Welcome Calgary Authors!

What You Should Know:

• Adrienne's live presentation, How to Fix the Funny in Your Romance, will be a "teaching workshop," and therefore, it will feature live critiques of unpublished writing. This online presentation is scheduled for Saturday, April 19, 2025, at 2 pm MT, via Zoom.
• The purpose of this workshop is to help you determine what, if anything, needs to be tweaked, so your scene amuses readers.  Adrienne is looking for volunteers — authors who recognize the value and benefit of feedback, especially from fellow writers of Romance. 
• If you would like a live critique of your humor-writing during Adrienne's presentation, please use the form, below, to upload 3-5 pages of your work-in-progress. Your excerpt should focus on one (or both) of the main protagonists, while they are embroiled in some amusing moment from your plot. 
• The excerpt can be ironic, slapstick, or punny. Give us your best punchline from a wicked battle of wits; a mistaken case of identity; a first-date disaster; an interrupted seduction; etc. Feel free to make your humor catalyst a meddling relative, a toddler, or even a pet.
• Your friendly colleagues want to laugh — and so does Adrienne! We'll share what we like, and we'll offer constructive suggestions for improvement. Ultimately, we'll help you escalate the hilarity of your scene (if that's remotely possible!)
• Submission Deadline: Midnight on Sunday, March 30, 2025

Tips for Getting Selected:

• Send your submission early. For the purpose of this workshop, only the first 8 submissions are eligible for critique. As a consolation, every submission will be entered in a raffle for a **free** Chapter One critique, provided by Adrienne. (Only 1 submission per author, please.)
• Include an author’s note, summarizing the plot events that led to your excerpt.
• In exchange for Adrienne’s free, written critique of your excerpt, you must agree to let Adrienne show, discuss, and critique portions of your excerpt live, during her presentation. You must also agree to receive verbal (or chat) feedback from the audience. (On this webpage, in the submission form, below, you will confirm your permission by leaving a check mark in the section titled, "Consent for Manuscript Review.")
• Every effort will be made to keep audience participation constructive during the live critique. Your excerpt will not be used again by Adrienne for any other purpose.
• Author names will be kept anonymous. Manuscript titles may be revealed. If you prefer full anonymity, invent a title for your manuscript that no one from your chapter is likely to recognize.
• Due to time constraints, Adrienne cannot guarantee that all 8 excerpts will be discussed during her presentation. However, the first 8 entrants are guaranteed to receive her free, written critique of their excerpt.

How to Format Your Excerpt:

• Remember: Your deadline is midnight on Sunday, March 30, 2025. 
• Length: 3 to 5 pages (1300 words, max.)
• File Type: Word Document (No PDFs).
• Formatting: Standard Manuscript (Click here to learn about standard manuscript formatting.)
• Cover Sheet: Include your name, title, contact info, and your Romance subgenre. 
• Page Header: Remove all personal identifiers, EXCEPT the book's title.
• Upload your submission, using the form below.
• Curious about Adrienne's Mentorship Program? Click Here.
  

Yes! Enter my Excerpt!

Note: After you click "Submit," return to this section to verify that your excerpt was sent. You should see a "green" message.