Welcome to our first meeting back in person! (Or you can join us virtually on Zoom.)
To celebrate that and the upcoming holiday season, we have a special guest -- Sonali Dev will be joining us IN PERSON to talk about "Culture Building is Not Just for Multiculturals."
Please join us on Saturday, Dec. 4 for a memorable morning meeting with a great speaker, breakfast, raffles, door prizes, and goody bags! Tickets are available at dara.ticketleap.com/holiday21.
Our In-Person Gathering will be held at the Richardson Women's Club, 2005 N Cliffe, Richardson, TX 75082. Check-in starts at 9 am, with a full breakfast at 9:30. This catered buffet includes scrambled eggs, pancakes and syrup, potatoes, bacon, sausage, fruit and berries, and drinks including coffee, orange juice and cranberry juice. We'll have our annual DARA turn-over meeting to welcome in our new board at 10 am, and Sonali will begin her presentation about 10:30.
In-person attendees will also receive a goody bag and the chance to win door prizes! The DARA tradition of a holiday raffle continues, with many great items being donated by our members. You can get your in-person raffle tickets when you register, or you can purchase them (or purchase more!) at the event.
The Virtual Event will be available online, beginning with the business meeting at 10 am. We're also holding a virtual raffle, with tickets available when you sign up. Each ticket gets your name put in a random drawing once to win two, $50 Amazon gift cards.
Tickets for the in-person event are $20 for DARA members and $27 for non-members. You can save $12 if you sign up for the holiday gathering and a year's DARA membership together for $60. The virtual meeting is free for DARA members and $7 for non-members.
If you'd like to donate a basket or item to the raffle, please contact Janet at janetleighauthor@gmail.com. To put something in the goody bags, contact Randee at randee@randeeleigh.com.
CULTURE BUILDING IS NOT JUST FOR MULTICULTURALS
According to dictionary.com one of the definitions of culture is: "The sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another." With respect to storytelling it's the sum total of the nitty gritties of human existence that make up the inner and outer worlds our characters live
in.
Culture Building is World Building between the cracks and under the foundation of your story. Learn how to layer your storytelling with the nitty gritties of human existence that make up the world your characters live in. Learn not just how to enrich your narration with the kind of depth and detail that absorbs readers wholly into your story but also learn how to place your characters in conflict with their world to infuse authenticity and meaning into your story, irrespective of genre.
ABOUT SONALI DEV
USA Today bestselling author Sonali Dev writes Bollywood-style love stories that explore universal issues. Her novels have been named Best Books of the Year by Library Journal, NPR, the Washington Post, and Kirkus. She has won numerous accolades, including the American Library Association’s award for best romance, the RT Reviewer Choice Award for best contemporary romance, multiple RT Seals of Excellence, has been a RITA® finalist, and has been listed for the Dublin Literary Award. Shelf Awareness calls her “Not only one of the best but one of the bravest romance novelists working today.”
She lives in Chicagoland with her husband, two visiting adult children, and the world’s most perfect dog.
Find more at sonalidev.com.
Editor and sensitivity reader Crystal Shelley discusses how to choose words with intention at the February 27, 2021, meeting of DARA.
Words have the power to do good: to uplift, to inspire, and to validate. Words also have the power to do harm: to hurt, to marginalize, and to erase. At DARA's February meeting, Crystal will discuss the concept of conscious language and how writers can use their words with intention. She'll also talk about considerations when writing about identities outside of our own and the role sensitivity reading can play in the writing process.
Everyone is welcome to join us for the Feb 27, 2021, meeting of the Dallas Area Romance Authors. Due to the pandemic, we will meet via Zoom. A brief business meeting at 9:30 a.m. will be followed by Crystal's presentation at 10 a.m. CST. To get an invite to the Zoom meeting, please contact us at dallasarearwa@gmail.com.
Crystal Shelley, Rabbit with a Red Pen
Crystal Shelley is a freelance copy editor, proofreader, and sensitivity reader who works with fiction authors, and she is also a licensed clinical social worker. She unites her love of language and social justice by providing editorial services with a focus on conscious language and representation.
Denny S. Bryce keeps us up to date about marketing in a pandemic at the January 27, 2021, meeting of DARA.
With in-person author events such as conferences, in-store launch parties, and book club gatherings on hold, how can authors do the best job possible in advertising, marketing, publicizing and engaging readers?
What’s the difference these days in publicizing and promoting for the indie book authors vs. traditionally published authors? Or has this line blurred? Let’s discuss how a 2021 marketing plan looks in light of the pandemic.
Let’s share ideas and have a frank discussion about what it takes to get the most out of social media platforms and author marketing partnerships during COVID-19!
And remember: The POWER IS IN THE PLAN!
About Denny S. Bryce
Denny S. Bryce writes historical fiction, and her debut novel, WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES from Kensington Books will be on sale on March 30, 2021. (Editor’s Aside -- This novel is one of Bustle’s Most Anticipated Debut Novels of 2021, and one of Oprah Magazine’s Most Anticipated Historical Fictions of 2021! Congrats, Denny!)
A marketing and public relations professional, Denny spent more than 20 years running her event marketing firm. For nearly 10 of those years, she also wrote and read Buffy/Spike fan fiction. A devoted fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and Angel (the TV series), she is also a classic film buff and loves genre TV. Current favorites include Bridgerton, A Discovery of Witches; This is Us, The Flash, and Seal Team–and of course, Outlander_Starz!
Denny has taught workshops on marketing for authors and spoken on romance and historical fiction panels at the Strand Book Store and BookCon in New York City, the Baltimore Book Festival, and the Gaithersburg Book Festival, to name a few. A member of the Historical Novel Society (HSN), the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) and Novelists, Inc. (NINC), Denny also completed the 2019 TIN HOUSE WINTER WORKSHOP (a prestigious literary workshop) in Portland, Oregon, and is a 2020 PITCH WARS adult mentor.
She is represented by Nalini Akolekar at Spencerhill Associates and recently relocated from northern Virginia to Georgia.
