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
- September 21, 2025
- October 19, 2025
- November 16, 2025
- December 15, 2024
- January 19, 2025
- February 16, 2025
- March 16, 2025
- April 20, 2025
- May 18, 2025
- June 8, 2025
- July 20, 2025
- August 17, 2025
September 21, 2025
Pre-Meeting: Virtual Check-In
Speaker: LARA Board
Topic: Updates & Election; Open Forum
February 16, 2025
Pre-Meeting: Meet & Greet, Board Meeting
Speaker: Sheila Redling and Tobi Doyle
Topic: Corralling your Characters
Are your side characters running amok? Have they taken over the storyline like a bunch of sugared-up second graders? Is your main character frozen in place, refusing to do your bidding? Or worse, have they become boring? Sheila and Tobi will help you regain control of your narrative and get your characters back into place by figuring out roles, motivations, and goals. Mary Sues must die!
Find out more about IGW here: StoryMagicCards.com and AskIGW.com
March 16, 2025
Pre-Meeting: LARA Board Meeting
Speaker: Dr. Christina E. Stephens
Topic: Empowering Authors Today
Unlock success through words and creativity in a competitive marketplace.
Biography:
Dr. Christina E. Stephens has been a leader in the strategic growth of companies for over 20 years. Her experience working for international organizations such as Darden Restaurants, Walt Disney World Resort, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, and Marriott International laid the foundations of a skillset which has equipped her to help businesses of all sizes and from all industries around the world. Dr. Stephens has earned her dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Management of Information Systems and Business Management with a specialty in Hospitality. She also has a Master of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communication and recently completed her Doctor of Philosophy in Digital and Strategic Communication with a focus on Organizational Communication. Christina is also a published author of a children’s book titled “Up the Forest Stream – Achievement-Based Conversations.” Her key industry skills are Team and Talent Development, Leadership, Finance and Budgeting, International Hospitality Operations, and Brand Strategy.
Find out more about Dr. Stephens:
- Website: www.teragramvisions.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-stephens007/
June 8, 2025
Pre-Meeting: Quick Win Workshop
Speaker: Judi Fennell
Topic: Look Who’s Talking
Characterization and Point of View go together like peanut butter and chocolate—bet you thought I was going to say peanut butter and jelly, but chocolate is better than jelly any day. It’s sharing those little details about your characters that bring them to life for your readers, as is the way they think and speak and act.
In this workshop, we’ll explore how well you know your characters and how much you should share with your readers, as well as how you share it. We’ll talk about point of view and deep point of view. We’ll talk about what they should and shouldn’t narrate—and how they should and shouldn’t narrate it. We’ll talk about what they can and can’t know. We’ll talk about how to build conflict from personality types and we’ll talk about when to info-dump and when not to.
Basically, we’ll talk. Just like your characters will then be able to, to each other and to your readers.
August 17, 2025
Pre-Meeting: Quick Win Workshop
Speaker: Beth Atwater
Topic: Romance in Libraries. What now?
Wondering how to get your book into library patrons’ hands? This workshop will review the road from publisher to libraries for both print and digital materials. There will also be a FAQ handout and ample time to ask how libraries make decisions about which books to purchase.
Beth Atwater is a lifelong romance reader and an award-winning librarian who specializes in Collection Development (or buying books). When she's not spending tax money on library books, she can be found teaching continuing education classes, reading, or binge-watching just about any series with a central romance.
