sat the container outside underneath the suet feeder. It didn’t take long for them to find it! I had birds all over the place. It looked like an Alfred Hitchcock film in my backyard. Obviously, I couldn’t get a good picture of the giant flocks swooping down, but this is a small sampling of the birds I’ve fed in the last week. And when the oatmeal was gone, they once more ate the suet.

The temperatures have come up and I don’t feed the birds oatmeal every morning, but they are once more eating the suet cakes they ate last summer. Maybe they just needed a change.

But I must agree, I am thankful for warm oatmeal on a chilly morning. It makes me feel all toasty inside. It’s hard to blame the birds. And something different in the diet is a welcome change.

So, stay warm and try something new. What are you reading, writing, crafting this week?

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2025: Blooming Greed

Posted on January 19, 2025 by peggylchambers

I am thankful to be writing for The Wild Rose Press. I have a great editor and design staff for covers and I am helped to make my craft the best it can be.

My latest book with them is Blooming Greed https://books2read.com/u/men5al. It is the sequel to Blooming Justice https://books2read.com/u/mggv9D and the main character, Erin, has grown into a woman, passed the bar, and is working at her dream job.

Erin Shipley grew up on Keystone Lake before moving to Tulsa and becoming an associate attorney. Now, she’s back representing a client who is concerned about the flooding and property values around the lake. Properties underwater are being bought and sold for pennies on the dollar by someone called T & H Realty. When her friend’s uncle, Jeff, dies mysteriously on the lake, Erin wonders if it has anything to do with the real estate scam and launches an investigation. The dam is old, and zebra mussels are clogging it, not allowing enough water to flow out. If the dam breaks, it will flood downtown Tulsa and areas around it. But that’s not the only danger…whoever killed Jeff isn’t finished with their diabolical plan, and Erin and those she loves are at risk from more than just a dam break.

I enjoyed writing this book because I am from Oklahoma, and I’ve owned land on Keystone Lake. I know the area and I learned a lot along the way about the lake’s history and the dam. As I sit here this morning looking out at 11-degree weather, I think of the warm water and the boating we used to do when we were younger. I love Keystone Lake and writing stories about it warms my heart.

Grab a copy and let me know what you think. Would you like to boat on Keystone Lake?

What are you reading, writing, creating this week?

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