Intimidated by the IRS? Frustrated with the ever-changing tax laws? Confused as to whether you’re taking advantage of every opportunity to save a few bucks on your taxes? Here’s your chance to learn all the ins and outs–from an expert!

Diane O’Brien Kelly is a licensed attorney, a certified public accountant AND an award-winning writer, and she’s offering to visit your group (or chapter) to present a fabulous 2-hour workshop that delivers tons of information on taxes as they relate to writers.

Every writer needs at least a basic understanding of the tax rules relevant to their writing business. This workshop focuses on tax reporting and tax issues specific to a writing business, and will take the mystery and intimidation out of taxes. Even seasoned writers with many years of tax reporting under their belts are likely to learn a new thing or two in this informative presentation. As always, Diane adds a touch of humor to the presentation to keep the audience engaged.

The workshop covers:

1. How to distinguish between a hobby and a business and the tax rules relevant to each;
2. Deductible expenses, the options available, and the pros and cons of each option;
3. How to compute and pay self-employment taxes and estimated taxes;
4. How to establish a retirement plan for a writing business;
5. Record-keeping requirements;
6. Red flags to avoid;
7. Tips for hiring a tax professional and minimizing fees; and
8. Where to find forms and tax information.

Diane O’Brien Kelly is both a licensed attorney and a certified public accountant. Diane graduated with honors from the University of Texas accounting program, then proceeded to attend the University of Texas School of Law. Diane has worked as a tax specialist in both the Houston, Texas and San Diego, California offices of “Big Four” accounting firm KPMG Peat Marwick, as well as serving a stint in the Finance Division of the State of Texas Attorney General’s Office. Diane currently works at a law firm as a tax and business advisor. Diane serves as a tax columnist for the organization Novelists, Inc. Her tax articles have also appeared in Writer’s Digest Yearbook, Fort Worth Business Press, Romance Writers Report, and various RWA chapter newsletters.

Diane is also an award-winning humor writer. Her humor and fiction pieces have appeared in Byline Magazine, True Love Magazine, Northwest Family News, and various other publications. Diane publishes a fresh humor piece each month on the “Blarney” page of her website, www.dianeobrienkelly.com. She also publishes tax tips on her “Tax Tidbits” page. Diane’s seminar “Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Taxes” is very popular with writing organizations, and is offered in both a live and online format.

Diane is a member of Romance Writers of America, Dallas Area Romance Authors, Texas Library Association, various PTAs, and the Friends of the Mansfield Public Library. She is also a proud graduate of her local Citizens Police Academy.

Diane lives in Texas with her husband, two rambunctious kids, and enough cats and dogs to violate several city ordinances

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

Registration is now closed.

Note: TIME CHANGE.  Doors open at 8am, Business Meeting starts at 8:45am.

Morning Program

How Characters Happen Creating objective-driven characters. How to establish and payoff arcs, contrasts, flaws and back story. How to write dialogue in character.

Sam Havens is a retired professor from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. Havens founded the Drama Department at the University where he teaches playwriting and screenwriting. Havens has written over fifteen plays with productions in the USA, Canada and Australia. His plays have been selected for showcase productions in New York City, Westport, Connecticut; Amherst, Massachusetts; and East Hampton, New York. He has received playwriting grants from the Ford Foundation and from the Texas Commission on Arts and Humanities. Three of Havens’ plays are published. Havens taught playwriting and screenwriting for ten years for Rice University’s School of Continuing Studies. In addition to writing and teaching, Havens performs voice-over narration for radio and TV commercials and industrial films. He is also an abstract artist and a consultant in presentation skills. Sam Havens and wife Gretchen live in Houston.

Afternoon Program

The Emotional Connection. Great books are about more than good plotting, likable characters, lots of conflict, and skillful writing. For a book to really grab a reader, the author must make an emotional connection with that reader. Otherwise, even though the reader may enjoy the book, it won’t be one he’ll remember. It won’t be one he’ll talk about. And it won’t be one he’ll recommend to others. In this session, we’ll learn various techniques for stirring the reader’s feelings and engaging him emotionally.

Patricia Kay is the USA Today bestselling author of more than 49 novels of contemporary romance and women’s fiction.  She is also an acclaimed teacher who formerly taught fiction writing at The University of Houston and now teaches exclusively online.  Pat has been a member of WHRWA since 1986.

• UNOPENED DREAMS by Jan Aldridge
• GETTING LUCKY by Katie Graykowski
• DEAR PRUDENCE by Ann James
• MURDER, CURLERS, AND CANES by Arlene McFarlane
• CLAIMING ANNIE’S HEART by Judythe Morgan**
• ODIN’S END by Dawna Rand

Paranormal Finalists

• DARKNESS DAWNS by Leslie D. Duvall
• TIGER PRINCESS by Higley Browne
• WARRIOR by Allison Leake
• INNER EYE by Gwen Mitchell
• BLOOD BORN by Kylie Griffin

Historical Finalists

• THE DEVIL MAY CARE by Elisa Beatty
• VIOLETS AND VIOLINS by Keli Gwyn
• GUARDIAN by Patricia Patton
• SECRET by Patricia Patton
• THE LAST WOMAN by Karen Stuyck

Contemporary Series Finalists

• REDEMPTION by Nancy Evertz
• HIS DARK PAST by Rebecca Sampson
• GRAVE SECRETS by Linda Trout

**Member of WHRWA

Harlequin Intrigue
BRAVO, TANGO, COWBOY
Joanna Wayne
(Nov.)

Innovative Historical Romance
SINS OF A WICKED DUKE
Sophie Jordan
Avon (Apr.)

Historical Vampire/Werewolf/Shapeshifter Romance
SO STILL THE NIGHT
Kim Lenox
Signet Eclipse (May)

Shapeshifter Romance
ETERNAL CRAVING
Nina Bangs
Leisure (May)

Best Inspirational Novel
A BRIDE IN THE BARGAIN
Deeanne Gist
Bethany House (Jun.)

Early program:

Longtime RWA members Jo Anne Banker and Kay Hudson will present: “Everything You Need to Know About RWA But Were Afraid to Ask.” PAN, PAL, PRO, WIP – what are all these acronyms, and how can various tracks and programs benefit you as a writer? Where do I fit into the world of romance (tour of the sub-genres)? Why is volunteering important, how can it help the newcomer, and what do the various jobs (from the smallest, one-time errand running to the chapter presidency) entail? How does a member get to be a judge and what can be learned from the experience?

Main program (following 9:00 AM business meeting/break):

“Collision or Collusion: What Happens When Authors Collaborate.”
Best selling author and two-time RITA nominee Deeanne Gist teamed up with suspense author J. Mark Bertrand this year, and their collaboration was an eye-opening experience for both of them. Gist will take her audience through the often hilarious misunderstandings, misdirections and eventual success of their joint venture into romantic suspense. Learn valuable tips in co-authoring a book, giving and accepting feedback and blending two very different writing styles.

Deeanne Gist—known to her family, friends, and fans as Dee—has rocketed up the bestseller lists and captured readers everywhere with her four very original, very fun historical romances. Add to this two consecutive Christy Awards, two RITA nominations, rave reviews, and a growing loyal fan base, and you’ve got one recipe for success. Prior to her novels, Gist wrote for national publications such as People, Parents, Parenting, Family Fun, Houston Chronicle and Orlando Sentinel. She also has a parenting line of products called I Did It!® Productions that is available nationwide. She has four grown kids and lives in Texas with her husband and two dogs. She has a very active online community on her website, her blog and her chat room.

J. Mark Bertrand is the author of BACK ON MURDER (Bethany House, 2010), the first in a series featuring Houston homicide detective Roland March. He earned his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston and now lives in South Dakota with his wife Laurie.

Morning: Tips from Madison Avenue: The Selling Synopsis

If you’ve ever had trouble writing a synopsis, here’s a hint: pretend you’re writing an ad. An advertising copywriter for 25 years, Laurie Schnebly Campbell was amazed to discover that the same skills which helped her sell bikes, bouquets and birdbaths ALSO helped her sell books. Discover how to use those “Madison Avenue” techniques to interest editor-agent “buyers” in YOUR product!

Afternoon: Block-Busting: Putting the Joy Back in Writing

At some point, almost all writers suffer from the inability to tell the story they want. Part of writer’s block is a lack of joy in the process. So counselor Laurie Schnebly Campbell looks at the causes — including exhaustion, boredom and fear of success — and the benefits of this block. Writers take home new awareness of what works for them, and renewed inspiration for returning to the craft they love.

Laurie Schnebly Campbell combines 25 years of writing for an advertising agency with a background in counseling…and in writing for Silhouette Special Edition, where she won Romantic Times’ “Best Book Of The Year” award over Nora Roberts. Her latest book is a how-to for writers on creating characters with ANY-uh-grams, and she’s spoken on psychology and marketing issues for writers from London to Los Angeles and New Zealand to New York. In fact, she loves teaching so much that she chose her website (Book Laurie dot com) so people would find it easy to Book Laurie for workshops. She also enjoys playing with her husband and son, running the AskAnAuthor and WriterU class loops, vacationing in the red-rock town named for her great-grandmother Sedona, recording Talking Books for the blind, and working with other writers. “People ask how I find time to do all that,” Laurie says, “and I tell them it’s easy. I never clean my house!”

***For our November Meeting, the cost is $20 for WHRWA chapter members, $35 for RWA members, and $60 for everyone else. Lunch will be provided. Registration is required for attendance.

However, both news items are fitting for the month that ends in Halloween.

First up is KERRELYN SPARKS, who is thrilled to have another foreign sale! Rights for How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire have sold to Poland, so now the book will be translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Polish. The Spanish version of book 6 in the Love at Stake series, La Vida Secreta de un Vampiro, releases in December. It’s available online for preorder, along with the eighth book in the series, The Vampire and the Virgin, which releases in March 2010. For more information, please visit www.kerrelynsparks.com.

Speaking of vampires, the second news tidbit is that MICHELE DUNAWAY got the nod to write The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the World of Vampires coming from Alpha books in July 2010. She’s thrilled with this first book-length foray into nonfiction. And guess what? She’ll be interviewing expert Kerrelyn Sparks. Anyone else who has any great vamp comments feel free to send them her way.

After careers in journalism and teaching English, Cheryl Bolen’s first novel was published by Harlequin Historical in 1998. For that novel, she was named Notable New Author. Six more novels set in Regency England followed, including the 2006 Holt Medallion winner for Best Historical. Her articles on Regency England have appeared in The Regency Plume and The Regency Reader, and she is a regular contributor to The Quizzing Glass. Since 1987 she has traveled to England whenever possible and confesses to a fascination over dead Englishwomen.

When most people look at Crystal Clifton “cop” isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. After all when you think “cop” the first image that usually comes to mind is a six foot four, 220 pound, muscle bound macho guy with a lot of body hair. At five foot two (and a half), without visible muscles or body hair, Crystal is the complete opposite of that mental image in every way. However, if you ask any of those macho guys that she works with, they would still tell you that she can get the job done, and you can always count on her to have your back.

Physician Kimberly Frost has given numerous medical presentations at the state and national levels and has received six awards for teaching and academic excellence.

In June 2008, she was a presenter at the RWA national conference where her talk, Medical Facts and Fallacies in Popular Fiction, was well-received. She currently splits her time between working and teaching at an urban trauma center and writing her humorous Southern Witch series, which debuted this year from the Berkley publishing group.

Laine Lindsey has been practicing law since 1992. He worked for the Harris County District Attorney’s Office until 1995, when he opened his own criminal defense practice. He is Board Certified in Criminal Law and is one of the few lawyers in Harris County approved to be appointed to defend death penalty cases. He also acts as a special prosecutor in cases where the Harris County D.A.’s office is recused because of conflicts.

William Simon specializes in Computer Forensics, Computer Crime, and Computer Security. He has worked on cases ranging from inappropriate use of e-mail to child endangerment to capital murder. William earned the “TCI” (Texas Certified Investigator) designation from the Texas Association of Licensed Investigators, and served as HTCIA’s Gulf Coast Chapter 2nd Vice President, and spent three years as moderator of the HTCN Forensic Forum.

Mike Thompson is a twenty-eight year veteran of the Houston Fire Department. A Texas Certified Master Firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician, Mike has been assigned to an engine company, ambulance, ladder trucks, and is currently an engineer/operator on Tower 6, where he has crosstrained to assist in medical, hazmat, and water, below-grade, high-angle, tunnel, and extrication rescue.

Q: How long did it take you to publish?
Ugh. Ten years!

Q: How many manuscripts do you have hidden away/under the bed/in storage?
I’m sorry to answer this, but it’s probably close to 7. I did, however, recently, “recycle” one of them—SOUTHERN KNIGHTS was reincarnated into HARD IN THE SADDLE in my second cowboy anthology, ONLY WITH A COWBOY. BTW, I do not plan to EVER do that again! It was much more difficult than writing a new manuscript. I think of it in sewing terms—it’s always much easier for me to make a whole new outfit than to attempt to alter one that didn’t fit.

Q: Do you have a writing schedule and if so, what is it?
I wish! I do write every day, but much as I would love to say I have set office hours, it’s more of an “Oh, I’d better get derriere in chair and do some work!” kind of thing.

Q: Do you have a critique group? If yes, how many are in the group?
I’ve had the pleasure of being part of several critique groups over the years since joining RWA, but, at present, I’m flying solo.

Q: When developing an idea for a new story, which comes first – the plot or the title or the characters?
Wow, that’s difficult to answer! Usually I get a very vague idea, then come up with the title and characters. I always have a title and characters before I begin plotting and writing my synopsis.

Q: How do you handle new story ideas that pop up when you’re in the middle of a project? (ex: notebook by the bed/separate word file, etc?)
LOL! I’m not anywhere nearly so organized! It I get a new story idea, I usually scribble it on whatever is handy, then stick it in a file folder marked PLOT IDEAS in my filing cabinet.

Q: Have you ever gotten to the middle of a project and got bored or lost your momentum? If so, how
did you handle it?
More times than I’d care to admit. I don’t think it’s really boredom, though, as much as it being finished in my mind before it’s technically finished. Once I realized this, I was able to push onward. I’d like to add, too, that having a contract and deadlines are great motivators! Sheer terror is very powerful.

Q: Finish this sentence: If I could write anything I wanted and knew it would see, it would be…
Probably what I’m writing—although I’d love to branch out as well. Branch out to what? Ah, that’s the problem. I have more ideas for more genres than I could possibly write for in this lifetime.

Q: What is the best advice you ever received?
Don’t give up! I swear, I’m the poster child for perseverance. I always liken it to the Lottery—if you don’t buy a ticket, you for sure won’t win!

Q: What is the worst?
Not everyone is meant to be a published author. Bull! If you have the drive and determination and stick to it,honing your craft, eventually you WILL sell.

Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?
That’s a difficult question to answer. When I first started writing, I’d have said the actual writing. Then, when I first sold, I’d have said plotting and then being able to hold your published book in your hands. Now? You know, I really do enjoy all of it—even editing! Of course, it helps that I usually have no revisions. I probably wouldn’t be crazy about doing revisions. Then again, that’s part of the process as well.

Q: What is your least favorite part of the writing process?
Having to finish writing a book I sold on synopsis sometimes a year earlier when my mind is finished with it and ready to move on to the next one.

Q: Which came first for you – the editor or the agent?
The agent. Actually, I found my first agent at the West chapter when I was assigned an appointment with her. My current agent was as a result of querying.

Q: How many contests did you enter before you sold? How many did you final in?
I’ve lost track! Hey, I’ve been in deadline dementia for so long, sometimes it’s hard to remember what I had to eat the previous day! Seriously, I entered a lot of contests early on and found most of the comments invaluable. As I wrote for submission longer, I became more subjective. I think I only finaled in about 4 or 5 contests in all those years, but I consider the advice priceless.

Q: How do you promote your books?
Word of mouth for the anthologies I do with other authors—the first couple of them, the authors shared advertising
costs and bookmarks etc, and I decided it didn’t really make a difference in sales. For my own books, I usually at least do an ad in Romance Sells, booksignings and the occasionally guest blogs/interviews.  I know I need to utilize the internet more and plan to do that as soon as I turn in the deadline books currently breathing down my neck.

Q: Free Form: Here’s your chance to tell us anything you’d like—tidbits, advice, funny stories, pet
peeves, hopes, dreams, etc.
Years ago, Sandra Hill told me not to write a time travel I was plotting if I didn’t sincerely feel I had several of them in me b/c if I sold it that’s all the publisher would want from me. The longer I’ve been published, the more I think about that valuable piece of advice. I loved my “reverse time travel”—it was about a Confederate soldier who was tossed into the 21st century—and would love to see it reach print someday, but I truly don’t see myself writing more than one more time travel. So, who knows? Maybe someday…maybe not. I do, however, think of her advice with each book I write and I think it’s something every writer needs to seriously consider.

Pet peeves? There are so many! The first is the eye roll romance writers tend to get—especially when someone asks what kind of romance I write and I tell them erotica. And it doesn’t really get easier to keep my big mouth shut. And don’t even get me started about the narrow minded people who assume all romance is porn! And my last big pet peeve is people who assume published authors live in a rarified atmosphere and rake in tons of money for relatively little effort.

At my first booksigning, a little pre-school aged girl picked up my book while I was signing a copy for her mother and leafed through it. Deciding it was safe b/c she was too young to be able to read, I continued signing. Then she dropped the book in disgust and told her mother “This book is dumb! It gots no pictures!” All I could think was how grateful I was that it didn’t have any pictures! Yikes!

I’d like to add something here. I was extremely fortunate to have my first book featured in USA Today and a couple of days later on Geraldo Live—it helped sales, big time! But my biggest thrill, to date, was seeing someone reading one of my books at an airport. And a close second was having a radiology tech ask me if I was an author and then proceed to gush about how much she loved my books. It made my abdominal scan almost pleasant!

In release news, Teri Thackston reports that her second western romance ebook will be released Sept 10 at Cerridwen Press (http://www.jasminejade.com/default.aspx?skinid=13). This is a stand-alone sequel to THE ABDUCTION OF MISS JENNY CHANDLER and is called THE SALVATION OF CAPTAIN BEN CHANDLER. Here’s a little blurb: Rumors of her death have cost Clarity Breckenridge her home and her precious Arabian stallion Sir Robin. Civil War weary Captain Ben Chandler just wants to deliver the stallion he purchased for his cousin in Texas. Thrown together by fate, held together by mutual attraction, they struggle together to outwit a killer who threatens both their plans. Sounds great. Congrats Teri!

Christy Janisse, writing as Brandy Jordan, is happy to announce the release of her book, HIS KEEPER. Available from thewildrosepress.com, the romantic suspense will be available in e-book Sept. 11 and also in print. You can order your copy directly from Christy (princessc1987@msn.com), or amazon.com, or your favorite bookstore (though you’ll have to ask them to order it). Christy will be guest blogging Sept.10, on Romance in the Backseat, which is found at http://ritbs.blogspot.com/. Be sure to join her for her first ever blog promotion!

Congrats go to Linda Warren, whose TEXAS HEIR won The Bookbuyers Best Award in the short contemporary category. And it was chosen the “Top Pick” by Sue Grimshaw of Borders Groups, Inc. Yay Linda!

Cheryl Bolen was recently elected PAN co-chair for Beau Monde, the Regency subchapter of RWA. Sharing the PAN chairmanship duties with her will be Sally MacKenzie. For several years Cheryl’s done a monthly column for the Beau Monde newsletter, The Quizzing Glass, and has previously served as silent auction chair. Congrats Cheryl on your new position!

Lara Chapman is thrilled to announce she has signed with the amazingly talented and beautiful Holly Root with The Waxman Literary Agency. Holly will soon begin pitching Lara’s YA novel currently titled FLAWLESS, a Cyrano love story with a modern-day twist.

Laura Gompertz writing as as Lynn Lorenz is proud to announce the release of her latest novel, BEST VACATION THAT NEVER WAS. It was released on August 25th from Loose Id.

And finally, Michele Dunaway is busy with the teaching day job and loving every minute of it. The high school yearbook she advises just received top honors—the coveted All American rating from the National Scholastic Press Association. She’s also advises the newspaper web site and podcasts, and you can find her students’ news stories at www.fhhstoday.com. In addition, Michele and co-author Susan Benedict had their article published in the fall issue of Communication: Journalism Education Today, the professional journalism educator
quarterly.