Reading Kitsap

Debbie Macomber will be the featured speaker when the Peninsula Chapter of the Romance Writers of America meet at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Sylvan Way Branch of the Kitsap Regional Library in East Bremerton.

Macomber, who helped found the chapter in 1986, will do a Q&A with attendees, and she’ll also be celebrated by her home chapter for her receipt of the national organization’s Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. (She formally received the prestigious prize at RWA’s annual conference in late July, following in the footsteps of romance-writing legend Linda Lael Miller, a former Kitsap resident, who received the same award in 2007.) The award is given “in recognition of significant contributions to the romance genre.”

The meeting is open to anyone interested.

The Peninsula RWA chapter, with 70 members, covers the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas, as well as the Tacoma area. “We support all writers in all genres, not just romance,” said Jennifer Conner, chapter president. “We bring in speakers, editors, agents and other authors to help our members hone their craft and become stronger writers.”

And Conner, a 1979 South Kitsap High graduate, is proof that it works. Her first published romance novel, Kilt By Love, will be released Sept. 27. (It was her seventh manuscript.) Congratulations, Jennifer.

Here’s the summary from Conner’s blog:

When Sasha Nolan loses her job as an events planner, she decides to take her dream vacation to Scotland. Her plan is to find out what Scotsmen wear under their kilts, but instead, she’s stuck on a tour bus of senior citizens. When she meets Allister MacTavish, a modern day laird, all that changes. There’s one simple rule for her vacation, kilt, conquer and leave. Can Sasha follow her rule when Allister asks for her help in creating a plan to rescue MacTavish Castle from financial ruin? Suddenly Sasha finds that she’s tempted to abandon her old life, help Allister, and indulge in every sexual fantasy she’s ever had. Because now, she’s found out what Scotsmen wear under their kilts…nothing at all.