Our March, 2025 monthly meeting will start at 1:00 P.M. with a workshop titled “Writing Distinctive Voices in First Person with Dual POV,” presented by Penny Reid, which will be followed by our general business and social meeting. Not a NERW member but want to attend the workshop? Join NERW now and receive access to our monthly workshops, private email forum, and Facebook group!    Workshop Description:  An approach to writing distinctive dual points of view in first person. Penny will review what factors she take into consideration when developing her characters before, during, and after the preliminary draft.

Bio:  Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. Penny also manages the #OwnVoices-focused mentorship incubator / publishing imprint, Smartypants Romance.

Our March, 2025 monthly meeting will start at 1:00 P.M. with a workshop titled “Preventing Your Lane from Becoming Rut,” presented by Beth Bolden, which will be followed by our general business and social meeting. Not a NERW member but want to attend the workshop? Join NERW now and receive access to our monthly workshops, private email forum, and Facebook group!    Workshop Description: Conventional advice over the last few years has been to stay in your proscribed “lane” AKA your brand when it comes to books, tone, tropes and so much more. But what happens when we can’t stay in our lane anymore? How do we widen our lane without losing readers? How can we strategically widen the lane without taking too much risk? Beth will discuss learning to comfortably and confidently move around in your lane and more.

Bio:A lifelong Oregonian, Beth Bolden recently moved to North Carolina with her supportive husband and their sweet kitten, Earl Grey. Beth still believes in Keeping Portland Weird, and intends to be just as weird in Raleigh. Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasn’t a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She’s published forty-five novels and ten novellas.

Our February, 2025 monthly meeting will start at 1:00 P.M. with a workshop titled “Who ARE All These People? Secondary Characters in Romance,” presented by Jenifer Safrey, which will be followed by our general business and social meeting. Not a NERW member but want to attend the workshop? Join NERW now and receive access to our monthly workshops, private email forum, and Facebook group!    Workshop Description: We’re falling in love with the main characters, so why do we need secondary characters in romance? What roles do they play? What are the do’s and don’ts of secondary characters? Author Jennifer Safrey discusses how to use secondary characters in a story where the main focus is on the main characters’ relationship.

Bio: Jennifer Safrey is the author of five traditionally published romances. Her new book, After Happily Ever: An Epic Novel of Midlife Rebellion, will be a June 2025 release. She lives just south of Boston.

Our January, 2025 monthly meeting will start at 1:00 P.M. with a Ouworkshop titled “Branding for Authors: A Workshop to Grow Your Author Brand,” presented by Kelly Utt, which will be followed by our general business and social meeting. Not a NERW member but want to attend the workshop? Join NERW now and receive access to our monthly workshops, private email forum, and Facebook group!    Workshop Description:Learn how to create a strong, memorable brand that will resonate with readers and set you apart in the crowded author market. This workshop covers the essentials of building your author brand—from defining your mission and story to crafting a visual identity and strategic marketing plan. You’ll leave with actionable strategies to boost your visibility, build a loyal reader base, and stand out as an author. What You’ll Learn: How to define and refine your author brand Creating a consistent and professional brand identity Effective strategies for marketing your books and engaging readers How to make your brand resonate with your target audience Join us for this focused session and start building a brand that helps your books get noticed and grow your readership.

Bio: Kelly Utt is a creative strategist, author of over 25 books, and the founder of Blum Creative. With a background in psychology and interactive media, Kelly specializes in helping authors and small businesses elevate their brands through strategic storytelling, design, and marketing. Drawing from her experience as both a business consultant and novelist, she offers a unique, hands-on approach that combines creative vision with business strategy. Kelly’s passion for storytelling and brand development drives her to help clients create memorable brands that resonate and grow. She is based in Nashville, Tennessee.

Our October, 2024 monthly meeting will start at 1:00 P.M. with a workshop on transforming your author website, presented by Nate Hoffhelder, which will be followed by our general business and social meeting. Not a NERW member but want to attend the workshop? Join NERW now and receive access to our monthly workshops, private email forum, and Facebook group!    Workshop Description: An author’s website is their online office and storefront, but it doesn’t have to be a stodgy one. In this session, you will learn how, with just a little work, you can rapidly transform your author website from blah to boss. A good website doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars; your site can be as simple as a single page and still present a professional face to reviewers and help you connect with fans. It all starts with knowing what you want to do, and why. Note: This session will have time for a Q&A, so please bring your questions.

Bio: Nate has been helping people fix broken tech since 2010. He turns broken down WordPress sites into sites which convert visitors into superfans, also builds sites from scratch, and helps authors with their social media and newsletters. When he’s not working with authors, Nate volunteers on the board of the Florida Writers Foundation and with several SF cons. When he is not volunteering, he writes bad jokes on Twitter and creates memes and graphics. In his spare time, Nate hand-raises budgies and maintains three Little Free Libraries.

Our September, 2024 monthly meeting will start at 1:00 P.M. with a workshop entitled “AI Presentation” presented by Neil Plakcy, which will be followed by our general business and social meeting. Not a NERW member but want to attend the workshop? Join NERW now and receive access to our monthly workshops, private email forum, and Facebook group!    Workshop Description: The field of artificial intelligence is changing dramatically almost from week to week as new tools are released and new concerns arise. How can writers benefit from these tools while maintaining integrity and staying within boundaries established by vendors and promo organizers?

Award-winning author Neil Plakcy will identify three ways authors can use these new tools to help create, edit and market manuscripts while retaining your own voice. He’ll demonstrate how you can overcome writer’s block and streamline your idea generation process – useful for both pantsers and plotters. Once you have a finished draft of your story, chapter or complete manuscript, AI tools can act as a junior editor, pointing out areas where you can improve plotting, pacing, character development, description and more. One of the hardest tasks for an author is writing marketing materials, whether for an agent, editor, or Amazon description. AI tools understand tropes and the kind of marketing language we’re often reluctant to use on our own work. You can create the outline or summary an agent or editor requests, or generate pithy descriptions that will help your books move off the real or virtual shelves. Even if you’re familiar with AI tools, Plakcy’s presentation can help you find new ways to use them to maximize your creative output. Bio: Neil Plakcy is the author of over 60 novels in mystery, romance and adventure. Former president of the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America, he recently retired after 20 years as a professor of English at Broward College in South Florida. His background in technology helped him innovate online teaching there, and he continues his integration of writing and technology with a new passion for how artificial intelligence can help writers be more productive. His website is www.mahubooks.com.

Workshop Description: These cornerstones of storytelling are the foundation for page-turning fiction that readers love. With story and character goals on the page, with strong motivation for every decision, conflict will be clear and will demand a powerful resolution. GMC is often discussed in terms of story, or plot in the larger context of fiction. This is not what you’ll hear from me. In this webinar we’ll discuss GMC in scenes and sequels…the small blocks of prose that move your story and take your reader to its conclusion. In romance, that’s a happy ending. In this webinar I’ll explain the practical side of GMC theory:

1. How to put GMC in every scene you write
2. How to avoid reader boredom and keep them engaged
3. The nuts and bolts of page-turning fiction

THINK SMALL STEPS THROUGH YOUR STORY TO THE END Command of these elements can help you find readers who will put you on their auto-buy list. If you’re submitting to agents or traditional houses, they’ll be more likely sit up and take notice. Bio: Bonnie Edwards has been writing all her life, starting with a poem about Santa suffering with gout. She was seven, Santa was a thousandteen years old. Delighted with writing, she went on to write family sagas, humorous contemporary romance, romantic suspense, erotic paranormal ghost romances and more. She may jump around within romance, but all her stories come with a tear, a laugh, and a happy ending. Published by Kensington Books, Harlequin Books, Carina Press, and Robinson (UK) Bonnie’s stories stretch from short stories to novellas and novels. Now, she’s happy to be publishing her work herself. With 40+ titles to her credit, she has been translated into several languages and sold books worldwide. Aside from standalone romances, she has romance series that include Christmas romances and beach reads. Contemporary family sagas find a home in Return to Welcome set in a fictional town. Learn about more exciting releases and get a free romance by subscribing to her newsletter, Bonnie’s Newsy Bits

Workshop Description: “Feeling Extra Crispy? When Writers Burn Out” will help authors navigate the challenges of creative burnout. Discover practical strategies for renewing inspiration, from mindfulness techniques to playful writing exercises. Engage in a supportive environment where you can share experiences and learn from fellow writers. Leave with actionable tips on setting realistic goals and maintaining a healthy, creative rhythm. This workshop isn’t just a session; it’s the beginning of your journey back to joyful and productive writing. No sales pitches, just genuine support and guidance tailored for writers by a writer who’s been there. Bio: Liz has been concocting stories as long as she can remember, and from the beginning they involved two people falling in love. When she’s not writing, she spends her time hanging out with her family, cheering on the US and pro women’s soccer leagues, embroidering sassy sayings, and drinking too much Diet Coke. And of course, reading romance. She lives in Milwaukee, WI, with her husband, two kids, three cats, and a turtle.

Workshop Description: If you want the reader to be turning the pages as fast as they can, you need a compelling plot. You might think a compelling plot is one filled with car chases and gun fights and a lot of action. The truth is, what keeps readers glued to your book, is an emotional connection with the character. But how exactly do you create that? Join New York Times bestselling author Shirley Jump, who has published 85 books in 24 countries, for this workshop on how to take your book to the next level with a page-turning plot! Bio: New York Times bestselling author Shirley Jump didn’t have the willpower to diet nor the talent to master under-eye concealer, so she bowed out of a career in television and opted instead for a career where she could be paid to eat at her desk–writing. She turned to the world of romance novels, where messes are (usually) cleaned up before The End and no one is calling anyone a doodoo head. In the worlds Shirley gets to create and control, children listen to their parents, husbands always remember holidays and housework is magically done by elves. Though she’s thrilled to see her books in stores around the world, Shirley mostly writes because it gives her an excuse to avoid cleaning the toilets and helps feed her shoe habit.