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A Second Chance for Love
Writing as S.M. Laviolette
Smart & Sexy Historical Romance

LERA, dirty/spicy prizes, and new friends!

This past weekend I attended my first meeting of the Land of Enchantment Romance Authors (LERA) meeting. . . and it was fantastic.

New Mexico might be a tiny state, but we are big on talent. LERA is the only chapter of the The Romance Writers of America (RWA), in New Mexico. I have postponed joining the organization because it is a six hour round-trip to go to Albuquerque. But now that I’ve gone once, I’m hooked. This will be a drive I will gladly make again and again.

The current president of the club, Jeffe Kennedy, could not have been more welcoming and generous with her time and information. Ms. Kennedy is not only a well-known fantasy and contemporary romance author, but she is a 2017 RITA nominee in the Paranormal Romance category with her book The Pages of the Mind.

FYI, the RITA is to romance novels (the BIGGEST fiction genre, earning over $1.2 billion annually) what the Oscar is to film. So, this is a big, fat hairy deal. Hugantic. Colossal. Yeah, and she belongs to MY RWA chapter!

The group has a broad base of writers–from new aspirants to those who have made it to the top of their craft. In addition to Ms. Kennedy, other noteworthy authors include Regency and Georgian Era romance author, Louise Bergin and contemporary romance author Robin Perini, among others. Check out the above link to LERA to read more about our impressive authors.

The meeting was packed with helpful info, from editing tips to self-pubbing to presentations on craft and style.

There was also a raffle and I WON! I WON! I WON! Wait, wasn’t that Sally Fields’ acceptance speech. . . (dating myself badly).

Anyhow, I won a dirty girl gift bag created by Jeffe Kennedy. In addition to a nifty tote there were BOOKS! Also some gardening supplies and stuff to go out and get dirty. Here is a picture…

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I have already dug in (get it?) to The Mark of the Tala and it has cut down on my productivity big time. I highly recommend it to lovers of fantasy. Great world building and characters you can cheer for, as well as lots of high politics and intrigue. Oh, and smokin’ romance, too…. Also tucked in the bag is The Edge of the Blade, which I am not allowed to open until I finish my monthly word quota.

 

 

2 Responses

  1. What a lovely blog post! I came here via the post Jeffe did, and I’m glad I did. 🙂 We are very happy to welcome you to LERA. Remember next month’s meeting is all day and starts at 9AM.