Joanna currently offers the following workshops. If you are interested in having her address your conference or organization, simply contact her. Editing Your Manuscript, It's All in the Details, or When to Say When! Details can make or break your story--too little and your reader will find herself lost in a maze of rambling dialogue and inexplicable character actions. Too much and she may find herself stuck in a dense forest of words. So how do you know where to start and when to say when? It's all in the detail! Join historical romance writer Joanna Novins, as she discusses how to use detail to create memorable scenes, distinctive characters, and fast-paced action. Setting the Scene at the CIA Are you looking to add some intrigue to your stories, some spice to your suspense? Think you'd like to set your romance at the CIA, but don't know where to start? Retired intelligence officer turned romance writer, Joanna Novins will lead a workshop on what it's like to work at the Central Intelligence Agency, based on her decade long experience with that organization. Joanna recommends that attendees of this workshop visit the CIA's official website. Creating a Signature Style Whether aspiring or published, writers should be aware that their first book could well become their niche. In this workshop, Joanna discusses how to identify elements--setting, personal themes, communities of characters--that can be developed into a signature style that will keep both writer and readers interested for the long run. At the New England Bookseller's Association Convention in Providence, Rhode Island, Fall 2003

2005 Calendar and Appearances:  February 6,  Charter Oak Romance Writers meeting, Faxon Library, 1073 New Britain Avenue.  Joanna will  present her workshop “Setting the Scene at the CIA.” February  10, Author’s luncheon Katonah Women’s Civic Club in Katonah New York. (This meeting is not open to the general public.) Joanna will be speaking on “Writing Romance:  Serious Books, Serious Business.” April  7-9, – Writer’s conference, “Empower the Writer.” Joanna will be among the published authors gathering at the Crowne Plaza in New York City for Novelist, Inc.’s  annual retreat. This year’s conference will feature keynote speaker Edgar award winning, NY Times bestseller Harlen Coben.  June 10-11, Writer’s conference, “Murder in the Grove,” sponsored by the Popular Fiction Assn. of Idaho, Inc. and Boise Partners in Crime at the BOISE CENTRE ON THE GROVE, 850 Front Street, Boise, ID 83702.  Joanna will present her workshop “Setting the Scene at the CIA,” and will participate in a panel, “Yankee Doodle Dead, writing the historical suspense.”  Joanna will be signing books at the conference and at the local Barnes and Noble alongside NY Times bestseller, Ridley Pearson, Pulitzer-prize nominee Carolyn Hart, and popular Avon author, Joanna Spence. Sept. 23-25, Writer's retreat "Writing the Romantic Suspense: The Plot Thickens" sponsored by Kiss of Death Writer's San Antonio, Texas.   Joanna will present her workshops “Setting the Scene at the CIA,” and “Creating a Signature Style.”  September 28-October 2, Writer's conference Moonlight & Magnolias/Atlanta, Georgia  Joanna will sign books and present her popular workshop, "Creating a Signature Style" along with bestselling author Liz Maverick. Joanna and Liz will be signing their most recent books on Sunday at the Westin Atlanta North alongside a host of authors, including NY Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner, Stephanie Bond, Karen Kendall, and Wendy Wax. October 20, Writer's conference Fourth Annual Connecticut Writer's conference sponsored by Norwalk Community College, Norwalk, Connecticut.  Joanna will present "Signature Style: Using personal experience to craft a unique, marketable book." (Details TBA) November 12-13, Writer's conference New England Crime Bake: The Many Faces of Mystery sponsored by New England chapter of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, Lowell, Mass.  Joanna will participate in roundtables workshops along with a host of mystery and suspense writers including NYTimes bestsellers Tess Gerritsen and Carla Neggers.

I’m abysmal with titles. In fact I’ve sworn my editor to secrecy about the original title of my first manuscript. But that doesn’t mean I’m not aware of the importance of a catchy title. Which is why I’ve entitled this article ‘Query Pop Quiz.’ ‘Pop Quiz,’ and ‘Query,’ two phrases guaranteed to twist the intestines of anyone who has ever been to school or tried to get a book published.

The only times exams aren’t bad is when you know the material, or better yet, when they’re open book—then they’re pretty much a breeze. And if you think about it, there are a lot of similarities between an open book test and a query letter, because you’ve already got the answers right in front of you

What are you choosing this agent? Or if your query is addressed to an editor of a publishing house: Why are you choosing this publisher? When you address a letter to an agent or an editor you should be able to explain why you’re contacting them. It shows you’ve done your homework, that you’ve researched the market. And it doesn’t have to be an essay, just a single line. Writer X has suggested you might be interested in my work. I heard you speak on a panel at conference Y and was impressed with your approach. My work is similar to other writers you represent. If you don’t have a contact point for the person to whom you’re writing, you might describe the type of working relationship you’re seeking.

How would you describe your book? Your response should not be what your book is about, but what it is—single title or category, historical or contemporary, suspense or comedy, where it is set and in how many words. As with the previous question your answer reveals how well you’ve done your homework, whether you are targeting your material to what the agent or editor is buying.

How would you describe your heroine? Think carefully before you answer, particularly if your first response is to describe your heroine in physical terms. Is beauty really what makes your heroine unique and defines her as a person, or is it what she does or what she has experienced in life. Consider this question and the following ones as opportunities to demonstrate the voice of your work. Look for lines in your manuscript, for example the first time the hero sees the heroine, that provide an effective snapshot.

What is her primary goal? You’ve described who your heroine is, now explain what she has set herself to do at the beginning of the book. Keep the answer simple so that when you respond to questions, How would you describe your hero? What is his primary goal? it is clear why these characters are going to be in conflict. And this leads to the next question, What is the primary problem that brings your heroine and hero into conflict?

You’ve probably noticed I keep referring to primary goals and primary conflict. I’ve done that intentionally. Anyone who has tried their hand at query and synopsis writing knows how difficult it is to reduce a three or four hundred page manuscript down a few pages. And that’s why it’s important to think in terms of primary problems, main issues, and the main plot. It helps you to strip your plot down to the most basic issues: what the heroine is trying to do, what stands in her way, and how she will achieve her goals and still get the guy. You might think of it as organizing your synopsis of the story around a chronology of conflicts, rather than a simple chronology of events, concluding with an answer to the question: How do the heroine and hero resolve their conflicts?

Okay, here is the last question. What is the most interesting thing about you? Never forget that when an agent or editor takes you on there not just thinking about how to pitch your book, but how to pitch you. Think about something you’ve done in your life, your work, or your community that people would be intrigued to learn. Then think about how that experience affects the style or content of your work.

The answers to this query pop quiz should give you what you need to write a query letter. As for the order you arrange them, be flexible. Every book and every author is as individual as fingerprint. It makes sense that every query letters should be too. I chose my answer to the last question to open my query letter. “Over a decade of managing and writing analysis for the Central Intelligence Agency has given me an appreciation for the details that tell a story and for theimportance of hooking a reader from the first line.” And it did.