TARA: Tampa Area Romance Authors
Welcome to the official TARA web site. We are chapter 100 of the Romance Writers of America.
  Home Page
TARA: Tampa Area Romance Authors Meetings & Events
Important Info
Directions
Recent Events
  TARA Contest
2010 Winners
Register Online
  Join TARA
  News
  Our Members
Our Books
2009 New Releases
2010 New Releases
  Contact Us
  Site Map


Members Only
email:
password:

My Home Page
TARA Breaking News
Event Calendar
Member Roster
Photo Directory
Member Websites
ALL TARAN Books
Shared Files
Write Reward$
My Profile
My Pseudonyms
My News
My Books

Recent Meetings and Events

Meetings held from 10:00-3:00 the second Saturday of each month. More info. Upcoming Events.

2010

January

  • AM: Lori Sanders-Foley, Sandy Coburn, and Kristi Lewandowski
    "Stacking the Deck...a helping hand for characters, plots, and blank pages"

  • PM: Robenette
    "12 Sun Signs terms of description both temperament and physical appearance"
  • February

  • Nephele Tempest, the Knight Agency
  • March

  • Jeanie LeGendre
  • April

  • Morning Workshop: Everything You Need to Know about Track Changes. NYTimes bestselling author and computer whiz, C.L. Wilson will conduct a training session on the basics of using Track Changes to judge our contest, do online critiques and even do edits with a publisher. This mysterious MS Word feature will be explained! Bring a laptop if you have it...fully charged, as the room doesn’t have enough plugs for everyone.

  • Afternoon Workshop: Contest chairperson Anne-Marie Carroll and Judge’s Coordinator Julie Leto discuss the ins and outs of being the best contest judge you can—and entrant! They’ll break down the whole judging process and discuss the basics of wowing contest judges, agents and editors with your awesome opening chapter.
  • May

  • Morning Session: Julie Leto, Kathy Carmichael, and Cheryl Wilson
    Professionalism in Publishing: What It Really Means. Three multi-published authors discuss the realities of the business and what an aspiring or newly published author must do (or not do!) to be considered a professional by her peers and colleagues.

  • Afternoon Session: The Muse is a Lazy....Lady. Lorena Streeter
    How to keep creative blocks from ruining—or running—your career. Learn how to nurture the creative process and how to carry on even when creativity seems to be absent.
  • June

    Karen Hawkins, New York Times bestselling author of LOIS LANE TELLS ALL, will speak to TARA Members Only on the following topics:

  • HOW TO DEVELOP SPARKLY SECONDARY CHARACTERS:
    With one quick swipe of your editing diamond cutter, learn how to carve glittering personalities for your secondary characters and really make them SHINE!

  • CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? HOW TO STRENGTHEN (AND FIND) YOUR VOICE:
    Editors crave it, readers clamor for it, no one can define it, but a good romance writer has a really BIG one! Strengthen (and FIND) your voice with some colorful and fun group exercises.
  • The February day workshop, June day workshop and December 2010 holiday party are members only.

     

    2009

    January

  • Kathy Carmichael in the morning and Betina Krahn in the afternoon
  • February

  • PAN / Members only workshop with Joan Johnston
  • March

  • Author panel in the morning and Terri Garey in the afternoon, speaking on "Dancing On The Head of a Pen: Adapting To Changes In the Publishing Industry."
  • April

  • Judges training in the morning and Debby Mayne in the afternoon
  • May

  • Karen Rose in the morning and Martin Hafer in the afternoon
  • June

  • PAN workshop with Sue Grimshaw of Borders
  • July

  • Birds of a Feather
  • August

  • National Recap in the morning
  • September

  • Mary Lou Keller
  • Frank M. Ahearn & Elieen C. Horan
  • October

  • Rachel Hauck
  • Lee Duncan
  • November

  • TARA Members Retreat
  • December

  • TARA Holiday Party