RWA - Time to get real

For the past couple years, I've been devoted to getting my YA contemporary fantasy to a point where it's agent-worthy. A daunting task as all you writers know.

With the many success and non-successes my writing career has had thus far, I decided it was time to join a society of writers. Let's make this official. :)

The problem was, which one? With fantasy, I had an association. With young adult, there is one too. But what is the most consistent thing in my books?

Romance. Even though I have intense superheroic battles, life drama and family issues, there's still all that mushy, gushy, gooey, sweet stuff my mother used to clamp her hands over my young eyes and ears and holler "garbaaage!" to.

Getting advice from fellow writer and instructor at Story Studio, Jen Coffeen, made me think about romance books, and then talking with YA writer Erica O'Rourke about it at the Chicago Writers Conference confirmed it.

Romance is in my books. It's not always the main part, but the promise of some kind of affection is there. (And for that I thank you both, Erica and Jen, you're awesome and I look forward to seeing you at the first meeting in 2015.)

I love romance! All my books have it and I wouldn't have it any other way. The first eye contact, hand hold, kiss, or kiss that means something, touch, words, etc. etc. Writing my first draft NA romance last month confirmed it.

I belong in the Romance Writers of America.

So, I joined. Funny enough, my membership started the very day the Golden Heart contest began. The one for amateurs and unpublished writers. (I'm not entering. I'm going to cheer on my new fellow association members. But no promises for next year.)

I may be in New York for my first RWA convention this July. (Road trip, anyone?) And I'll be joining my local chapter. I can't wait to mingle with writers. We are all pretty amazing folk, aren't we?