Meetings and Events

Monthly Meetings

NorCalRW typically meets the 4th Saturday of each month, online via Zoom (unless otherwise noted). Those who register and pay for the scheduled meeting will receive an email with the meeting's Zoom link. Be sure to pay at least three days in advance to allow time for the Zoom invitation to be issued.

Check in begins at 9:30 a.m. A brief business meeting begins at 10:00 a.m., followed by that month's program and speaker. We typically conclude by 12:00 noon. All times are US Pacific.

Charge for regular meetings:

Zoom meetings: NorCalRW members pay $15 to attend each meeting. The price for non-members is $25.

In-person "regular" meetings: NorCalRW members pay $25 to attend each meeting. The price for non-members is $35.

Fees are not refundable if you are unable to attend.

Upcoming Meetings:

Saturday, January 25--Stacey Sowers: Pro-Writing-Aid. Join Stacey from Author's Mojo.com to learn the basics and much more about this fabulous writers' tool. (via Zoom)

Stacy is a tech-savvy storyteller and a proud West Virginia native who brings over 30 years of experience from the tech world to her passion for helping self-publishing authors succeed. After a fulfilling career in web development and programming—collaborating with everyone from small local businesses to Fortune 500 companies—Stacy took the leap into self-publishing almost a decade ago to pursue her true love: writing.

Pay $15 if an NCRW member, $25 if non-member. Pay to Northern California Romance Writers.

Click here: PayPal

Saturday February 22--Debbie Putnam: Vision Boards

This will be an in-person meeting at the Rancho Cordova City Hall conference room.

Check back for detail on this and the many other fascinating meetings and workshops we have planned for 2025!

Writing Sprints

Need a little structure and team motivation to work on that important project? Give writing sprints a try!

Six times a week, several members meet online for a brief chat and timed periods of writing. Here's when we meet (all times Pacific):

Monday-Wednesday-Friday 8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
Monday & Thursday from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday & Thursday from 7:00 - 8:00 a.m.
Saturday from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.

The Zoom link and password are listed in the members' Groups.io forum. Another great reason to join NorCal Romance Writers!

(Note that there is no fee to participate in the sprints, but you must be a member of the group.)

Events

Periodically, we host special events such as half- or full-day workshops and weekend writing retreats featuring nationally-recognized authors and writing instructors.

Members are alerted via email and announcements in the quarterly e-newsletter. Notice will also be posted here.

Past Meetings and Events

Click here for a list of some of the speakers and topics presented at past monthly meetings, workshops and retreats.

Marketing Mojo

Typically the second Sunday of each month at 2:00 p.m. Pacific, we'll gather via Zoom to review a variety of topics related to book marketing, led by our past president and teacher extraordinaire, Bonnie Phelps. This is a great benefit of membership! Sessions are videotaped and are available to members upon request.

Sunday, January 12 – Share your 2025 marketing goals. Pick 3-4 tasks you plan to focus on during the year. Get specific about how you’re going to achieve those goals – what constitutes meeting your goal and specific steps you need to take to reach them. Let’s inspire each other and hopefully learn what tasks each of us thinks will lead to the greatest rewards.

The session is free to NCRW members. Check the group forum for the Zoom link.