All Monthly Meetings are Virtual until further notice.
Members can find the programming meeting links on the RCRW’s forum and on the private Facebook page.
Guests may attend two meetings to help make their decision to join. Some meetings are exclusive to RCRW members only, such as the December holiday workshop. Please contact [email protected] at least 72 hours in advance for a link to access the remote meeting. We use the Zoom software.
Meetings and Programs are live and are not recorded.
We ask Guests who attend their second Virtual Programming Workshop to please consider helping us continue bringing excellent programming content by donating to RCRW.
Please note that the meeting platform has changed to Zoom. Please contact [email protected] for the correct monthly link.
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Virtual Meeting Schedule
Rose City Romance Writers (RCRW) meets the second Saturday of each month.
Meeting are at no-cost for RCRW Members. People are welcome to attend our meetings, up to two times, before they are required to become RCRW chapter members.
10-11(ish): Chapter business meeting
11-12:30(ish): Workshop/presentation
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March 14, 2026 Programming
How to Write Romantic Comedy That’s Actually Funny
Join Katie Wilbert, a seasoned romance screenwriter and comedian with over a decade of experience in professional comedy (stand-up, improv, sketch, and screenwriting), for a deep dive workshop into what makes romantic comedies truly work… and make readers laugh. Learn the anatomy of comedy (timing, specificity, setup/payoff, callbacks, and more), plus engage in specific writing and improv exercises to experience firsthand how to mine comedy from anything.
Presenter Bio:
Katie Wilbert is a screenwriter and comedian who splits her time between L.A. and Las Vegas, where she and her clown husband sometimes perform in the sexy circus. Katie has sold several romantic comedy screenplays, including her Netflix holiday film, “A Vineyard Christmas.” When she isn’t writing rom-com movies, she can be found teaching writing classes, working on her own romance novels, and “definitely not adopting all the stray cats in Vegas.”
April 11, 2026 Programming
Genre-Specific Author Branding (With or Without a Book)
This session shows authors how to create genre-aligned branding with Book Brush—whether you’ve already published books or you’re still building your author platform. We’ll have some fun exploring how colors, fonts, imagery, and layout work together to instantly signal genre, tone, and reader expectations. You’ll see examples using book covers and brand-forward graphics that don’t require a finished book.
Published authors will pick up easy ways to refresh and strengthen their existing brand across promos and social media. Aspiring authors will learn how to start building a recognizable author look now—so when that first book launches, their visuals are already working for them.
Presenter Bio:
Kathleen Sweeney is the Chief Operating Officer at Book Brush, where she combines her love of technology and storytelling to help authors with book marketing. She has presented to over 350 author groups and thrives on making design and promotion easier (and more fun!) for writers of all genres. She lives in central Illinois with her husband, three active boys and the two most handsome cats on the planet. Her hobbies include eating tacos and turning socks right side out.
May 9, 2026 Programming
Write Longer, Hurt Less: Alignment, Movement, and Healthy Habits for Writers
Do you write for hours and end up with a stiff neck, sore wrists, tired eyes, or an aching back? In this practical online workshop, physical therapist Dr. Melanie Carlone shares simple ways writers can support posture, movement, and comfort without disrupting creative flow. Learn how to set up your workspace, how often to move, and a few easy exercises you can use right at your desk to help your body cooperate with the writing life.
Presenter Bio:
Dr. Melanie Carlone, DPT, MSPT, is an internationally military-trained physical therapist, somatic healer, and founder of Align Renew Thrive Physical Therapy. With more than 40 years of experience on three continents, she helps people move beyond chronic pain, injury, and postural dysfunction through an integrative approach that blends physical therapy, postural alignment, breathwork, and nervous system support.
https://alignrenewthrive.com/ , YouTube channel
June 13, 2026 Programming
Writing Blurbs & Pitches that Sell
We’ll explore examples from bestselling books across genres, learn easy step-by-step processes for crafting a summary, and discover how a well-written blurb makes overall marketing easier. As a bonus, we’ll look at how AI has changed search optimization parameters and how we can use that to our advantage.
Topics include how to:
-Craft short but effective one-sentence taglines.
-Summarize the characters’ goals, motivations, and conflicts to intrigue readers.
-Figure out which blurb format and voice best meet genre expectations.
-Blend hero arcs and turning points into a sparkling mixture.
-Use tropes, themes, and power words to add pizzaz.
-Leverage AI tools and changes to our advantage.
Presenter Bio:
Originally from Sweden, USA Today bestselling author Asa Maria Bradley writes sexy paranormal romance and romantacy with a twist of Norse mythology. Booklist attributes her writing with “nonstop action, satisfying romantic encounters, and intriguing world building” and Entertainment Weekly says, “when it comes to paranormal romance with explosive action scenes, Bradley has that nailed.” She is a RITA and Reviewers’ Choice Awards finalist, as well as a Holt Medallion and Booksellers’ Best Award winner. Asa came to the US as a high school exchange student and quickly fell in love with ranch dressing and TV crime dramas. Currently, she lives on a lake deep in the forest of the Pacific Northwest with a British husband and a rescue dog of indeterminate breed. Sadly, neither obeys her commands.
August 8, 2026 Programming
Talking with Tule and Taking Pitches with Sinclair Sawhney, Senior Developmental Editor with Tule Publishing
- Tule’s mission statement
- How Tule works collaboratively with authors
- What Tule is actively looking for and working on
- What Tule has learned about the digital marketplace —how things have changed and trends
- How Tule is making inroads with the film industry and what we have learned
- An editor’s view of what makes a successful story—think of your reader? What is the fantasy you are delivering? How can you write a story of your heart, but still be a business person? What is your brand and how do you communicate that?
Presenter Bio:
Sinclair Sawhney is a former journalist, middle school teacher and preschool owner who holds a BA in Political Science and K-8 teaching certificate from the University of California, Irvine and a MS in Education with an emphasis in teaching writing from the University of Washington.
She has worked with Tule nearly since the beginning as a developmental editor, focusing on romance, and yet I edit mysteries and thrillers as well. She works with authors to develop their proposals, hone their craft and the story all the way through the editorial and production stages to the book release. Also I work with authors to brainstorm story challenges, help focus it for the market, and work with the author on the back cover blurbs and film decks or one pagers if one is requested by a producer.
Tule (https://tulepublishing.com/) is a collaborative process. Editors often work as a liaison between authors and the editorial team, to clarify the author’s vision and to communicate the realities of the market and production process and consult on blurbs, covers, film potential, etc. Sinclair also represents Tule at industry events and workshops, speaks with a few RWA chapters, take pitches and read submissions.
As a published romance author herself, Sinclair is in a unique position to communicate clearly and empathetically with authors. One of her favorite parts of her job is brainstorming story and working collaboratively to solve story challenges and mentor for craft.