February 20, 2022 Meeting – Story Structure Influenced by TV with Ines Johnson

Our February 20, 2022 monthly meeting will start at 1:00 P.M. with a workshop presented by author and television writer Ines Johnson on Story Structure Influenced by TV, which will be followed by our monthly business and social meeting.

Headshot of author Ines JohnsonWorkshop Description: Traditional episodic television writers are skilled in keeping viewers in their seats during commercial breaks. They’re also adept at keeping viewers talking and guessing in the seven days between each episode. Learn the tips and tricks show runners use to hold tension and attention so that you can keep readers in their seats as you write your novel or serial! Let veteran television writer, Ines Johnson teach you her twelve-point method to structure each episode of your serial, or chapter of your novel as well as techniques to tease, lead, and hook readers.

Bio: Lover of fairytales, folklore, and mythology, Ines Johnson spends her days reimagining the stories of old in a modern world. She writes books where damsels cause the distress, princesses wield swords, and moms save the world.

Ines writes books for strong women who suck at love. If you rocked out to the twisted triangle of Jem, Jericha, and Rio as a girl; if you were slayed by vampires with souls alongside Buffy; if you need your scandalous fix from Olivia Pope each week, then you’ll love her books!

Aside from being a writer, professional reader, and teacher, Ines is a very bad Buddhist. She sits in sangha each week, and while others are meditating and getting their zen on, she’s contemplating how to use the teachings to strengthen her plots and character motivations.

Ines lives outside Washington, DC with her two little sidekicks who are growing up way too fast.

January 23, 2022 Meeting – Writing The Diaspora: Create Diverse Characters with History and Depth with Adriana Herrera

Our January 23, 2022 monthly meeting will start at 1:00 P.M. with a workshop presented by author Adriana Herrera on Writing The Diaspora: Create Diverse Characters with History and Depth, which will be followed by our first monthly business and social meeting of the year.

Headshot of Adriana Herrera wearing a yellow shirt and a denim jacketWorkshop Description: In this workshop participants will gain useful some insight on their own blind spots as well perspectives to consider when they set out to write characters outside of their lived experiences. Participants will also hear about what to consider when looking to write about immigrant communities and what steps to take to execute this with sensitivity and in a manner that is respectful of the characters they aim to bring to life in their stories.

Bio: Adriana Herrera was born and raised in the Caribbean, but for the last fifteen years has let her job (and her spouse) take her all over the world. She loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her people, getting unapologetic happy endings.

When she’s not dreaming up love stories, planning logistically complex vacations with her family or hunting for discount Broadway tickets, she’s a trauma therapist in New York City, working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

Her Dreamers series has received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist and has been featured in The TODAY Show on NBC, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Library Journal and The Washington Post. Her debut, American Dreamer, was selected as one of Booklist’s Best Romance Debuts of 2019, and one of the Top 10 Romances of 2019 by Entertainment Weekly. Her third novel, American Love Story, was one of the winners in the first annual Ripped Bodice Award for Excellence in Romantic Fiction. Adriana is an outspoken advocate for diversity in romance and has written for Remezcla and Bustle about Own Voices in the genre. She’s one of the co-creators of the Queer Romance PoC Collective.

November 21, 2021 Meeting – Avengers Assemble! What the Marvel Universe Can Teach Us About Writing a Series with Corrina Lawson

Our November 21st monthly meeting will start at 1:00 P.M. with a workshop presented by author Corrina Lawson on Avengers Assemble! What the Marvel Universe Can Teach Us About Writing a Series, which will be followed by our final monthly business and social meeting of the year.

Author Corrina Lawson wearing a black and red batwoman costume and a black maskWorkshop Description: The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a sprawling storyworld of movies and television shows but, somehow, they’ve layered in incredible and consistent characterization and worldbuilding. Learn how they did it and how those lessons can apply to your series work.

Bio: Corrina Lawson is an award-winning author of over ten books, including two steampunk detectives books, a paranormal superhero series, and an alternate history series. She’s also a certified geek and can tell you how many different Captain Marvels exist. (It’s at least seven, by last count.)

October 17, 2021 Meeting – Q & A with Suleikha Snyder

Our October 17th monthly meeting will start with a Q & A with author Suleikha Snyder. The workshop will be followed by our monthly business and social meeting.

Head shot of author Suleikha Snyder looking over her shoulder at the cameraWorkshop Description: Suleikha Snyder is an author with deep experience in genre writing with indie and traditional publishing. Join us for a session that answers your most burning questions about craft (short and long form), genre (PNR and R), and all things in between.

Bio:
Suleikha Snyder is a best-selling and award-winning author of contemporary and erotic romance, whose works have been showcased in Entertainment Weekly, BuzzFeed, The Times of India, and NPR. An editor, writer, American desi and lifelong geek, she is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusivity in media of all kinds. Suleikha has lived in big cities like New York and Chicago but her true home is the internet. Visit her online at www.suleikhasnyder.com and follow her on Twitter @suleikhasnyder.

September 19, 2021 Meeting – The Pandemonium of a Pantser, Making the Manuscript out of the Madness with Lydia Stevens

Our September 19th monthly meeting will start with a workshop titled “The Pandemonium of a Pantser, Making the Manuscript out of the Madness” which will be presented by author Lydia Stevens. The workshop will be followed by a Special Meeting of the Members to vote on amendments to NERW’s Articles of Organization and our monthly business and social meeting.

Headshot of author Lydia Stevens wearing a bright blue shirt outdoors on a sunny dayWorkshop Description: The Pandemonium of a Pantser, Making the Manuscript out of the Madness is a workshop teaching about the writing style of a panster, someone who writes by the seat of their pants! With so many workshops exploring the craft of plotting, this workshop is designed to provide insight into how a writer who doesn’t plot their stories, can make sense of the story they are building on the fly. With tips on how to edit a free-written story and how to overcome pitfalls and plot-blocks, The Pandemonium of a Pantser, Making the Manuscript out of the Madness will take you on a wild ride where the destination, a finished manuscript is still the same, but with no pre-planning on how to get there!

Bio: Lydia Stevens is a full-time freelance Developmental Editor and award-winning Author. Having completed her Bachelor and Master’s Degrees in Creative Writing and English, she then pursued an internship with a literary agency, Creative Media Agency and Anthem Press, an academic press based in London.

Lydia has a passion for genre fiction-specifically fantasy and paranormal but enjoys working with a broad array of genres including romance, mystery, horror, science fiction, thriller, children’s books, YA, and speculative fiction. For nonfiction, she enjoys working on memoirs and inspirational novels. She is the Vice President of Programs of the Maine Romance Writers, The Horror Writers of Maine, The New England Horror Writers, The Fantasy Writers of Maine, Fans of Urban Fantasy Group, Fantasy Writers Forever Group, YA Fantasy Writers Group, and Urban Fantasy Writers Group, The Maine Women Authors, The Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, Sigma Alpha Pi’s, National Society of Leadership and Success, and Sigma Tau Delta’s, International English Honor Society. She’s the author of a paranormal/humor trilogy, The Ginger Davenport Escapades. She is the co-host of the writing podcast, The REDink Writers, a podcast about the craft of writing; put on by writers, for writers.

When Lydia is not working on projects in the publishing industry, she enjoys spending time in her home taking care of her two “children,” her nine-year-old son, and her 86-year-old grandmother; along with her two cats, Sherlock Holmes, and Sirius Black and the newest addition to her family, her border collie mix, Savior.

August 15, 2021 Meeting – The 45-Minute MFA with Nisha Sharma

Our August 15th monthly meeting will start with a workshop titled “The 45-Minute MFA” which will be presented by author Nisha Sharma. The workshop will be followed by our monthly business and social meeting.

Head shot of author Nisha Sharma holding a cup of cappucinoWorkshop Description: A master in fine arts degree is one of the most popular education tracks for those interested in a creative writing career. However, not everyone can commit to three years of formalized education. In this workshop, writers will learn about the major principles that are taught in an MFA program such as accessing creative writing resources, networking techniques, reading outside your genre, managing deadlines, and creating a brand. The workshop is suitable for attendees at all skill levels.

Bio: Nisha Sharma is the author of the critically acclaimed YA novel My So-Called Bollywood Life and the follow up, Radha and Jai’s Recipe for Romance. She also writes adult contemporary romances including The Singh Family trilogy and If Shakespeare Was An Aunty trilogy (launching March 2022)Her writing has been praised by NPR, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Teen Vogue, Buzzfeed, Hypable and more. Nisha credits her father for her multiple graduate degrees, and her mother for her love of Shah Rukh Khan and Jane Austen. She lives in New Jersey with her Alaskan husband, her cat Lizzie Bennett and her dog Nancy Drew. You can find her online at Nisha-sharma.com or on Twitter and Instagram @nishawrites.

July 18, 2021 Meeting – Hook ‘Em, Then Reel ‘Em In with Patricia Barletta

Our July 18th monthly meeting will start with a workshop presented by NERW’s very own Patricia Barletta: Hook ‘Em, Then Reel ‘Em In – Using Hooks to Capture and Keep Your Reader’s Attention. The workshop will be followed by our monthly business and social meeting.

Headshot of author Patricia BarlettaWorkshop Description: The first three pages of your book are the most important pages you’ll write, whether it’s to entice an agent or editor, or to have someone buy your book once it’s published. But even more important is that first sentence, because if that doesn’t interest anyone, no matter how exciting or sexy, or how much the rest of your story pulls at heart strings, no one will read it. We’re going to look at how to hook those readers and keep them reading, from opening sentence to succeeding scenes and chapters.

Bio: Patricia Barletta is a multi-published, award-winning author of historical and paranormal romance fiction with an MFA under her belt. She’s finishing up her paranormal historical romance series, THE AURIANO CURSE, this fall with the release of Book 4, MOON GOLD. After that, she’ll be writing historical time-travel romances for Dragonblade Publishing.

Notice of Special Meeting of the Members – June 30, 2021 at 7:00 P.M.

By unanimous written consent, NERW’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) voted today pursuant to Section 6.1.2 of NERW’s Amended and Restated Corporate Bylaws to hold a Special Meeting of the Members at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 (via Zoom). The purpose and agenda for this Special Meeting will be for the membership of NERW to vote on proposed amendments to NERW’s bylaws and articles of organization. Eligible members may vote live at the Special Meeting or may vote by providing their completed proxy form to a member attending the meeting. Members eligible to vote at the Special Meeting are all General members of NERW, as of the record date of June 30, 2021. Proxy forms must be received on or before Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at 5:00 P.M. Proxies may be revoked at or before the Special Meeting if a General member wishes to vote live.

If you are a General member of NERW and you wish to vote by proxy, the proxy form and instructions have been emailed to members who have joined NERW’s email forum and were also posted to NERW’s private member Facebook group.

If you wish to attend the Special Meeting, Zoom information has been posted to NERW’s email forum and private member Facebook group, or you may contact NERW’s President via the Contact Form. You may also use the Contact Form to contact us with any questions or concerns.

CANCELED DUE TO (GOOD) WEATHER [June 13, 2021 Meeting]

Because so many of NERW’s members have indicated they will be away this coming weekend, and because we have been unable to source a speaker for our June 2021 meeting (likely for the same reason), NERW’s Board of Directors has decided to cancel our June meeting, originally scheduled for June 13, 2021. We will let you know the topic for our meeting on July 18th in the next few weeks, so stay tuned!

The Board hopes you all have a wonderful, relaxing and/or fun weekend! We look forward to seeing you in July.

Alexa Rowan, President
Pat Barletta, Treasurer
Katy Kingston, Secretary
Rachel Madbury, Director-at-Large

May 16, 2021 Meeting – Nice Girl’s Guide to Conflict with Sally Kilpatrick

Our May 16th monthly meeting will start with a workshop presented by author Sally Kilpatrick on Nice Girl’s Guide to Conflict, which will be followed by our monthly business and social meeting.

Headshot of author Sally KilpatrickWorkshop Description: Do your manuscripts get comments like “your story is too quiet” or “you have too much external conflict”? Do you find it hard to put your characters in sticky situations? Sally Kilpatrick relays her own journey to creating conflict even when, in real life, she prefers to run away. Starting with the tried and true concept of GMC, she’ll expand upon the concept and guide you through adding internal conflict and other strategies for making sure that your story has layers.

Bio: Sally Kilpatrick is the USA Today bestselling author of six novels. She has won multiple awards, including the 2018 and 2019 Georgia Author of the Year, the Maggie Award of Excellence, the Booksellers’ Best, and the 2016 Nancy Knight Mentorship Award. She lives in Marietta, Georgia with her husband, two kids, and two cats. You can find her at sallykilpatrick.com or on Twitter as @superwritermom.