More information to come

If the predictions of the feminist movement during the 1970s and 1980s had been right, the romance genre should have died twenty-five years ago. Back then, romance and mystery took turns being in the number one spot for mass market books. Now romance far outsells any other genre, including mystery. Why? As romance writers, we all know why, even though we may have trouble articulating the reasons. This workshop answers that question with a closer look archetypes, the myths that we tap into, and the reemergence of the Divine Goddess that goes hand-in-hand with the boom of the romance genre.

Sharon Mignerey came out of the womb as a story-teller, though that talent, when she was a child, was called lying and stretching the truth beyond recognition. She loves myth and mythology, writing craft, and writing, though she’s recently left herself with too little time to delve into those as much as she wants since she is now teaching Composition at Lone Star College. She received her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University last year, and she’s made Houston her home for the last seven years. Sharon has been published with Kensington, Harlequin Silhouette, and Steeple Hill. She has eleven books and hoping to soon make that twelve.

Vicky Dreiling
How to Marry a Duke
Best First Book
Regency Historical Romance

Vicky Dreiling
How to Seduce a Scoundrel
Regency Historical Romance

Linda Warren
The Texan’s Bride
Contemporary Series Romance

Deeanne Gist
Love on the Line
Inspirational Romance

Amanda Stevens
The Restorer
Paranormal Romance

Lara Chapman
Flawless
Young Adult Romance

Golden Heart

Jan Nash
Powerless Consent
Inspirational Romance

Kay Hudson
Bathtub Jinn
Paranormal Romance

Using social media opportunities to get your name out there, build your brand, and present yourself to advantage.

Alyssa Goodnight self-published her first novel, UNLADYLIKE PURSUITS, a Regency historical romance, through her own press Impress Ink.  It was hailed as “wonderful” (Affaire de Coeur), “irresistible” (Booklist), and “downright charming” (All About Romance). It was awarded The Road to Romance Reviewer’s Choice Award and nominated for Best Regency Historical in the Affaire de Coeur 2006 Reader/Writer Poll.  Her second book, AUSTENTATIOUS, a chick-lit style romantic comedy featuring Jane Austen, was recently published by Kensington Trade.  Alyssa does her writing with an ice-cold can of Dr. Pepper and her reading with cake whenever possible.  And she’s always looking for creative ways to promote her books.

Vicky Dreiling spent ten years in corporate marketing and uses that knowledge to guide her social media efforts.The workshop will show the relationships between traditional marketing and unmarketing in relation to social media. This hands-on presentation will demonstrate various social media sites, relate their purposes, and discuss Dos and Don’ts. In addition, Vicky will present market research statistics on business and consumer usage of social media, including usage by generation. She will share how her social media strategy ties it into her brand and how it helps her gain traction with readers, bloggers, and her publisher. By the end of the presentation, authors will understand how social media can be a fun way to connect and build relationships that can aid writers at any stage of their career

Vicky Dreilingis a confirmed historical romance junkie and Anglophile. Frequent business trips to the UK allowed her to indulge her passion for all things Regency England. Bath, Stonehenge, and Spencer House are among her favorite places. She is, however, truly sorry for accidentally setting off a security alarm in Windsor Castle. That unfortunate incident led her British colleagues to nickname her “Trouble.” Vicky’s debut historical romance HOW TO MARRY A DUKE made the American Library Association’s Top 10 Romances for 2011 and is nominated for Romantic Times best first historical romance.

HOW TO SEDUCE A SCOUNDREL
HOW TO MARRY A DUKE
HOW TO RAVISH A RAKE (April 2012)

Shana Galen is pleased to announce the sale of a new book, connected to Lord and Lady Spy. This one is tentatively titled True Spies, and it’s the story of a secret operative who has kept his job from his beautiful, bored housewife for years but is forced to reveal his identity when they are both kidnapped by a diabolical villain. Release is set for Fall 2013.

Brandie Nickerson is proud to announce that her short story, Locke between Loyalty and Love was picked as one of Best of The Cynic Online Magazine 2011. You can read the story at http://archive.cynicmag.com/author.asp?author=Brandie+Nickerson

Joan Reeves received her countersigned contract the day before Christmas so she feels free now to reveal that she sold world French rights, print and ebook, to Bragelonne, the largest publisher of paranormal novels in France. A French editor obtained a copy of one of Joan’s ebooks, the romantic comedy Jane (I’m Still Single) Jones, and fell in love with the book! In one day, Joan had a big contract offer and a NY agent who negotiated a fabulous deal with Bragelonne who, by the way, wanted not one book, but three of Joan’s romantic comedies!

Kerrelyn Sparks will be appearing on a panel at the American Library Association’s midwinter meeting in Dallas on January 25. She’s also scheduled to speak at the Festival of the Book in Charlottesville, VA, in March. Her next release, Wanted: Undead or Alive, goes on sale March 27th. New wallpapers featuring the covers of past Love at Stake books can now be downloaded from her website at www.kerrelynsparks.com

Joanna Wayne’s Cowboy Conspiracy debuted at #27 on Bookscan.

Vicky Dreiling signed a new 3-book contract with Grand Central.

(Registration for this event is required and limited to 75 participants.  More Registration Information is with the day’s schedule below.)

Morning: CONTESTS: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly with Sarah Andre and Lark Howard

With all the contests out there, ever wonder if they’re really worth entering? What can you get out of contests? How do you choose the best ones for you? What does it take to final? Why volunteer to judge? Sarah Andre and Lark Howard have entered a whole lot of contests over the years and will share the lessons and war stories of winning, losing and judging the best, the worst and everything in between.

Sarah Andre began writing contemporary romantic suspense novels in 2005 and joined WH in 2006.  She has been a finalist in multiple contests including Lone Star, Fab Five, Sheila, Finally a Bride and  2011 Golden Heart. In 2009 Sarah signed with a NY Literary Agent who is currently shopping her  manuscript “Locked, Loaded and Lying.”

Lark Howard’s love of reading, writing and travel led her to a degree in English, a string of colorful jobs and a well-worn passport. For years she’s written for a living—marketing financial services by day and writing novel length fiction at night. Her current project, a paranormal romance set in Paris, is out on submission which is both exciting and nerve-wracking.

Afternoon: The Marathoner’s Guide to Writing: Staying in it for the Long-Haul without Losing Your Perspective, your Patience, or your Mind with Colleen Thompson and New York Times Best Seller Kerrelyn Sparks

The race to get published can be pure hell, but as someone who’s spent more than twelve years and twenty books in the trenches, COLLEEN THOMPSON will tell you it’s a leisurely Sunday stroll compared to the Herculean effort of staying published–and staying sane and healthy while doing so. Of the scores of romance writers she started out within 1999, very few remain but there are survivors still out there kicking tail and taking names. So what are the distinguishing qualities that enable some to keep working through the ups and downs common to every career? What lessons can those of us who aspire to be marathoners take from their stories? Colleen will share the traits she’s noticed as well as what she’s learned talking to other writers. Come hear an insider’s observations on what it takes to have a long-haul career as a writer.

From the historical novels that began her writing career to the riveting romantic suspense that has become her trademark, Colleen Thompson writes stories that show us that sometimes, love can kill. Her first romantic thriller, Fatal Error was nominated for the RITA for Best Romantic Suspense and won the Texas Gold for Best Mainstream fiction, and awards and honors have been showered on her books ever since. These include a RITA nomination for Triple Exposure, starred review from Publishers Weekly, Top Pick, KISS awards, reviewers’ choice award nomination from Romantic Times Book Club.

A resident of the Houston area and member of WHRWA, Colleen is a sought-after speaker locally and nationally.

Kerrelyn Sparks is the bestselling author of the Love at Stake series, paranormal romantic comedies published by HarperCollins.  When the fourth book in the series, The Undead Next Door, debuted at # 14 on the New York Times list, even the Undead sat up and took notice.  Kerrelyn lives in the Greater Houston area with her husband, children, and a house full of garlic. At this time, there are no vampires in her family. Werewolves are another matter entirely.  For more information, visit her website at www.kerrelynsparks.com.

Agents taking appointments

AGENT APPOINTMENTS will be from 10:15-11:30 and from 1:20 to 3. The appointments will last five minutes. Those desiring a one-on-one agent appointment MUST have a complete manuscript. First priority will be given to PRO and PAN members. You may request which of the agents you wish to meet with, but we make no guarantees.

Laura Bradford established the Bradford Literary Agency in 2001. Her recent sales include books placed with Berkley, Grand Central, Harlequin, Kensington, Simon and Schuster, HarperCollins, Sourcebooks, Hyperion, Flux, Macmillan, Adams Media, Egmont USA, John Wiley and Sons and Mira Books. She continues to actively build her client list and is currently seeking work in the following genres: Romance (historical, romantic suspense, paranormal, category, contemporary, erotic), urban fantasy, women’s fiction, mystery, thrillers and young adult as well as some select non-fiction. She is a member of the Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR) and Romance Writers of America, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and she is an RWA-recognized agent. Twitter: @bradfordlit

After eight years at Berkley Publishing, Kim Lionetti left her position as Senior Editor to join BookEnds in March 2004. A member of AAR, Kim is currently focused on growing her young adult, women’s fiction, and romance lists and is only accepting submissions in those categories. Most important, she is looking for fresh voices and compelling storytelling. Given her extensive editorial background, she enjoys helping authors shape their work into more marketable products and seeing their writing as part of the “bigger picture.” You can contact Kim directly at klionetti @ bookends-inc.com or follow her at Twitter: @BookEndsKim

Registration Information

Workshop Fee:
2012 Emily Finalists: FREE!
WHRWA Members – $15
other RWA Members – $40
Everyone else – $55

Lunch will be provided.  If you have special dietary needs, you may wish to bring your own

Registration is required, and is limited to 75 participants.

The deadline to register is February 10th, 2012.

>>Registration now open.  Click Here.<<

Location:  Memorial Drive Christian Church (Our usual meeting location)

Cheryl Bolen and her editor at Love Inspired Historical came up with a new title for her 2012 release: Marriage of Inconvenience. At this writing, Cheryl’s humorous Regency romantic mystery, With His Lady’s Assistance, was No. 4 in New Releases (Regency) at Amazon, and her Regency Christmas novella made it to No. 33 – on the day of its release. It’s titled Christmas at Farley Manor. All three releases are G rated!

Vicky Dreiling and her debut novel How To Marry a Duke, a Regency era version of The Bachelor, were featured in a Publisher’s Weekly article entitled Romancing the Reader about self-promotion.

Tied With a Bow, the holiday anthology containing the launch of Kimberly Frost’s paranormal romantic suspense series, debuted at #23 on the New York Times Trade Fiction Bestseller List.

Forever Mine, Donna Grant’s Indie novella became an Amazon #1 Bestseller.

Donna Grant also agreed to another contract with St. Martin’s Press to continue her Dark Warriors series with four more books, but also for three novellas being released in 2012 back to back to begin another spin off series.

Mary Lindsey’s debut young adult romance, Shattered Souls from Philomel/Penguin, releases December 8, 2011.

Joan Reeves published her 7th ebook Old Enough To Know Better, a contemporary romance. This book was designed to be Book 1 of The Good, The Bad, and The Girly, a novella series, but ended up a full length novel because even though Joan, as a writer, is old enough to know better, she just can’t write short.

Kerrelyn Sparks is thrilled and honored that RWA has asked her to be the Librarians Day luncheon speaker at the national conference this summer in Anaheim. She’ll also be speaking at ALA’s midwinter conference in Dallas this January. To find out more about her Love at Stake series, please visit www.kerrelynsparks.com.

Colleen Thompson is delighted to announced that her first book for Harlequin Intrigue, Capturing the Commando, was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Intrigue of 2011.

Linda Warren is excited to announce she’s been nominated for a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times Magazine.

Sandra Worth is excited to be a nominee for the RT Reviewers Choice Award in Historical Fiction for her novel Pale Rose of England and honored to be in illustrious company (among them, Sharon Kay Penman, Diana Gabaldon, Philippa Gregory, Anne Easter Smith, and Karleen Koen) She wishes everyone a wonderful Holiday Season, and hopes 2012 brings good news.

Joan Reeves has written SlingWords, her personal blog, since 2005. Along the way, she wrote a “commercial” blog daily and became a ghost blogger for corporate executives, business owners, and bookstores. (Due to Non-Disclosure Agreements that remain in effect, she can’t name names, so don’t ask!) When she began publishing ebooks in March 2011, her sales immediately soared. She credits much of her ebook success to her blog SlingWords. Since she knows a thing or two about blogs, she’s happy to share her knowledge with other writers.

Since Joan loves to talk, she’ll also offer an Informal Q&A about her Ebook Success which she reveals in her soon to be published book, EBOOK SUCCESS: JOAN SELLS & TELLS ALL.

Joan Reeves is a bestselling Kindle author of Romance. In her spare time, she’s a mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet who–no, wait, that’s some other writer. Seriously? Okay, if we must be serious. Joan Reeves is a multi-published print and ebook author. She’s published all over the web under her own name, various pseudonyms, and as a ghost, and she’s the writer and publisher of the long-running blog SlingWords.

Joan believes: “Although we are all different on the outside, on the inside, we all share the same human desires and emotions. My job as a writer is to appeal to those human emotions. I sometimes think professional writers do this well because, as F. Scott Fitzgerald pointed out, “A writer isn’t just one person. He (she) is a whole lot of people trying to be one person.”

Sharon Forret’s manuscript, LAST TIME, is a finalist in the paranormal category of the unpublished Beacon Contest, hosted by the First Coast Romance Writers. It’s now off to final-round judges Courtney Miller-Callihan of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates and Lauren Plude, editorial assistant with Grand Central. LAST TIME is also a finalist in the Valley of the Sun Romance Writers’ Hot Prospects Contest. Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal category. Final judges for this one are Deborah Werksman, Sourcebooks, Inc., and Jenny Bent, The Bent Agency. This marks Sharon’s “return to writing” now that her son is a year old, and she is happy to get back out there!

Kay Hudson was delighted to learn that her work-in-progress, Bathtub Jinn, is a finalist in the Golden Network’s Golden Pen contest. She has sent in the revised final entry (with thanks to the low-scoring judge who caught the problems in the hastily written synopsis); now all she has to do is finish the book by the Golden Heart deadline.

Heather MacAllister has published her Golden Heart winning YA manuscript–exactly as it was entered in the contest–as an ebook. Picture Perfect, a historical contemporary, is available for Kindle, Nook, and through Smashwords. It took her nearly as long to figure out the formatting as it did to write the book in the first place.

Amber Shah (writing as Amber Skye) is excited to share that her manuscript, ASKING FOR IT, finaled in both the San Fransisco RWA Heart to Heart Contest 2011 and in the First Coast Romance Writers Unpublished Beacon Contest 2011 in the erotica categories. She also received a request for a full from one of her dream agents and so she’s currently working furiously on edits and polish.

Kerrelyn Sparks’ eleventh book in the Love at Stake series, Sexiest Vampire Alive, went into a second printing a week after release. It debuted on the New York Times list at # 12, Publishers Weekly at # 10, and USA Today at # 36. For more information, please visit her website at www.kerrelynsparks.com.

Colleen Thompson is happy to announce the publication of two Australian Reprints, Capturing the Commando and Phantom of the French Quarter, as part of the Mills & Boon Intrigue line. In addition, her novella, Lethal Lessons, was part of a recent Mills & Boon Intrigue edition of Deadlier Than the Male in the United Kingdom.