by Dana Grimaldi, Associate Editor
Saturday, September 22, 2018
8:00 a.m.
Writers, editors and agents gather at the North York Civic
Centre, ready for the first ever conference held by the Toronto Romance Writers. Everyone’s excited for a day of sessions, pitches and book talk! Also,
perhaps, for coffee and pastries!
9:30 a.m.
I attend my first session of the day, Worldbuilding 101 by
Vicki Essex/V.S. McGrath. It’s packed with helpful information, including
advice on setting constraints and limits on your fictional world.
10:30 a.m.
Harlequin authors Mary Sullivan, Stefanie London and Amy Ruttan lead a session on category romance. Lots of great tips for aspiring
category romance authors!
11:30 a.m.
Pitch sessions! I talk to three authors about their current
projects, all of which sound fantastic! One author promises to send me the full manuscript and I help the other two authors (whose projects aren’t targeted at the series
I acquire for, Heartwarming and Dare) decide which series would be the best fit
for their books.
12:20 p.m.
After her amazing session on Writing the
Happily Ever Afters of Under-Represented Voices, Uzma Jalaluddin is kind enough
to sign my copy of her book, Ayesha at Last!
12:30 p.m.
LUNCH!
2:00 p.m.
At the publishers spotlight, I answer questions along with other
editors and agents. It can be challenging to prepare for a panel session
because you never know what questions you’ll be asked. Writing craft questions?
Submissions questions? Questions about the business? Thank goodness I brought
notes!!!
4:00 p.m.
Author Farah Heron tells a rapt audience that using
personality tests can help create real and vivid characters—all while taming a
rogue PowerPoint presentation.
5:30 p.m.
At the reception, everyone bids on raffle baskets filled
with books, books, and more books.
Dinner is delicious, and after we’ve
eaten, the results of the Catherine contest are announced. Congrats to all the winners!!!
Molly O’Keefe gives an electrifying keynote address. Her topic? Why romance
novels are so important. Sharing stories from her own life—both funny and heartbreaking—Molly
says that she writes romance because it makes people happy. This seems like a
simple answer, but considering how important a story can be to someone going
through a tough time, I can’t think of a better reason to write happily ever
afters.
And speaking of uplifting stories, this month brings four new
Heartwarming books from four talented authors. Coming Home to You by M. K. Stelmack, Her Lawman Protector by Patricia Johns, Tennessee Vet by Carolyn McSparren and The Rancher’s Redemption by Melinda Curtis.
Do you have a favorite cheer-up book? Is there a story that helps
you feel better every time you read it? I’d love to hear your recommendations
in the comments!
—Dana Grimaldi
Dana, what a wonderful conference. And thank you for sharing with all of us. I love the photos. And I have to say, OUR Heartwarming covers are outstanding. Look at that lineup!
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend to everyone!
The conference sounds amazing, and I love the logo. I dig into all four Heartwarming books every month, and they never fail to cheer me up.
ReplyDeleteYour conference sounds wonderful. Will you have one every year? I read extensively in a lot of sub-genres and non-fiction. So it's impossible to choose one feel-good book. Like Beth, I look forward to my subscription of Heartwarming books every month.
ReplyDeleteI think the Toronto Romance Writers are hoping it'll be a yearly event. I hope so, too! :)
DeleteI’m sorry I missed what must have been an informative but fun conference. Thanks for the recap, Dana! Hooray for the October releases. I can’t think of a better title for this line than Heartwarming.
ReplyDeleteIf I need to feel better, I pick up a Heartwarming book!
ReplyDeleteWow! What an amazing conference. Since I can't attend RWA this next year, I'm looking for an alternative conference in 2019, so I'll put this one on my list. I love to read the Heartwarming books to feel better, but sometimes I need to lose myself in a quick-read book. then, I pick up one of Janet Dailey's Americana series books published by Harlequin in the seventies. They are the first romance books I ever read and never fail to make me feel better.
ReplyDeleteThat's such a nice tradition! I love re-reading old favorites, too!
DeleteI'm glad that everyone finds Heartwarming books so uplifting. I do, too! :)
ReplyDeleteThe conference sounds great, especially the one about constraints and limits on the fictional world. Sometimes I think Mad Max enters my Heartwarming world and wants to add twists that really don't work. I'm writing that author's name down and looking for her website.
ReplyDelete