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Central Valley
Fiction Writers
Central Valley
Fiction Writers
Central Valley Fiction Writers (CVFW) provides education and support for writers located in California’s Central Valley region, from Stockton to Bakersfield.
Fiction Writers
make it up as they go!
Highlights of Our Group's Traditional and Indie Publications
Upcoming
Activities
Meetings held on 2nd Saturday of the month
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Upcoming 2025 Meetings
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See Writers' Journal Below
Heart of California
Book Faire
August 23, 2025
Fiction Writers
make it up as they go!
CVFW Blog
The Writer's Journal
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This month's Pinned Journal is an interactive post about writing great description.
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Exciting Excerpts from Members Published Books
Excerpt from Deception's Edge by Nannette Potter
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Gloria wheeled on Blade. “Girl, you’re a hot mess tonight. What’s gotten into you? I’m not about to let you start a brawl. Not again.”
“I-I didn’t mean to—”
“I’m just trying to earn a living, and bartending at Gators isn’t exactly my dream job.” Gloria took hold of Blade’s arm and pulled her close. “The last time you were here, I almost got canned. You and that Brit, taking off and leaving me to explain to the cops why there were several people with injuries. No wonder you’re here alone. Get it together and consider yourself 86’d.”
Blade couldn’t argue. Her life was crap, and she had only herself to blame. The inheritance from her mother should have helped; Vivienne had left her millions in investments and an estate in Tuscany. But Blade couldn’t rest easy until Alec was found. Her need for justice had turned into an obsession.
After paying her tab and slipping a fifty-dollar bill into Mick’s breast pocket, she stepped outside into the fresh air and stood by her motorcycle, parked at the curb. It was still relatively warm outside, although a cool breeze lifted the tendrils of hair that had escaped from her ponytail.
Gloria’s words hit home. Instead of celebrating her birthday with Chase and the Soldati, the people who had offered her a home and a purpose, here she stood in New Orleans again, like a broken record repeating itself. Had she subconsciously hoped that Alec would be here?
​ Click Here for full excerpt.
Excerpt from Sirian Summer by John Bowers
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Both suns were well up when Nick settled his rented hovercar in the alley behind the hotel in Kline Corners. Susie landed right behind him, and they both shut down.
Nick told the women to wait while he went inside the hotel.The lobby was empty except for the old clerk, who was watching a gladiator match on a dusty 3DV. He looked up as Nick leaned across the counter.“Mornin’, Marshal. You just gettin’ in?”
Nick ignored the question. “Sam, are those two rooms upstairs still empty?”
“Yep. Always are, except for weekends. Rented ‘em Friday night, but they’re empty now.”
“Okay, I’m renting them both for a few days. Give me the keys.”
“What name you want ‘em under?”
“My name.” Nick pulled out his wallet and peeled off two hundred sirios. “If this doesn’t cover it, I’ll settle up later.”
​ Click Here for full excerpt.
Excerpt from Deadly Relations, by Rhonda D. Herb
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When the pistol shot rang out, the peacock screamed.
Such an annoying sound, the man thought with disgust. Such annoying birds. But Amanda Carter, protector of the environment, liked everything feathered and furry. No matter that the peacock sounded like it was the murdered party. Fortunately, there was no one around to hear that dreadful cry. No one, at least, but the hawks and owls and remnants of the eagle population that inhabited this remote place.
Killing the man was the only tricky part of the operation. The rest, the act of covering up the murder, was child's play, for it had been carefully planned and even rehearsed over a 12-month period.
Pistol. . . smudged with the dead man's prints, arranged artfully next to his body.
Brandy glasses. . . washed, returned to the tray.
Suicide note. . . painstakingly planned word for word. It had taken some effort to get Richard Carter to write the message he had dictated, but faced with the barrel of the gun, the old man had complied.
Click Here for full excerpt
Excerpt from Blood Stones: The Haunting of Sunset Canyon, by Krista Lynn
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Summer Solstice, 1911,
Little Springs River at Sunset Canyon, Arizona:
Emmaline Marton stopped at the top of the trail, breathing hard, one hand over her thrashing heart, the other holding up the hem of her long, cotton skirt. She turned in a complete circle, her gaze raking over every inch of the terrain as she recited her silent plea. Oh please, please be here!
She gripped the front of her thin blouse and pressed her fist hard between her breasts, a futile effort to quell the wild heartbeats that threatened to drain her spirit, siphon away all her hope into the thirsty emptiness around her.
He wasn’t there. All she saw was pinyon pine and cactus, dotting the mesa not far ahead, and the massive display of buttes, spires, and boulders of an ageless mountain that scored the sky far into the distance. What if he didn’t appear? Did he know she hadn’t brought what he’d demanded of her?
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Click Here for full excerpt
Excerpt from The Long Dark Cloak, by Vicki D. Thomas
Ivan panicked as he imagined Zephyrus dying minutes before their arrival. His fingers tightened on the reins. Rivulets of sweat made their way down the sides of his face, wetting his collar, chilling his neck. After all the challenges he’d endured, risking his life and his beagles, the thought of failing now left him shaken.
“The Dark Army is advancing,” Sebastian wailed, breaking Ivan’s tortured thoughts.
“We can’t risk losing another second.”
Click Here for full excerpt.
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