September 13th - Author Panel

Sunday, August 10th, 2008

Authors on Publishers Panel

The panel: Gerry Bartlett, Berkley; Kristi Gold; Harlequin; Sharie Kohler, Pocket; Kerrelyn Sparks, Avon; Colleen Thompson, Dorchester; Kimberly Ungar, NAL; Moderator- Lark Howard

Join us as WHRWA authors give us the low-down on their publishers in a lively panel discussion that will give you an inside’s peek at what really goes on in the world of print publishing.

What kind of books do their imprints put out? What kinds of books are their publishers looking for? What’s it like to work with their editors? How did they get to their houses? The panel will address these questions and many more. Whether you’re looking for a publisher or perhaps thinking about moving houses, this is your chance to learn from first hand experience. Don’t miss it!

Schedule for September 13th:

8:30 - Open doors - sign in/coffee
9:00 to 10:00 - Business meeting, PAL reviews & introductions
10:00 to 10:30 - Break
10:30 to 12:00 - Author Panel
12:00 to 12:30 - Booksigning with various authors
12:30 - Adjourn to lunch

August 9th - Sandra K Moore

Sunday, July 13th, 2008

Whether you’re a plotter or a pantser, getting the characters from the first page to the thrilling end can be daunting. Sometimes writers lose their way: the story seems to fall apart, or things don’t seem quite right, or perhaps the writer even loses interest. Chances are that one or more essential, though not so obvious, story components have gone astray. Sandra K. Moore’s “Constructing a Manuscript” workshop can help beginning writers understand story structure, and aid advanced writers in taking their craft up a notch.

Drawing from her experience as a seasoned contest judge, a student in the University of Houston Graduate Creative Writing Program, and a published author, Sandra describes story symptoms, shows where they’re likely to arise in a manuscript, and provides suggestions for correcting the problems. Her March 2008 release, WITHOUT A TRACE, earned 4 1/2 stars from Romantic Times Book Review. In her “other life,” Sandra is a Product Manager for a Fortune 500 company.

Schedule for August 9th:

8:30 - Open doors - sign in/coffee
9:00 to 10:00 - Business meeting, PAL reviews & introductions
10:00 to 10:30 - Break
10:30 to 12:00 - Sandra K Moore presents "Constructing a Manuscript"
12:00 to 12:30 - Booksigning with various authors
12:30 - Adjourn to lunch

July 12th - Michele Dunaway

Monday, June 16th, 2008

Everyone always asks WHRWA member Michele Dunaway how she does it and assumes she’s Superwoman. The thing is, though, Michele’s not even close and she’s dealt with just about every stressor known to man, most of them all within the same year. This highly-interactive workshop will apply to both veterans and beginners alike and will deal with things such as how to balance a full time day job with full time writing, how to battle jealousy (surprise, it’s really something else)), how to achieve your goals, and when to say yes and when to say no. Come dressed to move around the room and discover the inner superwoman (or man) within.

Ever since she was in first grade, Michele Dunaway wanted to be a writer. In 1988, she set a goal at her five-year high school reunion to be published by the year 2000. While she authored professional journal articles, and compiled the Journalism Education Association Middle/Junior High Curriculum Guide, it wasn’t until August of 1999 that Michele learned she had sold her first novel to Harlequin American Romance. Since then Michele has sold over 15 novels to Harlequin and her works have been translated into French, Italian, German, Portuguese, and Japanese among others. Describing herself as a woman who does too much but doesn’t know how to stop, Michele also teaches high school English, advises the school yearbook, and raises two daughters and five spoiled housecats.

Schedule for July 12th:

8:30 - Open doors - sign in/coffee
9:00 to 10:00 - Business meeting, PAL reviews & introductions
10:00 to 10:30 - Break
10:30 to 12:00 - Michele Dunaway presents "Superwoman"
12:00 to 12:30 - Booksigning with various authors
12:30 - Adjourn to lunch

June 14th - Candace Havens

Sunday, May 11th, 2008

WHRWA Welcomes Bestselling Author and Entertainment Journalist Candace Havens for an all day workshop

In the morning:

FAST DRAFT is a way to get that first draft down in two weeks or less. Using writing exercises and a hardcore set of rules, writers can tap into the creative well and finish their manuscripts. This is a system that makes writers accountable and teaches them to send that internal editor on vacation.

In the afternoon:

REVISION HELL is a process for getting through revisions without going insane. By focusing on various style, grammar and story-telling elements writers can revise their manuscripts at a faster pace improving continuity, transitions and the overall feel of the book.

Bestselling author Candace Havens has written five novels, “Charmed & Dangerous,” “Charmed & Ready” (mass market release Aug. 2008), “Charmed & Deadly” and the upcoming releases “Like A Charm” (Feb. 2008) and “The Demon King and I” (Nov. 2008). Her books have received nominations for the RITA’s, Holt Medallion and Write Touch Reader Awards. She is the author of the biography “Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy” and a contributor to several anthologies. She is also one of the nation’s leading entertainment journalists and has interviewed countless celebrities including Tom Hanks, Nicolas Cage, Tom Cruise, George Clooney and many more. Her entertainment columns can be read in more than 300 newspapers across the country. Candace also runs a free online writing workshop for more than 900 writers. She does film reviews with the Dorsey Gang on The Big 96.3, and serves as a mentor for young writers.

Registration is Closed.

Tentative Schedule for June 14th:

8:30-9:00 -> Registration and coffee
9:00-9:45 -> Business Meeting with Pal Reviews
9:45-10:15 -> Coffee and Social Break
10:15-11:45 -> "FAST DRAFT"
11:45-12:15 -> Introductions
12:15-1:30 -> Lunch and Booksigning with Candace Haven and local authors
1:30-3:00 -> "REVISION HELL"

May 10th - Jane Myers Perrine and Tera Lynn Childs

Sunday, April 13th, 2008

Early Session - 8:15 to 9:15 a.m.
Tera Lynn Childs presents “Writing For Teens: Rules Need Not Apply”

Interested in writing fiction for teens? Curious about the genre that’s getting so much industry buzz? Join WHRWA’s own debut author, Tera Lynn Childs, to learn what the world young adult fiction is really like and what it takes to make it in this booming market where rules are distant memories. (Hint: It’s more than dictatorial homecoming queens, sweet pecks on the cheek, and adding a “like, you know” every third sentence.)

10:45-12:00 Noon
Jane Myers Perrine presents “IN THE BEGINNING or HOW TO START YOUR BOOK WITH A BIG BANG”

Using many examples and discussion, Jane shows what will draw the editor or reader in during the first few chapters of your book–and what won’t.

Jane Myers Perrine has wanted to be a writer since her third-grade teacher told her she should be one. She credits the members of WHRWA for helping her make that happen. In 1999, she was a Golden Heart finalist. That book was published by Avalon in 2001. She sold two more books to Avalon and four to Steeple Hill.

Schedule for January 12th:

8:00 - Open doors - sign in/coffee
8:15 to 9:15 - Early morning workshop with Tera Lynn Childs presents: Writing For Teens: Rules Need Not Apply
9:15 to 9:30 - Break
9:30 to 10:30 - Business meeting and PAL reviews
10:30 to 10:45 - Break
10:45 to 12:00 - Program - Jane Myers Perrine presents: IN THE BEGINNING or HOW TO START YOUR BOOK WITH A BIG BANG
12:00 to 12:30 - Booksigning
12:30 - Adjourn to lunch

April 12th - Judy Duarte

Sunday, March 9th, 2008

Judy Duarte presents: “JUGGLING: The fine art of writing two different genres for two different editors and two different houses.”

Multi-published, award winning author Judy Duarte shares her story of juggling a category career and a new single title career—how she got there and all it entails. She’ll define the differences between category and single title–from money to voice, from promotion to deadlines–and how it feels to handle two editors and two houses and still love what she writes. Whether it’s juggling or keeping all the plates spinning, the techniques and tips she’ll share will get you thinking beyond a “work in progress” to a “career in progress.”

Judy Duarte always knew there was a book inside her, but since English was her least favorite subject in school, she never considered herself a writer. An avid reader who enjoys a happy ending, Judy couldn’t shake her dream of creating a story of her own. So in 1996, she joined RWA and decided to make that dream come true.

Her unpublished stories have not only won the Emily and Orange Rose, but made her a double Golden Heart finalist in 2001. COWBOY COURAGE, her first book, hit the shelves in March of 2002. Since then she has sold twenty-five more books, including two women’s fiction novels to Kensington, the first of which, MULBERRY PARK, will be released in April of 2008.

Schedule for April 12th:

8:30 - Open doors - sign in/coffee
9:00 to 10:00 - Business meeting, PAL reviews & introductions
10:00 to 10:30 - Break
10:30 to 12:00 - Judy Duarte presents "JUGGLING"
12:00 to 12:30 - Booksigning with various authors
12:30 - Adjourn to lunch

March 9th - Joanna Wayne

Sunday, February 10th, 2008

Joanna Wayne presents “Ho-Hum to Sparkle”

Does your critique group find no fault with your manuscript, but it fails to rate high in contests? Do you get “nice” rejections letters?

Joanna Wayne, author of 35 romantic suspense works in single title, category and novellas will discuss adding sparkle to your manuscript, that special something that will make an editor sit up and take notice. An editor once said the hardest book for her to turn down is one where’s there’s nothing wrong, but it simply doesn’t stand out. Ms. Wayne will delve into simple techniques that can change your perfectly good manuscript into one that comes alive on the pages. You’ll discover ways to tweak word choice, characterization, plotting and emotion that will turn your book into a winner.

Joanna Wayne began her professional writing career with the release of her first novel, DEEP IN THE BAYOU, in 1994. Now, with over thirty-seven published works to her credit consisting of novels and novellas, Joanna has made a name for herself as being on the cutting edge of romantic suspense in both series and single-title novels. She is known for the suspense and emotion she brings to the page, as she takes ordinary people and thrusts them into life-and-death situations. She has been on the Walden Bestselling List for romance and won many industry awards including the prestigious Texas Gold Award. She is a popular speaker at writing organizations and local community functions and has taught creative writing at the University of New Orleans Metropolitan College.

Schedule for March 9th:

8:30 - Open doors - sign in/coffee
9:00 to 10:00 - Business meeting, PAL reviews & introductions
10:00 to 10:30 - Break
10:30 to 12:00 - Joanna Wayne presents "Ho-Hum to Sparkle"
12:00 to 12:30 - Booksigning with various authors
12:30 - Adjourn to lunch

February 9th - Emily Awards Meeting with Margie Lawson

Monday, January 14th, 2008

Please join us for the 2008 Emily awards meeting featuring Margie Lawson’s day long workshop on “Deep Editing”.
Margie Lawson is collecting rave reviews with every master class she teaches. A counseling psychologist, Margie has developed innovative psychologically-anchored editing systems and techniques that will teach you how to write a page-turner.

DEEP EDITING is for the writer who wants to impact the unconscious of the reader, learn fresh editing techniques, and edit for power. Participants will learn the EDITS System and take it deeper, see the interplay of patterns on the page and analyze what’s needed to strengthen their scene. This is not a broad-brush approach; it’s a roll up your sleeves and get to work making a difference on your manuscript workshop. In addition, 25 rhetorical devices will be introduced, along with when and how to use them.

In the last three years, Margie has taught a dozen on-line courses and presented full-day Master Classes in over thirty cities across the U.S and Canada. Her deep editing techniques have been used by hundreds of pre-published writers as well as authors ranging from debut to multi-award-winning. Formerly a college professor, Ms. Lawson holds a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. Her resume includes clinical trainer, psychologist, sex therapist, director of an impotence clinic, hypnotherapist and keynote speaker. For further information, see her website: www.margielawson.com.

How to Sign-Up:

Registration is required for this meeting and there will be a limit of 90 attendees so sign up early. Registration will open January 20th. Registration is Closed.

Materials

This is an all-day hands-on workshop. Attendees should bring the three chapters of their work in progress, a red pen, and a set of multi-colored highlighters (pink, yellow, orange, blue and green).

COST: (checks or cash only)

WHRWA Members: $20
RWA Members: $45
Non-RWA Members: $60

Location

Memorial Drive Christian Church
11750 Memorial Drive
Houston, TX 77024

Meeting Schedule:

8:30-9:00 -> Registration and coffee
9:00-12:00 -> DEEP EDITING, Part 1
12:00-1:30 -> Emily Awards Presentations, Lunch and Booksigning of WHRWA authors' February Releases (PJ Mellor, Kerrelyn Sparks, and Joanna Wayne)
1:30-5:00 -> DEEP EDITING, Part 2

January 12th - Colleen Thompson and Kimberly Frost

Friday, November 16th, 2007

Colleen Thompson presents “How to Hurt the Ones You Love”.

Since conflict is the key to keep tension high, pacing brisk, and readers eager to turn the pages, even the nicest author needs to have an arsenal of methods for turning up the heat on his/her protagonists. In “How to Hurt the Ones You Love,” Colleen Thompson examines the importance of conflict, ways to deepen it, and how to know when you have gone too far.

RITA-nominated romantic suspense author Colleen Thompson has written thirteen novels, including her latest, The Salt Maiden (Leisure, 12/07) and Head On (Love Spell, 7/07). For more information, visit her at http://www.colleen-thompson.com or check out http://www.boxingoctopus.blogspot.com her blog for emerging writers

Early Morning Session

Kimberly Chambers (w/a Kimberly Frost) presents “Wish For It; Work for It: The girl’s guide to goal-setting”.

Ever get to the end of the month and realize that the word count is lower than planned? The editing stalled out? That you didn’t get around to updating your website? How about making your 2008 a little different? Join Kimberly Frost as she shares strategies she’s learned about how to set goals and achieve them. The workshop will include questions and prompts to get members thinking about their own lives so they can generate individual wishes and goals and personal strategies to achieve them.

Kimberly Chambers (aka Kimberly Frost) juggles a career as a doctor and her writing career (her first novel Would-be Witch and its sequel sold to Berkley), and has recently taken on new responsibilities as president of WHRWA. Working with highly successful and extremely busy professionals, she’s learned the fine art of goal-setting and following through to make them happen.

Meeting Location: Memorial Drive Christian Church, 11750 Memorial Drive, Houston, 77024

Schedule for January 12th:

8:00 - Open doors - sign in/coffee
8:15 to 9:15 - Early morning workshop with Kimberly Chambers: "Wish For It; Work for It: The girl's guide to goal-setting"
9:15 to 9:30 - Break
9:30 to 10:30 - Business meeting, PAL reviews & introductions
10:30 to 10:45 - Break
10:45 to 12:00 - Program - Colleen Thompson:"How to Hurt the Ones You Love"
12:00 to 12:30 - Booksigning with Colleen Thompson, Christie Craig, Sharie Kohler/Sophie Jordan, and Nina Bangs
12:30 - Adjourn to lunch

November 10th - Sharon Sala

Sunday, October 14th, 2007

On November 10th, we bring Sharon Sala…

West Houston RWA is taking the year out with a BANG with Best Selling Author Sharon Sala.For this all day meeting, Sharon will present in the morning “How To Write Yourself Out of A Corner”. All writers end up at both ends of the writer’s seesaw at some point. Have you ever had a story and characters come alive for you - and simply slathered and stroked words onto the page until you found yourself painted into the proverbial plot corner? Or even worse, have you ever stared at an empty and blank computer screen with an even emptier and blanker creative mind’s eye? At our November meeting, Sharon Sala will give us her overview of how to “fix” plot problems and writer’s block.

Sharon will continue in the afternoon with “Coloring Outside of the Lines”. Which one of us hasn’t had an agent, editor or contest judge tell us we “can’t” use a character, a setting, a story line - or a writing technique - because it will make our work unmarketable? Come out and listen to Sharon Sala demonstrate when and how to “break the rules” and make it work.

The workshop will run from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM (More information on Schedule). Lunch will be included in the cost of the workshop $20 for WHRWA members, $30 for non-members. (Register here.) Sharon will be signing her latest releases at the meeting, which will be held at the Memorial Drive Christian Church, 11750 Memorial Drive, Houston, 77024 (map via yahoo).

With 70 plus books in print, award winning author Sharon Sala, who also writes as Dinah McCall, still has to remind herself from time to time that this isn’t a dream. She learned to read at the age of four and has had her nose in a book ever since. Her introduction into romance came at an early age through the stories of Zane Gray, Grace Livingston Hill and Emily Loring. Her pride in contributing to the genre is echoed by the letters of her fans. First published in 1991, she’s now a five-time RITA finalist, Winner of the Janet Dailey Award, four-time Career Achievement winner from Romantic Times Magazine, five time winner of the National Reader’s Choice Award and five time winner of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence, as well as numerous other industry awards. Her books are regularly on bestseller lists, such as the New York Times , USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, WaldenBooks mass market, and many others. She claims that, for her, learning to read was a matter of evolution, but learning to write and then being published was a revolution. It changed her life, her world, and her fate.

Tentative Schedule for November 10th:

8:30-9:00 -> Registration and coffee
9:00-9:45 -> Business Meeting with Pal Reviews
9:45-10:15 -> Coffee and Social Break
10:15-11:45 -> “How To Write Yourself Out of A Corner”
11:45-12:15 -> Introductions
12:15-1:30 -> Lunch and Booksigning with Sharon Sala and local authors
1:30-3:00 -> “Coloring Outside of the Lines”

October 13th - Karleen Koen

Sunday, September 9th, 2007

October Meeting

Who:

Main Meeting: Karleen Koen
Premeeting: Jo Anne Banker and Vicky Dreiling

What:

Main Meeting: Alter Egos/Creating A Character Facebook
Premeeting: THE GOLDEN RULE OF THE CONTEST CIRCUIT, or Judge Others As You Would Have Them Judge You - Part 2

When:

Saturday, October 13th, 2007

Where:

Memorial Drive Christian Church, 11750 Memorial Drive, Houston, 77024

More about this month’s program:

Alter Egos/Creating A Character Facebook

Everything you need to create vivid characters is inside you. Come experience a fun, interactive workshop in which writing and imagination exercises show you how to dive inside and fetch details that create characters who stand up and walk around on the page.

Taken from my Continuing Education Something Novel 8-week class at Rice University, this is one of my favorite set of exercises, and one which my students’ find inspiring. It’s fast-paced, interesting, and when you’re done, you have the beginning of any number of characters waiting to be added as friends and the realization that your imagination is all you need.

“Her large cast-both historical and fictional-are sharply rendered, and the larger-than-life. Alice makes a memorable heroine-imperious, even vindictive, but always unwavering in conviction.” Publishers’ Weekly on Dark Angels

“Alice is a great character, vivid and three-dimensional, constantly seething with plots, ploys and pride.” Washington Post on Dark Angels

Karleen Koen is the author of three novels, Through A Glass Darkly, a New York Times Bestseller, Now Face to Face, and Dark Angels, released in September of 2006. She teaches a continuing education course on novel basics at Rice University in the fall and spring. She is an award-winning editor and writer, having worked in the Publications Department at the University of Houston and many moons ago on a local home and garden magazine. She has extensive freelance experience and is one of the founders of Women in the Visual and Literary Arts (WIVLA). Her interests are history, gardening, cats, shoes, and misbehaving grandchildren.

Premeeting - Judges Workshop

Forget the old parable of “Judge not, lest you be judged,” because if you enter onto the contest circuit, you can bet your ego you’ll be judged. Ever heard that the best defense is a good offense? Awareness of “good” and “poor” judging will help to keep you sane when an entry you were counting on to final so as to be seen by a targeted agent or editor comes back slaughtered by a less than wise or tactful judge.

Learn the ins and outs of judging, how to dissect a contest entry, fairly judge its pieces, and find positive things to say, while offering a worthwhile critique. Judging is also a great way to advance your own craft knowledge.

Join Vicky Dreiling and Jo Anne Banker for the second half of our contest judge’s training workshop, offered as an early morning presentation beginning at 8:15 AM on October 13th. Doors open at 8 o’clock.

Jo Anne Banker, as yet unpublished, is working on her third book, a contemporary targeted for Superromance. She is the president of West Houston RWA and a member of Bay Area and NW Houston Chapters of RWA. Jo Anne has contest experience from both ends of the spectrum. She has finaled in over one-third of the 19 contests she has entered with 3 manuscripts and one short story. She also was the Contest Coordinator for the NW Houston RWA Lone Star contest for four years and has judged in many other contests.

Vicky Dreiling is aiming for a dual career. Her “day job” in marketing came in handy at the recent national RWA conference. Her two-line elevator pitch at a workshop earned her a request for the full manuscript from an agent. In between business trips to New York, Paris, and London, she’s busily putting the finishing touches on her Regency-set historical. A former Emily contest coordinator and Golden Heart finalist, Vicky has judged the Emily for several years.

September 8th - Heather MacAllister

Sunday, August 12th, 2007

Who:

Main Meeting: WHRWA Author Heather MacAllister
Premeeting: Jo Anne Banker and Vicky Dreiling

What:

Main Meeting: Plotting from the Inside Out
Premeeting: THE GOLDEN RULE OF THE CONTEST CIRCUIT, or Judge Others As You Would Have Them Judge You - Part 1

When:

Saturday, September 8th, 2007

Where:

Memorial Drive Christian Church, 11750 Memorial Drive, Houston, 77024

More about this month’s program:

Heather will teach a plotting workshop based on Randy Ingermanson’s “Snowflake” method of novel design, but putting her own inimitable spin on it.

Do you know what your novel is about? Heather will work through the one sentence synopsis. Yes, a one sentence synopsis before we work through to a selling paragraph.

Not only will this help you conceptualize your novel, the results can be used in query letters, pitches, promotion material and with your editor and marketing department.

Heather MacAllister has published 41 books with Harlequin. Her award-winning romantic comedies have been translated into 25 languages and published in dozens of countries.When she’s not writing, Heather spends her time collecting vintage jewelry, watching fireworks displays and killing plants.

Premeeting - Judges Workshop

Forget the old parable of “Judge not, lest you be judged,” because if you enter onto the contest circuit, you can bet your ego you’ll be judged. Ever heard that the best defense is a good offense? Awareness of “good” and “poor” judging will help to keep you sane when an entry you were counting on to final so as to be seen by a targeted agent or editor comes back slaughtered by a less than wise or tactful judge.

Learn the ins and outs of judging, how to dissect a contest entry, fairly judge its pieces, and find positive things to say, while offering a worthwhile critique. Judging is also a great way to advance your own craft knowledge.

Join Vicky Dreiling and Jo Anne Banker for the first half of our contest judge’s training workshop, offered as an early morning presentation beginning at 8:15 AM on September 8th. Doors open at 8 o’clock.

Jo Anne Banker, as yet unpublished, is working on her third book, a contemporary targeted for Superromance. She is the president of West Houston RWA and a member of Bay Area and NW Houston Chapters of RWA. Jo Anne has contest experience from both ends of the spectrum. She has finaled in over one-third of the 19 contests she has entered with 3 manuscripts and one short story. She also was the Contest Coordinator for the NW Houston RWA Lone Star contest for four years and has judged in many other contests.

Vicky Dreiling is aiming for a dual career. Her “day job” in marketing came in handy at the recent national RWA conference. Her two-line elevator pitch at a workshop earned her a request for the full manuscript from an agent. In between business trips to New York, Paris, and London, she’s busily putting the finishing touches on her Regency-set historical. A former Emily contest coordinator and Golden Heart finalist, Vicky has judged the Emily for several years.

Tentative Schedule for September 8th:

8:00 - Open Doors - Sign in/coffee
8:15 to 9:15 - Early Morning Workshop: Judges Training, Part 1 with Jo Anne Banker and Vicki Dreiling
9:30 to 10:15 - Business meeting, PAL reviews, introductions
10:15 to 10:30 - Break
10:30 to 12:00 - Plotting from the Inside Out with Heather MacAllister
12:00 to 12:30 - Booksigning and Quickie Critiques
12:30 Adjourn to lunch

August 11th - Patricia Kay

Monday, July 9th, 2007

Who:

WHRWA Author and USA Today Bestselling Author Patricia Kay

What:

A CAST OF THOUSANDS
or Who Are These People, Anyway? and What Do They Want?

When:

Saturday, August 11th, 2007

Where:

Memorial Drive Christian Church, 11750 Memorial Drive, Houston, 77024

More about this month’s program:

Patricia Kay, USA Today bestselling author of forty-six novels of romance and women’s fiction and a former RITA nominee for her December, 2000 single title from Berkley, will talk about the people who people your stories. Pat says that for her it’s always about the characters. If she doesn’t care about them and believe in them, she can’t root for them, and if she can’t root for them, why read the book?

If you want your agent, your editor, and (hopefully) your readers to want/buy/love your book, you need to make sure they care about and are rooting for your characters. Pat will do her best to help you achieve that goal.

Tentative Schedule for August 11th:

8:30 - Open Doors - Sign in/coffee
9:00 to 9:45 - Business meeting, PAL reviews, introductions
9:45 to 10:15 - Break
10:15 to 12:00 - Pat Kay - A CAST OF THOUSANDS
or Who Are These People, Anyway? and What Do They Want?
12:00 to 12:30 - Booksigning and Quickie Critiques
12:30 Adjourn to lunch

No July Meeting!

Sunday, June 10th, 2007

The RWA National conference is the same weekend as out July meeting! Many members will be cheering Kristi Gold and Deeanne Gist that very night.

The August Meeting (8-11)

A CAST OF THOUSANDS
or Who Are These People, Anyway? and What Do They Want?

Patricia Kay, USA Today bestselling author of forty-six novels of romance and women’s fiction and a former RITA nominee for her December, 2000 single title from Berkley, will talk about the people who people your stories. Pat says that for her it’s always about the characters. If she doesn’t care about them and believe in them, she can’t root for them, and if she can’t root for them, why read the book?

If you want your agent, your editor, and (hopefully) your readers to want/buy/love your book, you need to make sure they care about and are rooting for your characters. Pat will do her best to help you achieve that goal.

More info to come.

June 9th - Julia London

Sunday, May 13th, 2007

Julia London is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of more than fifteen published novels. She is the recipient of the RT Bookclub Achievement in Historical Fiction award, and a three-time finalist for the RITA award for excellence in romantic fiction. Her books have been translated into ten foreign languages and are published in more than a dozen foreign countries. She lives in her own little fantasy world with a husband and two dogs in Austin, Texas.Julia will be presenting a morning and a afternoon workshop.

The Art of Writing with Humor: Ten Tips to Using Humor in Your Work
An Interactive WorkshopAs authors, we work to portray emotions that readers can relate to, and sometimes the best way to make a stubborn reader relate is through healthy dashes of humor. Humor is a universal language, and no matter how deep the topic, a dash of it can always improve your writing.Julia London offers ten tips for using humor in your work, and a couple of exercises to bring out the funny side in you.

The Seven Highly Effective Promotion Habits of Bestselling Authors
A Roundtable Discussion

Julia London surveys several bestselling authors about their experiences in promoting their work, and uses the aggregate results for a roundtable discussion of the most effective ways to promote your book, both in terms of cost and effectiveness

Tentative Schedule for June 9th:

8:30-9:00 -> Registration and coffee
9:00-9:45 -> Business Meeting with Pal Reviews
9:45-10:15 -> Coffee and Social Break
10:15-11:45 -> “The Art of Writing with Humor: Ten Tips to Using Humor in Your Work”
11:45-12:15 -> Introductions
12:15-1:30 -> Lunch and Booksigning with Julia London and local authors
1:30-3:00 -> “The Seven Highly Effective Promotion Habits of Bestselling Authors”

May 12th - Robin T Popp and Tandy LaCour

Sunday, April 15th, 2007

Who:

WHRWA Author Robin T Popp and Tandy M. LaCour, PD (Plot Doctor)

What:

Story Rx - Prescriptions for What Ails Your Tales

When:

Saturday, May 12th, 2007

Where:

Memorial Drive Christian Church, 11750 Memorial Drive, Houston, 77024

More about this month’s program:

Is your storyline feeling sluggish? Are your characters pale and lifeless? Are the narrative passages causing reader fatigue? Is the main conflict anemic? Have your love scenes got the blahs? If the answer to these questions is “yes,” then it’s time to seek professional help.

It doesn’t matter how experienced a writer we are or how many manuscripts we’ve finished and/or published, we all reach a point when we turn in a manuscript that isn’t all we’d hoped it would be - yet we have no idea how to make it better. We ship it off to our editors, pray that the story fairies sprinkle it with WOW-dust while in transit and transform it into a brilliant piece of literary work. Bad news! We only write fiction - we don’t live it. The good news is that there are things that you can do - simple rules to remember and apply - to rev up your story and your writing - story prescriptions, as it were.

Story_Rx founder Tandy M. LaCour and bestselling author Robin T. Popp will review the more common story ailments and the prescriptions to cure them.

Tandy M. LaCour is an accountant/financial analyst by day but her real passion is reading. Her love affair with the written word began when she was a child and hasn’t diminished with age. She’s a voracious reader, known to read and retain the details of up to a book a day when real life permits. After working with Robin T. Popp on three of her books and at her urging, Tandy has combined her love of stories and analytical abilities to create a customized critiquing business presented from the reader’s perspective. Tandy is single and lives with her two miniature dachshunds and her thousands of books. She’s been heard to say she needs to buy a second house just to store them all!

Bestselling author Robin T. Popp has built a reputation of delivering highly sensual, action-packed reads. Three-time Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice finalist, she is best known for her Night Slayer series, which combines mythology with vampire lore. The first two books of the series, Out of the Night and Seduced by the Night, were both Romantic Times Top Picks. To learn more about Robin, go to www.robintpopp.com.

Schedule for May 12th:

8:30 - Open doors - sign in/coffee
9:00 to 10:00 - Business meeting, PAL reviews & introductions
10:00 to 10:30 - Break
10:30 to 12:00 - Program - Robin T Popp and Tandy LaCour with “Story Rx - Prescriptions for What Ails Your Tales”
12:00 to 12:30 - Booksigning with various authors and Quickie Critiques
12:30 - Adjourn to lunch

April 14th - Sharon Mignerey

Sunday, March 11th, 2007

Who:

WHRWA Author Sharon Mignerey

What:

Creative Brainstorming

When:

Saturday, April 14th, 2007

Where:

Memorial Drive Christian Church, 11750 Memorial Drive, Houston, 77024

More about this month’s program:

Whether Warning! Brainstorms Ahead!

Do your characters seem like the same old same old that you’ve thought of before? Are the situations you’ve put those characters in the same ones you’ve read a hundred times? If you answered yes to either of those questions, this is the workshop for you. This is a fun, highly interactive hour designed to recharge your creative batteries… and give you some useful techniques to do the same for yourself when you’re all alone. This goes from the silly to the real purpose of brainstorming - generate useful, workable ideas for your next book.

Sharon Mignerey’s (www.sharonmignerey.com) most recent book is SHADOWS OF TRUTH (3/2007), a 4 1/2 Star Top Pick from RT who describes it as, “…filled with suspense and tensions - and it’s nearly impossible to put down.” In addition to writing novels, Sharon has been published by The Writer magazine, and she’s a regular contributor to The Rocky Mountain Writer with a column entitled Muse Sings.

Schedule for April 14th:

8:30 - Open doors - sign in/coffee
9:00 to 10:00 - Business meeting, PAL reviews & introductions
10:00 to 10:15 - Break
10:15 to 12:00 - Program - Sharon Mignerey and “Creative Brainstorming”
12:00 to 12:30 - Booksigning with Sharon Mignerey and Quickie Critiques
12:30 - Adjourn to lunch

March 10th - Nina Bangs and Gerry Bartlett

Sunday, February 11th, 2007

Who:

WHRWA Authors and Critique Partners Nina Bangs and Gerry Bartlett

What:

“Getting and Staying Published: The Market, The Magic and The Myths”

When:

Saturday, March 10th, 2007

Where:

Memorial Drive Christian Church, 11750 Memorial Drive, Houston, 77024

More about this month’s program:

Nina Bangs and Gerry Bartlett will share their experiences and input from their editors and agents to talk about trends, why some manuscripts are snatched up and some die on the vine, and why you can’t believe everything these workshop divas tell you anyway.

Nina Bangs is a New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen paranormal romances. Gerry Bartlett is published in both contemporary and historical romance and is anxiously awaiting the debut of her paranormal chick lit series this March.

Schedule for March 10th:

8:30 - Open doors - sign in/coffee
9:00 to 10:00 - Business meeting, PAL reviews & introductions
10:00 to 10:15 - Break
10:15 to 12:00 - Program - “Getting and Staying Published: The Market, The Magic and The Myths” With Nina Bangs and Gerry Bartlett
12:00 to 12:30 - Booksigning with Nina Bangs, Gerry Bartlett, Linda Barrett, Sharon Mignerey, Sophie Jordan, Pat Kay and Amanda Stevens. Teri Thackston will hand out bookmarks for her e-book release and Quickie Critiques
12:30 - Adjourn to lunch

Emily Awards - February 10th

Sunday, January 14th, 2007

This is a Members Only Meeting

Special Guests Agents Helen Breitwieser and Paige Wheeler will talk about their agencies and today’s market then take appointments with chapter members and Emily finalist guests*

Join award winning authors and contest queens Sophie Jordan/Sharie Kohler and Dawn Temple as they discuss beginnings and endings with “Sandwiching Your Story”. From hooking your reader in three pages to delivering the big pay-off, this intensive workshop will lessen writer anxiety and provide you with the tools to navigate your novel so that the spellbinding story in your head is conveyed on page. You’ll never approach a story the same way again!

The Speakers

Dawn Temple wrote her first book in secret, coming clean onlywhen her husband discovered her stash of research books on Texas divorce laws. Once she’d been “outed,” Dawn joined RWA®, found an awesome critique group and began entering contests and submitting her work. That first novel is still stored in the computer, but Dawn’s second book, A Will To Love, a 2005 Golden Heart Finalist, was bought by Silhouette Special Edition, catapulting her from “wannabe” to “gonnabe.” Look for A Will To Love in October 2007.

Sophie Jordan/Sharie Kohler took her adolescent daydreaming one step further and penned her first historical romance in the back of her high school Spanish class — much to the entertainment of her fellow classmates. Needless to say, that dog-eared spiral got more attention than the teacher. In 2005, she sold the first manuscript she wrote to Avon in a multi-book contract. A former high school English teacher, Sophie/Sharie writes historical romances for Avon and contemporary paranormal romances for Pocket. When she’s not sweating deadlines, she divides her time between inventing what she likes to call culinary masterpieces — her husband and daughter won’t always agree — and visiting her family’s pecan ranch in the Texas Hill Country.

The Agents

Helen Breitwieser is the founder of Cornerstone Literary, Inc., a Los Angeles-based agency that focuses on vibrant fiction, both literary and commercial, as well as narrative nonfiction and titles relating to cooking, culture, travel and women’s health.

Ms. Breitwieser was a literary agent at the William Morris Agency in New York before founding Cornerstone Literary, Inc. in 1998. She is a member of the Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR), the Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America (MWS), PEN, and Romance Writers of America (RWA).

She received her Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Barnard College

Paige Wheeler is a founding partner of Folio Literary Management, LLC. Prior to forming Folio Literary Management, Ms. Wheeler founded Creative Media Agency (CMA) in 1997 and served as its president for nine years before folding the company into Folio Literary Management.

She has worked as an agent in both a literary and entertainment capacity over the course of her career, beginning as an agent with Artists Agency, Inc. Previously, she was an editor for Harlequin/Silhouette in NY and Euromoney Publications in London. She earned a BA from Boston University where she graduated magna cum laude with Distinction and was a Rhodes and Marshall Scholar nominee. She is an active member of Women in Publishing, serving as its president in 1998.

*Be sure to sign up ahead of time when you RSVP. You must have a finished manuscript to be eligible to meet with an agent.

Schedule for February 10th:

8:30-9:00 -> Registration and coffee
9:00-9:45 -> Introductions of agents, Paige Wheeler and Helen Breitwieser
9:45-10:00 -> Social break
10:00-10:30 -> Business Meeting
10:15-11:30 -> Agent appointments
10:30-11:30 -> “Sandwiching Your Story, Part 1: Contest Woes and Wins”
11:30-11:45 -> Emily Award Presentations
11:45-12:15 -> Introductions
12:00-1:30 -> Lunch and Booksigning with Shana Galen, Kristi Gold, PJ Mellor, and Sophie Jordan
1:30-3:00 -> Agent appointments
1:30-3:00 -> “Sandwiching Your Story” continues

January Meeting with Deeanne Gist

Saturday, November 11th, 2006

Who:

Christian Best Selling Author Deeanne Gist with new Dorchester author Christie Craig

What:

Pre-Meeting Workshop: Christie Craig presenting “The Great Agent Hunt”
Main Workshop: Deeanne Gist presents “BEHIND THE SCENES: What Happens To Your Manuscript Once It Is Sold–From Contract To Store Shelves”

When:

Saturday, January 13th, 2007.

Where:

Memorial Drive Christian Church, 11750 Memorial Drive, Houston, 77024

More about this month’s program:

Early Morning

Christie Craig presents “The Great Agent Hunt: Snagging an Agent, Working with an Agent, Surviving a Bad Agent and How to Keep on Going when The Going Gets Tough”

Main Program

Deeanne Gist presents “BEHIND THE SCENES: What Happens To Your Manuscript Once It Is Sold–From Contract To Store Shelves” The publishing of a novel takes a huge collaborative effort–some of which is in the author’s control, much of which is not. Deeanne will talk about how a 500-page manuscript is transformed into a bound book. She’ll show how the editorial process changes the fabric of a novel, take you on the shocking journey of how cover art is decided upon, and pass around an actual 32-page “signature” fresh off the printing press. Don’t miss this inside look at the birthing of a novel.

Schedule for January 13th:

8:00 - Open doors - sign in/coffee
8:15 to 9:15 - Early morning workshop with Christy Craig: “The Great Agent Hunt”
9:15 to 9:30 - Break
9:30 to 10:30 - Business meeting, PAL reviews & introductions
10:30 to 10:45 - Break
10:45 to 12:00 - Program - Deeanne Gist: “BEHIND THE SCENES: What Happens To Your Manuscript Once It Is Sold–From Contract To Store Shelves”
12:00 to 12:30 - Booksigning with Kristi Gold, Robin Popp, and Deeanne Gist and Quickie Critiques
12:30 - Adjourn to lunch