NOVEMBER 2012
Fall Into Romance
November 9-11 Southwest Regional Library, Durham, NC

Friday, November 9
Fall into Romance Kickoff Party
6 - 8 p.m. - West End Wine Bar, 601 W. Main St. Durham
Mingle with other fans at the Fall Into Romance Kickoff Party. Light hors d'oevres provided, Beverages available for purchase from the bar. The event is free, but tickets are required. Tickets are available at the Southwest Regional Library (3605 Shannon Road in Durham) starting on October 8th and supplies are limited.

Saturday, November 10
Ultimate Heroes: Stand-up Guys, Real Men, and Heroes Who Make Us Go Hmm...
10:30 a.m. - Southwest Regional Library
Join New York Times bestselling and RITA-award winning author, Virgina Kantra, for a lively discussion of the qualities that make up the ultimate romance heroes. Brooding, sexy, funny, flawed, competent and confident, these are the men who keep us up at night.

Sunday, November 11
Book Signing
4 p.m. - Southwest Regional Library
Books by your favorite NC romance authors will be for sale, and the authors will be available for book signings.

MARCH 2013
Liberty States Fiction Writers Create Something Magical Conference
Workshop
Saturday, March 16
Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel, 515 Route 1 South & Gill Lane, Iselin, New Jersey 08830
4:30 Booksigning (open to the public)

MAY 2013
Washington Romance Writers
All day workshop program
Saturday, May 11, 2013
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Service Center
4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, Maryland 20814

Workshops

Deadlines permitting, I enjoy speaking to writers' and readers' groups. Some of my workshops are also available as RWA conference recordings.

"Deep POV (or, I've Got You Under My Skin)"
Deep point of view (POV) is the quickest, cheapest tool in the writer's toolbox for shoe-horning your reader into your character's skin. It is driven by your characters' experience and emotions. This workshop explains how close third person POV combines the advantages of first person POV with the versatility and wider camera lens of third person POV. Elements to consider in writing deep POV include the character's gender, education level, environment, age, career, and needs and conflicts. Using first and final drafts from Virginia Kantra's own work and examples from bestselling and RITA-nominated books, this workshop will explore when and why deep POV is effective and discuss how to write it in description, narrative, and dialogue/subtext. Special attention will be paid to formatting; techniques for switching POV within a scene; and to writing in male POV, including "Virginia's Guide to Guy-Speak."

"Developing the Romance in Your Romance Novel"
RWA National defines a romance novel as "a central love story" with "an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." To be emotionally satisfying, the romance must be true both to what the reader knows and to what the writer has to say. Good love stories are universal (tap into the readers' shared emotions and experiences) and unique (use specific, significant details that belong to the story). Using examples from bestselling authors and Virginia Kantra's own work, this workshop explores how combining universal emotion and unique detail in seven essential romance components results in love stories that are believable, memorable...and satisfying!

"Characters Inside and Out"
"It may be possible in novel-writing to present characters successfully without telling a story: but it is not possible to tell a story successfully without presenting characters." - Wilkie Collins
Using examples from Virginia Kantra's own work, popular movies, and bestselling books, this workshop will explore the elements of characters' "inside life" and "outside life,"
the story requirements for various character roles,
the layers of character from dominant impression to dominant mood,
and how to reveal character through description, action, dialogue and point of view.

"Adding Emotion, Making a Sale"
Solid writing skills don't guarantee sales. An emotionally compelling story does. Using common phrases from rejection letters (such as "I didn't care about the characters," "I just didn't love this story enough," and "The plot overshadows the romance") Virginia Kantra translates what those phrases really mean and shares practical strategies to hook readers' and editors' emotions. Lessons will discuss how to use authenticity, voice, characters, conflict, structure, deep point of view, dominant mood, dialogue, and "pay off moments" to create emotionally engaging stories.

"Voice: What Are They Talking About?"
Voice is a function of both what you have to say (story, genre, theme) and your experience (vocabulary, cadence, and world view). Because no two writers have exactly the same things to say and the same experience, each author's voice is unique. This workshop examines all of the above by looking at examples from bestselling authors with strong voices across and within subgenres. Virginia will also discuss the difference between author point of view and character point of view and share tips for developing your own voice.

"Sex, Style, and Substance: the Role of Gender in Romance"
(Last offered at Romance Writers of America National Conference 2009)
Gender roles are changing in society and romance, yet the differences between men and women still impact our genre. Using examples from her own work and best-selling authors, Virginia Kantra demonstrates how an understanding of gender can add credibility to our characterizations
and spark to our romance. This workshop will discuss gender roles from the standpoint of biology and genre fiction; meeting reader expectations and subverting stereotypes; and how male and female communication styles affect dialogue, point-of-view, conflict, and intimacy.

"Who's on Top? Intimacy, Control and Conflict"
(Last offered through Kiss of Death as a month-long on-line workshop, October 2007)
Every satisfying love story charts both character growth and the growth of a relationship. Using examples from bestselling authors, this workshop explores the tension between the character arc and the romance arc; how men and women use dialogue to seek status or establish connection; and the different ways the two sexes negotiate the struggle for the right balance of intimacy and control.

"Developing an Author/Editor Relationship" with Mary-Theresa Hussey (Luna, Silhouette Books)
RWA National Conference 2003

"Writing Ongoing Series" with Suz Brockmann and Josie Litton
RWA National Conference 2003

"Pillow Talk: Using Dialogue To Enhance Romance" with Sabrina Jeffries and Judith Stanton
RWA National Conference 2002