Los Angeles Romance Authors

Promoting Excellence in Romantic Fiction

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Welcome Romance Writers!

 

We look forward to meeting you!

LARA RWA meetings are held via Zoom until we are cleared by the State of California for group gatherings. All info here.

Visitors and Guests: your first meeting is free!

LARA Mission Statement


The purpose of LARA is to promote excellence in romantic fiction, to help our writers enhance their knowledge and establish career goals, and to provide continuing support and encouragement for our members through all levels of their careers.

Upcoming Meetings

Fee (Members): $40 In Person and $20 Virtual

Fee (Non-Members): $60 In Person and $30 Virtual

BOTH options include our "famous" Virtual Goody Bag valued at over $300! "In Person" fee includes parking, hospitality throughout the day, access to high-speed WiFi, and access to ALL virtual presentations.

CLICK to sign-up for our 2024 September Mini-Con!

 

CURRENT Schedule* (all times are Pacific Daylight Time)

Time On Site (Santa Clarita) Virtual (Zoom)
8:30 Morning Hospitality
Continental Breakfast
:45 Zoom Opens
9:00 Welcome & Opening Remarks Welcome & Opening Remarks

9:15 - 

Session 1

Speaker: Rebecca Forster
Topic: Ratcheting Up Tension
Speaker: TBD
Topic: TBD
10:45 MORNING BREAK
Tea & Scones
MORNING BREAK
11:00 - Session 2 Speaker: Jennifer Graybeal
Topic: Archetype Subversion Tactics
Speaker: Tracee Garner
Topic: 7 Steps to Publishing
12:30

LUNCH BREAK
Taco Bar: Meat & Veggie Options
Mojito Mocktails

LUNCH BREAK
1:30 - Session 3 Speaker: TBD
Topic: TBD
Speaker: TBD
Topic: TBD
2:45 AFTERNOON BREAK AFTERNOON BREAK
3:15 - Session 4 Speaker: Jenna Moreci
Topic: AuthorTube
Speaker: Jenna Moreci
Topic: AuthorTube
4:45 End of On-Site Track END OF VIRTUAL TRACK
Clean-Up & Close Up

 

*Subject to change.

 

CLICK to sign-up for our 2024 September Mini-Con!

October 20, 2024

Pre-Meeting: TBD

Speaker: Kim Hudson

Topic: Power and the Feminine Perspective

Description coming soon! For now: Workshop will draw on The Virgin’s Promise structure and my new book, The Bridge, that provides a framework for crossing the distance between masculine and feminine ways of seeing the world.  

Learn more about Kim here: https://www.storyarchetypes.com/

 

 

November 17, 2024

Pre-Meeting: TBD

Topic: Partnering with a Local Booksore

More information (including the location) coming soon!

 

December 15, 2024

Debut Author Panel & End of Year Party

More information (including the location) coming soon!

 

January 21, 2024

Pre-Meeting: Meet & Greet, Board Meeting

Speaker: Sheila Redling and Tobi Doyle

Topic: Character-Driven Revisions

Join Sheila Redling and Tobi Doyle as we discuss how your characters’ emotional wounds drive your plot, hook your readers, and make your book a page-turner. Fix that saggy middle! They’ll help you create characters that stick with your reader! An overview of the whole story is addressed as well as scene-by-scene revisions.

What Attendees Will Learn: Using the character’s emotional wounds to revise your manuscript and focus on how the very real emotional connection between reader and character is created.

February 18, 2024

Pre-Meeting:  LARA Board Meeting

Speaker: Jessica Lepe, Meet Cute Creative

Topic: Mastering Your Author Website: the 10 Essentials Every Author Website Needs

Your author website is your #1 marketing tool. If social media were to disappear overnight, would you still be able to reach your readers-and more importantly, future readers? If you don’t have a well-designed and effective author website, you are neglecting one of the easiest and most impactful selling tools.

In this workshop, we will explore the best options for hosting and designing your website before shifting into the critical things every author website needs. We will then look at some authors who are doing it right with their websites, exploring how their website reflects their brand and helps sell their books for them.

This is the perfect session for new authors looking to set up their brand online and more seasoned authors needing a refresher on all the tools and resources out there. All participants will leave with a handout summarizing the session, along with a list of free resources to explore.

 Website: https://meetcutecreative.com/

 

March 17, 2024

Pre-Meeting: LARA Board Meeting
Speaker: Laurie Schnebly
Topic: From Revision Hell To Editing Heaven

Every writer knows about Revision Hell. But the chance to re(en)vision any concept that's attracted attention can be a wonderful opportunity. This class covers the psychological and practical aspects of revision: when to do it, why (and why not) to do it, how to make the process easier, and -- most important of all -- how to know when you're finished.

Learn more about Laurie here: https://booklaurie.com/

 

 

 

April 14, 2024

Pre-Meeting: Quick Win Workshop: Planning a year of newsletter content (with template)

Speaker: Aime Austin

Topic: Spice Up Your Romance: Adding a Touch of Thriller to Keep Readers Turning the Pages

Thriller author Aime Austin will provide some tips and tricks to adding thriller elements to romance that will keep readers turning the pages.

Website: https://aimeaustin.com/

 

May 19, 2024

Pre-Meeting: Board Meeting

Speaker: Ara Grigorian

Topic: Developing the Story Concept Your Readers Want

Tens of thousands of new books are released every week. How will your shiny new book stand out? Will your story concept catch the attention of the right readers? With these odds, it has never been more important to understand genre conventions and audience expectations. Armed with the right information, you can develop a concept that both you and your readers will love.

Knowing what is expected by your audience will simplify and accelerate the story/series development process, the writing process, and the publication process. The end result is a book written specifically for your audience. In this session, you will learn practical ways to develop a concept that’s true to you and true to your audience.

Find out more about Ara on his website: https://t.co/OAXeMt8p3G

 

June 23, 2024


Pre-Meeting:
LARA 30-Day Novel Check-In

Speaker: Jackie Cangro, MFA

Topic: Unlock Your Novel's Inciting Incident

Dive into the heart of storytelling as we explore the crucial scene that propels your narrative forward—the inciting incident. "Unlock Your Novel’s Inciting Incident" is a class designed to empower you to craft compelling narratives by identifying and harnessing the pivotal moment that kickstarts your story. The inciting incident moves your protagonist toward achieving their goal. It's a gateway scene for your protagonist and serves as a catalyst for them to begin their journey.

Website: https://jacquelincangro.com/

 

July 21, 2024

Pre-Meeting: Quick Win Workshop: Creating a Book Media Kit

Speaker: Eden Bradley, New York Times & USA Today Best Selling Author

Topic: Let It Go: A Discussion About Imposter Syndrome

In this one hour workshop Eden will be discussing Imposter Syndrome,
something nearly all of us will experience at some point in our careers, and
many of us every day. Learn how various aspects of our lives can trigger
this all-too common sense of inadequacy, why community is so important
in helping us to survive being a writer, and how to cope with the inevitable
bouts of Imposter Syndrome, aside from consuming copious amounts of
wine and chocolate.

Find out more about Eden: https://edenbradley.com/

 

August 18, 2024

Pre-Meeting: Quick Win Workshop: Author Signing Checklist

Speaker: Holly Darling

Topic: Create A Thriving List With Automation

Website: https://hollydarlinghq.com/

Holly will teach you the basics of building a welcome sequence that helps you sell more books, reduce unsubscribes and lift your list's overall metrics.

Inside this workshop, you will learn:

                    • What to put inside your welcoming emails.
                    • How to build a double opt-in.
                    • How to use automation to customize the reader's experience.
                    • How to use a welcome sequence to increase deliverability.