Midwest Romance Writers

Midwest Romance Writers Founded in 2002, Midwest Romance Writers (MRW) was formerly a chapter of the national Romance Writers of America. Don't let the name fool you.

We have since broadened our scope to include the study and support of other genres. Midwest Romance Writers (MRW) members write in a variety of genres including cozy mysteries, contemporary and historical romance, romantic suspense, paranormal fiction, women’s fiction, and mainstream fiction. We are fortunate to have members who have attained best-seller designations on Amazon, USA Today, and New

York Times Lists. The purpose of our organization is to educate and support fiction writers of all genres at every stage of their writing career. MRW helps authors improve their writing craft and book marketing skills by providing guidance, positive critique, and insight from industry experts.

03/25/2026

NEXT MEETING:

Thursday, April 9 12, 2026, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m. Eating and chatting
6:45 p.m. Short business meeting
7:00 program
Carrabba’s Italian Grill
10586 Metcalf Ave.
Overland Park, KS 66212

Program:

ADVICE FROM THE POISON LADY

Speaker:

Luci Zahray, a retired hospital pharmacist with a Masters Degree in Toxicology, has been christened by writers as The Poison Lady. Luci first attended mystery conventions as a fan, but when she overheard mystery writers lamenting the lack of knowledge of how to kill someone with poison, volunteered with “Oh, I can tell you how to do that.” Thus began an illustrious hobby of telling writers where to buy arsenic, why methanol in hand sanitizer is a bad idea (one tablespoon orally can cause blindness), and that the nastiest way to kill someone you really don’t like is strychnine. Luci will talk to us about various poisons…how they work and where to find them. She will tell us why arsenic, the King of Poisons, one of the oldest known poisons, can still be found in our everyday lives.

02/17/2026

Next meeting:
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m. Eating and chatting
6:45 p.m. Short business meeting
7:00 program
Carrabba’s Italian Grill
10586 Metcalf Ave.
Overland Park, KS 66212

Program:
PAINT ME A PICTURE
Describing description...it's all in the details!
Patti Abshier and Diana Admire will be presenting a PowerPoint class talking about description and what makes good details even better.
Be ready to take part in a discussion of what makes a reader fall in love with your words.

Speakers:
Diana Day-Admire lives in the middle of the country, and is the middle child of an average family from Missouri. However, she is anything but average or simple, having lived a complex life to find who she truly is. She has placed in RWA chapter contests and self-published two works of short stories and poetry. She is currently working on several novels and short stories while submitting her completed projects to interested agents and editors. Diana writes about unorthodox relationships which are normal for her. Helping the rest of the world relate to them is her passion.
Patti Abshier has supported Midwestern Romance Writers for over a decade. When the group expanded to include writers no matter the type looking to grow and experience new genres, she became an official member of the group. Patti has a PhD in Epidemiology, allowing her to critique the themes of romance and other genres in a different light. She has been writing research and professional documents for over 25 years. Over her 25 years writing, she has written grants, which are their own form of fiction.

Visitors welcome!

01/01/2026

Next Meeting:
Thursday, January 8, 2026, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m. Eating and chatting
6:45 p.m. Short business meeting
7:00 program
Carrabba’s Italian Grill
10586 Metcalf Ave.
Overland Park, KS 66212

Program:
Speaker Topic:
Success in publishing is unpredictable, but the decision to keep writing is not. This talk focuses on mindset, resilience, and overcoming personal and professional obstacles that make writers want to quit. Through personal experience, it reframes success, challenges “should be writing” shame, and offers a more sustainable way to stay creative and committed for the long haul.
Speaker:
Jami Albright is an award-winning, Amazon Top 100 author and experienced self-publishing professional. Best known for her Brides on the Run and Small-Town Royalty romantic comedy series, she has built a successful career by combining commercial storytelling with strong brand clarity and a deep understanding of reader expectations.

Jami is the co-host of the Wish I’d Known Then…For Writers podcast and works as an author consultant, helping writers navigate mindset challenges, career transitions, and the realities of the publishing business with honesty and practical insight. Her work centers on resilience, creative longevity, and redefining success on your own terms.
Visitors welcome!

11/21/2025

Next Meeting:

Our December meeting will be our annual Christmas party. Bring a wrapped (or bagged!) gift approximately $25 in value for our Dirty Santa Gift Exchange.

Saturday, December 13, 2025, 11:00 a.m. p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at:
Carrabba’s Italian Grill
10586 Metcalf Ave
Overland Park, KS 66212

Regular meetings will resume on January 9, 2025, with dinner at 6:00 and program beginning around 7:00 (ish 😊).

10/25/2025

Next Meeting:
Thursday, November 13, 2025, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m. Eating and chatting
6:45 p.m. Short business meeting
7:00 program
Carrabba’s Italian Grill
10586 Metcalf Ave,
Overland Park, KS 66212

Program:
TBA...but it will be fun and informative!

MRW had another fabulous writing retreat this past weekend! We ate a lot, talked a lot, ate a lot, learned a lot, ate a ...
10/13/2025

MRW had another fabulous writing retreat this past weekend! We ate a lot, talked a lot, ate a lot, learned a lot, ate a lot...and had a lot of fun!!

Thursday, September 11, 2025, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. Eating and chatting6:45 p.m. Short business meeting7:00 p...
08/26/2025

Thursday, September 11, 2025, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m. Eating and chatting
6:45 p.m. Short business meeting
7:00 program
Carrabba’s Italian Grill
10586 Metcalf Ave.
Overland Park, KS 66212

September’s meeting will be presented by all the members.

Below are the prompts we will be discussing at the meeting. Feel free to complete as few or as many as you'd like. Hopefully we'll get some good samples from each prompt.

Prompt 1 - (show vs. tell) write a short scene where your character is approached by their vet and told that their eight year old chocolate lab has to undergo emergency surgery. Write it once in "show" mode and once in "tell" mode.

Prompt 2 - (subtext) write a short scene about two characters who argue over something small and surface-level (like dirty dishes, being late, or leaving the porch light on). In reality, the fight is about something much deeper (feeling unloved, betrayal, fear of abandonment, resentment, jealousy, etc.).
The rule: they can’t name the deeper issue directly. It has to be hinted at through word choice, body language, and what they don’t say.

Prompt 3 - (flashback) Write a flashback but weave it into action so the memory is triggered by what the character is doing.

Prompt 4 - (sensory details) Write a scene that's set at a summer carnival at night. Since it's common to focus on sight, instead write it once using only sound and smell and once using only touch and taste.

Prompt 5 - (Conflict in Every Scene) Write a “quiet” scene (making tea, walking the dog) but add some form of tension: an unspoken resentment, a deadline, a secret.

No pressure if you'd rather simply be a casual observer. I promise each of us will learn something and come away with a few new trips and tricks to better our own work.

07/29/2025

Next Meeting:
Thursday, August 14, 2025, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m. Eating and chatting
6:45 p.m. Short business meeting
7:00 program
Carrabba’s Italian Grill
10586 Metcalf Ave,
Overland Park, KS 66212

Program: Stan C. Smith from the Writers of Warrensburg group will share his AI presentation: Writing at the Crossroads: Understanding the AI Revolution in Writing.
Stan writes science fiction adventure novels with strong elements of wilderness survival. He has published 24 novels. His secret formula is to create strange worlds filled with even stranger creatures. Drop in unsuspecting characters. Shake vigorously. Stan lives with his wife Trish deep in the Ozark Forest of Missouri, where creatures are more docile than those in his novels.
Visitors welcome!

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Kansas City, KS

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