Chapter Events and Contests
Local RWA chapters offer a number of conferences, contests, and workshops. Listed below are the chapter contests and conferences scheduled for the coming months.
Please submit all contest, conference, and workshop announcements to
chapterevents@rwa.org. A response will be sent via return email. If you haven't received a response in 48 hours, please follow up. Thank you!
Deadline and format instructions are provided at the end of the column below. Please also send notification of broken or incorrect links to
chapterevents@rwa.org. Thank you!
Updated 01/16/2019
Contests
*Open to published authors
**Open to published and unpublished authors
January Contests
*Greater Detroit Romance Writers Booksellers’ Best Awards
Sponsor: Greater Detroit Romance Writers of America
Fee: $30 RWA; $40 Non-RWA
Deadline: January 7, 2019
Eligibility: Published authors who meet criteria.
Entry: Must submit 4 signed hard copies (mass market, trade or printed and bound) by January 16, 2019.
Categories: Short Contemporary Romance, Mid-Length Contemporary Romance, Long Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Single Title with Strong Romantic Elements, Inspirational Romance, Historical Romance, Erotic Romance, Paranormal Romance, Young Adult Romance, Novella, Patti Schenberger's Best First Book Award (+ $5 for submission categories).
Judges: Booksellers and librarians from across the United States.
Top Prize: 1 winner commemorative award for each listed category; finalists receive a certificate of participation.
FMI, see our website,
www.gdrwa.org or contact
rc_matthews@yahoo.com.
*22nd Annual Golden Quill
Sponsor: Phoenix Desert Rose RWA
Fee: $30, single entry; $60, 2 entries; $75, 3 entries in any combination of titles/categories.
Deadline: Friday, January 11, 2019 (books and entries)
Eligibility: Open to all members in good standing of Romance Writers of America.
Entry: Entries must be book-length fiction with a minimum of 40,000 words, except for the romantic novella category, which accepts stories of less than 40,000 words. The copyright date must be between January and December 2018, or First North American printing/release date between January and December 2018, or, if submitting in electronic format, first electronic publish date between January and December 2018.
Categories: Best First Book, Category Series Romance, Contemporary Romance, Erotic/Hot/Sexy, Fantasy/Science Fiction/Futuristic, Historical, Inspirational, Romantic Novella, Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, Romantic Suspense, Sweet Traditional Romance, Young Adult.
Judges: Librarians and Romance Readers.
Top Prize: Finalists announced in May, with winners awarded plaques in June and announced in the July issue of Romance Writers Report.
FMI, visit
http://desertroserwa.org/golden-quill-rules for complete rules, entry instructions and payment options.
*HOLT Medallion
Sponsor: Virginia Romance Writers (VRW)
Fee: $30.00
Deadline: January 15, 2019
Entry: Published fiction in one of the established contest categories. Entrants also have the opportunity to enter the "Best First Book" or "Best Book by a Virginia Author" if applicable.
Judges: Romance readers. Each book will be judged by at least 3 judges.
FMI, visit
http://virginiaromancewriters.com/holt-medallion/ or contact the coordinators at
HOLTMedallion@gmail.com.
**Great Expectations Contest
Sponsor Chapter: North Texas RWA
Fee: Early Bird – $20 for members of the North Texas and DARA chapters of RWA, $25 for all other entrants; January 1, $25 for members of North Texas and DARA chapters of RWA; $30 for all other entrants.
Deadline: Opens November 30, 2018. Entry and payment must be received January 19, 2019
Eligibility: All work must be the author’s original work that has not been contracted for publication prior to the entry deadline. This contest is open to all authors who have never been published in book-length romantic fiction as well as published authors who have not been contracted or published in the entered category during the last three years (during 2015, 2016, or 2017). Published, for purposes of this contest, includes traditionally published as well as self-published works.
Entry: First 5,000 words. No synopsis or blurb Finalists may include an unjudged synopsis for editors.
Categories: Contemporary Series Romance, Historical Romance, Inspirational Romance, Mainstream with Romantic Elements, Romantic Suspense, Single Title, Specialized Romance (Fantasy, Futuristic, Paranormal, Time Travel, Dystopian, Alternate Earth), Young Adult.
First Round Judges: Each entry will receive a detailed score sheet from three qualified judges. NTRWA will strive to obtain at least one published judge per entry.
Final Judges: Please see the
blogspot for the complete list of Final Editors.
Top Prize: $50.00. All finalists receive certificates. Each finalist and winner will receive an appropriate website icon.
FMI,
GECoordinator@NTRWA.org or
http://ntrwagreatexpectations.blogspot.com or
http://www.ntrwa.org/contest/contest.aspx.
*2019 Write Touch Readers’ Award Contest
Sponsor: Wisconsin Romance Writers of America (WisRWA)
Fee: $25–30.00
Deadline: January 25, 2019 11:59 p.m. CST
Eligibility: Any romance print or ebook with an original publication date of 2018.
Entry: Submit either one electronic file (PDF only) or three copies of manuscript in bound, print form. Authors of print entries will be notified where to mail books.
Categories: Contemporary - Long, Contemporary - Mid-Length, Contemporary - Short, Erotic Romance, Historical Romance, Paranormal/Time Travel/Fantasy, Inspirational Romance, Romantic Suspense, Mainstream Fiction with a Central Romance.
Judges: Each submission will be judged by three readers of the romance genre not associated with the publishing industry.
Top Prize: Winner will receive an engraved plaque, finalists will receive a certificate.
FMI, visit
http://wisrwa.org/contests/contest-write-touch/.
February Contests
**The Catherine
Sponsor: Toronto Romance Writers (TRW)
Fee: $20 USD for members of Toronto Romance Writers, $30 USD for all other entrants
Deadline: Accepting entries from December 08, 2018 – February 01, 2019
Eligibility: All unpublished writers, including writers who have not been published in five years or more. Entrants must not have accepted a publishing offer for original fiction or self-published a work of original fiction on a platform where their work can be made commercially available before February 01, 2019.
Entry: First twenty-five pages and a two- to five-page synopsis submitted electronically. Both entry and synopsis will be judged.
Categories: Contemporary, Contemporary Short, Historical, Mainstream with a Central Romance, Paranormal, Romantic Suspense, Young Adult, and Wild Card: Romantic Elements.
Judges: Two qualified judges from Toronto Romance Writers/RWA. A third judge will be enlisted in case of a discrepancy between the first two judges. Entrants are guaranteed feedback.
Final Judges: One editor and one agent per category. Gold Ticket Round (overall winners): one agent. Full list of 2019 Finalist Round judges is available at
http://torontoromancewriters.com/enter/judging/.
Top Prize: Gold Ticket First-Place Winner receives a three-month mentorship with a TRW published author. Second and Third Place Gold Ticket Winners receive published author critiques from TRW members.
FMI,
http://torontoromancewriters.com/. Questions can be directed to the contest coordinator at
contest@torontoromancewriters.com.
*New England Readers’ Choice Awards
Sponsor: New England Chapter (NECRWA)
Fee: $25–30.00
Deadline: February 1, 2019
Eligibility: Romance novels, novellas, and short stories published in 2018.
Entry: Digital (epub, mobi, or pdf) preferred. Print accepted if no digital edition is available.
Categories: Erotic, Historical, Long Contemporary (above 80K words), Short Contemporary (40-80K words), Novella (20-40K words), Paranormal/Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Time Travel, Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements, Romantic Suspense, Short Story (under 20K words), Young Adult Romance.
Judges: Romance readers, librarians, and booksellers
Top Prize: Publicity package or Author Coaching package worth $250.
FMI, visit
http://www.necrwa.org/contest or email
readers-choice@necrwa.org.
**2019 Great Beginnings Contest
Sponsor: Utah Chapter Romance Writers
Fee: URWA Members $10 / Non-members $15
Contest opens: January 1, 2019 Deadline: February 14, 2019
Eligibility: Contest is open to published and unpublished authors. Published authors may submit only unpublished, uncontracted manuscripts that will remain unpublished until the contest has concluded.
Entry: All electronic. Enter the opening five (5) pages of your romance novel (projected length of at least 50,000 words). Submit as many different entries as you wish.
Categories: Contemporary, Romantic Suspense, Historical, Paranormal.
Judges: Every entry will be judged 3 times by trained judges and at least once by a PAN member.
Final Judges: Contemporary – TBA; Romantic Suspense – Nicole Resciniti, senior agent, The Seymour Agency; Paranormal – E.L. Felder, editor, Wild Rose Press; Historical – Karen Solem, president and agent, Spencerhill Associates;
Top Prize: A choice of one of two prizes for each category winner: A $25.00 Amazon gift card or a 30-page critique by a multi-published PAN author.
FMI, visit
http://www.utahrwa.com/gbcontest.html or email Jennifer Beckstrand, contest coordinator, at
jennifergbeckstrand@gmail.com.
*The Carolyn Readers Choice Award
Sponsor: North Texas RWA
Fee: $20–25.00
Deadline: February 14, 2019
Eligibility: Open to all authors of traditional, e-published, and self-published books. Entries must represent the author’s own original work. Authors or publishers may enter more than one book, but no more than two books per category. Books may be entered in one category only. Original copyright or first printing date must be between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018.
Judges: readers only, no writers.
FMI,
https://ntrwa.org/contests/the-carolyn/ or contact
carolyn.award.ntrwa@gmail.com.
**2019 Melody of Love
Sponsor: Music City Romance Writers
Fees: $22 for MCRW Members, $25 for other RWA Members, $30 for Non-RWA Members
Deadline: February 28, 2019
Eligibility: Open to published and unpublished authors. The manuscript entered must be the author’s original work and be unpublished and uncontracted at the time of deadline. Entries must also meet minimum word count lengths.
Entry: First 25 pages or a maximum of 7500 words.
Categories: Contemporary, Mainstream/Women’s Fiction, FF&P (Futuristic, Fantasy, & Paranormal), Historical, Young Adult.
Judges: Judging is on a point basis, with all manuscripts judged by three authors from a pool of PAN, PRO, and trained general members. Judges are highly encouraged to comment and critique each entry.
Final Judges: TBA. Three finalists per category. Finalist entries will be judged by one editor and one agent.
Top Prize: Finalists in each category will receive a certificate and announcement in the RWR, on the MCRW website, and across MCRW’s social media. The overall winner of each category will be announced at MCRW’s June meeting and will receive: a $50 cash prize, a 50-page critique by a published author or editor, and a commemorative Melody of Love pin.
FMI, visit
www.mcrw.com. You can also email our Contest Coordinators Jody Wallace and Dana Brantley-Sieders at
contest@mcrw.com.
March Contests
19th Annual FHL Reader’s Choice Award
Sponsor: Faith, Hope and Love Chapter
Fee: $20 FHL Members, $25 NonMembers
Deadline: March 1, 2019
Eligibility: Christian fiction books with a 2018 copyright.
Entry: Four new autographed copies of each entry.
Categories: Long Contemporary, Short Contemporary, Long Historical, Short Historical, Women’s Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Novella.
Judges: Readers of Christian fiction.
Top Prize: Winner in each category receives an engraved box.
FMI, visit
http://www.faithhopelove-rwa.org/fhlrca-contest/ or email contest coordinator Nancy J. Farrier,
nancyjfarrier@gmail.com.
*Athena Contest for Excellence in Young Adult and New Adult Fiction
Chapter: YARWA
Fee: $30–40
Deadline: March 1, 2019
Eligibility: YA and NA romance novels and novels with romantic elements published in 2018.
Entry: 3 copies of hardback, mass-market, or trade paperback novel, or 1 copy of ebook in pdf format.
Categories: YA Contemporary, NA Contemporary, YA/NA Paranormal, YA/NA Speculative, YA/NA Historical.
Judges: Romance readers, authors, librarians & bloggers.
Top Prize: Plaque, Pin, digital graphic.
FMI, visit
http://yarwa.com/the-athena-contest/ or email Contest Coordinator at
athenacontest@gmail.com.
**Fabulous Five Contest 2019
Sponsor: WisRWA (Wisconsin Romance Writers)
Fee: $25 WisRWA members; $30 Non WisRWA members
Deadline: March 1, 2019
Eligibility: Unpublished in novel length fiction in last 5 years.
Enter: First 2,500 words of ms. No synopsis.
Judges: Trained, published & unpublished.
Final Judges: One agent and one editor per category TBD.
Top Prize: Silver Quill Awarded to top entry in each category, finalists announced in RWR.
FMI, WisRWA website (
www.wisrwa.org). Link to Fab 5 contest for rules, entry form, and sample scoresheet. Email contest coordinators Natalie Alamo and Jennifer Rupp at
fabfive@wisrwa.org for questions not answered from website information.
**Fire & Ice 2019
Sponsor: Chicago-North RWA
Fee: $35 for all entrants
Deadline: Open for entries February 1, 2019. Deadline March 1, 2019.
Eligibility: All work must be the author’s original work that has not been contracted for publication prior to the entry deadline. Open to all authors who have never been published in book-length romantic fiction as well as published authors who have not been contracted or published (traditional or self) since January 1, 2014.
Entry: First 6,000 words, no synopsis.
Categories: No categories, all entries judged together. All sub-genres of romance allowed. Please see website for more details.
First Round Judges: Each entry will receive a detailed score sheet from 3 qualified judges, with at least one published judge per entry.
Final Judges: SIX FINALISTS will be sent to SIX final round judges. Please see website for the complete list of final round judges.
Prizes: 1st Place: $75; 2nd Place: $50; 3rd Place: $25. All finalists will receive certificates.
FMI,
http://chicagonorthrwa.org/fire-and-ice-contest/.
The 2019 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense for Unpublished Writers
Sponsor: RWA Kiss of Death Chapter
Fee: $15–30
Deadline: March 15, 2019
Entry: prologue/first chapter up to 5,000 words. All electronic entry.
Final Judges: See website.
FMI,
http://www.rwakod.org/daphne or email Brooke Wills at
daphnecontest@gmail.com.
*The 2019 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense for Published Authors
Sponsor: RWA Kiss of Death Chapter
Fee: $30
Deadline: March 15, 2019
Entry: 2018 copyrighted mystery or romantic suspense.
FMI,
http://www.rwakod.org/daphne or email Brooke Wills at
daphnecontest@gmail.com.
*2019 PRISM Contest for Published Paranormal Romance
Sponsor: Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal RWA
Fee: $30 for members of FF&P; $40 for non-members
Deadline: March 15, 2019
Eligibility: Traditionally published and self-published paranormal romances with a copyright date of 2018.
Entry: Print and e-book submissions accepted.
Categories: Dark Paranormal, Light Paranormal, Sci Fi & Futuristic, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Erotic, Historical, Steampunk, Young Adult, New Adult, Novella.
Judges: Published/Unpublished Authors and Readers of FF&P Romance.
Top Prize: FF&P Prism statue.
FMI, visit
https://ffprwa.com/.
**Diamonds in the Desert
Sponsor: Desert Rose RWA
Fee: $25–35
Deadline: March 15, 2019
Eligibility: Open to published and unpublished authors.
Entry: Up to the first twenty-five pages of an unpublished manuscript plus a 200-word blurb. Finalists will be required to provide a synopsis.
Categories: Please view web page FMI.
Judges: General, PRO, and PAN members of RWA using category-specific rubrics.
Final Judges: Professional agents and editors; consult web page FMI.
FMI, visit
http://desertroserwa.org/desert-diamonds or contact the contest chairperson at
diamonds@desertroserwa.org.
**2019 Royal Ascot Competition
The Beau Monde Chapter of RWA
Fee: $24–30
Deadline: March 22, 2019
Eligibility: Open to published or unpublished writers of Regency-set romance.
Entry: The first 7,000 words (max) of your unpublished/uncontracted Regency romance. A synopsis is optional, but is not judged. Royal Ascot Contest entrants can choose to submit their entry to the Royal Ascot Readers' Choice Category Awards at no extra cost.
Categories: Regency Historical, Sweet & Mild Regency, Hot Regency, and Wild Regency.
Judges: 1st Round of Royal Ascot Contest, 4 experienced PAN & PRO member judges. In Readers' Choice Category Awards, registered reader-judges.
Final Judges: Royal Ascot Contest only - Janna Bonikowski, The Knight Agency; Lizzie Poteet, The Seymour Agency; Brenda Chin, Entangled Publishing; Janet Clementz, Soul Mate Publishing; and Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks.
Top Prize: Royal Ascot Contest - $100, sash and certificate. Category Winners in the Royal Ascot Readers' Choice Awards - $50, sash and certificate.
FMI,
http://thebeaumonde.com/resources/the-royal-ascot-contest/ or contact the Royal Ascot Coordinator
beaumonderoyalascot@bigpond.com.
**Rosemary Award for Excellence in YA & NA Unpublished Manuscripts
Sponsor: Young Adult Romance Writers of America
Fee: $15 members/$25 non-members
Deadline: Opens on February 1, 2019 and closes on March 29, 2019 at 11:59 pm (ET)
Eligibility: All authors, regardless of publishing status. Manuscripts must not have been published, self-published, or contracted to be published and have a word count of at least 40,000 words.
Entry: First 25 pages. No synopsis.
Categories: YA Contemporary; YA Historical; YA Paranormal; YA Speculative; New Adult.
Judges: First-round judging by three trained judges. YARWA will make every effort to have a published author judge in every group.
Final Judges: Will include at least one editor and one agent in each category.
Top Prize: All finalists will receive a website badge, finalists listing in RWR, and a free YARWA class of their choice.
FMI,
http://yarwa.com.
*National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award (NERFA)
Sponsor: First Coast Romance Writers
Fee: $35 (+$5 for Best First Book entry)
Deadline: Contest opens March 1 and closes March 31, 2019 for registration and payment.
Eligibility: Entries must have an original copyright date and for sale in the United States in 2018. Entries must be book-length fiction with a minimum of 40,000 words (except romantic novella category).
Entry: Submit four copies of your print or e-book to the contest coordinator between March 1 - 31, 2019.
Categories: Contemporary Romance 56k words and up, Mid Length Contemporary Romance 40k-56k words, Romantic Suspense, Historical Romance, Futuristic/Fantasy/Paranormal, Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements, Young Adult Romance, Mainstream Fiction with a Central Romance, Erotic Romance and all genre Romantic Novella category. A Best First Book category is also available for an additional Fee of $5 if the book is entered in another contest category.
Judges: Romance readers.
Final Judges: Librarians, bloggers and booksellers.
Prizes: All 2019 finalists will receive a NERFA Finalist web logo and certificate. Winners will receive a NERFA Winner web logo and trophy. Finalists and winners will be announced in the Romance Writers Report and on the FCRW website.
FMI, visit
http://www.firstcoastromancewriters.com/national-excellence-in-romance-fiction-award/
*Published Maggie Award for Excellence
Sponsor: Georgia Romance Writers
Fee: $30–40
Deadline: March 30, 2019
Entry: Only eBooks accepted.
Categories: Category Short Romance; Contemporary Single Title; Historical (includes Regencies); Mainstream Fiction with a Central Romance; Paranormal (includes Futuristic, Time Travel, Fantasy, etc.); Romance Novella; Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements; Romantic Suspense; and Young Adult/New Adult Romance.
Judges and Final Judges: Acquiring librarians, booksellers, bloggers, and book club members.
Top Prize: First place/highest score in each category will receive the prestigious Maggie Medallion. All finalists will receive a Maggie certificate. Finalists will be notified by June 26, 2019. Winners will be announced October 5, 2019 at the GRW Moonlight & Magnolias Conference.
FMI, please visit our website at
http://www.georgiaromancewriters.org/the-maggies/ or email Christina Crayn at
MaggieChair@gmail.com.
Conferences
February Conferences and Workshops
Smart Marketing to Sell More Books (Master Class in Indie Publishing II)
Sponsor: Spacecoast Authors of Romance
Location: Space Coast Convention Center, Holiday Inn Express, 301 Tucker Lane, Cocoa, Florida
Fee: $85; $65 for STAR members
Date: February 9, 2019, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Speakers: Featuring Damon Suede, as well as Eliza Knight, Maria Connor and Rachel Hauck.
Conference Features: Intensive workshops on marketing with a dose of craft for indie, hybrid, and traditional authors; door prizes; raffles; continental breakfast and lunch included.
FMI,
https://authorsofromance.com/masterclass/ (registration opens Nov. 1). Send questions to
president@authorsofromance.com.
Writing a Novel They Can’t Put Down with Special Guest James Scott Bell
Sponsor: Windy City Romance Writers
Location: Northern Illinois University Naperville Campus Conference Center, Naperville, Illinois
Fee: $135
Date: February 22–23, 2019
Presenter: James Scott Bell.
Topic: Writing a Novel They Can’t Put Down, Indie Publishing.
Workshop Features: Full-day Saturday workshop along with a one-hour Indie Publishing session Friday night. Refreshments served Friday evening and lunch provided Saturday.
FMI,
http://www.windycityrwa.org/2019-retreat/ and
retreat@windycityrwa.org.
April Conferences and Workshops
The Write Touch Conference—Daring and Decadent Storytelling
Sponsor: Wisconsin Romance Writers of America (WisRWA)
Location: The Hyatt Regency, 333 W. Kilbourn Ave., Milwaukee, WI
Fee: WisRWA Members: $225.00; Non-members: $250.00
Date: April 4–7, 2019
Keynote Speaker: Maya Rodale. Workshop Presenters: Lisa Cron, Angela Ackerman, Becca Puglisi, Mel Jolly. Featured Authors: Valerie Biel, Amy Reichert, Angie Stanton.
Conference Features: Master Class with Lisa Cron; craft, industry, marketing workshops; one-on-one page critiques w/publishing professionals; agent/editor pitch sessions, book sale, and silent auction for literacy.
FMI, visit
http://wisrwa.org/conference/ or email
conference@WisRWA.org.
California Dreamin’ 2019—A Conference for Writers
Sponsor: Orange County Chapter RWA
Location: Embassy Suites Hotel, Brea, California
Fee: $350.00 (RWA members); $400 (Non-RWA Members)
Date: April 5–7, 2019
Speakers: Keynote, Tessa Dare and Theodora Taylor; Friday Book Camp, Janice Hardy. Also Justine Bylo, Ingram Spark; Kevin Tomlinson, Draft 2 Digital; and Hannah Wall, Audible.
Publishing Houses: Avon (Harper Collins Publishing), Hallmark Publishing, Random House Publishing, Harlequin, Tule Publishing, Dreamspinner Press, Boroughs Publishing Group.
Agencies: Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, KT Literary.
Conference Features: Friday Book Camp, workshops, multi-track, panels, editor/agent appointments, critiques, opportunity drawings, author photography.
FMI,
caldreaminwriters@gmail.com;
https://caldreaminwriters.com.
In the Company of Writers Annual Retreat
Sponsor: Washington Romance Writers
Location: Best Western Conference Center, Westminster, Maryland
Fee: WRW members – $410 double, $575 single. RWA double occupancy $460, Public double occupancy $525. All meals and events included.
Date: April 12–14, 2019
Speakers: Alexis Daria, Alisha Rai, Cheryl Etchison, Alma Katsu, and others.
Publishing Houses and Agencies: St. Martin's Press, Entangled, Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency, Prospect Agency, Donald Maass Agency
Conference Features: multi-track workshops and panels, editor/agent appointments, critiques, first pages, awards, raffle.
FMI, please contact
retreat@wrwdc.com and visit
WRWDC.com for the latest updates.
Let Your Imagination Take Flight
Sponsor: New England Chapter, RWA (NECRWA)
Location: Boston Marriott, Burlington MA
Fee: NECRWA Member: $234, Non-Member $254
Date: April 26–27, 2019
Speakers: Keynote Speaker Sonali Dev; Luncheon Speaker Penny Reid; Master Class Damon Suede.
Publishing Houses: Kensington, Forever/Forever Yours, Sourcebooks
Agencies: Donald Maass Literary, One Track Literary, Handspun Literary.
Conference Features: Workshops and panels on craft, business, and writer’s life, master class, agent and editor pitch sessions, book fair, and Indie/PAN and CampNaNoWriMo sessions.
FMI,
http://www.necrwa.org/conference/.
Retreat from Harsh Reality
Sponsor: Mid-Michigan RWA
Location: Bay Pointe Inn, Shelbyville, Michigan
Fee: $190.00
Date: April 26–28, 2019
Speaker: Louise Knott Ahern writing as Lyssa Kay Adams.
Conference Features: Dedicated time for writing, plotting, critiquing, and social networking; two presentations—“Breaking Rules and Breaking In: A Renegade Writer’s Guide to Trusting Your Gut” and “The Art of Backstory”—by 2017 RITA finalist for Best Romance Novella Louise Knott. Louise has 20 years of experience in journalism, fiction writing, and editing and is a founder of Capital City Writers in Lansing.
FMI, visit
midmichiganrwa.org.
Growth Hacking a Best Seller One-Day Workshop
Sponsor: Heart of Denver
Location: 7676 South Continental Divide Road, Littleton, Colorado 80127
Fee: $25 Members; $50 Non-Members (includes membership for the rest of the year to HOD) Scholarships Available.
Date: April 27, 2019
Featured Speaker: Liz Pelletier, Publisher, Entangled Publishing, LLC
Workshop Features: Liz Pelletier walks you through the most common elements of best sellers, how to self-edit your novel for maximum viral success, and seven psychology tricks that will help anyone maximize every promotional opportunity.
FMI,
https://www.hodrw.com or e-mail
treasurer@elaineclampitt.com.
Online Workshops
January Online Workshops
Back Cover Copy “Shoot Me Now”
Sponsor: NEORWA
Fee: $20
Date: January 2–31, 2019
Presenter: Kathryn Jane.
FMI,
http://www.neorwa.com/online-workshops/upcoming-meetings/.
Don’t TELL Me That!
Sponsor: Kiss of Death
Fee: $15–30
Date: January 2–31, 2019
Presenter: Leslie Scott.
FMI,
http://www.rwakissofdeath.org/.
Search and Rescue
Sponsor: Kiss of Death
Fee: $15–30
Date: January 2–31, 2019
Presenter: Martin Hill.
FMI,
http://www.rwakissofdeath.org/.
Focus on Writing - Beginner’s Guide to Writer's Productivity
Sponsor: Southern Tier Authors of Romance
Fee: $15–30
Date: January 3–25, 2019
Presenter: Joanna Jast.
FMI,
https://starrwa.org.
Tarot for Authors
Sponsor: Southern Tier Authors of Romance
Fee: $15–30
Date: January 3–25, 2019
Presenter: Elizabeth Delisi.
FMI,
https://starrwa.org.
PTSD for Fiction Writers
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Online Chapter
Fee: $15 CRW Members/$25 RWA Members/$35 Non-RWA Members
Date: January 4–31, 2019
Presenter: Kathryn Jane.
FMI,
http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/.
Self-Publishing 101
Sponsor: Heart of Carolina Romance Writers
Fee: $40 non-members/$35 HCRW and CRW/NC members
Date: January 7–13, 2019
Instructor: Marie Force.
FMI,
http://www.heartofcarolina.org/calendar.
It’s All in the Details
Sponsor: YARWA
Fee: $25 for members/$30 non-YARWA members
Date: January 7–18, 2019
Presenter: Rachael Davila.
FMI,
http://yarwa.com/workshops/.
Openings—Starting Your Story Right
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Online Chapter
Fee: $15 CRW Members/$25 RWA Members/$35 Non-RWA Members
Date: January 7–25, 2019
Presenter: Alicia Rasley.
FMI,
http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/.
Beyond 50 Shades: Going from Fanfiction to Original Fiction
Sponsor: Outreach International Romance Writers
Fee: OIRW Member $25 | Non-Member $35
Dates: January 7–30, 2019
Presenter: Margaret Bates.
FMI,
http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#JAN3.
Common Writing Problems and How to Fix Them
Sponsor: Outreach International Romance Writers
Fee: OIRW Member $25 | Non-Member $35
Date: January 7–30, 2019
Presenter: Susan Palmquist.
FMI,
http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#JAN1.
Self-Publishing Bootcamp
Sponsor: Outreach International Romance Writers
Fee: OIRW Member $55 | Non-Member $65
Dates: January 7–30, 2019
Presenter: Susan Palmquist.
FMI,
http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#JAN2.
Creating Your Hero's Fatal Flaw
Sponsor: Hearts Through History
Fee: HHRW member, $15; non-member, $25
Dates: January 7–February 1, 2019
Presenter: Laurie Schnebly
FMI,
https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/workshops/creating-your-heros-fatal-flaw/#register.
Marketing Time Management for Authors
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Online Chapter
Fee: $15 CRW Members/$25 RWA Members/$35 Non-RWA Members
Date: January 7–February 1, 2019
Presenter: Deborah Magnus.
FMI,
http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/.
Serialized Novels
Sponsor: FF&P
Fee: $25 FF&P Members - $30 Non FF&P Members
Date: January 7–February 3, 2019
Presenter: Ines Johnson.
FMI,
https://ffprwa.com.
Seriously Creative: A Life Coach’s Approach to Productive Writing Success
Sponsor: FF&P
Fee: $25 FF&P Members - $30 Non FF&P Members
Date: January 7–February 3, 2019
Presenter: Laura Gates-Lupton.
FMI,
https://ffprwa.com.
Planning Your Way from Beginning to Happily Ever After for Plotters & Pantsers
Sponsor: Outreach International Romance Writers
Fee: OIRW Member $25 | Non-Member $35
Dates: January 8–February 1, 2019
Presenter: Laurie Sanders.
FMI,
http://www.oirwa.com/forum/campus/#JAN4.
Introduction to Publicity
Sponsor: YARWA
Fee: $25 for members/$30 non-YARWA members
Date: January 21–February 1, 2019
Presenter: Heather Riccio.
FMI,
http://yarwa.com/workshops/.
February Online Workshops
Handwriting Analysis
Sponsor: Kiss of Death
Fee: $15–30
Date: February 1–28, 2019
Presenter: Sheila Low.
FMI,
http://www.rwakissofdeath.org/.
Social Media for Authors
Sponsor: Western New York Romance Writers
Fee: $20–40
Date: February 1–28, 2019
Presenter: Ines Johnson.
FMI,
http://wnyrw.org/workshops/.
Writing the Comedic Mystery
Sponsor: Kiss of Death
Fee: $15–30
Date: February 1–28, 2019
Presenter: Beth Daniels, aka Beth Henderson, J.B. Dane.
FMI,
http://www.rwakissofdeath.org/.
It’s All About Character
Sponsor: Southern Tier Authors of Romance
Fee: $15–30
Date: February 4–8, 2019
Presenter: Carol Henry.
FMI,
https://starrwa.org.
Word for Writers
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Online Chapter
Fee: $15 CRW Members/$25 RWA Members/$35 Non-RWA Members
Date: February 4–8, 2019
Presenter: Meredith Bond.
FMI,
http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/.
Marketing and Publicity 101
Sponsor: Heart of Carolina Romance Writers
Fee: $40 non-members/$35 HCRW and CRW/NC members
Date: February 4–11, 2019
Instructor: Marie Force.
FMI,
http://www.heartofcarolina.org/calendar.
Surprises, Secrets, and Revelations - Adding Memorable Twists to Your Stories
Sponsor: RWA Online Chapter
Fee: $15
Date: February 4–22, 2019
Presenter: Peter Andrews
FMI,
http://rwaonlinechapter.org/.
Deep POV—Going Deep and Staying There
Sponsor: NEORWA
Fee: $20
Date: February 4–28, 2019
Presenter: Suzanne Johnson.
FMI,
http://www.neorwa.com/online-workshops/upcoming-meetings/.
On Your Mark, Get Set: Starting Your Novel in the Right Place
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Online Chapter
Fee: $15 CRW Members/$25 RWA Members/$35 Non-RWA Members
Date: February 4–28, 2019
Presenter: Cathy Chant.
FMI,
http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/.
Down the Author Marketing Rabbit Hole
Sponsor: Yosemite Romance Writers
Fee: $20 YRW members/ $25 non-members
Date: February 4–March 1, 2019
Presenter: Deborah Riley-Magnus.
FMI,
https://www.yosemiteromancewriters.com/workshops.
Hooks and Cliffhangers, Scene and Sequel
Sponsor: YARWA
Fee: $25 for members/$30 non-YARWA members
Date: February 4–March 1, 2019
Presenter: Alison McMahan.
FMI,
http://yarwa.com/workshops/.
Worldbuilding for All Genres
Sponsor: FF&P
Fee: $25 FF&P Members - $30 Non FF&P Members
Date: February 4–March 3, 2019
Presenter: Rebekah Ganiere.
FMI,
https://ffprwa.com.
Pin It! Why Romance Authors Shouldn’t Ignore Pinterest for Marketing
Sponsor: OCC/RWA
Fee: $20 OCC Members; $30 Non-Members
Date: February 11–March 8, 2019
Presenter: Elena Dillon.
FMI,
http://occrwa.org/classes/.
Advanced Fiction Writing
Sponsor: FF&P
Fee: $25 FF&P Members - $30 Non FF&P Members
Date: February 18–March 3, 2019
Presenter: Laura Drake.
FMI,
https://ffprwa.com.
March Online Workshops
Human Trafficking
Sponsor: Kiss of Death
Fee: $15–30
Date: March 1–29, 2019
Presenter: Elisabeth Reid.
FMI,
http://www.rwakissofdeath.org/.
World Building for All Genres
Sponsor: Kiss of Death
Fee: $15–30
Date: March 1–29, 2019
Presenter: Vicky Burkholder.
FMI,
http://www.rwakissofdeath.org/.
How to Design and Teach an Online workshop
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Online Chapter
Fee: $15–35
Date: March 4–16, 2019
Presenter: Cathy Chant.
FMI,
http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/.
Storytellers Toolkit
Sponsor: Yosemite Romance Writers
Fee: $20–25
Date: March 4–22, 2019
Presenter: Patricia Sargeant.
FMI,
https://www.yosemiteromancewriters.com/workshops.
Pain-Free Synopsis Writing
Sponsor: FF&P
Fee: $25–30
Date: March 4–28, 2019
Presenter: Sally Walker.
FMI,
https://ffprwa.com.
Beyond Fifty Shades
Sponsor: YARWA
Fee: $25 for members/$30 non-YARWA members
Date: March 4–29, 2019
Presenter: Margaret Bates.
FMI,
http://yarwa.com/workshops/.
Bookkeeping for Writers
Sponsor: Heart of Carolina Romance Writers
Fee: $20–25
Date: March 4–29, 2019
Instructor: Pepper O’Neal.
FMI,
http://www.heartofcarolina.org/calendar.
Layering as an Editing Tool
Sponsor: NEORWA
Fee: $20
Date: March 4–29, 2019
Presenter: Cassandra Carr.
FMI,
http://www.neorwa.com/online-workshops/upcoming-meetings/.
Take Your Writing Productivity to the Next Level—Writing More, Regularly and Faster
Sponsor: Southern Tier Authors of Romance
Fee: $15–30
Date: March 4–29, 2019
Presenter: Joanna Jast.
FMI,
https://starrwa.org.
Using Your Words for Effective Marketing
Sponsor: Contemporary Romance Online Chapter
Fee: $15–35
Date: March 4–29, 2019
Presenter: Deborah Magnus.
FMI,
http://contemporaryromance.org/workshops/.
Writing Sex Scenes from First Blush to Climax
Sponsor: Southern Tier Authors of Romance
Fee: $15–30
Date: March 4–29, 2019
Presenter: Jen Bokal.
FMI,
https://starrwa.org.
Bumps in the Road -- Developing Conflict in Your Story
Sponsor: Charter Oak Romance Writers
Fee: $35, CORW member; $40, nonmember
Date: March 4–30, 2019
Presenter: Kathy Otten.
FMI, http://charteroakromancewriters.com/online-classes-2019.
Self-Publishing
Sponsor: OCC/RWA
Fee: $20 OCC Members; $30 Non-Members
Date: March 11–April 5, 2019
Presenter: Rebekah Ganiere.
FMI,
http://occrwa.org/classes/.
Write Fast—Increasing Your Novel Writing Speed Through Art Journaling
Sponsor: FF&P
Fee: $25–30
Date: March 11–April 7, 2019
Presenter: Shea MacLeod.
FMI,
https://ffprwa.com.
CONTEST FORMAT: Contest Name
Sponsor (chapter name)
Fee
Deadline
Eligibility
Entry
Categories
Judges
Final Judges
Top Prize
FMI (entry form, rules, score sheet, contact, Web site info)
CONFERENCE FORMAT:
Conference Name
Sponsor (chapter name)
Location (place, city, state)
Fee
Date
Speakers [up to five individuals (authors, agents, editors, specialists, etc.), also indicate which ONE speaker is to be featured in the RWR]
Publishing Houses (house names only, no additional individual editor names)
Agencies (agency names only, no additional individual agent names)
Conference Features (workshops, multi-track, panels, appointments, critiques, awards, book fair/signing, raffles)
FMI (contact, Web site info)
WORKSHOP FORMAT (FOR INTENSIVE, HANDS-ON, SINGLE-TOPIC, OR SINGLE-SPEAKER CONFERENCES):
Workshop Name
Sponsor (chapter name)
Location (place, city, state)
Fee
Date
Presenter
Topic
Workshop Features (critiques, book fair/signing)
FMI (contact, Web site info)
ONLINE WORKSHOP FORMAT:
On-Line Workshop Name
Sponsor (chapter name)
Fee
Date
Presenter
FMI (contact, Web site info)
Deadlines are firm. Deadline for the April issue (which will include items with a contest deadline or conference date in May, June or July with an online workshop date in June) is February 1. Deadline for the May issue (which will include items with a contest deadline or conference date in June, July, or August or with an on-line workshop date in July) is March 1. Please follow the formats at the end of the website listings, not in the abbreviated RWR listings. Email submissions confirmed by reply—if no reply is received in 48 hours, please resend or follow up. No attachments please. Send to chapterevents@rwa.org. Thank you!