Upcoming Meeting
Previous Meetings
2022
11/5/22 Carol Van Den Hende – Brand Land: What is Author Brand and Why Readers Care
10/1/22 Theodora Taylor – How to Use Universal Fantasy to Plot (and Market) Stories Everyone Will Eat Up
9/10/22 Jennifer Hilt – Romancing Your Tropes
6/4/22 Joanne Machin – Self-Editing for Success
5/7/22 Dana Pittman – The 5 Non-Negotiables of Writing
4/2/22 Diane K Peterson – Make Goodreads Work for You
3/5/22 Pascale Kavanagh – Mindset Mastery: For Writing & Life
2/5/22 Tee O’Fallon – Playing with the Boys
1/8/22 Lucy Eden – Newsletter & Marketing
2021
12/4/21 Rebecca Hunter – Moments of Brilliance: Tips for Your Editing Toolbox
11/6/21 Thien-Kim Lam – Showing Up on Social Media Consistently (On Your Own Terms)
10/2/21 Naima Simone – Loosening Your inner Vixen: Writing Character Driven Love Scenes
9/4/21 Bria Quinlan and Jeannie Lin – Making the Ordinary Extraordinary: Worldbuilding for non-SFF Writers
6/5/21 Olivia Gaines – The Colors of Success: Author Branding 101
5/1/21 Jess Michaels – Write Like You Mean It
4/3/21 Alana Albertson – Six Figure Serials
3/6/21 Preslaysa Williams – Writing Diversely
2/6/21 Jennifer Roberson – Look who’s Talking: Point of View
1/2/21 Moni Boyce – Learn How to Use instagram for Your Author Business
2020
12/5/20 Diana Peterfreund – Tale as Old as Time: Using Folklore and Classics to Give Your Stories Romance
11/7/20 Cathy Maxwell – The Inner Game of Writing and Publishing
10/3/20 L. Penelope – Podcasts for Authors and Author Platform
9/5/20 Carolyn Greene – Unstick Your Plot
6/6/20 Susan Meier – Know Your Story and Know Your Characters
5/2/20 Demo by Kathleen Sweeney from Book Brush
4/4/20 – Canceled due to pandemic
3/7/20 Angelina Lopez: Writing Alpha Heroines
2/1/20 Alma Katsu: Upping the Ante and Researching Like a Pro
1/4/20 Chan Cox Elder, President – State of the Chapter (AM) & Kate McMurray – Worldbuilding and Settings
2019
12/14/19 Holiday Party – Kate Clayborn – Your Story’s Beating Heart: Building Character and Conflict through Theme
11/2/19 Jessica Brody – Save the Cat! Writes a Novel
10/5/19 Mollie Cox Bryan – Exercises to Help Create Your Daily Writing Practice and Making Your Mystery Cozy
9/7/19 Nina Crespo – Balancing Life, Craft & Enjoyment
6/8/19 Grace Burrows – Why Napping is Underrated
5/11/19 Paula Chaffee Scardamalia Tarot for Fiction Writers
4/13/19 Laura Drake – Your first five pages!
3/09/19 Tracey Livesay & Mary Behre – Write your Way to Success in Just 20 Minutes a Day
2/09/19 Ines Johnson—Best Practices for Digitally Publishing Your Book
01/12/19 Mari Carr—The Art of Collaboration & No Shame. Writing Sexy Romance…without Blushing!
2018
12/8/18 Holiday Party
11/10/18 Grace DeLeesie—Swag Bags: What to Buy & Where to Get Them
10/13/18 Becca Syme—Write Better Faster
9/8/18 Nicole Peeler—The Marathon of Writing and Getting Out of Your Own Way
6/9/18 Sarah Wendell—Reviews: Don’t Be Afraid. You Have Everything You Need.
5/5/18 Adriana Anders & Andie J. Christopher—Building an Author Platform & Avery Flynn—I Want What She’s Got: How to Cope with Professional Jealousy
4/14/2018 Carrie Lofty—From Both Sides Now: The Editorial Process
3/10/2018 Kimberly Kincaid—Crafting Your Novel From the Ground Up & Marketing Like a Boss
2/10/2018 Madeline Iva—Plotting Techniques to Save You Time & Making Your Writing Irresistible
1/13/2018 Jane Friedman—The Art and Business of Author Platform & The Basics of Marketing and Promoting Your Work Online
2017
12/9/2017 —Canceled due to inclement weather—
11/11/2017 Donald Maass—The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Tell the Story Beneath the Surface
10/7/2017 Sherry Thomas—Intergenre Fortification
9/9/2017 Grace Burrowes & Joanna Bourne—Ten Tweaks to Perk Up Your Prose
6/10/2017 Kit Wilkinson—The Power of Romance and the Women Who Write It
5/13/2017 Nikki Terpilowski of Holloway Literary Agency—Everything You Need to Know About Finding a Literary Agent
4/8/2017 Lori Wilde—Stepping Stones on the Path to Career Success
3/11/2017 Madeline Martin—Crafting Your Critique & Abigail Sharpe—Write Tight: Eliminating the Unnecessary from Your Manuscript.
2/11/2017 Angele McQuade—Cash & Creativity: Good Finances Spark Creativity.
Linda Budzinski, Tina Glasneck, & Jessica Ruddick—Journey to Publication Panel.
1/14/2017 Fiona Quinn—Making a Move: Characters Colliding in Our Plots
2016
12/10/2016 Mary Burton—Guest Speaker for Holiday Party
11/12/2016 Scott Silverii—Police vs. Sheriff & Liliana Hart—The Future of Self-Publishing
10/8/2016 Due to hurricane Matthew, Madeline Martin & Abigail Sharpe will appear in March 2017.
9/10/2016 Hope Ramsay—Using Character Archetypes to Find the Love Story
6/11/2016 Carolyn Greene & Cynthia Holt Johnson—Guest Speakers for VRW Awards Luncheon
5/14/2016 Mindy Klasky—Organizational Tools For Writers & Kathleen Connor—Search & Rescue Dogs
4/9/2016 Lyz Kelley—Business Planning & Diane Gaston—Polish Your Writing
3/12/2016 Sadeqa Johnson—Pursuing Your Passion & BIAY Kick-off
2/13/2016 Bethany Burke, Blushing Books & Love Between the Covers Screening
1/9/2016 Alexa Day—Self Confidence Workshop & Mary Behre Using Vision Boards
2015
12/12/15 Cathy Maxwell—Guest Speaker Holiday Luncheon
11/14/15 Mary Buckham—All Day Workshops
10/10/15 Valerie Bowman—Romance Novel Marketing 101
9/12/15 Jane Friedman—Write a Query That Gets Manuscript Requests
6/13/15 Kieran Kramer—Awards Luncheon Guest Speaker
5/9/15 Joyce Lamb—How to Get the Media to Fall in Love with You (and Your Book) Alleyne Dickens—Everything I Know About Pitching I Learned at the Dog Show (Part 2)
4/11/15 J.T. Bock—Some Assembly Required: A Whedonite’s Guide to Characterization
3/14/15 Avery Flynn—Street Team Savvy & Alleyne Dickens—Everything I Know About Pitching I Learned at the Dog Show (Part 1)
2/14/15 Mary Burton—Writing Your Novel One Draft at a Time (All Day)
1/10/15 Mary Behre—Writing Contests: Getting the Most Bang for Your Buck & Tracey Livesay—The Language of Romancelandia