Meeting Minutes

October 2024

AGT Monthly Meeting for October 2024

The Authors Guild of Tennessee held its monthly meeting on Thursday, October 3, 2024, at Faith Lutheran Church in Farragut. Social time started at 10:30, and the business meeting started at 11:00.

The following members were present:

Bill Barbour, Bobbi Chapman, Deana Charcalla, Gayle Curtin, Laura Derr, Sonia DuBois, Russ Fine, John Forcum, Kaye George, Brooke Gilbert, Leoma Gilley, Jim Hartsell, Wes Hibbert, Ernie Lancaster, Jerry Morton, Kathy Parr, Cheryl Peyton, Nancy Pressley, Ron Pressley, Brenda Sellers, Frank Snyder, Becky Tucker, Jeri Weems, Victoria Winifred, and Curt Young.

 

Visitors:  Sherry Fine. Melanie Hutsell, Chris Rowe

Welcome – Cheryl.  Introduction of visitors.

September Minutes:  Approved online.

 

Reports by members and Committee Chairs:

Treasurer: Beginning balance          $2179.32

Ending balance                                  $2549.00

Book Sales

IGA                                       $48.00

Preferred Pharmacy        $226.80

Payments

Author payments            $494.28

Bobbi Chapman                $42.84 (Pumpkin Fest Refund)

Pending Transactions

Author Payments            $12.00

Donations:                     $620.00

 

Kaye George suggested we purchase a microphone and speaker to use for meetings so make sure everyone can hear.

  1. Book donation. Cheryl read note of appreciation from the TN Tech Inst.’s Parent Association for the 5 books donated for the auction to raise money for scholarships.
  2. Festival Facts – Bobbi, Nancy P. We have several fairs scheduled for October and many have signed up. If you can’t attend something you signed up for, let the committee know. There is an available spot for Applefest in Cleveland, one spot for Halloween, Oct 26, 5:00-9:00 in Lenoir City. Two more may sign up for Mountain Makins (Morristown) Oct 25-27. Foothills Craft Knoxville Expo, Nov 3-5, and Christmas Fair at Knoxville Expo Nov 8-10.
  3. Writing Contest – Jerry received $624.02 in donations at the September meeting, so we have the minimal cost for the Lenoir City contest. Winners’ stories will be available at our December meeting. Loudon County HS contest may begin in January, led by Kathy Parr. When the dues announcement is sent out for next year, there will be a line to include donations. The costs include the plaques for 1st and 2nd place winners ($90 total), 1st place prize of $50. There are four classes, and thus 4 1st place winners as well as an honorarium for the teacher. The young people are really talented, and with some guidance, they can become even better. The contest excites and encourages them.
  4. We will be putting together a slate of officers for next year in November that will be voted on before the December meeting. If you want to continue in your position, or not continue, let Cheryl know. If you will volunteer for an office or committee head, let Cheryl know.
  5. Social Media – Deana. If you are on more than one social media platform, you have to post memes 75% of the time, but only 25% should be about your books. The hashtag is very important. Check trending hashtags (daily) for FB, IG, X. AI may suggest hashtags.
  6. Need author copies quickly? – Deana. Instead of waiting for weeks to receive author copies, you can go into KDP and drop your price as much as possible, then order your own books as a customer, then raise it back up. It takes about 10 hours for Amazon to update the price, and then you buy your books. With Prime, you don’t have to pay shipping.
  7. Kaye announced two new anthologies of short stories titled Smoking Guns and Games People Play. The publisher does podcasts, and Kaye’s story will be on it Friday. The podcaster reads just to the denouement and then her son guesses who did it.
  8. Kathy Parr wrote a children’s book about her dog titled Charlie Bear.
  9. Gayle Curtin also has a new book, Wiser Now about a bad marriage
  • Sam Bledsoe had a stent inserted in his blocked carotid artery yesterday and it went well. He hopes to be back with us soon.
  • Ernie has too many books for the IGA display, so if you need copies of your books, meet him at his car after the meeting to get them back. He keeps one or two copies of books at IGA display. If he doesn’t have one of your books, bring a few with a price sticker. Do not cover up the barcode.

Program 

Our speaker was award-winning novelist Melanie Hutsell whose topic was “Keeping the Writing Drive Alive.” Melanie offered some tips to help us find time to write.

She is the author of the novels The Dead Shall Rise and The Book of Susan which received an Award of Merit in the 2023 Christianity Today Book Awards and was highlighted by the Southern Bookseller Review. Her work has also appeared in The Sow’s Ear, The Madison Review, Appalachian Heritage (Review), Still: The Journal, and elsewhere. She was named a Featured Author for Knoxville’s 2019 National Authors Day celebration.

Keeping the writing drive alive. We know we should be writing every day. What happens when life happens? A few reminders can help us get going again.

  1. If we are writers, everything we do provides material for our writing.
  2. Listen to ourselves carefully. Are we dodging, procrastinating, or doing the best we can at the time?
  3. We can make the most of what’s available to us. It’s less important that we are writing perfectly, but that we are writing. Writing helps us keep our heads in the game. Do you have 15-30 minutes a day? You can get a sentence in 15 minutes. At a later point, you may be able to expand it. Writing something keeps you connected to your project. Try to do something every day to stay in touch. Maybe re-read what you have written or listen to music that lends itself to your writing project.
  4. Live a little closer to your protagonist, like eating something they like or wearing what they might wear. It may help you get unstuck.
  5. Write longhand instead of on a computer or use a different type of notebook.
  6. Set attainable goals. If a deadline can motivate you, set one.
  7. Get an accountability partner to keep you going and celebrate with you when you reach milestones.

Every project is different with its own challenges.

Writing isn’t what we do, it is who we are.

Adjournment:

Meeting adjourned at 12:05 p.m. The next meeting is set for Thursday, November 7th at Faith Lutheran Church, 10:30 a.m. to noon.

Respectfully submitted,

Leoma Gilley, Secretary