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EDITS . . AWARDS . . STORY CHECKS . . CONTACT
(Looking for the short bio? Click here.)
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Renee's Writing-Related History
At thirteen years old, Renee’ made her first career move as a professional ventriloquist who wrote her own skits and booked her own engagements. As her interest in writing grew, she studied everything she could find about writing and being published. While raising her family, she wrote for magazines, newspapers, and other small projects.
In 2000, using the pseudonym of JesPiddlin, Renee’ co-authored an educational book which taught basic HTML and computer skills. Being a time-sensitive subject for earlier computer operating systems, it is no longer in print. Her husband Gene was the other author, using the pseudonym of cgenerun.
As Project Coordinator/editor for a multi-genre anthology in 2014, she worked with nearly two dozen international authors of different first languages. The anthology, Anything Goes, Volume 1, was published in English.
Soon afterward, Renee' led the anthology project for Anything Goes, Volume 2, but had to leave the project due to health reasons shortly before publication.
From 2013 to 2018 at 4RV Publishing, Renee’ worked her way up from Acquisition Editor to a two-year position as the first Children’s Corner Imprint Editor before moving up to Special Projects Editor. During her time at 4RV, she also represented the company at multiple conferences: showing books, taking pitches, and speaking on a publisher’s panel. She resigned in January of 2018 due to family health issues.
In recent years, she has offered multiple writing workshops as a licensed instructor for the City of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and has traveled to work with middle grade students on the importance of editing their writing.
Renee' now writes for children through middle grade (MG) under the pseudonym of JesPiddlin. For young adult (YA) and up, she uses her full name, Renee’ La Viness. She recently added light romances (especially "cozy seasoned romance") to her writings, for which she uses the pen name Lacey Janes.
She also edits short stories and children’s books, sponsors and judges writing contests, offers occasional workshops, and designs all her own websites with a purposeful aim toward simplicity.
Having earned more than 40 writing awards, Renee’ encourages other authors to enter contests and attend conferences to help develop their own writing skills.
On a more personal note...
When Renee' is not exploring nature or working on arts and crafts with the grandkids, she might be teaching them about writing or taking them to local critique group meetings or her favorite writing conferences.
For more than a decade, she has enjoyed reading to elementary school classes and volunteered at a local elementary school library. The COVID-19 pandemic and open-heart surgery halted her time at the schools, but she hopes to resume her volunteer time in the near future.
Renee' lives in Oklahoma with her writing husband Gene and one very loveable, very ornery chicken.
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Renee’ is a member of the following organizations.
Critical Ink Critique Group
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Renee’ Speaks at Events
––– Read.Write.Share. Writers Conference, AR – 2016
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Renee’s Workshops
Behind the Scenes of a Writing Contest
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Renee’ Organizes Groups and Events
As a labor of love for her fellow writers, she founded and presented the annual Meet the Publishers! event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from 2015 through 2022. Due to extreme changes in publishing standards after the COVID-19 pandemic, she discontinued the event in 2024.
Renee’ served as a founding co-organizer of the Read.Write.Share. Writers Conference in North Little Rock, Arkansas, from 2016 through 2022.
She founded and led Tulsa Area Children’s Book Writers, a highly successful (well-published) critique group in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for six years. (2012-2018)
From 2015 to 2023, she was a co-organizer of the Critical Ink critique group in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She assumed lead organizer position in 2024, after the group took a hiatus due to low attendance in 2023.
Since early 2020, she has been the organizer of the Novel Idea critique group in Broken Arrow.
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Renee’ Sponsors and Judges Writing Contests
She leads a committee of judges for these contests, which she also sponsors. The contests listed below are offered annually. (Contest titles may change.)
…1. Middle Grade Fiction for Boys – Ozark Creative Writers Conference, since 2015
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EDITS . . AWARDS . . STORY CHECKS . . CONTACT
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