Amanda Arista will be our guest speaker at the February 26 DARA meeting, teaching us about Down and Dirty Character Development.
Why spend months developing a character only to find that its the wrong character for the story you want to tell? Using this boiled-down amalgamation of three top screenwriting teachers, Amanda Arista will show you how to create a character that will leap off the page with their own backstory, voice, and deep connection to the story you want to tell.
Our February meeting will be held on Zoom. Social time starts at 9 am, followed by a brief business meeting at 9:30. Amanda will begin about 10 am. (Click here or on the Zoom image below to go to the meeting link.)
Invite your fellow authors to join us! Please contact info@dallasarearomanceauthors.com for an official invite with Zoom link (needed only so we can keep track of who attends). Guests are welcome to attend one meeting for free, and additional meetings without joining will be $5 each. Free meetings are one of the many benefits of DARA membership!
About Amanda Arista
Amanda was born in Illinois, raised in Corpus Christi, lives in Dallas but her heart lies in London. Good thing she loves to travel.
During the summer after second grade, she read every book in the young adult section of the library, much to the surprise of the local librarian. So she started making up her own stories and hasn’t stopped.
She has a husband who fights crime, one dog who thinks he’s a real boy, and another who might be a fruit bat in disguise. She recently added a tiny human to the mix who is following in her mother’s footsteps of storytelling.
Along with her BA in English & Psychology and her MA in Education, Amanda is a graduate of the SMU Creative Writing Program and now teaches other aspiring authors. She has delivered lectures at several writer conferences and loves discussing craft, character, and structure. Her current favorite: Stirring up Trouble with Romantic Subplots.
She is represented by Kimberly Brower, of Brower Literary & Management.
Visit Amanda on her website: Amanda Arista.
On January 22, DARA will welcome Mary Buckham to share with us about “Primal Branding" via Zoom. Join us for a free morning presentation that will undoubtedly improve how you market your books.
ACTIVE BRANDING: 8 Elements That Take YOUR Brand to a whole new level whether your published or yet-to-be-published. What Makes You Buy One Book Over Another and what does this mean for authors. Examine the 8 codes of primal branding and how they impact how we all choose a book and why. You'll never look at branding the same way.
You’ll also be amazed to find: · What Nora Roberts, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Stephen King have in common. · What is meant by pagans or unbelievers. · How key words can differentiate YOUR brand in a good way. · Why some authors, and stories are much more memorable than others and why [hint: it’s not about the writing]. Guests are asked to email info@dallasarearomanceauthors.com for the Zoom invitation. There is no fee to attend this meeting.
About Mary Buckham USA Today bestselling author Mary Buckham learned to get into and out of trouble at a very early age. Time has added to her opportunities—detained by Israeli intelligence; strip-searched by a Greek border patrol while traveling with a priest, sneaking into Laos. When not personally avoiding nuisances caused by her insatiable curiosity she writes Urban Fantasy, Romantic Suspense and Young Adult novels as well as an upcoming Mystery Series. In her spare time Mary writes Writing Craft books including, A Writer’s Guide to Active Setting, Writing Active Hooks and Break Into Fiction®:11 Steps to Building a Powerful Story for writers of all genres.
Visit Mary online at https://www.marybuckhamonwriting.com/
Join us Saturday, October 23, for Darynda Jones' "Humor and Heat: How to Write Funny Without Sacrificing Sexual Tension." It should be educational and a lot of fun! We'll start at 9 am with a social half-hour, followed by a short business meeting at 9:30. Darynda will start about 10 am. FREE! Invite your friends.
Humor and Heat -- Darynda will give tips on how to add comedy to any book, how to take your sexual tension from lukewarm to blisteringly hot, and how inserting humor hits at the right time can amp up that tension even more.
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious RITA®, a Golden Heart®, and a Daphne du Maurier, and her books have been translated into17 languages. As a born storyteller, she grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by. Darynda lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys.
(P.S. There is a new Zoom link this month. Please email info@dallasarearomanceauthors.com for the updated link.)