This year the Maryland Romance Writers (MRW) will be in attendance with some of their membership authors. Due to the nature of the controversies surrounding Romance Writers of America (RWA) we wanted to post this statement from MRW:

One June 1, 2022, Maryland Romance Writers (MRW) submitted notification to Romance Writers of America (RWA) that its membership voted to disaffiliate from RWA as of July 1, 2022. References to RWA have been removed from MRW's website, and we are in the process of establishing ourselves as an independent non-profit organization in Maryland.

The mission of Maryland Romance Writers is to promote excellence in romantic fiction and advance the professional interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy, dissemination of information, professional education, and other appropriate activities, and to provide continuing support for writers within the publishing industry.

To learn more about MRW and how to become a member, visit their website.

We are continuing the conversation about fat representation in fiction! This edition is moderated by Mary Warren, author and founder of www.fatgirlsinfiction.com.

You can find her on TikTok @marywarrenwrites and Instagram @fatgirlsinfiction sharing the news about fat representation in books. ​

We want to continue the discussion about fat representation in fiction. With this in mind author Cardyn Brooks, our Outreach Coordinator, moderates this Desirable Women of Color panel.

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The Write Women Book Fest
Continuing Conversations 
Fat Women in Fiction 
Desirable Women of Color 2022
With Moderator & Author Cardyn Brooks

Cardyn Brooks
blerdybingereader.blogspot.com/
TWITTER & INSTAGRAM  @CardynBpresents
Cardyn Brooks on Amazon, Facebook, Goodreads, SheWrites, Smashwords, Tumblr 
Cardyn Brooks, outreach coordinator for The Write Women Book Fest, is a reading fiend, compulsive writer, swim enthusiast, and inventor. She created the "Trope Spin" and "Literary Canon Fodder" book review columns for MediaDiversified.org, and riffs on bookish topics on BlerdyBingeReader.blogspot.com. She's reviewed books for InDtale.com and currently reviews books for RomanceDailyNews.com. She writes edgier erotic fiction as C. X Brooks (in which the X honors her enslaved ancestors who were forbidden by law to learn to read and write). Her most recent title is When She's on Top by C. X Brooks, published by BlackOpalBooks.com.

Participating Authors
​
Shai August is a country girl with a big imagination, more than a touch of wanderlust and a never-ending desire to live in both an RV traveling the world and a library. Her love language is words of affirmation followed by books, bacon, and bourbon. She's a born and bred Louisiana native, but has lived in ten states and visited forty-two. She is fluent in English, sarcasm, and memes. Her goal is to write face-paced, character driven paranormal fiction for women of color. 

Pamela D. Beverly is the author of the contemporary romance novels Relations and The Love Labyrinth, as well as a children's picture book, What if an Octopus Followed Me Home? She writes about down-to-earth characters with regular jobs and lives, attempting to live and love through it all. Her latest, a novella, is titled, A Type of Hunger. You can find her at pameladbeverly.com

Delaney Diamond is the USA Today Bestselling Author of sensual and passionate romance novels. She reads romance novels, mysteries, thrillers, and a fair amount of nonfiction. When she’s not busy reading or writing, she’s in the kitchen trying out new recipes, dining at one of her favorite restaurants, or traveling to an interesting locale. To get sneak peeks, notices of sale prices, and find out about new releases, join her mailing list. And enjoy free stories on her website at delaneydiamond.com.

For Carla de Guzman there is always something new to share with the world through her art and her writing in order to give her readers maximum amounts of kilig. She believes that every person needs a safe space, and she hopes her books provide that too. She is part of #romanceclass, an online community of writers, readers and creators of Filipino romance in English, and will always say yes to a cafe invite. 

Jamie Pope is an award-winning romance writer, teacher and boot-buying addict who sometimes goes by the names of Sugar Jamison and Ginger Jamison. When she isn't juggling her split personalities, you can find her hanging out on social media or at authorjamiepope.com 
​

2022 EVENTBRITE FREE TICKET

HOME for The Write Women Book Fest
Instagram - @thewritewomenbookfest
Facebook - The Write Women Book Fest
Twitter - @thewritewomenpub
Salon Group Instagram -  @writewomenpub
Facebook Writing Salon Group (private group, must request to join) - The Write Women Network
Our YouTube Stardust Productions - which has past workshops, interviews, panels, and virtual events

1. Can You Hear Us Now? by Cheryl Benton 
Wine Pairing: Wolffer Estates’ Summer in a Bottle Rosé. This tastes exactly how summer would taste; fruity, fresh, and refreshing.
 
2.  The Eves by Grace Sammon 
Wine Pairing: Vodka all the way! Grey Goose is my favorite vodka, it is extremely smooth and delicious!
 
3. Thine Eyes of Mercy (Birth of the Fae Book Two) by Danielle Orsino 
Wine Pairing: Bodega Aleanna’s El Enemigo Malbec. This wine is rich, concentrated, and full-bodied with flavors of spice, blackberry, black cherry, and pepper.
 
4.  Sledgehammer (Dirty Boys Do It Better Book Two) by Jc Jaye
Wine Pairing: WeldWerks Brewing Co. Juicy Bits IPA Beer. Nothing to say, but juicy!
 
5.  Ignite (The Terrible Love Memoirs) by Marie Whishert 
Wine Pairing: 7 Deadly Wine 7 Deadly Zins; it's a Zinfandel, medium bodied.
 
6. Champagne Widows by Rebecca Rosenberg 
Wine Pairing: Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut Champagne. The perfect and only choice to drink while reading this book.
 
7.  The Secret of Jaipur by Alka Joshi
Wine Pairing: Cascinetta Vietti Moscato d’Asti. Sweet and delicious. Notes of peaches, candied ginger; goes excellent with Indian food, especially lamb curry.
 
8. The Best of No Small Thing and Mindful Meditations  by Deborah Hawkins 
Wine Pairing: Stag’s Leap Winery Petite Sirah 2017. Includes blackberry, blueberry, and hints of walnut. Overall, a lovely, bold flavor.
 
9.  The Stakes Of Faking It by Joanne Rock 
Wine Pairing: La Marca Prosecco.  This wine has fruity flavors with a sweet and refreshing finish.
 
10.  My Christmas Wish by Jeannie Moon 
Wine Pairing: Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio is a nice dry white wine with an aromatic aroma and extreme versatility.

We are excited to announce that EC Poetry and Prose will be partnering with The Write Women Book Fest 2022! The group was a big presence at this year's festival and we know they'll add something special to next year's event. We want to thank Patti Ross "little pi" and Terri Simon for doing such an amazing job this year!

To learn more about EC Poetry and Prose visit their website HERE

We were happy to announce this year that Aressa V. Williams is our Poet Laureate. She has closed out the book fest with a poem since the first year and this year she wrote a poem just for us! We are so honored and happy to have her energy and talents as part of what makes our festival special.

We answer some of your burning questions about The Write Women Book Fest.

When is the festival?
Saturday, October 9th from Noon to 5 p.m.

How much does it cost for attendees?
It's FREE to attendees! Even when we are in-person it's free. There are no paywalls on workshops or online events.

Where is the festival?
This year it is a hybrid. The in-person portion will be held at Marietta House Museum in Glenn Dale, MD near D.C. The rest will be virtual.

How much does it cost for vendors?
It's just $20 to participate in 2021. We will always try to keep the price for participation accessible to new and establishing authors. Next year the price will go up assuming we will be back to regular on-site participation, which is more costly. However, we intend to keep virtual aspects of the festival to make it easy for people who can't make it to the D.C. area, or people who want to give or take workshops or sell books from home. Any author who cannot afford the $20 can request a reduced or waived fee.

How long has this festival been around?
This is the third year for The Write Women Book Fest. The first year was at Marietta House Museum in Prince George's County Maryland, not far from D.C. The second year was all virtual due to the pandemic. This year is a hybrid event!

How did the festival start?
It was an idea seeded at the Women Authors of Maryland private Facebook group, which is now The Write Women Network. Founder and author Heather Brooks felt there was a need for women-centered rather than genre-centered salons and book festivals. With the help of several friends and volunteers and the tireless efforts of the Outreach Coordinator, author Cardyn Brooks, we managed to have a smooth and better-than-expected launch in 2019. We want to keep growing this event each year with the idea of amplifying the work and creativity of women and marginalized voices and giving them opportunities to network and grow their platforms and visibility.

How does it work?
The 2021 festival will be a hybrid event, which means it will be partially in person at Marietta House Museum and partially virtual. You just go to the registration form, sign up, wait to be accepted and then pay $20 to participate. This year it doesn't matter if you are going to only participate virtually or come to the event space and participate, it's just $20 either way.

Who should participate with this event and why?
Any women authors and any women-owned or women-led organizations in the publishing industry should participate with this event. This includes writers, poets, illustrators, singer-songwriters, playwrights, publishers, cover designers, book marketers, podcasters, editors, beta readers, writing teachers, writing retreat businesses, and more!

Book reviewers and book lovers of all types should participate with this event since it will connect them with authors and may give them access to ARCs, beta-reading and add opportunities to grow your platform.

Once registration ends you'll be added to the online shop, have a feature blog post here, be mentioned on our socials, as well as authors will have a copy of their book added to the Prince George's Memorial Library System's circulating collection. If your book is in the Barnes & Nobel system it will be a part of a special display in October in the Bowie store.

If I register, where does the money go?
The money we collect goes to various expenses incurred by the event. We have received some small grants to cover signage, website fees, and to pay performers. We strive to pay performers and artists who do work with the event, such as musicians, Drag Queen and Firefighter storytimes.

If you have a business that would like to partner with us to help grow this event please email [email protected]. If your customer base is largely women, this is a great opportunity to support a wonderful event.

What should my sales expectations be?
This event, like many other book festivals and fairs, needs to be viewed as an opportunity for networking and learning. A reality that is often not made clear, and perhaps is sometimes even obscured, is that it's rare to sell a lot of books at these events. Many of us have set up a table and sold two, three, or five books even at very large book events. One of the most important things you can do as a new or growing author is find places to sell a few books and network, practice meeting readers, participate with workshops and panels, and grow your platform. Now, there are events that are genre-specific, or have big fan-base might yield a lot of sales, but those festivals are often prohibitively expense or impossible to get accepted into for the new and growing, and indie authors. This is why we are trying so hard to keep the costs to the participating authors low. Nothing stings more than paying $250 for a space at a book festival and not even making enough to cover the parking fee, let alone lunch and the space fee!

As we continue to grow this event, and presumably continue to have amazing featured and guest panelists, we will aim to keep this event accessible. It's a large part of our mission.

GO  HERE TO REGISTER!

Hello all of you lovely publishing professionals and book lovers! We are happy to announce that we will be having a 2021 Write Women Book Fest. Since it was hard to predict how open things would be and what kind of safety concerns might crop up, we are opting this year for a hybrid in-person and virtual book festival on Saturday October 9th from noon to 5 pm.

The fine folks at Prince George's County Parks & Recreation are again partnering with us to partially host the event at Marietta House Museum in Glenn Dale, Maryland.

With all of the pandemic uncertainty of the past year, and the turmoil of the past four years , we decided to focus on the happy topic of love as a theme this year. We want it to encompass all kinds of love and hope that many kinds of women and femme-identifying publishing professionals will want to participate.

While we expect romance, fantasy, sexy stories and poetry will be a big part of the festival, we also want to make space for love in friendship, parental love, self love, spiritual and religious love. What kind of love do you write about? What kind of love do you like reading about?

This is our third year and we are still finding our stride, which started strong in 2019 but of course was a bit hindered in 2020 due to lockdown. We want to know what you're looking for! We want to know what your dream book festival is like. Our goal has been to help women in publishing to network and for women readers to find and support marginalized authors.

After the 2019 festival we got a lot of compliments about the live jazz music and we will be having live music again this year, for a limited audience, but you'll be able to see them streaming. We had wonderful live poetry and a panel discussion, crafts, workshops. In 2020 some of these things translated fine to Zoom and virtual. We will again be having Firefighter Jones and D'Manda Martini for the children's storytimes.

If you're a book or publishing industry podcaster, booktuber, blogger, vlogger, or indie bookstore that would like to be a part of our growing festival, please shoot us an email so we can talk about how we can partner.  Please contact our outreach coordinator Cardyn Brooks at [email protected].

We are also looking for small business and corporate partners. Please let us know if  you would like be part of the festival by contacting the founder at [email protected].

We expect the online registration to be available for women in publishing and artists in the first week of June. Check our social media or the website here for updates!