Welcome to the Prose Alliance.
Uniting writers of genre and commercial fiction!
An inclusive, no-fluff Writers Intensive for scribes of genre and commercial fiction
Tired of stuffy, gatekept writing events? Welcome to the Prose Alliance, where genre and commercial fiction writers are not just accepted—they’re celebrated.
Whether you write romance, sci-fi, mystery, horror, fantasy, procedurals, sci-fi, thrillers/suspense, westerns, romantasy, or another awesome commercial genre, the Prose Alliance is exactly what the title suggests: an alliance for authors of FUN BOOKS who are looking to level up.
I’m Jenn, an editor with over twenty years’ professional experience working in the publishing industry for multiple internationally best-selling authors. I’m also an author, both traditionally and indie published, and I know how bloody hard it is to scrape a book from the inside of your skull and shape it into something amazing to share with the world.
My goal with the Prose Alliance is to offer genre writers—word warriors like me—solid, actionable advice and craft instruction they can use to write the Best Book Possible™. (OK, no, I didn’tactually trademark that. Come on, I’m not a sycophant.)
Will I teach you how to become a best-selling author? Nope. Marketing is an entirely different beast and there are plenty of marketing brains, PR firms, and self-described social media mavens out there who are far better at doing the sales strut. My goal is to help you focus on the product.
And if I don’t have an answer for you, I will send you somewhere/to someone who does. (It will probably be Jane Friedman, Tiffany Yates Martin, Joanna Penn, or Jenn at Mixtus Media. I’ll just put that out there right now.)
However, I WILL bestow upon you the gold I’ve mined over the last two decades of helping other writers barf—I mean, elegantly ASSEMBLE—words onto the page for the voracious reading public.
Sure, literary fiction is great and all, but have you ever tried …
blowing up a building to stop a relentless KGB agent with nuclear codes or
falling in love with a vampire who has dedicated their life to ending world hunger or
racing across the galaxy in search of a precious metal that will save your people or
handing the future of civilization to a 17-year-old who’s good with a bow and arrow or
meeting the man of your dreams at a posh resort off the coast of British Columbia?
Yeah, it’s pretty fun.
What’s offered in the Prose Alliance?
✅ Live online workshops designed for genre and commercial fiction writers. No ivory tower, literati tomfoolery.
✅ Actionable advice from an experienced editor and author. Because theory is useless without practice.
✅ A supportive, fun, inclusive learning environment. Snobs, haters, and bullies will not find a home here.
✅ No fluff, no filler—just tools to make your writing stronger. Topical, relevant, real talk about the publishing business (and its many tentacles) as it exists in 2025.
How do I get involved with the Prose Alliance?
To get things started, we will be offering the following options:
📅 June Mini Intensive (June 21-23, 2 sessions Saturday and 2 sessions Sunday + 1 Monday night)
✍️ September Full Intensive (sessions daily from September 20-26, 2025)
🎥 Live and interactive (with replays available!)
🔥 Standard & VIP registration available
June Mini Intensive
Weekend + Monday Night
Jumpstart your writing with fast-paced, high-impact workshops
Standard & VIP options available
September Full Intensive
Saturday, Sept 20, to Friday, Sept 26, 2025
A deep-dive, weeklong experience to transform your craft (4 sessions over the weekend; 1 session every weeknight)
Standard & VIP options available
What does the mini intensive include?
JUNE MINI INTENSIVE:
Saturday, June 21, 2025 (scroll down for full session descriptions):
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM → The Backward Book Report: A Prewriting Method for Discovery Writers (Great for both plotters & pantsers!)
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM → No Conflict, No Story: Crafting Compelling Tension in Fiction
Sunday, June 22, 2025:
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM → Writing Dialogue That Doesn’t Bore or Confuse Your Readers
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM → Do Your Characters Have What It Takes to Keep Readers Hooked?
Monday, June 23, 2025
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM → Self-Editing for Success: How to Polish Your Manuscript Before Publishing
💡 5 sessions total = a focused, high-value weekend event without overload!
What does the FULL intensive include?
SEPTEMBER FULL INTENSIVE (session descriptions below):
Saturday, September 20, 2025:
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. → The Backward Book Report: A Prewriting Method for Discovery Writers (Great for both plotters & pantsers!)
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. → Do Your Characters Have What It Takes to Keep Readers Hooked?
Monday, September 22, to Friday, September 26, 2025 (evening sessions, 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.)
Monday, 6 - 7:30 p.m. → Romance 101: Moving Past First Base
Tuesday, 6 - 7:30 p.m. → Self-Editing for Success: How to Polish Your Manuscript Before Publishing
Wednesday, 6 to 7:30 p.m. → Working with a Freelance Editor: What to Expect When You’re Expecting (a Manuscript Edit)
Thursday, 6 - 7:30 p.m. → The Whole Package: Creating a Top-Quality Published Book
Friday, 6 - 7:30 p.m. → Traditional vs. Indie Publishing: Options Galore!
Saturday (final day & VIP exclusive)
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. → Let’s Talk Logistics: The Reality ($) of Getting Your Indie-Pub Book into Stores
💡 10 sessions total = a focused, high-value event!
What does the full intensive include?
Choose Your Experience
No matter which event you attend—the June Mini Intensive or the Full September Intensive—you’ll have two registration options:
June Mini Intensive Pricing (5 sessions)
Standard: ~$199 (Early Bird: $149)
VIP: ~$399 (Early Bird: $349) (includes critique & lifetime access to recordings)
Monday night allows those who work weekends to participate in at least one session.
September Full Intensive Pricing (10 sessions)
Standard: ~$399 (Early Bird: $299)
VIP: ~$599 (Early Bird: $499) (includes critique & lifetime access to recordings)
Each session is 90 minutes, including Q&A.
30-minute breaks allow for reset time.
What does the intensive include?
Proposed workshops, taught live online with replays available:
✅ The Whole Package: Creating a Top-Quality Published Book
✅ Let’s Talk Logistics: The Reality ($) of Getting Your Indie-Pub Book into Stores
✅ Romance 101: Moving Past First Base
✅ The Backward Book Report: A Prewriting Method for Discovery Writers
✅ Traditional vs. Indie Publishing: Options Galore!
✅ Writing Dialogue That Doesn’t Bore or Confuse Your Readers
✅ Working with a Freelance Editor: What to Expect When You’re Expecting (a Manuscript Edit)
✅ No Conflict, No Story: Crafting Compelling Tension in Fiction
✅ Self-Editing for Success: How to Polish Your Manuscript Before Publishing
✅ Do Your Characters Have What It Takes to Keep Readers Hooked?
Choose your adventure!
📖 Standard Registration – Perfect for writers who want access to all sessions, live Q&As, and replays.
✅ Access to all live workshops
✅ Replays available for a limited time
✅ Downloadable session notes and resources
✅ Exclusive writing tips via email
💲 Early bird pricing: $299 (Regular: $350)
🚀 VIP Registration – For writers who want personalized attention and deeper learning.
✅ Everything in the Standard package, PLUS:
🔍 A personalized critique (on a scene or query)
🎤 Exclusive VIP Q&A session
🎁 Lifetime access to recordings
💲 Early bird pricing: $599 (Regular: $750)
Who is teaching?
Jennifer Sommersby is the author of thirteen novels and three novellas (young adult, romantic comedy, women’s fiction, and romantic suspense) under several pen names. Her YA debut, Sleight, was a Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Book for Kids & Teens, Fall 2018, an Ontario Library Association Best Bets Honourable Mention Book for Young Adults, 2019, and a British Columbia Arts Council Grant winner, 2019. Her rom-com debut, Must Love Otters (as Eliza Gordon), was #1 in the Barnes & Noble store for 38 whole hours in March 2014. (She even has screenshots to prove it.) Additional titles over the years have hit the top 100 on Amazon, Apple Books, and Kobo.
Jenn’s worked as a freelance editor since 2005 (via her company Plumfield Editing) for numerous internationally best-selling authors and is a bibliophile and Superman fanatic. Her publishing umbrella, SGA Books, serves as a resource portal for newer writers. Jenn and her daughter recently threw open the doors on a new venture, Bard & Bloom, where they make custom photo magnets, tote bags, bookmarks, journals, coffee mugs, book sleeves, and more. Trans rights are human rights.
“It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
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