New Jersey Romance Writers
Put your heart in a book
NJRW Members Available for Speaking Engagements
The following NJRW authors are available to present workshops or to speak at meetings, libraries, and other venues. To arrange for an author to speak to your group, contact the author directly by clicking on their email link. If you encounter problems, contact the webmaster.
All NJRW authors are encouraged to add their listings to this page. Please send your details to the webmistress.
Jan Coffey
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From the submarine shipyards of Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, and the clubs of Rodeo Drive, to the forges of Pennsylvania and the electronics manufacturers of Massachusetts, these two have spent their lives gathering material for their novels. Nikoo, a manufacturing engineer, and Jim, who has a Ph.D. in sixteenth-century British literature, wrote their first full-length novel in 1994. Since then, Jim and Nikoo have written twenty-seven novels and a work of nonfiction.
The "Jan Coffey" pseudonym, one of several they have used, is actually a play on their own names: Jan is an acronym for "Jim and Nikoo," and Coffey is Nikoo's maiden name.
These prolific and popular authors have been the recipients of numerous awards for their work. They now reside in Watertown, Connecticut.
Collaboration, Writing Suspense/Mystery, Writing Historical Romance, Publishing
Lisa Dale
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Lisa Dale writes contemporary women’s fiction/romance. Her first novels, Simple Wishes and It Happened One Night, were published by Grand Central Publishing in 2009 to excellent reviews. She worked briefly at a New York literary agency before earning her MFA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. A former assistant editor of an award-winning literary magazine and a nominee for Best New American Voices and the Pushcart Prize, her writing appears in many national literary magazines.
Topics and Seminars Include:
Breaking into the Literary Magazine Market; Creative Deleting; Positive Thinking For Writers; Blogging For Writers; Showing, Telling, And The Reading Brain; Writing and Publishing Romance and Women’s Fiction; Submission Strategies That Work. Lisa is also pleased to serve as a panelist, to judge contests, and more.
Mary Kennedy
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Mary Kennedy is a licensed clinical psychologist and the author of 37 Middle Grade and Young Adult novels for Scolastic, NAL and Berkley. She has made several best-seller lists, including Publisher's Weekly, BookScan and Barnes and Noble. She won an award from the National Endowment for the Arts for her work in literature and psychology. Please visit http://www.marykennedy.net to learn more!
Write Smart: 25 Things You Really Need to Know to Sell Your Book
For the beginning novelist or the multi-published—covers the basics on queries, pitches, synopses and proposals along with an inside look at agents, editors, markets and genres. We'll also discuss conferences, agent/editor appointments, networking, e-mail loops and time management. It's everything I've learned after selling 37 novels to New York publishers!
Writing for Young Adults: Idea to Publication
Writing for teens is one of the hottest areas in publishing today! This workshop covers everything you need to write successfully in this challenging, lucrative market. Mary Kennedy, author of 37 young adult novels, will give you an overview of the market, along with a discussion of publishers, a description of trends, and examples from current titles. Where do you fit in this market? Do you like to write "light and funny," or do you tend to favor "problem or issue" novels? Do you prefer a paranormal twist, or do have a trendy contemporary style? You will learn to find your own niche in the market and will discover which common themes are the most popular, both with publishers and teen readers. This fun, interactive workshop includes quizzes, games and prizes.
MK (Kat) Mancos
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MK Mancos writes paranormal, sci-fi and fantasy for Triskelion and Samhain and erotic romance under the name Kathleen Scott for Red Sage.
She lives in Budd Lake, NJ with her husband, a comic book creator and enthusiest and a cat with an attitude. She has been in health care for over 15 years and works primarily in a neonatal intensive care unit. Though she doesn't use a hospital for the backdrop of her books, she feels it has given her great insight into people, characters and life.
"Embracing Your Inner Poet" Or "How To Find Your Unique Voice In Details Only You Can Provide"
Let's face it, each author has a story only they can tell. Our unique experiences and view of the world help to shape the characters and plots we set to paper. This workshop is designed to illustrate how the poet uses those personal details to create vivid and precise images. It will show the novelist how to transfer those same techniques to create vivid imagery in prose.
Penelope Marzec
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Penelope Marzec started reading romances as a teenager and fell in love with happy endings. A genuine New Jerseyan, she is a member of the New Jersey Romance Writers, FHL, and EPIC. Twice an EPPIE winner for inspirational fiction, her paranormal, Irons In The Fire, was a nominee for Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award.
E-Books—Facts, Fiction, Gadgets, and Formats.
A short history about the rise of paperless books, the authors who write them, and the small independent publishers who are competing with the big conglomerates in a global market.
Join Us
Interested in joining the New Jersey Romance Writers? Pre-published or published writers of any genre from any geographic area are invited to join NJRW. We welcome individuals with a serious interest in improving their writing skills or marketability, meeting other writers and editors, or becoming part of our impressive networking system.
Our Next Meeting
Topic: Writing the Perfect Pitch with Faye Hughes
When: September 18, 2010
Where: The Woodbridge Hilton, 120 Wood Avenue, Iselin, NJ 08830
Schedule: 9:00 a.m. – Board Mtg
10:30 a.m. – General Mtg
Faye Hughes walks you through writing the perfect pitch.