Our History

The History of Writers On The Storm

When I joined the American Christian Fiction Writers back in 2007, I wondered why, with so many homegrown authors in the area that Houston didn't have a local chapter. (Seriously, there is something in the water here in Texas that compels folks to write.) So in 2008, being the newbie that I was, I volunteered to start up a chapter. Of course I didn't realize how much paperwork was involved. But a few months later with all the preparations squared away, I invited everyone I could think of to join.

Our Debut Meeting was held on Friday July 11, 2008, with 23 in attendance at La Madeleine , The Woodlands, Texas with Kathleen Y’Barbo as our first speaker. Her topic was "Roadblocks to Writing."

Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures from that meeting. Our private room was overflowing with enthusiastic writers and the restaurant was packed to the gills. Did I mention how LOUD it was too?

We scoured The Woodlands for a new place to meet and settled on a temporary one, Pappadeaux's. Great seafood restaurant, but a bit pricey. We later moved to Tai Pei and finally settled in at Lupe Tortilla's.

Our first meeting at Pappadeaux's was on September 12th, the eve of Hurricane Ike. And we had a full house! We should have all been at the grocery store stockpiling canned goods, batteries and candles, or at home nailing plywood boards to the windows and filling jugs with water, but NOOO. Writers are their own breed of crazy. We had a speaker and a great lunch and talked our heads off.

And the next day, Hurricane Ike had its own meeting. With land. And it was awful.

Later, when we were able to meet again we named our group Writers On The Storm because any writers who are dedicated or crazy enough to meet on the eve of a deadly hurricane are dead serious about the call to write.

If you are a writer who persists in writing through the storms of life, you have come to the right place.

Welcome to Writers On The Storm.

Linda Kozar

President & Founder

Writers On The Storm

The Woodlands, Texas Chapter of ACFW

2014 meeting (Custom cookie to the right by Janice Thompson)

Ivan, our favorite Lupe Tortilla waiter of all time.

Our Officers

These officers deserve the biggest thanks for all the work they have done through the years, volunteering time and effort, and encouragement to all with the sincere purpose of helping other writers to learn and succeed.

Now we offer a few perks, one of which is that we waive the yearly local chapter fee for officers. If you are interested in serving please let an officer know.

2008, 2009 Linda Kozar, President, Chapter Founder

"When we launched this chapter I had no idea how many wonderful people I was about to meet, how many stories I was about to read, and how many writers I would soon see achieve success in the publishing industry including myself. We studied hard to show ourselves approved, prayed hard for one another, and for God to take our WIPS to places and before faces only He could take them to" Linda Kozar.

Board: Annette O’Hare, Melisa May, Secretary (replaced by Annette O’Hare) Kathy Burnett

2010 Janice Thompson President

"I became the president of WOTS during a volatile season in my life, when I first started care-giving my mom. The camaraderie of my fellow writers was instrumental in my journey. Making plans for the group was my favorite part. (I’m a planner with an over-active imagination.) Brainstorming and coming up with fun ways to keep the troops entertained. . .Priceless! But my very favorite part was spending time together. I still cherish my fellow writers, all these years later. WOTS has been an integral part of my life and I’m so very grateful for the time we have together." Janice Thompson

2011, 2012 Martha Rogers President

Board: Linda Kozar Vice President, Annette O'Hare Treasurer, Janice Thompson Secretary

2013 Nancy Kimball President

"WOTS was my first experience with having found 'my people' and I was forever shaped by it. This newbie to all things craft, publishing and the business end of writing was transformed through this community from feeling like an imposter with an impossible dream to a seasoned author with completed manuscripts and tools to continue my journey. The time I had the honor and opportunity to serve WOTS as president was a privilege. I learned so much. The group and fellow leadership loved me through a misstep or two, and I was a better writer and person for it" Nancy Kimball.

Board: Annette O'Hare,

2015 Lisa Godfrey's President

"I very much enjoyed my year steering the ship that is Writers On The Storm. Ever since Nancy Kimball brought me to my first writer's meeting in 2013, I knew WOTS was special. I learned so much from Christian authors in the Houston area!"

Board: Annette O'Hare,

2016, 2017, 2018 Kathrese McKee President

Board: Annette O'Hare,

2019, 2020, 2021 Annette O’Hare President (Triple Crown)

"I took over the position of WOTS president in 2019. During my three years as president, our faithful group of Christian authors endured tropical weather, a global pandemic, a statewide freeze that knocked out the power grid, an attack on Capitol Hill, and worst of all, the dreaded Zoom meeting. And through it all, our numbers grew, we learned how to cope with our changing world, and we kept our eyes and our vision on the Truth. I’m blessed to have been a leader and mentor to this amazing group in a time that will forever be etched on the minds of those who survived and lives on to write the tale." Annette O'Hare

Annette O’Hare

Board: Kathleen Y'Barbo Vice President, Linda Kozar Secretary

2022 Linda Kozar President (Triple Crown)

"It's been a few years since I sat in the captain's chair, but I've served on the board continuously since that very first meeting. In fact, Annette O'Hare and I have been board members from the beginning, but she has served in every position and I have only served in three. From my perspective as a WOTS veteran, I see only possibilities ahead. Sure, it's a bit harder for new writers to get published, but it was hard when we first started. It's difficult for published authors to get contracts too, and so it was back then. But God will make a way if we trust Him. It's an author's responsibility to work hard and pray their way onto the bookshelves. Thank goodness for friends who pray with us!"

Board: Donna Snow Vice-President, Annette O'Hare Treasurer, Mary Gant Bell Secretary

Recognitions

Field Trip to Prison Museum

Field Trips

Our group has visited the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston twice over the years and it is a wealth of information for a writer to experience.

Whether your stories are set during the Civil War, Victorian times, the great world wars, or you have questions about funeral practices throughout ancient history, the NMFH has the answers.

The Texas Prison Museum in Huntsville, Texas is notable for preserving artifacts from its very own prison rodeo, known back then as the "Wildest Show Behind Bars," to a nickel-plated pistol and other notable items owned by Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow and much much more!

The Speakers We Have Hosted

Christa Allen, Lael Arrington, Deride Babcock (& Courtney Smith), Crystal L. Barnes, Dr. Ted Baehr, Rosemary Poole-Carter, Eleanor Clark, Tiff Colter, Karen Mayer Cunningham, Linda Davis, Lena Nelson Dooley, Pat Durham, Leanna Ellis, Eva Marie Everson, Marilyn Eudaly, Jessica Ferguson, Debra George, Elizabeth Goddard, Rene Gutteridge, Lila Guzman, Cathy Hake, James R. Hannibal, Leanne Harris, Sara Barnard Harris, Robin Lee Hatcher, Anita Higman, Joanne Hillman, Sharon Hinck, Carla Cook Hoch, Nancy Jo Jenkins, Eileen Key, Ronie Kendig, Linda Kozar, Marji Laine, Teddy Levron, Dorothy Love, Elizabeth Ludwig, Dr. Richard Mabry, Merilyn Howton Marriott, Kathrese McKee, DiAnn Mills, Janelle Mowrey, Annette O’Hare, Kirsten Oliphant, Golden Keyes Parsons, Tracie Peterson, Allie Pleiter, Misty Phillip, Cara Putman, Deb Raney, Cathy Reuter, Martha Rogers, Carla Rossi, Kim Vogel Sawyer, Patrick Scott, Lynette Sowell, Sarah Sundin, Janice Janna Thompson, Gayle Wigglesworth, Nancy Williams, Kim Woodhouse, Lenora Worth, Kathleen Y'Barbo, Rebecca Yeager, Linda Yezak, Aaron Zook, Jr.

The Covid Years

The Covid years (2020-2021) presented a challenge to our writing group. How could we meet and provide value content to our members? We had to get creative and push our boundaries a bit. Since we weren't able to meet in person, we decided to meet via Zoom and we were blessed with an amazing lineup of authors to learn and interact with. Toward the end of 2021 however, the interest in Zoom meetings had waned. People really wanted to get back to normal and start meeting in person again. We had a few tentative meetings and our annual Christmas party which we'd had to cancel the year before.

Did you know that our WOTS group published three books?

Writers On The Storm published three anthologies, the proceeds of which would benefit an ACFW National fund to assist potential conference attendees who need financial help. We started off in 2013 with a short story contest, the Category Five Contest, so-named because of the hurricane season that coincided with the year our group formed. Later, the contest was renamed Storming the Short Story Contest.

We quickly decided that the winners of the contest would have their stories published in an indie-published short story anthology, providing a way for our talented writers to gain credentials and recognition.

Many thanks to Lisa Gefrides and Kathrese McKee, both former presidents of WOTS who edited, formatted and fought their way through the indie process to get these projects done. In addition, Kathrese went back later to change the covers on the first two books to match the third. Kudos!

Out of the Storm 2015, 2018

Dancing Up A Storm 2016

Faith Like a Mustard Seed, Storming the Short Story Anthology, 2020

Bayou City Christian Writers Conference

October 8^th, 2016

Speakers: Janice Thompson, Linda Kozar, Kathrese McKee, Crystal L. Barnes, Linda Yezak

October 2017

October 20^th, 2018

October 18-19, 2019 Kirsten Olliphant, Eva Marie Everson

Special thanks to Kathrese McKee, who worked incredibly hard on every detail of these conferences. From careful planning to set up and tear down, she put her heart into these wonderful events. Also a big thank you to all the volunteers who helped!

Kozar, McKee, Yezak, Thompson, Barnes

Eva Marie Everson

Our Annual White Elephant Christmas Party

Our first White Elephant Christmas party debuted in December of 2008, a brainchild of Linda Kozar.

Sadly, we cancelled the party in 2020 due to Covid concerns.

Each member brings a book in a gift bag and a covered dish (hopefully with food inside-no trickery!)

And not just any book...

The book you bring is important. Many of us search all year for just the right one. Quirky, weird, funny or just plain strange title, subject matter, cover, etc. The odder, the better. There's a prize for the one who brings THE MOST terribly terrific title to the party. A few of us have acquired quite a collection of quirky books over the years and are unwilling to part with any of them.

We typically do recognitions at the end of the party as well. Not that we don't continue eating and talking. Writers never get enough of jabbering with one another!

Here's one of our favorite titles of all time!