President’s letter for April 2023

In our broadest initiative in many years, Gulf Coast Writers Association is partnering with the Alliance for the Arts to remember Hurricane Ian in words and art.

The words are the job of us Gulf Coast Writers, of course. We will produce a book of prose and poetry submitted by our members and the public, telling the story of Hurricane Ian from a personal perspective. This anthology will debut during the month-long art and interactive exhibit installation in September at the Alliance for the Arts.

The deadline for inclusion in the printed Storm Stories book is May 1. To help us put our stories down in writing, our April 15 meeting will be a workshop to develop or refine our Storm Stories.

Come with your work in progress or simply a blank notebook and pen. Two of our members, Jeanne Meeks and Mary Charles, will facilitate creating or fleshing out your story. Both Jeanne and Mary conduct memoir workshops in their home communities. They will bring their experience and skills with exercises to help us tell our stories.

We expect a big turnout on April 15 among our members for this workshop. But we also extend an invitation to all Hurricane Ian survivors with a story to tell. Tell your neighbors. Encourage them to attend and write their stories. This initiative is not just for highly skilled writers. Ask the EMS worker down the street to participate, or the lineman you met during restoration, or your friend in the police. Stories can be submitted to the GCWA website, whether or not you attend the April workshop.

This workshop may also help you refine your other writing project: submission to the annual Gulf Coast Writers Contest. That deadline has been extended to May 31. You can enter in fiction, nonfiction or poetry. Just enter. This is another opportunity to be published. All 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place entries, with submitters’ permission, will be featured on our website, in addition to other prizes.

We’ll see you on Saturday April 15, 2023, from 10:00am to noon.

Location: Map
Word of Life Church
6111 South Pointe Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33919

Come in person or via Zoom. And if you have not renewed your membership, you can pay your dues at the meeting, or through PayPal, or by check mailed to:

Gulf Coast Writers Association
P.O. Box 60771
Fort Myers, FL 33919

Irene Smith, President

President’s Letter for March 2023

The new deadline for this year’s Writing Contest has been extended to May 31, 2023.  This extension offers flexibility and perfect timing for any work you would like to submit for the contest.

Overwriting rather than underwriting a script is challenging.  We LOVE our work; however, like parenting, disciplining ourselves is difficult, but necessary.  In the GCWA March 2023 meeting, take what you learn from Arielle Haughee to Crisp Up That Prose!

We strongly recommend you bring some of your writing that needs revision for a hands-on portion of the class.  Bad habits can produce cumbersome prose.  The program may also include a mini workshop that offers insight on how to edit like a surgeon, discarding what is unusable; this is typically a challenge for most writers.  You’ll leave with easy strategies to use in your writing and an editing checklist to help you spot fluff.

Arielle Haughee (Hoy) is a six-time RPLA-winning author and the owner of Orange Blossom Publishing.  She is currently taking submissions for romance, women’s fiction, young adult, and nonfiction to female audiences.  More information can be obtained at orangeblossombooks.com.  Arielle is proficient as an editor, speaker, and writing coach.  Books about love, humor, and wellness for women and children are requested.

Arielle received the President’s Award from FWA in 2020 and the Children’s Book of the Year Award in 2021for Pling’s Party.  Pling is an exclamation point who can only be in a book twice, but hilarity ensues when he continues to jump into the story and make things too exciting.

Our March meeting will be held on Saturday, March 18, 2023, at 10:00am -Noon.

  Location: Map
Word of Life Church
6111 South Pointe Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33919

Remember, you can attend physically or via Zoom.  If you have not renewed your dues, we would appreciate your doing so.  Your membership can be renewed at the meeting through PayPal, or you can mail a check to:

Gulf Coast Writer Association
P.O. Box 60771
Fort Myers, FL 33906

Irene Smith, President

President’s Letter for February 2023

If you found our Gulf Coast Writers Association (GCWA) January meeting explosive, be assured that February’s assembly will be a continuation of the saga between David and Goliath.

Mike continues his fight with both Truist Bank and Suncoast Credit Union, both of whom deny any responsibility for the bank theft.  Since our last meeting, Mike has made eight additional calls to the banks and to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) investigator assigned to the case.  LCSO confirmed that the originating bank was Suncoast Credit Union; they issued a new subpoena for additional documents, including info about the account the money was transferred to at Suncoast.  LCSO expects to hear from Suncoast Credit Union in three to four weeks from the time the second subpoena was issued.

On Tuesday, January 1, 2023, Mike and I spent an hour speaking to someone at Suncoast Credit Union in Cape Coral.  Again, we were told, according to their records, there is no proof of the fraudulent transactions.

Mike sent a registered letter, on January 31, 2023, to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Truist Bank, William H. Rogers Jr.

Any additional info will be available at the February meeting, including the dirty tricks they pulled recently.  Someone is determined to make this go away, but it isn’t on our end!

In the meantime, most of you have platforms on which you can share your frustration with the banks and their determination to absolve themselves of this theft.  Choose your words wisely.  Do not lie or exaggerate.  You can pass along the word about the large number of complaints submitted to Truist Bank (865 as of last month) as not yet resolved.

At our meeting on February 18, 2023, we will share any updates with you.

Our Guest Speaker, Molly Jebber of Springboro, said she wanted to be a writer since age 12.  She never told anyone about it. “I had no background in writing,” Jebber said. “Then several years ago, my husband, Ed, asked me to quit my demanding job and move to Florida.”

Ed was supportive and encouraged her.  “I had no background in writing,” Jebber said.  I knew nothing whatsoever about fiction, which is what I hoped to write.”

In Florida, Jebber met an editor and asked him what he thought of her aspirations.  He was brutally honest, saying that, frankly, it would be too hard.  “He told me I had to have very thick skin and be used to rejection and a lot of criticism, and who wants that?”

Jebber knew she needed to educate herself on the craft, so she researched online and signed up for writer’s conferences.  “At my first conference, I signed up for a 10-minute agent meeting, not realizing the purpose,” she said.

That first meeting, with agent Mary Sue Seymour, changed Jebber’s life and trajectory forever.  “After she stopped laughing, Mary Sue explained the process,” Jebber said.

“I hadn’t written the first word of my first book, so I didn’t have anything for her to critique.  I was so embarrassed.”

But Seymour, the owner and founder of the Seymour Agency, based in New York, saw something special in Jebber and called her back.  Seymour then blocked another 20 minutes on her schedule.

“I had these little prayer cards and she asked if I would mind giving her one,” Jebber said. “Then she looked at me and said, ‘I need you.’”

Seymour explained that Amish romance was starting to sell because of an increased interest in the Amish way of life among the general public.

“I have always loved the Amish, Jebber said, but stories about them don’t always show who they really are.”

Jebber returned to a few of her favorite Amish communities in Ohio to do some research.  She wanted her book to be historical but wasn’t sure if the Amish would speak to her.  They not only answered her questions but gave her additional insight.

After that, the first three chapters of her first book, “Change of Heart,” seemed to flow quickly.  Jebber needed an agent, but the authors she knew and even her family and friends told her getting a big agent in New York was nearly impossible.  Jebber sent her first manuscript to her friend Mary Sue, who critiqued it and sent it back.

While out shopping, Jebber got the call she never thought she would.  Kensington Publishing Corp., in New York City, wanted to not only publish “Change of Heart,” but they also wanted a three book series and offered her a contract.

Her first book was published in June of 2015, followed up by a book nearly every year since.  Sadly, Jebber’s friend and mentor, Mary Sue Seymour, passed away in 2016, shortly after her second book, “Grace’s Forgiveness,” was published.  She is currently under contract with Kensington through 2023 when she will publish her eleventh book.

Writing stories is a search of the soul and a capture of life and experience to share with the world.

We expect you to be much encouraged by your own writing endeavors when you hear what Molly has to say.

See you on Saturday, February 18, 2023, at:

Location: Map
Word of Life Church
6111 South Pointe Blvd.
Fort Myers, FL 33919

Irene Smith, President

President’s Letter for January

This year began with the continuation of ‘negotiating’ with Truist Bank.  Michael Cole is working diligently with one of the fraud analysts at Truist and with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office to get our funds restored.  Hopefully, we will have more information to share with you at our January meeting.

One of our members, who was a professional financial attorney, suggested the amount might be below the bank’s deductible and that could potentially be the reason why they do not want to pay it.  Gee–this sounds like the homeowners insurance companies!

The latest info will be available at our January 21^st meeting.  We hope to have as many of you in attendance as possible because we really need your support and encouragement for other members.  We have been polarized for too long.  Now is the time to step forward and say, “I am not going to take this anymore!”

One of our authors is bringing people with her who probably haven’t been able to attend for fear of driving, etc. Carpooling is an efficient and effective way to save gas and to spend time with like-minded people; it is one way we can be of assistance to our fellow writers.  This author recently left one writer’s group because of the “cliques” that were ruining the organization.  This type of behavior has destroyed two other local groups that used to exist in our area.

GCWA is blessed not to have that issue.  The reason is simply because we follow our constitution.  When we have differences, we collaborate and iron them out at our monthly Executive Committee meetings.  Many elder members had to retire; however, we have been blessed by the new residents who have relocated to our area.

If you want an exciting and thorough understanding of what life was like in Southwest Florida years ago, our January guest speaker, Clarissa Thomasson’s four novels offer delightful reading.  In addition, add five children’s books, two award-winning stage plays, and a new novel for 2022.  Her complete bio is listed on the first page of the website.  Check it out when you get a chance.

The 2023 Writing Contest details can be found on the GCWA website as well.  There is still time to submit your entries–the deadline has been extended to February 28, 2023.

Our January meeting is scheduled to be held on Saturday, January 21, 2023 at 10:00 am – noon.  Remember, the meeting will be offered, both, in person and via Zoom.  We offer quite a few diverse ways to renew your membership.  A payment can be made while physically attending the January meeting, you can pay online through PayPal, or you can mail a check to:

Gulf Coast Writer Association
P.O. Box 60771
Fort Myers, FL 33906

Irene Smith, President

Gulf Coast Writers Association Victimized by Theft

In September and October of 2022, during the lead up and aftermath of Hurricane Ian, we had $4,000 stolen from our bank account, via account-to-account transfers, from our account at Truist Bank.  This left us with only approximately $1,000 to operate.  All of this took place around the time of hurricane Ian.  We filed a fraud claim with Truist.  They did an investigation and denied our claim, despite overwhelming evidence that we were the victims of fraud.

Their reason for denial given was, “We have determined that the transactions were authorized and therefore not eligible to be returned.”  When Mike Cole asked who authorized these transactions (only Mike is authorized to do so), they continually refused to reveal who the thieves were, even though they know who the perpetrators are.

These account transfers were initiated by another bank, which Michael Cole found out to be Suncoast Credit Union.

Mike opened a case (#22-480794) with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office; they claimed banks do this all the time.  Mike was told they would wait and see how Truist respond to him and will then submit a subpoena for the relevant bank records, if necessary.  They have since subpoenaed the documents and the investigation is ongoing.

I have read the complete transaction report on this activity, rest assured; this was no amateur job.

It is clear the bank has no intention of returning our stolen funds; although, we continue our efforts to have them restored.

I ask YOU: why do banks protect the criminals and not their depositors?  How safe is anyone’s money if the banks are permitted to persist in this behavior?

The answer is obvious: There are 16 full pages of lawyers in this area but not one handles fraud cases.  I stopped calling after 15.  The reason is obvious…there is no money to be made for the lawyers.

For three months and a countless number of hours, Michael has met with and documented every conversation he has had with Truist officers and their Centralized Fraud Claims Team members, and all have the same answer, “I cannot give you that information.”

Mike contacted local TV media, but again, absolutely no acknowledgment of his request.

We are also in the process of moving our business to another bank, which we hope will be more attentive to the security of our deposits.

Ever since the COVID crisis, our membership attendance and renewals have dropped by nearly 90%.  We understand some people didn’t wish to go out or gather indoors with a crowd of people, but for most, times have changed.  Without financial stability, we cannot survive as an organization.

I would like to make this very clear…this is not a request for charity.  We are asking that you renew your membership, so we can continue our goal of encouraging emerging writers, and to create an inclusive environment for writers and would-be writers.

Our January meeting will be held on Saturday, January 21, at 10:00am-Noon.  Remember, you can attend physically or via Zoom.  You can renew your membership through PayPal or mail a check to:

Gulf Coast Writer Association
P.O. Box  60771
Fort Myers, FL 33906

Details of that meeting will be discussed in the January 2023 President’s Letter.

Irene Smith, President