romance

Monthly Meeting--Saturday, August 2, 2014: Insights and Tips on Writing Your First Novel from Author Mara W. Cohen

Monthly Meeting--Saturday, August 2, 2014

The Frisco Room at The Library Station, 2535 N. Kansas Expressway, Springfield, MO

Critique group at 10:00 a. m. followed by lunch at Panera and our speaker at 1:00 p.m.

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Author Mara W. Cohen will give us insight and tips on writing your first novel at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 1, 2014, at The Library Station in Springfield, Missouri.

Mara teaches in the English Department at Missouri State University.

With degrees from both Columbia University (NYC) and Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA), she is working on her doctorate at The Spertus Institute of Jewish Leadership and Learning in Chicago.

In addition to writing historical fiction about the Jews of Greece, she the co-director of the Telling Traditions Project, which has a mission to preserve the history of the Jews of the Ozarks and does research on American haggadot.

Along with this first novel, her first documentary "Home, Community, Tradition:The Women of Temple Israel," about the Jewish women of Springfield, MO, is available from the project.

Very concerned about preserving Jewish history, Ms. Cohen has just completed, with M. Rachel Gholson, "Jews of Springfield in the Ozarks" published by Arcadia Press.

A world traveler, she loves meeting her fans, so consider inviting her to your community.

FIND MARA W. COHEN ONLINE: http://english.missouristate.edu/MaraIoannides.aspx https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mara-W-Cohen-Ioannides-author-page/114047885299978 http://www.amazon.com/Mara-W.-Cohen-Ioannides/e/B001JSD266

2011 Missouri Writers' Conference Listed in The Shaw Guides

Ozarks Romance Authors' 2011 Conference is listed on the Shaw Guides web site.Our 2011 writers' conference is listed in The Shaw Guides: The Guide to Writers Conferences & Workshops.

Ozarks Romance Authors

Website: http://www.ozarks-romance-authors.com Year Established: 1987 Program Description: Fiction writers conference that includes lectures, panel & group discussions, pitch sessions, Q&A. Number of Programs/Year: 1 Program Length: 1 day Group Size or S:T Ratio: ~75 Program Focus: Fiction, Humor, Mystery, Publishing, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult Faculty 2011: Literary agent Louise Fury; editor Lia Brown (Avalon Books); novelists Leigh Michaels, Shannon Vannatter, Shannon Butcher, Eliza Lloyd. Costs: $65 (early bird $60). U.S. Locations: Springfield, Missouri

Months: July Contact: Jill Slack, President Ozarks Romance Authors Springfield, MO 65802 United States Phone: 417-597-4716 E-Mail: ozarksromanceauthors@gmail.com

About ShawGuides Established in 1988 as a publisher of comprehensive worldwide guides to educational travel and creative career programs, ShawGuides has offered free online access to the unabridged, continually updated content of each guide since 1995.

You can search our updated database of career and recreational cooking schools, wine courses, golf & tennis schools & camps, high performance programs, writers conferences, photography, film & video workshops & schools, art & craft workshops, language vacations, cultural travel programs, and artists' and writers' residencies & retreats.

ShawGuides are recommended by many national and international publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Business Week, Fortune, U.S. News & World Report, and USA Today.

Clarion car stereo speakers = Clarion Hotel Conference Center?

This is kind of funny!

It looks like someone has a blog set up to pull its content automatically from other sources on the web. The blog is about car stereo equipment. It picked up on the fact that our July 23 writers' conference will be held at The Clarion in Springfield, Missouri, and posted information about us.

Clarion Hotel = Clarion stereo speakers?

Apparently they found us through the news story on the Joplin, Missouri-based web site JoplinIndependent.com, so this stereo speaker site linked to that article.

If you're looking for Clarion speakers for your car stereo, we can't help you. However, if you are an aspiring author, we would love to meet you and see how our members, our critique group, and our monthly meetings with fabulous speakers can help you work toward your publishing dreams.

For information about our annual Missouri writers' conference scheduled for July 23, 2011, in Springfield, click HERE.

If you'd like to find out about our monthly critique group and meeting, click HERE. Clarion car stereo blog links to Ozarks Romance Authors conference being held at The Clarion in Springfield, Missouri. Clarion car speaker blog links to Ozarks Romance Authors' Missouri writers' conference at The Clarion Hotel.

Barnes & Noble, Brangelina, Game Stop, and Ozarks Romance Authors -- Oh, my!

Hi, future attendees of Ozarks Romance Authors' annual conference, which will be held in Springfield, Missouri, on July 23, 2011. (Sorry! I got the year wrong in the video.)

I wanted to show you something interesting. We're going to have a little quiz later.

Click to watch the short video at the top of this page and you will drive around with me (Jill, 2010-2011 president of Ozarks Romance Authors) in a parking lot on the southwest corner of East Battlefield and South Glenstone in Springfield, Missouri.

You'll see several buildings in the same, large parking lot.

There is a small building with a Game Stop store in the north end and an AT&T Wireless store in the south side. Behind this Game Stop building is the only Barnes & Noble store in Springfield.

Here is the quiz: What could the Game Stop building possibly have in common with this Barnes & Noble, which is where we're going to have the booksigning for our speakers the evening before our annual fiction writers' conference?

The booksigning will be here at Barnes & Noble, within walking distance of The Clarion Hotel, which is where our conference is taking place. The booksigning will be Friday, July 22, which is the night before our conference, from 4:00 - 6:00, here in this large, lovely Barnes & Noble store.

Are you curious about what this Barnes & Noble might have in common with the little Game Stop building?

I'll give you two hints. The clues about what they have in common are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Yes, Brangelina.

Does that make you even more curious?

By the way, be sure to plan on attending our:

* Booksigning Friday, July 22, here at Barnes & Noble, 3055 S. Glenstone

* Annual Writers' Conference just down the road at The Clarion Hotel, 3333 S. Glenstone

in Springfield, Missouri.

Now, if you are curious about what this Barnes & Noble store (where our booksigning will take place) has in common with the Game Stop building, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie, here are the details!

Ready?

1. GAME STOP BUILDING -- BRAD

Colonel Day's Levi's Emporium, which is where Brad Pitt worked as a sales clerk between the time that he graduated from Springfield's Kickapoo High School and went to seek his fame and fortune in Hollywood, used to be the only tenant in the Game Stop/AT&T building.

At that time, Brad looked like this: Brad Pitt, Kickapoo High School, Springfield, Missouri

I couldn't find any photos of the old Colonel Day's store, but the building has not changed much. Currently, the building looks like this:

Former site of Colonel Day's Levi's Emporium, where Brad Pitt worked as a teenager in Springfield, Missouri.

Back then, it had an odd stucco finish with deep grooves to match the exterior of the Venture store on the west side of the parking lot. These were the only two buildings on the parking lot at that time, but the lot now also has Barnes & Noble, Office Depot, and Olive Garden.

Springfield's Venture store in the 1970s. Currently K-Mart.

The Venture store has been gone for many years and is now a K-Mart store.

This is the K-Mart Brad and some of the kids reportedly shopped at during their December 2010 trip to Springfield.

2. GAME STOP BUILDING -- ANGELINA

Take a closer look at the windows in the Game Stop building. Who do you see there, along with Super Mario? Posters in Game Stop window, the former site of Colonel Day's.

Yup, that's an image of Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft, long before she and Brad became Brangelina. The Game Stop building has several large images of Angelina hanging in its windows.

Gee, I wonder if that was the topic of conversation on the Jolie-Pitt private jet. "Darling, did you see the large posters of me in the windows where you used to work? Shall I have the longitude and latitude added to the tattoo on my bicep?"

3. BARNES & NOBLE / STARBUCKS

This is the Barnes & Noble store that became famous in December 2010 when, while in town to visit Brad's family, Angelina stopped at the Starbucks inside of the bookstore and bought coffee. News of the sighting of Angelina, Zahara, and Shiloh made its way onto the Internet, including:

People magazine

Perez Hilton

Our local NBC affiliate, KY3

JustJared.com Angelina Jolie, Zahara, Shiloh at Starbucks inside Springfield, Missouri Barnes & Noble in December 2010

PopSugar.com

RadarOnline.com

It was also during this visit that Brad and Angelina posed for photos at St. John's Hospital (where I was born) to dedicate the new Jane Pitt Pediatric Cancer Center, named in honor of Brad's mom, Jane Pitt. To see the story in People magazine, click HERE.

Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie dedicate Jane Pitt Pediatric Cancer Center at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, Missouri, December 2010

PinkIsTheNewBlog.com

There you have it! Thanks for playing, and we'll see you at our fiction writers' conference in Springfield, Missouri, on July 23! Click HERE for more details about the great speakers and topics we have scheduled for the day.

P.S. Stop by Barnes & Noble in Springfield to have coffee, just like Angelina! Enjoy it, along with some conversation, during our booksigning on July 22. We can't promise you'll see Brangelina but, based on last year's event, we think you'll have a lot of fun.

The speakers for our annual conference July 23, 2011, are getting excited!

Eliza Lloyd is one of the authors coming to speak at our annual writers' conference, and she just gave a little sneak peek on her blog HERE. In fact, this is the second time she has mentioned our writers' conference, which is scheduled for Saturday, July 23, 2011, in Springfield, Missouri. We mentioned the other occurrence HERE, along with links to Eliza's books.

If you like a sexy, steamy read, click on her titles below.

“Wicked Desires”

“Wicked Temptation”

“Another Lover”

Follow Eliza Lloyd on Twitter! Her Twitter name is @elloydwriting .

Writers' conferences and conventions of this quality in the midwest are not easy to find. This year's conference is full of presentations and workshops by award-winning authors, plus our attendees can schedule pitch sessions with a literary agent and publishing house editor from New York City. Opportunities like this do not happen often in the Ozarks! If you would like more details about who will be speaking (and who will be taking pitch sessions) at our conference, click HERE.

Ozarks Romance Authors, a non-profit group for Missouri writers of all genres, was founded in 1987. The regional writers’ group holds its meetings the first Saturday of each month at The Library Station, 2535 N. Kansas Expressway, in Springfield, Missouri.

Visitors are welcome. Your first three visits are free. For details about upcoming meetings, please click HERE.

Our annual conference will be held July 23, 2011, at The Clarion Hotel and Conference Center. To learn more about the amazing lineup of speakers and workshops, click HERE to visit our conference page.

If you have questions about the group, please email us at OzarksRomanceAuthors@gmail.com or call (417) 597-4716.

http://elizalloyd.blogspot.com/2011/06/ozark-writers-conferencejust-around.html

Ozarks Romance Authors' store is open for business!

Ozarks Romance Authors T-shirtLooking for a great way to support your favorite non-profit group while letting more people know that you are a fabulous writer? How about adding a few pieces of ORAwear to your wardrobe?

Here is the link to go to our store: http://www.cafepress.com/romanceauthors

You'll find some cute things like T-shirts, sweatshirts, polo shirts, ringer T-shirts, caps, tote bags, messenger bags, teddy bears, license plate frames, and mugs.

Ozarks Romance Authors was founded in 1987 as a regional writers' group focusing on the romance fiction genre. The group was a chapter of Romance Writers of America (RWA).

Through the years, ORA evolved into a multi-genre group. Current members have been published by traditional book publishers, e-publishers, independent publishers, Kindle, Nook, and various newspapers, magazines, trade journals, and industry publications.

Members range from those who are just thinking of getting started in writing to those who have been published many times.

If you are interested in the publishing industry, we would love to meet you. Our monthly meetings are fun and informative, and our critique group can help you polish your manuscript and get it ready for agents and editors to consider.

Meetings are held the first Saturday of each month at The Library Station in Springfield, Missouri. This is just south of the intersection of Interstate 44 and North Kansas Expressway, or just north of the intersection of West Kearney Street and North Kansas Expressway. Click HERE to see a map.

If you have questions about the group, feel free to post a comment here, send us an email at OzarksRomanceAuthors@gmail.com, or call (417) 597-4716.

The romance fiction genre takes yet another bash in the media

If you are a fan of (or writer of) romance fiction, you've probably heard the latest round of bru-ha-ha about the genre supposedly being bad for women. It came in the form of a news story titled Romance novels can be as addictive as pornography on a news site affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This claim comes from Dr. Julianna Slattery, of Focus on the Family. She is a psychologist and author of “Finding the Hero in your Husband," and her views on the romance fiction industry were shared in an article written by Kimberly Sayers-Giles, a Latter-day Saints “life coach," for KSL.com.

Slattery's theory includes the following points:

There are similarities between what happens to a man when he views pornography and what happens to a woman when she reads a romance novel.

Men are very visual, and viewing pornography produces a euphoric drug in the body. This drug is the reason pornography becomes addictive. When the natural high wears off, a man will crash and feel depressed (as happens with any drug) and crave another hit.

Women are more stimulated by romance than sex, so when they read romantic stories (and they don’t have to be explicit to work) they can experience the same addictive chemical release as men do.

For many women, these romance novels may be more than a necessity; they may be an addiction -- and Slattery said she is seeing more and more women who are clinically addicted to romantic books.

Women may find their standard for intimacy begins to change over time because may not be able to get as satisfied with their partners as they can reading a book.

Tamar Bihari has written a fabulous blog post in response to Slattery's claims over at Women's Voices for Change: Redefining Life After 40.

Tamar Bihari's arguments include the following points:

Because romance novels at their core are all about relationships and largely aim for a happy ending, they necessarily reflect their authors’ takes on what it takes to build a healthy relationship. How two people learn to communicate, how to treat each other with respect and appreciation, how they can help each other heal from old wounds. They don’t generally begin from a healthy place, but the characters grow and learn through the story.

In so doing, they can illuminate that process for their readers, much like women might do in person, sharing stories while sitting around an office break room, or hanging out at the local playground with their toddlers. Shared experience, giving the reader a few new tools to bring to her own relationship. What’s wrong with that? (Unless you don’t believe that a woman should challenge her spouse to bring more to the relationship emotionally? Hmm…)

Relationships, emotional connections, these are foundational to our lives. To dismiss (or condemn) an entire genre because it focuses on the subject smacks of Victorianism, dismissing the “women’s sphere.” Sexist? I think so, yes.

Incidentally, romance, like any other genre (including literary!), has its share of clunkers and unfortunate genre cliches, but also a surprising richness of high quality fiction. Beautifully written or delightfully fun depictions of a place, a time, a relationship.

Bihari graduated from Harvard University with cum laude honors in History & Literature. A native New Yorker, she lived in Los Angeles for several years before returning east, and edited low-budget features and high-profile TV shows, including "Northern Exposure" and "LA Law," before turning to writing full time. Bihari recently wrote a review for WVFC of HBO's Temple Grandin; she's also given us her story of sharing her brilliant and talented son, Damian, with her Harvard reunion. She also written about her family for Autism Speaks and has published articles and personal essays in various other venues. As a screenwriter, Bihari was a quarter-finalist in the prestigious Nicholl and Austin screenwriting competitions and had three screenplays optioned by producers. She, Damian, and her husband Dan Valverde now live with their two cats in New York City.

What is YOUR take on this topic? Do you feel that romance novels equal pornography for women? KSL.com

Barbara Bettis welcomes Misty Burke for Writers' Wednesday on her Blog!

Misty BurkeBarbara Bettis visits with fellow Ozarks Romance Authors member Misty Burke to her blog for Barb’s popular “Writers’ Wednesday” feature. Click HERE to see the interview.

MISTY BURKE Misty Burke lives in the romantic Ozark Mountains with her supportive husband and four children. When not enjoying family time, she loves to write steamy romances. Creating exciting fantasy worlds filled with dangerously handsome heroes is one of her passions.

Misty currently writes stories for Summerhouse Publishing, Evernight Publishing, Secret Cravings Publishing, and MuseItHOT Publishing.

She is an active member of Ozarks Romance Authors, Romance Writers of America, FF&P (Fantasy, Futuristic, & Paranormal Chapter of RWA), and ESPAN (Electronic Small Press Authors' Network).

Her novel, "The Madame of Gravestone," is available online by clicking HERE.

Visit Misty online by clicking HERE.

BARBARA BETTIS Barbara Bettis is an award-winning author of historical fiction, and a long-time instructor of English and journalism at the college level.

She lives in the Missouri Ozarks and is active in several writers’ groups in the area, including Ozarks Romance Authors. She is also a member of Romance Writers of America.

Visit Barb’s blog by clicking HERE. Her main web site is HERE.

Be sure to check Barb’s blog for future Writers’ Wednesday features!

Eliza Lloyd's new book, "Another Lover," has been released!

Are you following us on Twitter yet?

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and let us know so we can follow you! As of today, we have 858 followers, and we would love to see this number grow. We're having a blast with our tweets and getting to know others in the writing community.

Not many writers' groups in the Springfield, Missouri, area (or #sgf as it's known on Twitter) are active on Twitter. We're one of the first.

So far, we have used Twitter to publicize last year's Weta Writing Contest and we received more entries than ever before.

We have also used Twitter to post tweets about our upcoming 2011 writing contest, with its deadline for entries of May 16, 2011. We have also spread the word via Twitter about our 2011 conference, which will be held July 23, 2011, at The Clarion Hotel and Convention Center in Springfield, Missouri.

One of the fun (and exhausting) things that we do with Twitter is to have "live tweeting" going on during some of the monthly meetings of Ozarks Romance Authors. While our special guest is speaking, we share notes as fast as we can, relaying the information to YOU, our Twitter followers.

You can find us here: @OzarksRomance

Writers' Wednesday with Novelist Tracy Garrett

Novelist Tracy GarrettIt's Writers' Wednesday once again over at the blog of our very own Barbara Bettis!

TRACY GARRETT Tracy is an award-winning multi-published author, who says she always loved to disappear into the worlds created within the pages of a book. An accomplished musician, she merged her need for creativity, her love of history, and her passion for reading when she began writing western historical romance. An active member of Romance Writers of America, Ozarks Romance Authors, and Dallas Area Romance Authors, Tracy now resides in Missouri with her husband and their fuzzy pal, Wrigley.

Tracy's debut novel, "Touch of Texas," is available HERE, and "Touched by Love" is available HERE.

Visit Tracy online by clicking HERE.

BARBARA BETTIS Barbara Bettis is an award-winning author of historical fiction, and a long-time instructor of English and journalism at the college level.

She lives in the Missouri Ozarks and is active in several writers’ groups in the area, including Ozarks Romance Authors.

Visit Barb’s blog by clicking HERE. Her main web site is HERE.

Be sure to check Barb’s blog for future Writers’ Wednesday features! Novelist Tracy Garrett is featured on Writers' Wednesday

Frequently Asked Questions About Our 2011 Annual Fiction Writers' Contest

Each year, Ozarks Romance Authors is asked a lot of the same questions about our annual fiction writers' contest, which is named in honor of one of our founders, the late novelist Weta Nichols. As we receive more questions via our Facebook and Twitter pages, we will post the answers here for reference.

Details about the 2011 contest, including guidelines for submission, are available by clicking HERE.

Q: When is the deadline? A: Midnight USA Central Time on May 23, 2011. http://ow.ly/4lYIt

Q: I don't write romance. Can I still enter? A: Yes! Contest is open to all fiction genres. http://ow.ly/4lYIt

Q: I'm not a member of your writers' group. Can I still enter the #writing #contest? A: Absolutely! http://ow.ly/4lYIt

Q: Must I live in the USA to enter? A: No! We've had entries from all over the world. They just need to be in English. http://ow.ly/4lYIt

Q: Is it true that published authors can't enter the #writing #contest? A: No. Pub authors are welcome to enter. http://ow.ly/4lYIt

Q: I placed in another #writing #contest. Can I still enter? A: Yes, as long as the piece you submit is unpublished. http://ow.ly/4lYIt

Q: Who are the judges? A: Final round judges are lit agent Louise Fury and Avalon editor Lia Brown. http://ow.ly/4lYIt

Q: Do I send my entire manuscript to enter the #writing #contest? A: No, just the first 10 pages. Details here: http://ow.ly/4lYIt

Q: Can I enter your #writing #contest online? A: Yes! All of the details are here: http://ow.ly/4lYIt

Q: I've never heard of your #writers #group. Are you new? A: No. We're a nonprofit in Missouri USA, founded in 1987. http://ow.ly/4mWt9

Q: Isn't the deadline for your #writing #contest May 16? A: No, we extended it to May 23, 2011, due to a PayPal glitch. http://ow.ly/4lYIt

Q: Is your #writing #contest open to writers outside of the USA? A: Yes! As long as the manuscript is in English. http://ow.ly/4lYIt

Q: I can't come to your #annual #conference in July. Will I be disqualified? A: No! Winners need not be present to win. http://ow.ly/4lYIt

Q: Are there prizes available for your #writing #contest? A: Yes! $100 1st, $50 2nd, $25 3rd. Info here: http://ow.ly/4lYIt

Q: Does the cover page count as 1 of my 10 pages? A: No. The 10 pages should begin with page 1 of your manuscript.

Q: Should I include my dedication page? It's very special to me. A: No. Your 10-page limit is prime real estate. Drop us into the story.

Q: Should I use my favorite font on my submission? A: No. Instructions are available here: http://ow.ly/4lYIt

Q: I didn't see details on single space vs. double space. A: This is addressed here: http://ow.ly/4lYIt

Q: Is there a theme my novel must follow to be included? A: No. Any genre is welcome. No non-fiction or poetry.

Q: Can I enter via US mail? A: Yes, but we prefer emailed submissions, as do most editors.

Q: I'm not good at proofing or editing. Can I still enter? A: Yes, but proofing and editing are part of the writing process. Judges won't polish manuscript for you.

Q: I need to include a few paragraphs to set up the story and let the judge know what's going on. Should I count this page as 1 of the 10 pages? A: Your 10 pages should be the first 10 pages of the manuscript. There shouldn't be a need to share info with the judge to set up the story. The story should be strong enough to stand on its own, without explanation.

Q: I entered your contest and I'm thinking about coming to the conference. Can I register online? A: Yes! Details about the speakers, their topics, and a link to register online are HERE.

Q: I have a really great non-fiction book. I think your judges will really like it. Can I enter? A: We are only accepting fiction for this contest. If you are interested in submitting non-fiction, Ozarks Romance Authors publishes its own magazine, and accepts non-fiction, fiction, essays, articles, recipes, artwork, and photography by members. If you're interested in becoming a member in order to particpate in this publication, you are welcome to visit one of our monthly meetings or email us for more information. Click HERE for information about our magazine. Click HERE for information about our monthly meetings, and/or email us at OzarksRomanceAuthors@gmail.com.

Q: How will winners be notified? A: Winners will be announced at our 2011 Annual Conference scheduled for Saturday, July 23, 2011, at The Clarion Hotel Conference Center in Springfield, Missouri. If you are not able to attend, you will be notified via email. We will ask winners for their mailing addresses so that we can send their certificates and prizes.

Q: I'm interested in entering next year. Will you notify me when submissions are accepted?A: The easiest way for you to find out about our 2012 contest and conference would be to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Click HERE to follow us on Facebook. Click HERE to follow us on Twitter.

Q: I have a question that is not addressed here. How can I get in touch with someone? A: Email us at OzarksRomanceAuthors@gmail.com, or call and leave a message at (417) 597-4716 and we will return your call.

May 7, 2011 - Mia Marlow

Novelist Mia Marlowe is scheduled to present "What a Novel Idea!" at our May 7, 2011, meeting. This topic will teach us about something vital -- story structure.

How can a writer be sure her story isn’t full of holes or missed opportunities? Listen to the voices of the ancient bards. For centuries, story-tellers have been perfecting the craft of weaving tales. We can stand on their shoulders.

Based on Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey, Mia explains the mythic structures that form plot points your readers are already pre-programmed to respond to. WHAT A NOVEL IDEA will help writers be certain their plots will hit all the readers’ (and editors’) hot-buttons.

Following her presentation at our meeting, she will be signing books at Half Price Books of the Ozarks, a fabulous book store in the Plaza Shopping Center, 1950 S. Glenstone, Suite O. We will be there from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m., so stop by and say hello.

We're so excited for the talented Diana Groe (who writes as Emily Bryan and Mia Marlowe) to return to the Ozarks! She is a native of West Plains, but is now based near Boston, Massachusetts.

Mia learned much of what she knows about storytelling from singing. A classically trained soprano, she won the District Metropolitan Opera Auditions and has shared a stage with Placido Domingo. As she prepared for operatic roles, she devised back stories for her characters. Since she’s worn a real corset, and had to sing high C’s in one, she empathizes with the trials of her fictional heroines. But in Mia’s stories, they don’t die in a Parisian garret. They get to live and keep the hero!

Now an award-winning author, she writes historical romance for multiple publishing houses. Her debut title received advance ovations from romance luminaries. #1 New York Times bestseller Victoria Alexander says Mia’s Touch of a Thief has "adventure and heat and everything I want in a great story!" UK’s BooksMonthly has crowned Mia Marlowe “the queen of saucy historical romance.”

You can visit her at any of the following places: Facebook, Twitter, or her website.

Ozarks Romance Authors, a non-profit group for writers of all genres founded in 1987, holds its meetings the first Saturday of each month at The Library Station, 2535 N. Kansas Expressway, in Springfield, Missouri.

Join us for critique group at 10:00 a.m., lunch at noon, and our meeting/guest speaker at 1:00 p.m.

Visitors are welcome. Your first three visits are free.

Our annual conference will be held July 23, 2011, at The Clarion Hotel and Conference Center. To learn more about the amazing lineup of speakers and workshops, visit our conference page.

If you have questions about the group, please email us at OzarksRomanceAuthors@gmail.com.

NOTE: When the first Saturday of the month falls on a holiday weekend, we often reschedule. If you’re thinking of visiting and it’s a holiday weekend, please email us to find out if we have rescheduled.

Eliza Lloyd blogs about her upcoming appearance at our annual conference

One of the best conferences for writers is coming up in Springfield, Missouri, on Saturday, July 23, 2011, and one of the authors who will be presenting at the conference just mentioned that very event on her blog. Eliza Lloyd was talking about Ozarks Romance Authors conference for fiction writers just yesterday on her blog. Here is the link: http://elizalloyd.blogspot.com/2011/03/ozark-romance-authors-conference-july.html

Who is Eliza Lloyd? Eliza thinks romance writing is nearly as good as the real thing. Given her choice of professions, she would have preferred to be a 19th century archeologist, but she is perfectly happy living in the 21st century and comfortably writing about such romantic but inconceivably inconvenient times, instead.

She enjoys traveling, movies, everyone else’s novels and a good meal out with friends on Saturday night. Her greatest flaw is that she believes there is such a thing as true love. Don’t tell her otherwise, please.

Her books are available by clicking HERE to visit her page on the Ellora's Cave Romantica Publishing web site.

Check out Eliza's steamy books by clicking on each title below:

"Wicked Desires"

"Wicked Temptation"

"Another Lover"

Ozarks Romance Authors, a non-profit group for Missouri writers of all genres, was founded in 1987. The regional writers’ group holds its meetings the first Saturday of each month at The Library Station, 2535 N. Kansas Expressway, in Springfield, Missouri.

Visitors are welcome. Your first three visits are free. For details about upcoming meetings, please click HERE.

Our annual conference will be held July 23, 2011, at The Clarion Hotel and Conference Center. To learn more about the amazing lineup of speakers and workshops, click HERE to visit our conference page.

If you have questions about the group, please email us at OzarksRomanceAuthors@gmail.com or call (417) 597-4716.

Romancing the Ozarks: A Treasury of Short Stories by Authors from the Ozarks"

http://youtu.be/j44aVLLmbnMRomancing the Ozarks: A Treasury of Short Stories by Authors from the Ozarks

This 235-page anthology was published by Starship Press in 2009, and features members of Ozarks Romance Authors, a registered non-profit group for writers in the southwest Missouri region.

The group began in 1987, focused on romance fiction, but through the years has evolved to become, essentially, a multi-genre group, with members working on – and published in – many genres of fiction, as well as non-fiction, poetry, essays, journalism, and photography.

Authors featured in this anthology include:

    Jean Rosenow Kathy Mullens Deborah Schaulis Betty Inman Shortt Diana Locke Jennifer Litteken Maurine Howell Harriett Ford Pat Elliott Don Waterman Kaye Calkins Barbara Huddleston H.G. Stratmann Maryellen Stratmann Karri Lynn Halley Sandra Allmon Ruth Hunter Georganna Myers

Acknowledgements:

Special thanks are extended to the authors who contributed to this collection of short fiction stories. All of them are residents of the Ozarks, an area of the United States which includes much of the southern half of Missouri as well as a large part of northern Arkansas. This regional not only abounds in beautiful geography, but is also rich with its unique cultural inheritance.

Great appreciation is also extended to Ruth Hunter for interior text design; Kathy Mullens for cover art; and Deborah Schaulis, Diana Locke, Jean Rosenow, Barbara Huddleston, Kaye Calkins, and Harriett Ford for editorial assistance. Virginia Pohlenz, Maryellen Stratmann, and a host of many others added their encouragement and support to this project, which fills a niche in literary anthologies.

To all those named and unnamed, a heartfelt thank you.

For more information about this anthology or the group, please visit us online at http://www.Ozarks-Romance-Authors.com