Maria Geraci ~ A Heroine to Root For

Welcome to Ancient City Romance Authors in 2013! We hope you are as excited about a new writing year as we are, and we invite you to visit us, attend a workshop, get to know us, and hopefully join us. Here is our first workshop for the year, on January 26 at 1pm:

A Heroine to Root For (or how not to be a Scarlet)

Scarlet O'Hara might be one of literature's most famous characters, but she's not exactly the kind of heroine romance readers will root for. Learn how to create a heroine worthy of your plot (and your hero!).

Maria Geraci was born in Havana, Cuba, and raised on Florida’s Space Coast. Her love of books started with the classic, Little Women (a book she read so often growing up, she could probably quote). She writes contemporary romance and women’s fiction with a happy ending. Her fourth novel, A Girl Like You, was released last August by Berkley, Penguin, USA. You can connect with Maria by visiting her website, MariaGeraci.com

An Actor Prepares – Become Your Characters

Join ACRA on July 28 for a very special workshop on creating unforgettable characters by becoming your characters, offered by member Sharon Drane.

An award winning actor and director, Sharon Drane has appeared onstage for over fifty years.  Her credits as an actor include everything from Shakespeare to contemporary comedy, intricate drama, melodrama, mysteries, and musical theater.

As an actor her favorite roles are Marilla Cuthbert in “Anne of Green Gables,” Bloody Mary in “South Pacific,” and Juliet’s nurse in “Romeo and Juliet.”  As a director, her favorite productions are “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Bus Stop,” and “Inherit the Wind.”

Trained in the Stanislavski Method of character preparation, Sharon will present a workshop at the monthly meeting of Ancient City Romance Authors on Saturday, July 28^th.  The workshop is entitled “An Actor Prepares – Become Your Characters.”  Use of the Method will help an actor or an author create emotionally realistic characters that catch and hold the interest of the audience.

As an author, Sharon’s Regency novel, Touch the Sky, was named a finalist in two recent Romance Writers of America sponsored contests, the Linda Howard Award for Excellence held by Southern Magic Romance Writers and the GOTCHA contest sponsored by Silicon Valley Romance Writers.  As a result of being named a finalist in the GOTCHA contest, Sharon’s manuscript was requested by a publisher.

ACRA meets on the 4th Saturday of each month at the Southeast Regional Library, 10599 Deerwood Park Blvd, Jacksonville, FL. Phone (904)-996-0325. Bring your lunch and socialize from 12:30-1pm, followed by a writer's workshop and then by the regular monthly ACRA chapter business meeting.