~~~CLASS OPPERTUNITY~~~

November 15 - December 30, 2012

The Scottish Highlands: 16th & 17th Centuries

Instructor: Sharron Gunn w/a Sheila Currie


Prereauisite: a love of and an interest in the Scottish Highlands
In the 16th & 17th centuries, the laws and customs of the Scottish Highlands were considered archaic; they were common in western Europe in the High Middle Ages, but had disappeared by the Renaissance. Highland chiefs were still inaugurated, not crowned, in ancient ceremonies and revered by their clansmen as quasi-sacred figures. A Highland assembly for justice in the 17th century resembled a Viking Thing of the 10th or 11th centuries. Secular marriage outside the church was normal. What really frightened Lowlanders and English was the chiefs' ability to raise a small army at little cost to themselves. The Jacobite Rebellions would have been impossible without clan armies. This course shows how life in the Highlands was different from the Lowlands and other parts of Great Britain and how similar to Ireland.
Instructor Bio:
Sharron lives in British Columbia, and teaches Scottish, Irish and medieval history part-time at university. While living over eight years in Europe, she studied the languages and history of Great Britain and France, and has a BA in French and an MA (2nd first degree) in Scottish History and Celtic Studies from the University of Glasgow. She is working on an historical fantasy set in WWII.

To register for this class, please go to the Celtic Hearts Romance Writers web site. www.celtichearts.org and scroll down.

Thank you!
Sarah Hoss

WORKSHOP!

Workshop: Writing Hot, Delicious Love Scenes

Date: January 3 - 31, 2011

Instructor: Nicole North

Fee: $25

Do the love scenes or sex scenes in your romance novel lack that magical spark and sizzling heat that makes the reader go WHEW!!? The romance genre has exploded with bonfire-hot romance and erotic romance novels and novellas over the last few years. In this workshop we'll explore the many aspects of fantastic, hot and delicious love scenes, whether you write mildly sensual
romance or erotic romance. We'll look at the best ways of writing those all-important love scenes that take your characters to the next level of their relationship.

Topics covered:
Leading up to sex
Interweaving emotion and sex
Differences between romance and erotic romance
Choosing your words
Kissing during sex
Sexy dialogue
Humor during sex
Sexual positions
Personalizing your love scenes
Sensual settings
Seducing the reader
The hero
The heroine
Fantasy
Historical vs. contemporary love scenes
Determining placement
Progression from one love scene to the next
Oral sex
Avoid sex cliches
Sex and conflict
Written and multimedia examples

Please note: this workshop does not deal with pure erotica or alternative lifestyles. The lessons and examples contain graphic language and frank discussions of sexuality. Only those age 18 and over are permitted to enroll.

This is an interactive online workshop with exercises and critique/ feedback from the instructor on your written love scene. Workshop will be conducted via a Yahoo group. Lessons will arrive at your email inbox. To register or to see what others have said about my workshops please visit http://www.nicolenorth.com/. and click on workshops. Thanks!!

Instructor bio: Nicole North's erotic romance novellas have been described
by reviewers as "exciting, high octane, captivating, scintillating, sinfully
delicious and pure romance." Her stories contain "heart and heat, killer
love scenes, magic and extraordinary characters." Her books from Red Sage
include: Beast in a Kilt in Secrets Volume 29 Indulge Your Fantasies (July
2010), Kilted Lover (Nov. 2009), and Devil in a Kilt is in Secrets Volume 27
Untamed Pleasures (July 2009). Laird of Darkness (March 2011) will be her
first novella from Carina Press. Scoundrel in a Kilt will be released in a
future Secrets volume. Though she has a degree in psychology, writing
romance is her first love. Please visit her website to learn more about her
books or see what past students have said about her workshops.
Website: http://www.nicolenorth.com/.

December Workshop

12/06 thru 12/19

MS Word Workshop for Writers
Instructor: Catherine Chant

This online workshop focuses on teaching you the aspects of the Word program that are most useful for fiction writers, and the subjects presented will help you streamline your on-screen tasks so you can think more about your story and less about what the computer is doing (or not doing). Included in this workshop will be lectures on proper manuscript formatting, creating headers/footers, working with page numbers, creating a pre-formatted manuscript template that can be used on all your new book projects, customizing the toolbars, understanding and customizing the Auto-Correct feature, using the Work menu, formatting the query letter, creating a template for the query, printing envelopes, printing labels for SASEs, and backing up your computer. This workshop is designed for both Macintosh and Windows/PC users, and has been written for versions of Word from '97 to the latest 2007/2008.

Catherine Chant is an award-winning writer from New England. She is a PRO member of the Romance Writers of America (RWA), a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and webmaster for her RWA chapter, From the Heart Romance Writers (fthrw.com). A graduate of Boston College, she worked for fifteen years at her alma mater as a computing & communications consultant and now provides freelance web editing and design services to other writers and clients such as BC's Lynch School of Education. Her short fiction and non-fiction work has appeared in RWA newsletters, CharacterS, SchoolArts, MetroKids, Twilight Times, Apollos Lyre, and on websites controlled by SEO content provider DemandStudios.com. Her young adult time travel romance WISHING YOU WERE HERE was a finalist in the 2008 Golden Heart® awards. She is currently working a new young adult novel.

For more information, you may contact Celtic Hearts Romance Writers Education Coordinator, KERRI NELSON, at celtickerri@yahoo.com.

~~~WORKSHOP~~~

~~PERMISSION TO FORWARD GRANTED AND ENCOURAGED~~
Celtic Hearts Romance Writers would like to announce their October workshop:

Witches, Kelpies and Fairies, Oh My!
October 1 through October 29, 2010

Instructor: Cindy Vallar

My first introduction to the Otherworld, as Highlanders call it, came when I joined the Brownies. My Girl Scout handbook included a tale that explained who brownies were. Little did I realize that many years later, I would immerse myself in this strange world in order to better understand my Scottish characters. I invite you to step into the unknown as we explore the supernatural Scottish Highlands. The Scots believed the creatures and forces of the Otherworld were real, and sometimes more menacing than one’s neighbors. In this workshop you’ll learn about the differences between Highland and Lowland witches; second sight and seers; water creatures; portents of death; the world of fairies and elves; other supernatural beings; and ghosts.

Lessons are enhanced with a resource bibliography and excerpts from my novel, The Scottish Thistle, where I incorporated the Otherworld into this tale of the Rising of 1745. We will also discuss whether you believe and which elements of the Otherworld you would weave into your Scottish stories. At the end of the workshop, I offer to edit a chapter from each participant’s manuscript involving the supernatural.

Past Workshop Participants’ Comments:
This class far surpassed anything I could have imagined. You are so kind to go the extra-extra mile for your students. The info is more than I ever dreamed I might need and your resources are worth a pirate's ransom. Thank you so much for a wonderful class. ~Kati

Thank you SO much for this workshop. You're an incredible teacher and always give killer workshops! – Diana Cosby, author of His Captive

You are such an engaging presenter. And I always enjoy your workshops -- just can't believe that the return on my dollar is so high. ~Evelyn Marentette

The class was well structured and the amount of information was amazing! I have never attended a class that has provided so much information pertaining to the subject being taught. The resources listed and the information given is invaluable! You're a wonderful instructor and giver of knowledge. ~Shannon Robinson

This was the first workshop I have ever tried and it more than exceeded my expectations. Not only did it provide a ton of factual information and resources, it really triggered a lot of plotting and character ideas. This was an A+ class in all respects. ~Millie Bullock

Cindy Vallar, Associate Editor of Industry for Solander, writes the “Red Pencil” column where she compares a selection from an author’s published novel with an early draft of that work. She also reviews for the Historical Novel Society’s journal, Historical Novels Review. She is a freelance editor, the editor of Pirates and Privateers, and the author of The Scottish Thistle, her debut historical novel about the Camerons and MacGregors during Scotland’s Rising of 1745, and Odin’s Stone, a romantic short story of how the Lord of the Isles settled the medieval feud between the MacKinnons and MacLeans on the Isle of Skye.

She belongs to the Historical Novel Society, the Red River Branch of the Clan Cameron Association, the Scottish Clans of North Texas, and the National Maritime Historical Society. In 2005 at the Clan Cameron North American Rally, Cindy received the first Friend of Clan Cameron Award. Prior to becoming an author and editor, she was a school librarian for twenty years, and she also taught computers and social studies. She invites you to visit her award-winning web site, Thistles & Pirates (http://www.cindyvallar.com/), to learn more.

For more information, you may contact Celtic Hearts Education Coordinator, Kerri Nelson at celtickerri@yahoo.com.

Want to learn about Scotland?

Have you ever wanted to take an on-line class or learn more about Scotland? Now you can do both. Celtic Hearts Romance Writers is offering a class called, "Insiders Guide to the Scottish Highlands." by Sharon Gunn. The class runs from September 14 to October 26, 2010. It isn't too late to join. You can also join even after the class has started. Here is a little bit of information about the class.

Scotland exists on the periphery of Europe. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the laws and customs of the Scottish Highlands were archaic, that is, they were common in much of Western European the High Middle Ages, but the Renaissance had changed or disappeared. Highland Chiefs were still inaugurated, but not crowned, in ancient ceremonies and revered by their clansmen as semi-sacred. A Highland assembly for justice in the 17th century resembled a Viking Thing in the 10th and 11th centuries. Serial marriages drove the clergy wild. But what really scared the Lowlanders and English was the chief's ability to raise a small army at little or no cost to themselves. The Jacobite Rebellions would not have been possible without the clan armies.

This course will go into depth about life in the Highlands. You will learn who lived in a castle and in a village and who earned a living travelling about. Find out who different this area is from the Lowlands and other parts of Great Britain how similar to Ireland.

1) Scotland in Europe
2) Highlands and the Lowlands
3) Houses and Castles
4) The Court of a Highland Chief
5) The "Clan System"
6) Clothing and weapons

Sharon Gunn learned to read and write Scottish Gaelic at Xavier College (now UCCB) in Nova Scotia, and later obtained an honours degree in Scottish History and Celtic Studies from the University of Glasgow. While a student, she had a job selling Gaelic books in the Highlands from which she gained a greater knowledge of the geography and people. A requirement for the job was fluency in Gaelic, the language of the Highlands and the Islands. She often returns to Scotland. Several times she has travelled to the Royal Royal National Mod, a huge music festival, as a member of a Gaelic choir from Canada.

For more information, you may contact the Celtic Hearts Education Coordinator, Kerri Nelson, at celtickerri@yahoo.com. RWA membersip is not required.

My first on-line class

Monday started my first class. It is given by author Kerri Nelson and it is about managing your time and staying focused so that a person can do multiple projects at a time. I am very excited about the class. I am already pretty good about managing my time between my fictional world and my non-fictional world. I just want a better strategy so that I can make all things in my fictional world work together.

What do I mean by my fictional world? Well, I consider that anything having to do with my writing. At the moment I am making revisions on book #1, I am writing book #2 and I am taking an on-line class. Don't forget the competitions, querying agents, and promoting myself on my blog and Facebook. Now, if I was a published author, then I could have things like, revisions, writing, contracts, book signings or anything promotional. I am sure there is a lot more going for them then that also, and I hope to one day find out what else there is. LOL!

Good luck to those of you who are taking a class. I hope you enjoy it. I know Jena is taking it with me. To those of you who are not taking one, I highly recommend it.

Now, get back to writing! ; )