1987-July 23

Founding Members meet at Denise Little's apartment after the RWA conference

1987-August 22

1^st meeting; 30 people attend

1988-January

1^st meeting at Wyatt's Cafeteria; Katherine Sutcliffe speaks on characterization

1988-May

DARA Bylaws completed

1988-July

Announcement of winners of DARA's 1^st Chapter One contest

1988-September

1^st anniversary celebration with a silent auction

1989-September

All-day seminar with Harlequin editor Valarie Hayward

1990-August

Dora Brown's Harlequin Temptation sale is a 1^st for an unpublished DARA member

1990-September

Avon editor Maggie Lichota's all-day seminar; 1^st barbecue at Dora Brown's house

1991-May

"Rogue" Newsletter name change polarizes membership

1991-June

All-day seminar with Linda Shaw

1991-July

1^st DARA RWA wins: Laura Kinsale wins RITA; Michele Wyan wins Golden Heart

1992-September

All-day seminar with Linda Jenkins-Nutting, Barbara Dawson Smith, and Susan Wiggs

1993-January

The 1^st Robin Teer Memorial Service Award is presented to Dovie Jacoby

1993-February

Dora Brown and Karen Morrell become 1^st DARA finalists for Janet Daily Award

1993-September

All-day seminar with Rosalyn Alsobrook, Heather McAllister, Pat Kay, Nina Romberg, and Susan Wiggs

1994-February

Editor and founding member Denise Little presents a workshop

1994-May

All-day seminar with Pamela Morsi, Janis Reams Hudson, Emma Merritt, and Jan Hudson

1997

Critiquing possible contest entries is begun as a fundraiser.

1997-November

City Slickers Horse Seminar; DARA joins other Texas Chapters to sponsor a booth at the Texas Book Festival in Austin.

1998-January

DARA moves its meetings to the Holiday Inn Select, Richardson.

1998-January 13, 14

1^st DARA mini-conference

1998-April

Waldenbooks brings the monthly meeting its 1^st bookfair.

1998-Fall

DARA members participated in a Writers' Retreat held in Mineola

1998-November

DARA joins with other Texas Chapters to sponsor a booth at the Texas Book Festival in Austin. DARA members Victoria Chancellor, Elisabeth Fairchild, and Lorraine Heath serve on a romance panel at the invitation of Laura Bush.

1998-December

Debra Dixon brings her Goal, Motivation and Conflict seminar to DARA.

1999-January 22, 23

1^st official Dreamin' in Dallas conference.

1999-January 30

The DARA loop is established to facilitate networking among members between monthly meetings.

1999-May 8

A Day of Heroes

1999-June

DARA's website is launched at www.dara.romance-central.com

2000

DARA obtains a new address: P. O. Box 852185; Richardson, TX 75085.

DARA holds a T-shirt slogan contest. Winning entry, provided by Nancy Haddock, is "Warning: What you do may appear in my next book."

2000-March 1

DARA Bookmark loop is established to reach out to area booksellers, librarians, and readers.

2000-March 31, April 1

Dreamin' in Dallas features keynote speaker Maggie Osborne; also features Laurell K. Hamilton, Rick Miller, Darlene Graham, Eve K. Sandstrom, Jane Archer, Ann Leslie Tuttle (Harlequin/Silhouette); Christine Zika (Berkley/Jove), David Duperre & Ginger Norton (Down Home Distinction, the Sedgeband Literary Assoc. of Ft. Worth). Kick-off book signing raises funds to benefit the Family Place.

2000-August

"Celebrate DARA" Beach Party

2000-December

Name of DARA Newsletter is changed from DARA Newsletter to DARA News.

2001

New slogan contest yields "Write Brained" submitted by Cheryl Leo.

2001-March 30, 31

Dreamin' in Dallas, co-sponsored with NTRWA, features Dara Joy and Suzanne Brockmann; also features Amy Garvey of Kensington, Allison Lyons of Silhouette, Lucienne Diver of Spectrum Literary Agency, Paige Wheeler of Creative Media Agency, Dr. Kevin Steed, Sgt. Frank McElligott, Francis Ray, Steve Straus, Hebby Roman, Shelley Bradley, Jane Graves, Jennifer Miller, Catherine Mann. Kick-off book signing raises $687.50 to benefit Ronald McDonald House.

2001-October

DARA adopts a new logo.

2002-April 5, 6

Dreamin' in Dallas, co-sponsored with NTRWA, features keynote speaker Judith Ivory; also features Shelley Bradley, Dee Davis, Kathleen Givens, Kristen Kyle, Alicia Rasley, Julie Kenner, Sergeant Frank McElligott, Kathleen O'Reilly, Julie Ortolon, Pattie Steele-Perkins (Steele-Perkins Literary Agency), Mary Sue Seymour (Seymour Agency), Monique Patterson (St. Martin's Press), Laura Shin (Harlequin Books). Kick-off book signing raises funds to benefit Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Dallas Affiliate.

2002-June

1^st silent auction to raise money for DARA's Scholarship Fund

2003-January

DARA begins transitioning into all-electronic delivery of the newsletter

2003-March 28, 29

Dreamin' in Dallas, co-sponsored with NTRWA, features keynote speaker Mary Jo Putney; also features: Jeff Crilley, Kathleen Givens, Kristi Gold, Susan Grant, Terri Griffis, Heather Hays, Dovie Jacoby, Julie Kenner, Kara Lennox, Catherine Spangler, Evelyn Vaughn, Jennifer Green (Harlequin Books, Canada), Lauren McKenna (Pocket Books), Elaine English (Graybill & English Literary Agency), Pattie Steele-Perkins (Steele-Perkins Literary Agency). Kick-off book signing raises $818 to benefit Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Dallas Affiliate.

2004-March

DARA obtains its own domain www.dallasromanceauthors.com

2004-April

Day of Heroines features Jane Ann Porter.

2005-January

DARA establishes a DARA-PRO Liaison

2005-April 1, 2

Dreamin' in Dallas features keynote speaker Sherrilyn Kenyon; also features: Susan Grimshaw, Bob Mayer, Joseph Paglino, Mike Spradlin, Selina McLemore (Avon Books); Abby Zidle (HQN Books), Sha-Shana Crichton (Crichton & Assoc.), Miriam Kriss (Irene Goodman Literary Agency). Kick-off book signing raises a little over $1600 to benefit Genesis Women's Shelter of Dallas.

2005-June

DARA's website is upgraded to include a Members' Only Area.

2005-July

DARA website takes 2^nd place in professionally-designed category of RWA National's 1^st Chapter website competition

2005-November

DARA holds its 1^st electronic election.

2006

DARA changes to the President-elect system

2006- March 26

DARA hosts a booth at the Plano Book Festival

2006-April 1, 2

Dreamin' in Dallas features keynote speaker Linda Lael Miller; also features: Film Producer Marilyn R. Atlas, Jacquie D'Alessandro, Mary Kennedy, Deborah LeBlanc, Rhonda Rose, Shanna Swendson, Cindy Hwang (Berkley Publishing Group); Demetria Lucas (Silhouette), Hilary Sares (Kensington), Lucienne Diver (Spectrum Literary Agency), Kristin Nelson (Nelson Literary Agency), Nephele Tempest (Knight Agency). Kick-off book signing raises a little over $1500 to benefit Genesis Women's Shelter of Dallas.

2006 - April

The Golden Heart Critique is renamed The Go For the Gold Critique

2006 - May

DARA products are made available through the DARA Shop at www.cafepress.com

2006-July

DARA website takes 2^nd place in professionally-designed category of RWA National's Chapter website competition