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.
Once a quarter, we meet in person.
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 (although you will have access to any meeting handouts).
Upcoming Meetings:
September 26: Bonnie Phelps presents on Reader-Centered Marketing. The session has a two-part focus.
1. Creating your ideal reader profile – It’s more than age, gender, and vague demographics. Why does she read? What is it about her that would make her want to read your book? We’ll dig deep into what motivates her. What specific needs of hers does your book satisfy.
2. Improving our book’s discoverability – We need to understand what those wonderful AI-driven search bots look for when deciding how to answer specific reader queries. Without this knowledge, we’re shouting in the dark.
These two areas drive what we put in our book blurbs, ads we run, our website copy, and our social media outreach. Like the “Field of Dreams,” if we build it correctly, they will come.
(In-person at Rancho Cordova City Hall, 2729 Prospect Park Drive)
Click HERE to pay via PayPal:
$25 for NCRW members, $10 for members with a yearly subscription, and $35 for non-members.
Pay to SVRTreasurer@gmail.com (Zoom)
October 24: June Gillam, romance writer and creative writing PhD shares on creating characters your readers will turn the page for (Zoom)
November14: Holiday party at RCCH (In-person)
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, researched and 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. The Zoom meeting link will be emailed out through our Groups.io forum.
October 11 – Setting up and running your own online store.
November 8 – What I’ve learned about social media engagement strategies.
December – No meeting
As always, Marketing Mojo is free to NCRW members. Check the group forum for the Zoom link.
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):
Weekdays:
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Mornings
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Monday through Friday 7:00 - 8:00 a.m.
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Evening
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Monday & Thursday from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
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Weekends:
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Afternoon
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Saturday from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
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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 NCRW.)
Events
Our tradition is to schedule an all-day workshop or a full-day or weekend writing retreat once a year. Right now we are planning a weekend retreat in July 2027 near Yosemite National Park. Check back for details!
Past Meetings and Events
Click here for a list of some of the speakers and topics presented at past monthly meetings, workshops and retreats.