LDSPMA

Empowering Latter-day Saints to spread light and truth by connecting them at the intersection of faith, creativity, and professional skill

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May 17: Building a Career in Writing that’s Not Fiction: Writing Content for the News, Web, and Public Relations

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A discussion with Dr. Natalie Barfuss

May 17, 2023, 12:00–1:00 pm Mountain Time

This session focuses on ideas for publishing nonfiction writing, with a quick introduction to the inverted pyramid writing style often used for news writing, press releases, and web content.

Natalie Barfuss teaches in the School of Business at Lethbridge College in Alberta, Canada. She has a bachelor’s in journalism, a master’s in business administration, and a PhD in communication, with an emphasis in integrated marketing communication. She’s built her career writing for the news, other media, public relations, online, and promotional materials. She will tell you more about her publications in her presentation, which will include a little Journalism 101.

Natalie enjoys working with businesses, especially nonprofits, to help them build their organizations. She’s also a member of the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce and volunteers with the Windy Slopes Health Foundation. She’s also a mother of four.

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April 11: Resting your Mind in Christ—Avoid the Mental Pitfalls to Creative Success

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A discussion with mindfulness coach Kim Beecher

April 11, 2023, 12:00–1:00 pm Mountain Time

Do procrastination, self-doubt, stress, or lack of clarity keep you from completing your creative project? In this month’s discussion, mindfulness coach Kim Beecher will help you kick mental pitfalls to the curb and learn practices for stillness in Jesus Christ. 

Kimberly Beecher is a mindfulness instructor known for her ability to help transform lives with increased happiness, calm, and self-compassion.  She is also a speaker, coach, and bestselling author of The Sacred Door: Resting Your Mind in Christ. She loves boating with her family, bike rides in the canyon, and accidentally making mushy things in her instapot. She adores her husband Mark, their children, and their 10 grandchildren. You can find her at kimberlybeecher.com.

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March 21: How to Slay the Perfect Synopsis

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A discussion with romantic suspense author Robin M. King

March 21, 2023, 12:00–1:00 pm Mountain Time

You’ve written a killer book, but many agents want a synopsis with your query. Learn the easiest ways to make a killing with your synopsis. Don’t have a book written yet? Robin will show you how to create and use a premeditated synopsis for your future books. She’ll also give tips for executing back-cover copy that slaughters the competition of other indie authors.

Bio: Robin M. King is the author of the romantic suspense novels Remembrandt, Van Gogh Gone, and Memory of Monet. She received her bachelor’s degree in education from BYU and has been teaching for over fifteen years. When she’s not writing books or being a copywriter for LitJoy Crate, she leads a clandestine life as a wife and mother of six. Don’t tell anyone, but she’s also an undercover marathoner, karateka, singer, seamstress, baker, and household appliance repairman. She’s represented by Liza Fleissig at the Liza Royce Agency.

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February 28: How to Create and Sell Meaningful Music in Profitable Ways, Continued!

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A discussion with Dr. Kristen R. Bromley & April Meservy GrandPre

February 28, 2023, 12:30–1:30 pm Mountain Time

As a continuation of their conference course, April and Kristen will share all the golden nuggets they weren’t able to get to during their conference presentation: the roles of song publishers, music publishers, and record labels; the use of aggregators like CD Baby, DistroKid, and TuneCore; how to receive royalty payments through ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC; the ins and outs of selling music through touring and performing, and more! If you are a musician who wants to get paid for your work, you won’t want to miss this Zoom discussion!

Bio: Dr. Kristen R. Bromley is a gifted and sought-after instructor, as well as a beloved performer and composer. In addition to directing ensembles and teaching guitar and jazz studies courses at BYU, Dr. Bromley works as a professional author, scholar, arranger, composer, performer and recording musician, and she is the owner and primary featured artist of Kristen R. Bromley Music, LLC.

Bio: April Meservy GrandPre, an award-winning singer-songwriter from Reno, NV, has toured and recorded extensively. April’s cover of U2’s “With or Without You” was featured during the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, helping the top Canadian figure skating pair bring home gold and bronze medals. She has earned five Pearl Awards and the 2018 LDSFF “Audience Choice” award for music video, and she is a 2x Posi Music Awards finalist.

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LDSPMA Member Spotlight: Jessica Francis

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What are some names of the books or other media you have created?
I create weekly videos for families to use as a tool to help spark learning and discussion during family scripture study time. Children have the amazing capability to learn the principles of the gospel at young ages. If we can simplify the gospel into terms the children can understand and help them apply those principles into their everyday lives they begin building testimonies of their own.
What inspired you to become a creator of media?
Through much prayer and study, the Lord has been impressing on my mind the usefulness of my talent to simply doctrine and principles in ways that children can understand and apply. I have felt impressed to start making and sharing puppet show videos that focus on one principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ each week, and they align with the Come Follow Me program so that families can use them to facilitate teaching their children the gospel at home.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
I love hearing how children are using my videos to learn the gospel.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given in your creative journey?
It takes time to build up an audience.
What keeps you inspired in your daily creative work?
The on-going inspiration through the Holy Ghost prodding me onward and upward.
What would you like others to know about you or your creative process?
Right now I am doing every part of video production and I am looking for others to help. Trying to be Actor, Editor, Director, Composer, Musician, Playwright, etc. is too much for one person. Anyone who has some talent, time to dedicate, and love of sharing the gospel is welcome to join me in this adventure!
In what ways do you feel you have been able to be a voice for good in your creative pursuits?
Many children are learning how to apply the scriptures into their lives. I know my children have benefited from this endeavor.
If you want your spotlight to link to your website or any of your social media platforms, include the URLs here.
https://www.youtube.com/c/WithJoyandSong

LDSPMA Member Spotlight: Cori Cooper

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What are some names of the books or other media you have created?
Bake Believe, Bake Off, and Bake Happy – comprising the Bake Believe Trilogy. Ta-da! I don’t know why, but it feels so exciting to have a trilogy out in the world! All three are upper Middle Grade/Young adult comedies about family and baking magic. I’ve also written several short stories and have two unrelated YA books coming out in 2023 – Ways to Improve Bailey and Sage Advice.
What inspired you to become a creator of media?
I am obsessed with stories! I love reading fictional stories in books, but also visiting with real-life people. Every one has such an extraordinary story! There is nothing in the world like reaching the end of a soul-satisfying story and taking a few minutes to revel in the awesomeness. When people read my stories, I hope they end up feeling better, happier, like life is do-able.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
My daughter came home from school and told me one of her friends was reading Bake Believe at lunch, not knowing I was the author. When my daughter said, “My mom wrote that book!”, her friend got so excited. She asked a bazillion questions about the sequels and went on and on about how much she loves the book. Now, when I’m writing, and those gremlins in the peanut gallery start wondering if I’m wasting my time, I remind them of that little girl. If something I wrote brightens the world for one person – totally worth it.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given in your creative journey?
To never, never, never give up. There will be people who don’t like my work, but there will be people who love it. There will be people who think I should quit, and there will be people who can’t wait for my next book. I can’t please everyone, but I can please someone. This advice has kept me going during my most discouraging times.
What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?
I would give the same advice I received and add on this little bit: if you feel called to create, then do it. Don’t worry about what sells, don’t worry if you’re good enough, don’t worry at all. Just write. Write on and on. Do it because you love it, and I promise there will be someone else who will love it too, at least one person. There are a lot of humans in the world!
What keeps you inspired in your daily creative work?
I have a strong conviction that the world needs good stories. Paraphrasing Margaret D. Nadauld, we have enough stories that are dark; we need stories that are light. We have enough stories that are edgy; we need stories that are fun! Life is hard, yes, but it is also pretty dang fantastic!
What would you like others to know about you or your creative process?
I am a squirrel! I like to work on multiple manuscripts at a time. The ideas flow all over the place so I record them on napkins, receipts, and crumpled pieces of paper. I try to organize myself, but then I just get random again. So now I embrace it. The reason I tell you this is, for reals, if I can write books, anyone can do it!
In what ways do you feel you have been able to be a voice for good in your creative pursuits?
I hope that I’ve added an element of fun to the world with my stories. Men are that they might have joy, right?
If you want your spotlight to link to your website or any of your social media platforms, include the URLs here.
https://coristories.com/, https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard?ref=nav_profile_authordash, https://www.facebook.com/coricooperauthor, https://www.instagram.com/authorcoricooper/?hl=en, https://www.amazon.com/Cori-Cooper/e/B08KYFHFCYref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

August 23: Beyond the Basics of Pitches and Queries

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August 23: Beyond the Basics of Pitches and Queries

A discussion with freelance editor Emma Heggem

Submission forms. Slush piles. Waiting and waiting for a response. In today’s oversaturated market, getting a publisher to choose your manuscript from the dozens (or hundreds) of others is, in many ways, the greatest hurdle of the publishing process. In this discussion, Emma Heggem will share—from a publisher’s perspective—tips and tactics for crafting pitches and queries that will get noticed.

Bio: Emma Heggem worked for 6 years at Future House Publishing, where she managed the acquisitions and editing process for MG and YA fantasy and sci-fi novels. Now she is a freelance editor who uses her experience to help authors polish their manuscripts. Emma graduated from BYU with a bachelors in English Language and a minor in Editing. Whenever she gets a chance, she loves to attend writers’ conferences to give manuscript critiques and talk to aspiring writers about the mysterious world of publishing.

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Note: For the last 15 minutes of the recording, we had some intermittent interruptions by a Zoom bomber.

LDSPMA Member Spotlight: Cathy Lim!

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Cathy Lim lives in Hoover, Alabama.

What are some names of the books or other media you have created?
RatedReads.com is my web creation; I love books and words, and I love to share suggestions with others. Rated Reads is unlike the many other book review websites out there in that I give ratings to books for content: “none” or “mild” for fairly clean books, and “moderate” and “high” for those with more profanity, sexual content or violence. It has almost 2,000 reviews now. I’ve also written all kinds of articles over the past few decades about lots of topics; one set I’m really proud of is a series about plastic surgery for KSL.com.
What inspired you to become a creator of media?
I went into journalism in college because I love being able to learn and write about … everything! What I was particularly passionate about right from the start was editing. I’ve primarily done copy editing over the years, and it allows me not just to “fix errors” but to really bring out the best in someone else’s work. Sure, I do clean up copy so their stories and characters can shine, and I often suggest better phrasing or words so their ideas are expressed just as they intend. It’s a collaborative process that results in the best creation.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
After 30 years in the journalism/writing/editing business, it’s really hard to pick one thing. I’d say I’ve enjoyed most working for LDS Living and with Deseret Digital Media as a copy editor because I get to collaborate on producing inspiring and uplifting articles. I’ve met wonderful people. Moving more into editing book manuscripts has been something I have wanted to do for a long time, and I’ve enjoyed working with the authors I’ve edited for so far. I’m liking the trajectory of my career.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given in your creative journey?
Love what you do and do what you love.
What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?
Don’t be afraid to show how passionate you are about something. You don’t have to always present yourself in a dry, professional manner. Show that spark of excitement and passion you have for what you do and the job you may hope to have.
What keeps you inspired in your daily creative work?
I think just reading and learning keep my brain active and my creative juices flowing. I get excited by learning new things and reading something that’s really imaginative, well-written, or thought-provoking. That stimulates me to go out there and similarly create.
What would you like others to know about you or your creative process?
Words are currency. Using precisely the right word is a passion of mine. I love how we have tens of thousands of words at our disposal. I love the thesaurus. It’s a wonderful tool. I’ll sometimes sit and stew for five or ten minutes over something I’m writing or editing, clicking through options in the online thesaurus, pondering and searching for the exact word I know is out there to express a thought, an intent. Synonyms don’t often mean words are exactly alike; they have shades of meaning, and I won’t settle for the wrong one.
In what ways do you feel you have been able to be a voice for good in your creative pursuits?
I think my book review website, Rated Reads, is a particular force for good. It provides crucial information to thousands of readers (and parents of readers) If we’re seeking after works that are virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, it helps to have pertinent information about the millions of books that are available at our fingertips. Some, it’s pretty easy to tell we won’t find content that’s of good report, but others … it’s a complete mystery until we get into the pages and run into things we’d rather not find. My site is a great service.

You can learn more about Rated Reads at https://ratedreads.com

Cathy’s copy-editing site is at https://cathycarmodelim.com