North Carolina is a great state to live and work as a professional romance novelist or a writer of any genre. The state has a rich literary heritage and some of the most memorable literature of the 20th century was penned by writers who lived in N.C. including Thomas Wolfe, F. Scott Fitzgerald, O. Henry, and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, whose 1938 novel The Yearling won the 1939 Pulitzer Prize.

Contemporary authors include Anne Tyler, who in 1989 won the Pulitzer Prize for Breathing Lessons, Allan Gurganus, whose 2000 novel The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All spent eight months on The New York Times Best Seller list and Charles Frazier, the only North Carolinian to win the National Book Award for Fiction for 1997’s Cold Mountain and Ron Rash, the author of Serena, now a major motion picture featuring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper.

The Heart of Carolina Romance Writers (HCRW), a regional chapter of the Romance Writers of America has a membership of talented romance writers on the New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon lists but the membership is generous in sharing their time and expertise to new writers.

As I launch my professional writing career I’d like to thank a few members of the HCRW who through the years have inspired me and shared their expertise: Sabrina Jefferies, New York Times author of sexy regency romance author of historic romance; and Virginia Kantra, also a New York Times author of contemporary romance; and Sara Cannon, an amazingly talented and prolific author of young adult paranormals and new adult fiction. Additionally, she has generously taught many workshops on Indy publishing.

Literary Festivals, Events and Writer Gatherings in North Carolina

Heart of Carolina Romance Writers – Second Saturday Every Month 
Triangle Area. The first two meetings are free for non-members. (Calendar of Events)

March
Spring Literary Festival, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, N.C.

April
North Carolina Writers’ Network Spring Conference, Greensboro, N.C.

September
BOOKMARKS Festival of Books, Winston-Salem, N.C.
On the Same Page Literary Festival, West Jefferson

October
Heart of Carolina Romance Writer Annual One-Day Writers Conference, Triangle area

November
North Carolina Writers’ Network Fall Conference, location varies