The Las Vegas Writers Group meets once a month at the Tap House on Charleston. Meetings feature a speaker or panel of speakers addressing a topic of interest to published and aspiring writers of any genre. Membership is simple -– go to the group’s Web site and sign up. The fee to attend a meeting is $5 at the door. Group members include best-selling thriller author Jay MacLarty, romance author Tami Cowden, screenwriter John Hill, novelist Eric James Miller, and a number of other local authors. The group’s focus is on networking to assist members with issues pertaining to the writing process, literary agents, and publication through traditional publishing houses. The group is friendly and supportive, and visitors are welcome.

I love this group, and conversations I’ve had with other members have been extremely helpful to me in my dealings with agents and publishers.