CAA-NCR meetings are free for members of Canadian Authors Association.
We ask non-members to pay a $10.00 fee using the PayPal link below, or by e-transfer to NCRadmin@canadianauthors.org
Before You Press Send: A Checklist for Fine-tuning Your Book or Story
with Mary Ann Blair Tuesday, May 10, 2022 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET Via Zoom
Taking time to make your work as professional as possible before submission could mean the difference between acceptance and rejection. Editor and publishing consultant, Mary Ann Blair will help you to prepare a better product, before you press send.
BIO: Mary Ann figured out during her English degree at the University of Waterloo that she wanted to be an editor, but after several work terms with the Canadian government working on departmental newsletters, she decided she’d rather work on books. Her first job out of school was as a production editor at Prentice Hall, which eventually led to being managing editor at Pearson Education Canada.
She left educational publishing behind when she joined Penguin Random House as managing editor. She found too many favourite books there to count, but high on her list was the entire YA list.
Mary Ann edited her first middle-grade novel, Boy from Berlin, while at Iguana Books, and hasn’t looked back. It doesn’t hurt that she has her own personal middle-grade reader at home for inspiration.
Over the past few years, she’s been inspired by the many wonderful Canadian authors she’s worked with and the great stories they’ve written. She’s excited about the growing number of books that she’s nurtured through the publication process. She currently works for multiple Canadian publishers and a couple of international ones, as well as with any self-published authors who come her way.
Writers’ Drop-in: Real or Fiction?
Monday, May 16, 2022
7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET
Via Zoom
Writers can come prepared with two character profiles: one based on a real person they know, and another based on a fictional character. We will have to guess which is which! A helpful characterization exercise.
National Capital Writing Contest Awards Night
Tuesday, June 14, 2022
6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET
Via Zoom and in person in Meeting Room A, Beaverbrook Branch, Ottawa Public Library
2500 Campeau Drive N., Kanata, ON
We will celebrate the finalists in the poetry and short story categories of the 35th Annual National Capital Writing Contest.
Watch for the announcement of the shortlisted writers in mid-May.