Full Programme - Romance Writers of New Zealand

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Please note: Rooms and speaking topics might be subject to change right up to day of conference.

Thursday August 17th

*Time*	*Description*		*Convenor*	*Location*
7.00pm – 9.00pm	Drinks in the bar for anyone who has come in early	Chance to chat with others and network	Kris Pearson	Bar

Friday August 18th

*Time*	*Description*		*Speaker*	*Location*
7.30am	Registration Opens			Conference Centre entrance Coffee in Conference foyer
8.00am	Maori Blessing
8.15am	Welcome and introductions	Housekeeping	MC Catherine Robertson	Batten Room 1&2
8.30am	Session one	Rise of the Machine	Kristen Lamb	Batten Room 1&2
10.00am		Morning Tea		Conference Foyer
10.30am	Session two	Rise of the Machine	Kristen Lamb	Batten Room 1&2
12.00pm		Lunch		Restaurant
1.00pm	Session three	Rise of the Machine	Kristen Lamb	Batten Room 1&2
3.00pm		Afternoon Tea		Conference Foyer
3.30pm	Session Four	Rise of the Machine	Kristen Lamb	Batten Room 1&2
5.15pm	Workshop close
7.30pm	Conference Cocktail Party Theme: #Live your Dreams	*Description:* Don’t dream it – be it! Come as the favourite character in your own books, a fantasy figure, your dream lover, king or queen of the book world – whatever you can dream up.	MC Catherine Robertson F.Housden Raffle drawn 9pm Theme TBC	Batten 2
6.30pm – 7.30pm	Registration Open			Conf Centre entrance

Saturday August 19^th

*Time*	*Description*		*Speaker*	*Location*
7.15am – 8.30am	Registration Open			Conf Centre entrance Coffee available
7.15am – 8.20am	Cold Reads	Host / Reader: Host/ Reader:	Sue Grimshaw Jessica Watterson	Batten 1 Batten 2
8.30am	Conference Opens – WELCOME		MC’s Catherine Robertson	Batten Rooms 1&2
8.50am	KEYNOTE	Build a Character, Build a Book	Christie Craig (CC Hunter)	Batten Rooms 1&2
9.50am		Morning Tea		Foyer
10.20am to 11.20am	KEYNOTE	Build a Character, Build a Book	Christie Craig (CC Hunter)	Batten Room 1&2
11.25am to 12.25pm	KEYNOTE	Tips to Build Your Brand	Kristen Lamb	Batten Room 1&2
12.30pm		*LUNCH*		Restaurant
1.30pm to 2.30pm	*MAIN* *Batten 1 & 2* KYLIE SCOTTBetween Plotting and Pantsing: Book planning and structure on a level you can live with		Mansfield Room Published Authors Round Table (For published authors only – traditional or self pubbed)
2.30pm to 3.30pm	BREAKOUT SESSION ONE Mansfield Room ANNE GRACIE Getting out of the Slush Pile	Seddon Room SPA GIRLS Dealing with Author Overwhelm in the Digital Age	Batten 2 JUDY L MOHR Hidden Traps of a Writers Platform (what you need to know about security online)	Batten 1 CASSANDRA DEAN & LUCY CLARK How to Inject Emotional Punch Through Pacing
3.30pm to 3.45pm		AFTERNOON TEA		Foyer
3.45pm		Introducing Random House	Sue Grimshaw	Batten Room 1 & 2
4.15pm to 5.15pm	BREAKOUT SESSION TWO Batten Room 2 TRACEY ALVAREZ, WENDY VELLA, FAYE ROBERTSON (SERENITY WOODS), BRONWEN EVANS My Strategy for Successful Self Publishing	Batten Room 1 ALLISON CARROLL, BRYNN KELLY AND FRANCES HOUSDEN Keeping them in Suspense	Seddon Room GRACIE O’NEIL How to Write a Blurb that Sells or a Query that gets a Request	Mandsfield Room KATHY DERRICK Grand Designs. Discovering the Building Blocks of Story
5.30pm		AGM Introducing the new Executive	Iona Jones – Chair	Batten 1 & 2
5.45pm	Batten Room 1 &2	Jean Drew Volunteer of the Year Award RAFFLES DRAWN Out of Towners Draw	MC Catherine Robertson	Batten 1 & 2

7.30pm – 10pm	Harlequin Awards Dinner	Theme – Some Enchanted Evening	MC Catherine Robertson	Rutherford

Sunday August 20^th

*Time*	*Description*		*Speaker*	*Location*
7.15am – 8.15am	Cold Reads	Host / Reader: Host/ Reader:	Elaine Spencer Allison Carroll/Jo MacKay	Coffee available foyer Batten 1 Batten 2
8.15am to 8.35am	Day 2 Opens	NZSA CEO – Jenny Nagle	MC’s Catherine robertson	Batten 1&2
8.30am to 9.35	KEYNOTE	It’s Not Just Adding a Naked , Tattooed Guy: Using Humour in Your Writing	Christie Craig	Batten 1&2
9.35am to 10.05am		That Tricky High Concept Pitch	Elaine Spencer	Batten 1 & 2
10.05am		Harlequin Spotlight	Allison Carroll	Batten Room
10.35am		Morning Tea		Foyer
10.55am – 11.55pm	BREAKOUT SESSION ONE Batten Room 1 ANNE GRACIE Creating Reader Engagement	Batten Room 2 YVONNE WALUS Beyond Plot: What is Your Story About	Mansfield room JUDY L MOHR SCRIVENER – Part One Nuts and Bolts	Seddon Room JENNIFER KLOESTER GEORGETTE HEYER: HOW SHE WROTE HER REGENCY NOVELS
11.55am to 12.55pm	BREAKOUT SESSION TWO Batten 1 KYLIE SCOTT Making a Scene: Every Scene has to earn its space on the page	Batten Room 2 TEE AYER When the Hobby Becomes A Job. (how to write 4 or more books a year)	Mansfield room JUDY L MOHR SCRIVENER – Part Two Nuts and Bolts	Seddon room IOLA GOULTON Introducing Christian Romance (the biggest little genre you’ve never heard of)
1.00pm to 1.55pm		HARLEQUIN LUNCH		Rutherford
2.00pm to 2.30pm		Introducing the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency	Jessica Watterson	Batten 1 & 2
2.35pm to 3.35pm	KEYNOTE	Bullies and Baddies	Kristen lamb	Batten 1&2
3.35pm – 4.05pm	KEYNOTE	Crystal Ball Gazing Anything you want to know about publishing	Sue Grimshaw Elaine Spencer Jessica Watterson Kristen Lamb Christie Craig Anne Gracie Kylie Scott Allison Carroll Jo MacKay	Batten 1 & 2
4.o5pm – 4.15pm		Introducing the 2018 Conference Committee	MC Catherine Robertson	Batten 1&2
		CONFERENCE CLOSED

The Conference Programme is subject to change.

Workshop rooms will be designated and set up to cater for participants using your selected registration options so please honour the selections you have made at time of booking. Please be considerate of the presenter and other participants if you need to leave for pitch appointments.

As always, our conference is perfume free.