Saturday, October 16, 2010

Emerald City Writer's Conference

It's been a while since I posted ... mainly because it's been a rough couple of months since getting back from RWA National Conference in July. It didn't occur to me that surgery 10 days after I got back from Orlando would be a big deal, but it certainly knocked me off my writing schedule.

Two weeks ago, Susan Lute and I gave a workshop at the Emerald City Writer's Conference in Bellevue, WA titled Hell, Yes! I Want to be A Happy Writer! It was a blast! The five people who attended certainly said so! Our time slot was opposite Margie Lawson, and workshops like Career Plan Bootcamp, Plan a Year's Worth of Writing in One Weekend, and Goal & Motivation - Explaining the Life and Career of a Romance Writer, so I'm really not surprised at the low turnout. Jenna Bayley-Burke (why yes, I AM going to name-drop, LOL) was a hoot, and made it so enjoyable. It was taped, but my prayers must have been heard, because it seems that something went wrong with the taping process. No, you did not see me by the recordings booth, with my finger on the 'delete' button. Really. Wipe the thought from your mind.

We've been to this conference several times and each time we come away saying that it's the best conference ever. This year was no different. The agents and editors were top notch, informative, accessible and just really nice. After pitching to an agent (and telling her my fainting goat story - you know, you scare them and they pass out - that's me, pitching!), she asked to see the first three chapters of HUNTER'S REVENGE. Whoohoo!! The editor I pitched to gave me a fantastic addition to my plot line that adds another dimension, and possibly more drama for my main character. Other than not asking for a submission, it couldn't have gone any better!

After accepting Cherry Adair's FINISH THE DAMN BOOK Challenge, it's back to the keyboard for me, and in my spare time, adding a new dimension to HUNTER'S REVENGE.

Are you writing? Submitting? A published author once assured me that editors and agents aren't going to come to your house, turn on your computer and print your manuscript out so they can read it. And they can't buy it if you don't submit. Happy writing!