Local Romance Authors Share Tips

Want to get published or start writing a novel but missed the Author Talk and Creative Writing Workshop that took place at the Temple Terrace Library May 26?

Don’t fret!

Temple Terrace Patch was there with a couple handfuls of folks who eagerly showed up to get tips from four local romance writers.

An eclectic group of wanna-be authors attended the workshop—from a grandmother who has kept a personal journal since she was a kid and wished to transform it into something meaningful for her grandchildren toa young woman who writes children's short stories.

During the workshop, Erica Ridley, Kathy Carmichael, Kimberly Llewellyn and Elissa Wilds discussed and shared their experiences as authors. 

The four women, who met and became friends because of their common passion, started writing when they were young. 

Like many accomplished authors, they all faced and struggled with rejection before telling their successful stories in front of an audience at a public library. 

A few published books later, the four authors have a few tips to share. 

“We all started at the same place as writers, and we all had the same questions,” said Llewellyn, also known as the "Wedding Writer."

Llewellyn has penned five contemporary novels: "Soft Shoulders"; "Pretty Please"; "Tender Harvest"; "Tulle Little, Tulle Late: The Quest for the Holy Veil"; and the non-fiction" I Want to Be An Author: Now What?" She stressed the importance of specializing in a specific genre.

“You need to find a home for your writing,” she said, adding that public libraries, niche magazines and the Web are all powerful tools for research. 

“It’s gotta be the right story, at the right time, getting to the right person,” said Wilds, author of "Between Light and Dark" and "Darkness Rising," both paranormal romantic fiction novels. 

At the workshop, she advised participants to set a schedule and stick with it.

“Pick a date and time and devote it to the craft,” she said. 

Wilds feeds her creative soul by finding inspiration all around her, from the books she reads, the movies she watches and the people she spends time with. Also, she reserves time for quite moments, such as walking in the park or working in her garden. 

Most importantly, she keeps writing no matter what.

“You write because you are a writer, and that’s what writers do,” she said. 

In order to make the jump from amateur to professional writer, Ridley said she joined a writers organization and later got an agent. 

Author of two gothic historical romances, "Too Wicked to Kiss" and "Too Sinful To Deny," Ridley knew since age 3 that she wanted to write. 

In order to build a successful plot, she said, keep in mind the character’s goal when creating conflict. 

“Conflict is when there are things that happen that keep the character away from the goal,” she said.

Carmichael has published several books, including "Hot Flash", which was nominated one of the Top 10 Romance Fiction titles for 2009 by the American Library Association’s Booklist magazine. 

“You are not a writer until you finish a book,” she said.

Carmichael wrote four books before selling one. 

She stressed the importance of finding a critique group, as well as having a predominant theme in the book.

“If the bookstore does not know what shelf to put the book, it won’t buy it,” she said.