PENCRAFTERS WRITING MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

PenCrafters Mentorship Program

PenCrafters is an eight-week writing mentorship experience designed to guide authors through every stage of their creative and publishing journey. Writers meet on Monday evenings at 7 p.m. Each session brings in eight seasoned experts, each focusing on a different phase of the writing and publishing process. Together, they offer writers a full-spectrum path from idea to publication and beyond.

Program Structure

Each week highlights a core part of a writer’s development, blending craft, industry knowledge, and real world application.

Week 1: Development Phase
Writers establish the foundation of their story through idea exploration, character development, and early discovery work. This week includes guidance on interviewing your characters to better understand their motivations, uncover backstory, and shape the emotional and narrative arcs that drive the story forward.

Week 2: Craft Improvement and World Building
Writers deepen their understanding of narrative craft, strengthen structure and voice, and learn how to build immersive, believable worlds in any genre. Focus includes scene construction, sensory detail, pacing, and the internal logic that keeps readers engaged.

Week 3: Revision and Editing

This week helps writers approach early drafts with clarity and purpose. Participants learn strategies for identifying problem areas, tightening scenes, refining prose, and preparing a manuscript for professional review. The emphasis is on developing a strong editorial eye.

Week 4: Working With a Literary Agent
Writers gain a clear, insider perspective on how the agent side of the industry works. This week explores what makes a strong query, how agents evaluate submissions, and what the author-agent relationship looks like in practice. Writers also learn how agents help connect authors with publishers and guide them through the business side of writing. It is one of the most anticipated weeks of the program, offering rare insight into the path to publication.

Week 5: Publishing Process
Writers explore the traditional, indie, and hybrid publishing paths to understand timelines, expectations, production stages, and what happens behind the scenes of a book launch. This week equips writers to make informed decisions about their publishing goals.

Week 6: Marketing and Promotion
Writers learn how to build an authentic platform, develop their brand, plan a launch, and reach readers consistently. This week focuses on sustainable, practical marketing that supports long-term career growth.

Week 7: Post Publication Support
This session covers what happens after a book is released. Writers explore career-building strategies, reader engagement, long-term planning, and how to maintain momentum through future projects and opportunities.

Week 8: Networking, Community Building, and Mentoring Others
Writers learn how to build meaningful writing relationships, connect with the broader literary community, and embrace the pay-it-forward model that strengthens the creative ecosystem. This week reinforces that authors grow not just through craft, but through community.

Our Mentors

Each eight-week session features eight experts specializing in different steps of the writing and publishing process. Mentors include authors, editors, agents, publishers, and marketing professionals who guide students through both the creative and professional sides of authorship. Mentors lead a one-hour workshop during their assigned week and remain available for occasional questions.

Who PenCrafters Is For

PenCrafters is ideal for writers seeking

A structured, supportive path
Guidance from seasoned industry professionals
Community and accountability
Clear insight into every stage of writing and publishing
Actionable next steps for growth

Participants leave with stronger craft, deeper industry understanding, and a practical roadmap for their creative goals.

OUR MENTORS

STEPHEN ZIMMER

Stephen Zimmer is an award-winning author, editor, podcaster, and publisher based out of Lexington, Kentucky. A writer in several genres of speculative fiction, Stephen currently has 33 books in print. The editor-in-chief of Seventh Star Press, a small press with multiple imprints, Stephen founded and co-directs The Imaginarium Convention, a 12th year annual convention held in Louisville, Kentucky for writers and storytellers of all genres.

Stephen is also the co-host of the weekly Star Chamber Show live podcast, hosted on PodBean.

He is an active member of the Bluegrass Writers Coalition, the Kentucky State Poetry Society, and the Chicago Writers Association!

LEAH PUGH

Growing up surrounded by storytellers and books, Leah developed a love of
reading at an early age. After graduating high school, she pursued an English
Literature degree at Jefferson Community College. She dabbled in writing and was
thrilled when her first novel, The Diamond Caper, was published. The second book
and third books, Anything But A Diamond and Houston, We Have a Problem, soon.
After becoming a mom, she wrote three picture books: The Day Please Slept In,
Something Warm For Grandma, and King Robert the Wet. Something Warm for
Grandma won The Written Word Award 2021. Her short story, The Voice, was
published in The 2023 Writer’s Block Anthology. When she’s not writing, she
spends time with her family, has her nose in a book, or enjoys a cup of tea.

LYNN TINCHER

Lynn Tincher was born just outside of Louisville, Kentucky, in the charming city of La Grange. One of her fondest childhood memories is of her English teacher reading a short story she wrote to the students of Oldham County High School. This moment sparked her enduring love for writing. She pursued Theater Arts at Eastern Kentucky University with aspirations of becoming a Drama/English teacher. Although Lynn had several articles published in local magazines and online, the dream of writing a novel always lingered. In 2022, Lynn became the Associate Publisher of Stardust Romance, an imprint of Hydra Publications. In addition to her writing career, Lynn is a creative writing coach and the founder of the PenCrafter’s Writing Mentorship Program, where she helps aspiring writers develop their skills and achieve their writing goals.

ERV KLEIN

Award-winning author Erv Klein has published two books, an historical fiction mystery called Subterfuge, and a literary fiction called Squat. He lives in Louisville, Ky. with his wife, Linda, their dog, Bailey, and Castro, the cat. They have four absolutely adorable grandchildren. One son and a daughter live in the Louisville area and one son splits his time between Paris, France, and Normandie.

Erv is President of the Board of Directors of Louisville Literary Arts and is a member of the adjunct faculty at Indiana University Southeast. He is a member of three writing groups as well as the Kentucky Bar Association, the Professional Writers’ Association, the American Writers and Artists, Inc., the Historical Novel Association, and the Nonfiction Authors Association.

DAN KLEFSTAD

Dan Klefstad is a longtime radio host and newscaster. His latest book, DIY Book Promo, helps his fellow authors find readers without spending money. It’s based on lessons from the campaign for his novel, Fiona’s Guardians, plus his broadcasting career. Dan is excited to be part of the author mentoring group at From the Ground Up Books. He writes in Louisville, Kentucky.

TONY ACREE

Tony Acree is an award-winning publisher, novelist, and screenwriter. He lives near Louisville, Kentucky with his wife, twin daughters, two female dogs, two female cats, and says the way the goldfish looks at him, he’s sure she’s female, too.

Dark Harbor Pictures will be producing two streaming shows, one based on his Victor McCain thrillers, and the other on his Samantha Tyler thrillers. In addition, his screenplay, Songs of Bloody Harlan has been optioned for the silver screen by Jamezz Hampton and 1209 Productions. His publishing house, Hydra Publications, won the Jason Sizemore Award for best small press, and Publisher of the Year by the AOF Megafest and Conquering Disabilities w/Film International Film Festival.

His screenplay, The Hand of God, co-written by Sarah Gardiner, won Best Horror Screenplay at The LA Film Awards. His first solo screenplay, Songs of Bloody Harlan, took Best Long Format Screen Play at the Imadjinn Film Festival.

Tony is currently the Creative Writer in Residence at the Oldham County Schools Art Center.

Tony is also on the board of Louisville Literary Arts.

MICK WILLIAMS

Award winning author, editor, and screenwriter, Mick Williams, has penned 14 novels. He moved to Kentucky from England. After a decade, he went back to his homeland. Three years later, he came back to Kentucky. This time, he's staying. As well as having a patient wife who rarely reads his books, he has also been adopted by two gorgeous cats, Crash and Thud. They don't read his books either.