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Finish Your Book (and a whale sighting!)

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man with head facedown on laptop with squiggles drawn over his head
If you’re struggling to finish your #$%@& book, check out the free preview of the Finish Your Book Summit led by popular story coach Jim Woods, which starts today.

Finish Your Book Summit graphic

You’ll find helpful tips from amazing authors like Jeff Goins, Jon Acuff, and Jennifer Blanchard. And me. 😉 I’m honored to be in such amazing company! My session will be live for free on August 30th & 31st.

If you just can’t get to “The End,” you owe it to yourself to check out the summit today. If you decide you want the paid version, use code GWEN at checkout for a $50 discount.

Orange button that says Finish Your Book

P.S. In case you missed it, I saw a whale during my bike ride yesterday!! Pretty sure it was a humpback, and it was awesome to see it so close to shore. Here’s a pic of its fin, and a short video.
whale fin above water

In Conference (RWA in Denver)

Closeup of Gwen, Serena Bell, and Jaycee Lee laughing

Serena Bell photobombed me and Jaycee Lee at the RITA Awards

I love a good writers conference, and this year’s Romance Writers of America’s National Conference in Denver did not disappoint. Sure, the hotel was a bit of a maze, but the workshops, speakers, and socializing opportunities were fabulous.

And downtown Denver is a gem.

Tan, four-story building painted with mural of a man in a cowboy hat playing guitar

Mural on 16th Street

Locks attached to a bridge railing overlooking the South Platte River

South Platte River

Smiley face icon stuck between two buildings above an alleyway

Even the alleys had fun in Denver

Art installation that looks like giant air fresheners hanging over an alleyway

Need a spot of fresh air?

I only remembered to get pictures with a few other people, but it was nice to catch up with old friends, make some new ones, and finally meet online friends face-to-face. My Scrivener workshop went well—at least based on feedback from those who stopped by my signing table or caught me in the hallway. Any haters ignored me, lol—and I had fun signing books at my first RWA literacy autographing (which raised nearly $40K for the cause!).

Laura Griffin and Gwen Hernandez at the literacy signing

With Laura Griffin at the literacy autographing

JoAnn Ross and Gwen Hernandez closeup

With JoAnn Ross

Do you have a favorite conference experience, writing or otherwise?

Compile help at Writer Unboxed

laptop open on a desk in front of a window with trees in the background, and post title across top

Want to know how to create a DOCX file in Scrivener 3? Turns out Friday the 13th is your lucky day. Head on over to Writer Unboxed to learn more and ask me your Scrivener questions.

If Compile is a topic you could use additional help with, stay tuned for online class news, coming soon.

I’m off to the Romance Writers of America conference in Denver next week. I hope to see a few of you at the conference or the literacy signing.

Enjoy your weekend!

Signing Books for Literacy

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Any chance you’ll be in Denver next month? If you’re nearby and you’re a fan of romance, don’t miss the Romance Writers of America (RWA) “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing on Saturday, July 21st.

literacy autographing promo graphic

I’ll be there—with about 300 other romance writers—signing Blindsided and Running Blind for charity. As an author and avid reader, adult literacy is an issue close to my heart. (To that end, I recently started volunteering as a book club leader for the LA Public Library’s literacy program.)

Thanks to awesome readers like you, since 1990, RWA has raised over $1 million for literacy organizations. According to ProLiteracy, that’s enough to help 40,000 adults learn to read!

I hope you can join me to support the cause, and take home some great reads in the process. I’d love to say hello, sign a book or two, even take a selfie with you. 🙂

The Deets

  • FREE admission, open to the public (no advance tickets required)
  • 100% of the proceeds go to ProLiteracy and the Literacy Coalition of Colorado
  • July 21st, 3-5 pm, Sheraton Denver Downtown, 1550 Court Place, Denver, CO

Memorial Day

Redondo Beach veterans memorial with flag at half mast

Veteran’s Park – Redondo Beach, CA

Today I honor and remember those military service members who made the ultimate sacrifice for my country. Happy Memorial Day!

Scrivener How-To: Using Snapshots

Happy Friday! I’m at the Writers in the Storm blog today talking about how to save your words in Scrivener with the Snapshots feature. I hope you’ll check it out. I’m traveling and may not be able to respond quickly, but I’ll pop in to answer questions when I can.

Cheers from Alaska!

Blockbuster Video storefront

Turns out Internet isn’t cheap here…