Edition 44 - February 15, 2026

In This Edition:

Author's Corner - Let's Talk Tropes, Baby!

NERFA - Would you like to be a Reader Judge for 2026?

GA Romance Writers Maggie Awards - Open for Entries on February 14th

Super Saturday Writers Workshop - Open for registration now!

Weekend Writathon -  Feb 26 thru Mar 1 - Save your spot today!

FCRW's Anthology Projects - Sign up now to participate in 2026's Anthologies

Books by Friends of FCRW - Come see what we're writing!

FCRW Hosted Workshop - Learn how to attend our workshops

Like the age-old debate about the chicken and the egg, my writer friends and I debate what should come first—your characters and their flaws and motivations, or your tropes.

I’ll be honest. I think crafting well-rounded characters and letting them shape your story is the answer. It certainly feels more literary. But that’s not how my brain works. I get excited about tropes! When I started brainstorming the first book in my college hockey romance series, I immediately knew I wanted it to have fake dating. Why? Because that makes me start rubbing my hands together and plotting how to put these characters (who I know nothing about) into delicious situations where they fall in love. Why are they fake dating? I don’t know yet. But I know I’ll figure out their characters and motivations if I’m excited about the plot. I’ve read a lot of writing craft books, and I’ve tried to follow the “rules,” but when I actually sit down to put pen to paper (or fingers to the keyboard, as it were) I have to do what works for me.

It doesn’t matter what process you use, but one thing is sure—you have to know what tropes you have in your books and you have to market them clearly.

Ugh, every writers’ worst nightmare. Marketing. I know. But having a solid idea of your tropes actually simplifies this dreaded task. Because as a reader, I don’t always read the synopsis on the back cover of a romance book. I’m drawn to the beautiful cover first, and then I skim down to the end of the blurb where they tell me the tropes. I’m terrible, it’s true, but the heart wants what the heart wants, and mine wants tropes. So give ‘em to me, and then I’ll go back and read your beautifully-crafted synopsis! Make sure you’re using tropes to the best advantage to get all the possible readers to see your books.

I’ve written four college hockey romance books and published three—fingers crossed the fourth one comes out this summer. So it’s safe to say that hockey romance is one of my favorite romance genres to read. But I don’t discriminate—sports romance, workplace romance, mafia romance, contemporary romance, rockstar romance, Regency romance—I’m here for it all. And there are some tropes that are evergreen and some that apply to just one genre. A well-marketed book is going to have a mix of both.

For example, “forbidden romance” is going to be an evergreen trope that appeals across multiple sub-genres. Maybe it’s forbidden because she is the coach’s daughter. Maybe it’s forbidden because he’s her best friend’s brother. Maybe it’s forbidden because she’s his boss, or they are family rivals. Take the main evergreen trope and apply it to your genre, and it still works. And if you can market it both generally and specifically, you’ll hit a wider appeal. Maybe a new reader will try your genre because they can’t get enough forbidden romance, and they’ll get hooked. On the other hand, maybe a reader who loves your genre will discover a new trope that they adore and will find new books and authors that feature it.

“Fake dating” is another evergreen trope that works in—dare I say?—all romance categories. (Maybe I’m biased and just love fake dating.) The reasons for fake dating are going to be more genre specific—for the good of the team, to catch a suitor’s eye, to keep the bad guys at bay—but it works for everyone. So keep writing more of it, m’kay?

“Enemies to lovers” is a hugely popular evergreen trope, and “friends to lovers” also has a wide appeal. “Accidental pregnancy” (while controversial) is an evergreen trope, along with “grumpy/sunshine,” because that’s more about the characters. “Second chance” romance can work for all genres, and so can “slow burn.” You can highlight both the broad themes and the specific applications of them in your marketing.

“Forced proximity” is an evergreen trope, although I would argue that every romance book probably contains this trope! For some reason, the characters keep getting thrown together—either they work together, have a team or family connection, live next door to each other, see each other at the same coffee shop, have to solve a murder together—you get the picture. Something keeps putting them in each other’s path, and readers can’t stop flipping pages to see those sparks fly! How you smoosh them together is up to you and can be genre specific, but please, keep forcing them to spend time in each other’s company. And tell your potential readers about how glorious it’s going to be.

My point is, nail down your tropes early in your writing process. Have a mix of evergreen tropes and genre-specific ones, and hit them hard in your marketing. Your readers will thank you!

Let's Talk Tropes, Baby! by A.D. Lynn
Connect with A.D. Lynn on Instagram

Help FCRW Find Reader Judges!

Want to be a Reader Judge? Sign up HERE!

Do you like to read romance? Consider being a NERFA reader-judge. Read some wonderful romances for free. All it takes is your time. Check it out.

Note: FCRW members cannot be reader judges.

The National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award (NERFA) 2026 begins soon. This is FCRWs major fundraising project.

How to Enter:

All entries must have an original copyright date within 2025 and must have been available for purchase in the United States beginning in 2025. Have you dreamed about being able to promote yourself as an award-winning author? Well, here’s your chance.

Books must be copyrighted and entered in PDF Format. This year we are offering eight categories: Historical Romance, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Speculative Romance, Young Adult Romance, Mainstream Fiction with a Central Romance, Romantic Novellas (15k-40k), and Best First Book (in addition to another category).

Fee: Non-Members = $40 per entry, Members = $30 per entry and $5 to also enter Best First Book category. Submissions begin March 1st. Currently, PayPal is the only acceptable payment form and must be submitted using the PayPal button on the entry form. 

Prizes:

All 2026 finalists will receive a NERFA Finalist web logo and certificate. Winners will a receive a NERFA Winner web logo, a beautiful trophy as shown of the FCRW website, a write up in our monthly newsletter The Reader & Author Gazette, and be highlighted in a video posted on all FCRW’s social media accounts including our Facebook page and website.

About NERFA judging:

FCRW uses romance readers as judges for the first round. Reader Judge Sign Up occurs January 15 – February 28. The second-round judges are librarians, booksellers, and book bloggers. They will pick a single winner from the top three in each category.

NERFA Schedule:

• Reader Judge signup January 15- February 28, 2026
• OPEN for contestants, March 1-31, 2026
• First Round (romance readers) Judging. April 8 – May 19, 2026
• Finalists will be announced June 1, 2026
• Final Round Judging June 1-30, 2026 (Librarians/Bloggers/Booksellers)
• July 8th— The eight winners are announced

Please check out our website for more information:

https://nerfa.firstcoastromancewriters.com

The Maggie Award is a symbol of recognition given by Georgia Romance Writers (GRW) to bring special attention to these authors. The Maggie, a silver medallion commissioned by GRW, receives national attention. Librarians, booksellers, and other professionals will rank books in the publishing industry.​​

Important Dates:

The Maggie Award for Excellence opens for entries on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2026. Entries must be RECEIVED by April 4, 2026, at 11:59 pm Eastern, and must follow all format requirements listed in the rules. Finalists will be notified on June 22, 2026, and winners will be announced at the Maggie Award banquet on October 17, 2026.

Fees:

GRW Member: $30
Non-member: $40

• Payment through PayPal only. No personal checks accepted.
• Entries, including a completed entry form, must be RECEIVED by April 4, 2026, at 11:59 pm Eastern AND before your category is full.
• Those received after that date or received after the category is declared full will be disqualified.
• Failure to comply with any of the above deadlines and any of the Maggie rules may disqualify the entry, and the entry fee will not be refunded.
• Rules for published Maggie submissions are found here: Maggie Rules
• The entry form for published Maggie submissions is found here: Entry Form

Questions may be addressed to:
maggiechair@gmail.com

Super Saturday Writers Workshop

with Margie Lawson

From 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM

At Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners

1071 Atlantic Blvd, Atlantic Beach, Florida 32233

M Lawson's Master Class, Writing Credible and Incredible Scenes

Margie Lawson left a career in psychology to focus on her true passion—helping writers make their stories, characters, and words strong. Tired of the same old writing rules and tools? Try something new.

Using a psychologically based, deep-editing approach, Margie teaches writers how to bring emotion to the page. Emotion equals power. And power not only grabs readers, it holds onto them until the end. Many Margie grads have gone on to win awards, find agents, sign with publishers, and hit bestseller lists.

As an international presenter, Margie has taught over 200 full day master classes in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and France. She’s also taught 5-day Immersion Master Classes across the U.S. and Canada and Scotland, and in seven cities in Australia too. Check out Margie's Website: https://www.margielawson.com/

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM INFORMATION

    • A full day of writing workshops with Margie Lawson.

    • Who: Excellent for writers in all genres.

    • When: March 14, 2026, 9AM – 5PM

    • Where: 1071 Atlantic Blvd, Atlantic Beach, Florida 32233

    • Venue provided by Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners

    • Cost: $55 members, $85 non-members. Includes boxed lunch.

    • Registration closes Feb 28. No refunds after this date.

    • Limited seating available. Reserve your seat now!

    • Registration at: https://firstcoastromancewriters.com/super-saturday-writers-workshop/

Planning for FCRW’s 2026 Anthologies

Participating in one of FCRW’s anthologies is a great way to write a reader-magnet short-story for your author’s newsletter, get your work published for the first time or enjoy reading short stories from a variety of authors. Writers: click the links below to learn more.

Spring 2026 – Rainy Day Romances

• Theme: Rainy Days
• Word count: 8k – 15k
• Commitment date: 2/10/26
• Story due date: 4/21/26
• Preorder date: 5/5/26
• Publication date: 5/19/26

Sign up for the Spring 2026 Anthology HERE.

Winter 2026 – Winter Wishes

• Theme: Snow
• Word count: 8k – 15k
• Commitment date: 8/4/2026
• Story due date: 10/27/2026
• Preorder date: 11/3/2026
• Publication date: 11/17/2026

Sign up for the Winter 2026 Anthology HERE.

*   *   *

*Proceeds from our anthology projects benefit the First Coast Romance Writers, an independent non-profit organization, which helps writers hone their craft and expand their knowledge of the publishing industry.*

Jasmine Turner hates boyfriends. She learned the hard way that a relationship is the last thing she wants. As a Harrison University chemistry student, she’s focused on her goals—take the GRE, go to grad school, and save the world through pharmacology. The male undergraduate population is there for fun when she needs a break from her tight schedule, but nothing more than that. Dating a jock is absolutely not on her to-do list, even if she does like flirting with cute cowboy Cooper Edwards.

A star Harrison Griffins hockey player, Cooper Edwards doesn’t believe in love. After his parents’ messy divorce back in Texas, he vows to avoid everything that resembles a serious relationship. The little lie he tells his momma about having a girlfriend doesn’t count. She lives a thousand miles away and will never know it’s not true. But when his mom shows up at his door to meet the mystery woman, he convinces Jasmine to pretend to be his girlfriend.

It’s fine, right? Neither one of them wants a relationship. But when things turn real during Valentine's Day dates and Marvel movie marathons, they have to decide… is it worth it to take a shot at love?

Taking the Shot is book 1 in the Harrison University series, which features interconnected standalones about the players on a fictional college hockey team. It is a dual POV, closed door romance with mild language and heat without spice.

Tropes:

• Fake Dating
• Friends to Lovers
• Opposites Attract
• Closed Door

FCRW holds monthly meetings on the 2nd Saturday of each month at the West Regional Branch of the Duval County Library, and online, unless otherwise posted. Part of these monthly meetings include an Author Workshop where we host a guest speaker to teach a specific area of the writing, publishing, and  promoting process. You may attend all the upcoming 2026 workshops by joining the First Coast Romance Writers for the annual dues of $50, or you may attend individual workshops online as a visitor for $10 each. You may also attend in person, as a guest, three times for free, before becoming a member.

Visit https://firstcoastromancewriters.com/ for more information.
If you're a non-member, and would like to attend, here's the link to sign up: https://firstcoastromancewriters.com/fcrw-workshop-sign-up-form/

Please check each meeting description to see if the meeting is ZOOM-ONLY or IN-PERSON & ZOOM. If you need the Zoom link to attend, email the chapter president: president@firstcoastromancewriters.com You will be provided with a link to log onto the meeting. You can log in virtually for social time at 10am, and our business meeting will begin promptly at 10:15am.

Our next workshop, on March 14, 2026, will feature Author/Psychologist Margie Lawson. This is a paid workshop. See article above for details.

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