About
Charlotte Rains Dixon, MFA, is the author of the novels The Bonne Chance Bakery and Emma Jean’s Bad Behavior. When not writing ficition, Charlotte teaches writing in and around her hometown of Portland, Oregon, Nashville, Tennessee, the south of France, and on the Oregon Coast. She also coaches writers privately. She is Director Emeritus and a current mentor at the Writer’s Loft, a certificate-writing program at Middle Tennessee State University. She earned her MFA in creative writing from Spalding University and is the author of a dozen books. Her fiction and articles have appeared in numerous publications. Charlotte lives with her husband in a multi-generational home that is by turns boisterous and exuberant but seldom quiet. She believes no breakfast is complete without a crossword puzzle to solve and no Happy Hour can actually be happy without popcorn. (Wine goes without saying.) She writes stories about places you long to live filled with people you’d love to know. Learn more about Charlotte on her website or you can visit her blog, where you can find all kinds of tips and techniques on writing and creativity.
Debbie Guyol teaches creative writing in the Mature Learning Program at Clark College, where she has inspired scores of students since 2002 and edited an anthology of student writing called Elderberry Wine Vintage 2010. Debbie is a retired lawyer who has practiced in New York City and Portland. She is the co-author of The Complete Guide to Contract Lawyering, as well as numerous articles for legal publications. Her co-authored book, Pride and Prejudice and Kitties was published in April 2013. She is an unabashed francophile and fan of French films—and American movies from before the age of superheroes and CGI. Thus her current project is a series of capers set in France. The protagonist is, naturally, a film-obsessed francophile..
Testimonials
Let’s Go Write’s one-day workshops provide a unique opportunity to assess, practice and improve your writing skills. As a participant of two workshops offerings, How to Write a Book and The Ins and Outs of the Publishing World I can testify to that being the case. Instruction offered by seasoned, published writers Debbie Guyol and Charlotte Dixon and an opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with other writers provided an inspirational fun filled writer experience. The end result: I now have a book of short stories prepared for self – publication!
–Robert
Debbie and Charlotte have a way of nudging and nurturing writers to new horizons, and they create an atmosphere of camaraderie into the bargain.
–Renee Soasey
The camaraderie of the group added so much – listening to other people’s work was inspiring and their interest in and insightful comments about my writing were so helpful and encouraging.
–Jenni Gainsborough
Prior to attending Debbie’s writing class, and her and Charlotte’s writing group, I was a floundering writer.
Debbie’s class had been recommended to me, and, not being satisfied with the classes I’d been taking, I signed up. It was the best decision of my ‘writing life’. I learned more about writing in just two sessions of classes than in the previous ten years of trying to do it on my own.
Then, when I started attending the writer’s group Debbie and Charlotte lead, I felt like I’d found my ‘writing home’. The feedback, support, guidance, constructive criticism, and functionality that Debbie and Charlotte provide have made me more productive than I’ve ever been. An added benefit of their writer’s group is the feedback from other writers whose journeys are similar to my own. The support and fresh ideas that come from around the table are just another reason it feels like ‘home.’
I attend every workshop Charlotte and Debbie offer, as my schedule allows. I come away from each of those workshops feeling inspired, energized, smarter, and highly motivated. From publishing to character development, each one has broadened my writing horizons and I always look forward to the next one!
Debbie and Charlotte are the perfect team of successful writers who unselfishly share their unique gifts, experiences, and knowledge with people like me who so desperately need it. They have a keen recognition of strengths and weaknesses, and have helped me expand on the former and eliminate the latter.
Prior to working with Debbie and Charlotte I felt like my writing was a big blob of clay; now it’s becoming something recognizable and satisfying!
–Dawn Montgomery
I have taken two of Charlotte and Debbie’s workshops. Both (the workshops and Charlotte and Debbie) were extremely informative and fun! As a new-to-fiction writer I was a bit intimidated, but the relaxed atmosphere made it easy to relax, interact, and learn. Charlotte and Debbie are so knowledgeable and eager to help students gain that knowledge too. I highly recommend their workshops.
–Leigh Brookes
have taken two of Charlotte and Debbie’s workshops. Both (the workshops and Charlotte and Debbie) were extremely informative and fun! As a new-to-fiction writer I was a bit intimidated, but the relaxed atmosphere made it easy to relax, interact, and learn. Charlotte and Debbie are so knowledgeable and eager to help students gain that knowledge too. I highly recommend their workshops.”
–Albert Bouffard
I joined Charlotte and Debbie in France in 2015. I had finished the second Moses Palmer mystery. The same publisher who did the first had the trilogy’s second book and would release it when I returned. The first story was okay, and the second a little better, but there was something missing from my writing. As an author of genre fiction, I think it is easy to forget about yourself. Charlotte and Debbie have a way of digging through all your shells. With their help and that of my fellow writers in Collioure, I discovered a side of myself I didn’t know existed. I came back with renewed energy and purpose. It is a year later. I have finished the third Moses Palmer mystery, the last leg of the trilogy. I don’t expect to win an award or sell a zillion copies, but my latest book is–I feel–my best. A large chunk of my improvement is because of the Collioure trip. Charlotte and Debbie helped with the travel. The meals and the classes were fabulous. The friendships we forged carry on today. But my trip to Collioure did the unexpected; I came back a better writer.
–J.D. Frost