WisRWA Calendar
Meeting Times
2017
11:30 - 3:00; 1951 West Restaurant,1951 Bond St, Green Bay
Covers and Conference Review, by Lily Silver: A book cover is the first thing your reader sees. It makes them either pick up your book to read more or pass it by for another. Lily will share design insights on what works and what doesn’t work on book covers. Challenge for those attending: bring an example of a book cover you absolutely hate!
2017
10:00-12:30; 29 Pines at Sleep Inn & Suites, Eau Claire
The Cure for Writers' Block: It’s something we all suffer with from time to time. Writer’s block! And we all have our own way of overcoming it, or maybe some of us don’t yet. So join us on the 10th and share your method for beating that bully, or learn a new one from someone else!
2017
9:00 - 12:00; Terrace Room at the Jefferson Street Inn, 201 Jefferson Street, Wausau
Exploring the Creative Process. Guest speaker Roxanne Rustand will share her routine of creating a story in an interactive program that will give each author a chance to explore and perhaps expand and enrich their own Creative Process.
2017
9:00-11:30 am at Mayfair Mall (Garden Suites Community Room, Lower Level)
Book Launch Parties and Other Marketing Roll Out Tips: Barbara Britton and Mia Jo Celeste have both launched books this year. They will share what they have learned about events both virtual and actual.
2017
11:30 - 3:00; 1951 West Restaurant,1951 Bond St, Green Bay
Stacey Joy Netzel will walk members through creating a rough outline for a book before starting the first draft using the craft book Romancing the Beat, Story Structure for Romance Novels, by Gwen Hayes. She will use one of her recent books as an example, and give members time to create an outline for their own book.
2017
10:00-12:30; 29 Pines at Sleep Inn & Suites, Eau Claire
Brainstorming: Have you ever sat at your computer and stared at the blank screen (or blank paper, if you’re old school), your head empty of any kind of idea of what to write next? Of course you have, we all have! Come join us as we brainstorm how best to brainstorm.
2017
10:00-12:30; Please contact area contact, Jane Yunker (jane.yunker@gmail.com) for the location
Join the Chippewa Falls WisRWA group for our annual potluck meeting when we plan our 2017-2018 schedule and celebrate all-around fun. Let us know if you plan on joining us so we can get a head-count on food. Bring a dish to pass, ideas for the coming year, and a desire to have a good time.
WisRWA Newsletter
Categories
Love Scenes
Milwaukee Area February Meeting – Love Scenes with Laura Zats
Join the Milwaukee area as they welcome literary agent Laura Zats of Red Sofa Literary. Laura will give live critiques of love scenes. Not a WisRWA member, but interested in seeing what we’re about? You’re invited to join us too. See all the details below.
Speak up:
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Love Scenes, meeting, Milwaukee Area, Romance, Romance Writing, WisRWAWriting Sexy Love Scenes: September in Green Bay
Are you wondering what the Greater Green Bay group is up to? Well, on September 7th at 11:30 a.m., at the 1951 Restaurant, the talented Randi Alexander is coming to town to help us learn to write steamy love scenes. Randi is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and she’s chosen to spend her valuable time with us! We couldn’t be more thrilled.
Here’s a little interview I did with Randi to get to know her better and to gain a little insight from her.
Q: What or who inspired you to write steamy romances?
A: I’ve always loved reading romance, since I was a teenager, and I soon realized I enjoyed the spicier books more than the ones with the closed bedroom doors. Writing books with a number and variety of love scenes – to me – is telling the whole story of a romantic relationship. What happens between the sheets gives us insight into our characters, sometimes in a way that non-love scenes can’t.
Q: Do you have any unusual writing rituals?
A: I do. I pull my hair up into a bun, put on comfortable clothes (usually a muu muu) then I have a snack before I start writing. Oh, and the room has to be very quiet.
Q: What for you constitutes ‘sexy?’
A: Sexy is not just a running description of what part he has where, what thing she’s doing to him, etc. Its scenes written with emotion that reveal our characters’ deepest feelings, scenes with lovingly detailed description of the physical connection between our characters, and long, sweet afterglow scenes where so much can go right…and wrong!
Q: Who is your favorite character from one of your stories and why?
A: I’m having a lingering girl-crush on the last character I wrote. In Saddle and a Siren (an August 11 release in Sable Hunter’s Hell Yeah! Kindle World) I made Kally Zappa a strong, competent rancher who cusses, handles 2,500 bulls, but is still sweet and funny enough to attract the undivided attention of Paramedic Clint Black. I began the story with this independent, capable woman finding herself vulnerable and in dire need of rescue, and made her first-responder fall crazy-in-love with every contradictory inch of her.
Q: What advice would you like to share with new writers?
A:
- Know the rules. Learn grammar, punctuation, point of view, tenses, etc. before you write a whole book. Once you’re comfortable with the rules, you can focus on the story without having to worry about the basics.
- A mentor – whether it’s a well-seasoned writer or a critique group or a RWA chapter. You don’t have to do it alone, and your writing will benefit so much from the input of those who have done it all before.
- Professionals to make your manuscript shine. I strongly suggest that my mentees publish through a reputable small press so they learn how the process works. Everything from editing to cover art to marketing, a small press is dedicated to helping you succeed. Where you go after that is your choice, but you’ll be equipped with the tools you need to publish professionally presented stories.
More About the Program – Writing Sexy Love Scenes with Randi Alexander
Keep your readers engrossed in your stories by creating love scenes that are romantic, emotional, and sensually descriptive. In this interactive, hands-on workshop, we will focus on: 1) building sexual tension throughout your book, 2) producing physical love scenes and climaxes that are emotional, unique, and unforgettable, and 3) ways to give your readers the impact they crave during the quiet moments of afterglow snuggling. You’ll learn to ask yourself two easy questions as you write, and the answers to these questions will make every scene emotionally gripping, sensually gratifying, or both!
More About Randi
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Randi Alexander knows a modern woman dreams of an alpha cowboy who takes the reins, and guarantees they’re rode hard and put up satisfied. Published with Cleis Press, The Wild Rose Press, and self-published, Randi writes smokin’ hot romance with heroes who’ll have you begging to ride off into the sunset with them. When she’s not dreaming of, or writing about, rugged cowboys, Randi is biking trails along remote rivers, snorkeling the Gulf of Mexico, or practicing her drumming in hopes of someday forming a tropical rock-band.
Forever an adventurous spirit with a naughty imagination, Randi is also family-oriented and married to the best guy in the world, her own cowboy, Kick. Give in to the allure of erotic passion, strong but vulnerable heroines, and irresistibly seductive cowboys, as Randi’s emotional love stories sweep you off your feet and leave you breathless with passion.
Saddle up! And prepare yourself for the sexier side of happily ever after.
Randi Alexander loves to connect with her readers! Say “Howdy” on Twitter, sign up for her newsletter at her website RandiAlexander.com, and fall head over spurs for her cowboys on Facebook.
We can’t wait for Randi’s workshop!
Wednesday, September 7th, 11:30am
at 1951 Restaurant in Green Bay
For more information, contact Green Bay area coordinator Val Clarizio (valclarizio @ yahoo.com).
by WisRWA member Val Clarizio