Here’s the rest of this month’s information – find out about indie publishing, two events for crime and mystery-lovers, and ways to have your work read aloud for editing purposes, a party, and more.
April 9 at 7PM ET, the Westport Writers’ Workshop is hosting an online panel of writers who’ll be talking and answering questions about the various indie ways to get published. Join four writers (including me!) to discuss the different non-traditional (indie) publishing options: self-publishing, hybrid publishing, and publishing with small presses. We’ll be discussing our strategies, choices, and what we’ve learned from our unique experiences. Bring your questions! More information here. Other panelists include: member Libby Waterford – Moderator (indie/self-publishing), member Heather Frimmer – hybrid/traditional, and Suzanne Farrell Smith – small press. $35
On April 16 at 6:30pm the Bridgeport Public Library is offering a free workshop of interest to mystery writers or those who’d like to be – Crime Scene Investigations with Bridget Brosnahan. Get ready to dive into the world of forensic science and learn from retired police detective, Bridget Brosnahan. Discover the techniques used to solve crimes and unravel mysteries. This in-person event promises to be both engaging and informative. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to explore the fascinating world of crime scene investigations. Free.
Writing a book is one thing—getting it published and into readers’ hands is another. Tune in to the 2025 Atmosphere Press Writers Summit April 22 – 24 for practical insights from writers and publishing professionals. The summit is online and FREE to attend! I’ll be speaking on Day 1 from 1:20 – 2pm, so I hope to see you online… https://books.atmospherepress.com/atmosphere-press-writers-summit-2025
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/crimeconn-2025-crime-punishment-tickets-1269133505479?aff=oddtdtcreator
CrimeCONN, the conference for mystery lovers hosted by the Mystery Writers of America New England Chapter, will be hosting its annual conference at the Ferguson Library in Stamford, CT on May 17 from 8:30-5pm. This is always a fine event for readers as well as writers, and this year’s speakers include Tessa Wegert, Hallie Ephron, and Penny Goetjen, among others. More information and tickets here. Early bird tickets, $50 until April 17. Full price, $60.
Join the CTRWA for a fun-filled (and possibly risqué!) fundraiser evening at the fabulous Hartford Flavor Cocktail Parlor! Your ticket includes a posh charcuterie spread (gluten-free and vegan options available), one drink ticket, a swag bag, and the opportunity to mix and mingle with local romance authors. Authors will be reading excerpts from their books. Wednesday, May 21 6:30-9:30 pm. Tickets are $65 and proceeds benefit the Connecticut Chapter of Romance Writers of America, an organization dedicated to helping writers succeed. To purchase tickets, visit www.ctrwa.org
I like to read my manuscript aloud before sending it to the publisher, because I can check for flow, typos, etc. If you don’t have the inclination to do it yourself, there is software that can help. These offer a free trial period (or are completely free).
Google has an accessibility feature you can use. I’m not sure whether it’s only for their browser, Chrome, or whether you can use it with documents uploaded to Google Docs, but if you’re interested, take a look.
Speechify claims to be the leading text-to-speech platform that converts text into over 200 lifelike voices across 60+ languages, simplifying reading. It’s available for free on Chrome, iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows, so you can listen to any written or digital content aloud.
NaturalReader converts any text, PDF, image, webpage, and physical book into natural-sounding audio featuring the newest and highest AI voice technology. You can also clone your own voice, though I wonder what AI will do with it once it’s done. Nonetheless, it’s worth a look.
I’m sure many of you have heard of ProWritingAid’s new Manuscript Analysis feature. If you haven’t, it’s a new system that will analyze your writing and create a big-picture analysis of your entire book — pinpointing strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement with clear, color-coded feedback. The best part is ProWritingAid gives you one free credit so you can test it. Kindlepreneur, has tested it on Alice in Wonderland, and you can read their impression of the results here. Having read the article, I’m impressed with the way the system analyzed the subtext as well as the story. Among the plusses, it doesn’t use data from users to train its algorithm, it gives chapter-specific feedback on plot, characters, pacing, and more, and every ProWritingAid user — even free accounts — gets one free analysis credit to try it out. They conclude that Manuscript Analysis can save you time and headache by shaving hours off your revision process.
Erica Verrillo (author of the Published to Death blog) has published a useful article about literary agents looking for manuscripts. Some of them are new agents, who are often a good target, since they don’t have a long list of authors yet.
Finally – have a good writing month!
