Join HeRA for a special program presented by the Blue Springs SWAT Team.
Candice Green has been contracted to write the lore for Mufu Games' newest fantasy board game.
Published Author Alicia Dean releases her newest romantic suspense, Death Offerings.
Published Author Denise Grover Swank will present a program on Self-Publishing at Mid-America Romance Authors.
Published Author Denise Grover Swank announced she signed with literary agent, Amanda Luedeke.
Claire Ashgrove / Tori St. Claire
Claire Ashgrove has been writing since her early teens and maintained the hobby for twenty years before deciding to leap into the professional world. Her first contemporary novel, Seduction’s Stakes, sold to The Wild Rose Press in 2008, where she continues to write steamy, sexy stories for the Champagne and Black Rose lines. Adding to these critically acclaimed contemporaries, Claire’s paranormal romance series, The Curse of the Templars, debuted with Tor in January 2012. For those who prefer the more erotic side of romance, she also writes for Berkley Heat as the National Bestselling Author Tori St. Claire.
Dennis Barr
Dennis Barr is a writer who’s better known for his pithy letters to various editors than his stirring fiction. That hasn’t kept him from diving into his first novel, and the beginnings of a second. He keeps his secret identity as a romance writer safe while working at a day job as an IT manager for a Kansas City engineering firm. He’s recapturing the fun of fiction writing, after a decades-long break from earlier efforts writing science fiction in his college years. He’s a loving husband and father, a doting grandfather, and sometimes masquerades as a curmudgeon. A word of warning–don’t get him involved in a political discussion; it’s not a pretty sight.
Dyann Love Barr
With the maiden name of Love, how could she not write romance?
Dyann is a former chef, and her hobbies include sewing, belly dancing, acting, and playing video games with a vengeance. She lives in western Missouri with her husband and their cat, Spook, who thinks he actually owns the house. They’re just the servants who came with the property.
Stephanie Callahan
Stephanie is a padawan writer and unashamed geek girl that can juggle a full time job and full time family and still have time to explore imagination's pathways. She writes Fantasy and Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance and indulges in creativity on her blog site, A Wanderer on Imagination's Path. You can also engage her on Twitter when she's not busy torturing characters.
Alicia Dean
Alicia Dean writes paranormal and romantic suspense. She is published through Dorchester and The Wild Rose Press and recently self-published a suspense with romantic elements. She lived in Kansas City for three years, but moved back to her home town of Moore, Oklahoma in 2009 and is now a long distance member of HERA. She is also a member of OKRWA, RWA’s Oklahoma City chapter. Other than crafting stories, her favorite thing about being a writer is the encouragement and camaraderie she’s found in the writing community. She is represented by agent Jewelann Cone of the Cascade Literary Agency. She has three grown children, two daughters and a son, and is a legal assistant for a family law firm in Edmond, Oklahoma.
Derek D.
Derek lives in Raytown and writes Historical and Contemporary romance. When not writing, he is assuming his favorite yoga pose, or contemplating the asymmetry of the Grandview Triangle.
G. Aliceson Edwards
A long time fan of reading and the romance industry, I believe in supporting authors. I have been featured on a best selling author’s webpage showing my support at a book signing dressed in a purple sequined tank top, leopard print mini skirt, and a hot pink punk wig. Fortunately for the world at large, a few years ago I decided to limit my author “stalking” to see what it would take to get my own work published. HeRA has proved to be an invaluable resource for me as I work on my Young Adult and humorous Suspense novels. I have learned much in the areas of developing writing craft skills, publishing in today’s market, and balancing the demands of a full time teaching job, husband, children, while retaining my title as the “Best Grandma Ever”.
Candice Green
My imagination has always been bigger than life so it didn’t surprise anyone that I began to write. But I didn’t want to just tell stories. I wanted to create beautiful art with my words. My senior year of high school I won honorable mention in a creative writing contest for my poem. These days I write paranormal, sci-fi, and high fantasy stories primarily for the young adult audience, though I love to step outside my box, and am working toward sharing those stories with the world.
Tenaya Jayne
Tenaya Jayne has been writing fiction since the age of seven. She specializes in paranormal romance and fantasy. She loves writing poetry, flash fiction, and demented fairy tales. Her first novel, Blue Aspen, was published in 2009 and has become a cult favorite.
Linda Miller
Bio coming soon!
Laurie Mills
Laurie Mills has been writing fiction since she was ten years old when she was part of the Young Authors Conference in Hobart, Indiana. She has lived in the Kansas City area for thirteen years with her five children. Before that time, she lived in Northwest Indiana, where she was born and raised. She enjoys writing young adult and contemporary romance. She has recently completed her first contemporary romance novel and is preparing it for publication. She looks forward to seeing Come Back to Me in print in 2013. You can read about her writing and writing resources on her website and blog.
Janice Richards
Janice Richards, a Midwesterner with one boot on the family farm in Missouri and one flip flop on the beaches of South Florida, writes contemporary romance as she dashes around the globe in her alter ego's role as a meeting professional. Her first book, Time Away, takes you on a joy ride through colorful Key West, and is currently under consideration for publication. To meet Janice and her critique partners, Michelle and Darlene, visit her website.
J.F. Ridgley
J.F. is a Roman lover. All things Roman or Celtic or Ancient. Her first book is coming out this year Vows of Revenge set in 295BCin where else…ancient Rome. J.F. is a PRO member of Romance Writer’s of America, a member of the Historical Novel Society, as well as Mid-America Romance Authors (MARA), Hearts Through History Romance Writers, and Heartland Romance Authors HERA. With all of the above to keep her busy, she also loves anything to do with horses and dogs, gardening and landscaping, sewing and crocheting…but most of all her family, friends, and always reading a good book.
Marilyn Shank
If you enjoy stories about brides and grooms not ready to commit, identical twins who trade places, cowboys, and pretend marriages, you’ll enjoy Marilyn Shank’s contemporary romances. Marilyn’s first four novels were published by Avalon Books. Avalon’s quality hard-back books were distributed only to libraries and Avalon’s internal book club. But when Amazon purchased Avalon in June, 2012, everything changed. Marilyn is pleased to have two books with Montlake Amazon’s romance line: Daddy with a Deadline and Bride by Mistake. These books are being published both in paperback and electronic format.
Sherry Sirna
Sherry Sirna is a part time author and a full time mother to high school twins, 3 Chihuahuas (Itchy, Scratchy, and Show) and a husband. She writes young adult fiction and has just completed book one of the addictively compelling Outlier series.
Denise Grover Swank
Denise has six children, three dogs, and an overactive imagination. She can be found dancing in her kitchen with her children, reading or writing her next book. You will rarely find her cleaning.
Dane Zeller
Dane Zeller is the author of the detective novel "Smart Shield" and the romantic anthology "Drive-By Romances." Zeller's writing has appeared in Tuck Magazine, Hobo Pancakes, Blog on the Bog, and the Kansas City Star. Zeller is a member of HeRa, the Wednesday/Thursday/Friday writer's group, the Kansas City Writer's Group, and Write Brain Trust, an e-publishing group. In his spare time, he is a professor of management and marketing at Avila University in Kansas City, Missouri. Zeller and his wife live in Westwood, Kansas.
Benefits of Membership
Critique Constructive Critique is one of the most valuable assets an author can have and HeRA facilitates these efforts.
Writer's Bootcamp As a member of HeRA all our Writer's Bootcamp classes are free of charge.
Annual Retreat Our Annual Fall Retreat allows members time to concentrate on writing, be that in workshop settings or simply time away to write.
Workshops Members enhance their Bootcamp Basics and further their craft with our monthly programs, guest speakers, and workshops.