RWANYC MAY BRUNCH: Keynote Speaker Suzanne Brockmann

By Karen Cino

We couldn’t have asked for a better day Saturday to have our annual RWANYC May Brunch at Kennedy’s Restaurant. While many New Yorkers jammed into local taverns early to secure their front row seat to watch the Kentucky Derby, rifling through local newspapers in search of a winner, we relaxed in the private library room getting our own special writing tips. What made our day special was having Suzanne Brockmann sitting in our winner’s circle giving us the tips of the writing trade.

Suzanne rocked the house with her intimate stories ranging from how she began her career as a category writer to how she too dealt with those famous rejection letters.

Like me, Suzanne is a plotter and loves to write those long outlines. And like the rest of us, she admits to getting lost in cyberspace. “I surf through the internet and the next thing I know it is six hours later,” Suzanne admitted, causing everyone to chuckle. Oh yes, we are all guilty of losing writing time thanks to email, yahoo loops and don’t forget about facebook.

“Set daily goals,” Suzanne suggested, “And, reward yourself when you are finished your project. Don’t set your goals too high or else your brain will work against you.” She went on to tell us that the key is to keep track of your daily accomplishments.

I left the brunch with recharged energy. I only wished I was able to come home and sit behind my computer and get writing and revisions done. For this month’s BIAW, I am going to use the week to get myself back on track and get those goals accomplished.

I’d like to thank Suzanne Brockmann once again for being our Keynote speaker for the afternoon. I wish her success with her play, “Looking for Billy Hayes,” and look forward to the release of her next novel.♥




Presently, Karen is serving as President of the RWA New York City Chapter. She keeps her muse alive by walking every morning down at the boardwalk. Currently, she is shopping for a home for her novel ROSES, and is working on her next novel, MYSTICAL WONDERS.