rmfw logo long
Menu
  • Join!
  • Members
    • Member Hub
    • Professional Authors Alliance
  • Blog
    • Blog
    • Blog Contributors
  • Events
  • 2025 Conference
    • Conference Homepage
    • Registration
    • Keynotes
    • Agents
    • Presenters
    • Workshops
    • Thursday Intensives
    • Masterclasses
    • Add-Ons
    • Schedule
    • Program
    • Handouts
    • Sponsors
    • Scholarships
    • FAQ
      • Code of Conduct
      • Accessibility
  • Awards
    • Colorado Gold Rush Literary Awards Contest
      • Colorado Gold Rush Winners & Finalists
    • Jasmine Awards
    • Honored Guiding Members
    • PEN Awards
    • Writer of the Year Award
      • Writer of the Year Award
      • 2025 WOTY Nominations
  • Books
  • Anthology
  • Resources
    • Podcast
    • Critique Groups
    • Service Providers
    • Youth Writers Program
  • About
    • About Us
    • Board of Directors
Menu

Author: Maggie Smith

In a career that’s included work as a journalist, a psychologist, and the founder of a national art consulting company, Maggie Smith added novelist to her resume with the publication of her debut, Truth and Other Lies, a women’s fiction novel set in Chicago and released in March 2022 by Ten16 Press. It won NIEA’s Juror Grand Prize, the Star Award for Debut Fiction from Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and the Foreword INDIES Gold Metal for General Fiction, and was selected for the Women’s Book Association Great Group Reads. Her second novel, a psychological suspense called Blindspot will release in May 2024. In addition to her writing, Maggie hosts the weekly podcast Hear Us Roar (215+ episodes), blogs monthly for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and is Managing Editor for Chicago Writer’s Association Write City E-Zine. She resides in Milwaukee, WI, with her husband and her aging but still adorable sheltie.

Writing Contests – Good Idea or Waste of Money?

Posted on October 18, 2022October 17, 2022 by Maggie Smith

During a podcast interview last week, my guest remarked that, though she’d won two prestigious awards for her women’s fiction debut, she wasn’t sure she’d enter any competitions for her next book. Since most awards charge a fee of between $50-$150 per category, she questioned whether that was a wise use of money. And there’s…

Read more

How to Get Your Money’s Worth from a Book Publicist

Posted on August 16, 2022June 25, 2024 by Maggie Smith

Why does one book achieve robust sales while another struggles to gain traction? While the ultimate test of a novel is what’s between the covers (the quality of the writing, the intricacies of the plot, the fascinating characters), there is no doubt that if a reader is not aware your book exists, they aren’t going…

Read more

What Makes a Great Antagonist

Posted on July 19, 2022July 17, 2022 by Maggie Smith

Every novel needs conflict and the best way to do that is by creating a unique real-life antagonist, a flesh-and-blood character who stands in direct opposition to your protagonist and has to be conquered before your hero can achieve his goal. If you’re not sure how to create an antagonist that’s compelling and well-developed, here…

Read more

Seven Components of a Successful Novel Opening

Posted on June 21, 2022June 18, 2022 by Maggie Smith

Writing a compelling opening for your novel isn’t optional, it’s essential. That initial half-page of Chapter One is the first impression agents, publishers, and most important, readers get of your writing style and skill and often determines whether they’ll purchase your book or not. The good news is most people will give you a few…

Read more

When The Party’s Over

Posted on May 17, 2022May 15, 2022 by Maggie Smith

I thought I’d prepared myself. I thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong. My novel, Truth and Other Lies, released into the world in early March. It had been a labor of love for four long years. I’d lived through fifty agent rejections before signing with a small press which then proceeded to…

Read more
  • Previous
  • 1
  • …
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • …
  • 12
  • Next

Mission Statement

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization dedicated to supporting, encouraging, and educating writers seeking publication in fiction.

Important Links

Board of Directors

By-Laws (Updated 2024)

Conference Code of Conduct

Diversity Statement

Privacy Policy

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Newsletter Signup

© 2025 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers | Powered by Minimalist Blog WordPress Theme