With over 100 titles in the genres of urban fantasy romance, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance, author Ines Johnson is a prominent feature on Booktok and a frequent podcast guest.

Under the pen name Shanae Johnson, she also publishes sweet western romance. A lover of fairytales, folklore, and mythology, Ines spends her days re-imagining the stories of old in a modern world. She writes books where the damsels cause the distress, the princesses wield the swords, and the moms save the world.

Ines Johnson is a seasoned educator. For over 15 years, she taught college-level courses in screenwriting, story development, and media history. A lifelong learner (read: academic addict), she holds a Master’s in Instructional Design, and a Doctorate in Educational Technology. She is constantly taking courses on the latest digital marketing techniques, reading how-to books, and keeping her skills at the cutting edge.

Connect with Ines on Facebook or Instagram and check out her literary work on her author websites: Ines Johnson & Shanae Johnson

Keynote:

• How to Fail Your Way to Eventual Success
  Ines Johnson shares how she became an overnight success… after five years of bumbling mistakes. She’ll share the secrets, which are mostly comprised of what not to do, as she details her missteps and failures up the slippery ladder of success from three figure to six figure author. 

Session:

• Writing Sweet: Tips and Strategies for Outling and Writing a Sweet Romance Novel
  In this session, romance novelists will learn how to identify the key BEATS used in made-for-TV movies designed for viewers who love the Hallmark Channel. Using these beats, authors craft their love interests, design obstacles to stand in the way of their love story, and deliver the perfect grand gesture to ensure a happily ever after.

A twenty-year software development veteran, Malorie eventually climbed the ladder to the position of software architect and CTO, where she gained a wealth of experience managing complex systems and large groups of people. Her experiences there translated well into the realm of science fiction, and when her novels took off, she was primed and ready to make the jump into a career as a full-time author. Having created the massive Aeon 14 universe with over 120 books written, she now spends most of her time helping authors advance their careers. She shares her home with a brilliant young girl, her wonderful wife (who also writes), a cat that chirps at birds, a never-ending list of things she would like to build, and ideas…

Explore Malorie’s Aeon 14 Universe and visit The Writing Wives to learn more about her services for Indie authors.

Masterclass:

• How I Built the Aeon14 Universe and Made $2 Million

  The bolts and nuts on how I conceived of, planned, wrote, grew, and marketed the Aeon 14 universe to sell 2 million books and draw in tens of thousands of fans. I'll be talking about what worked, what didn't, where serendipity struck, what I've learned, and what I recommend.
  

Sessions:

• Analyzing Facebook Ads

  Facebook and Amazon Attribution provide a lot of data. For many people, it’s too much to easily parse. A lot of authors get overwhelmed, are unable to tell what's working and what's not, and ultimately shut down their ads in frustration. Well, fear not! Malorie is here to help you understand which metrics matter and which don't, giving you simple and clear guidelines for how to assess your ads, weed out the stinkers, and scale the ones that are working.

• Genre/Tropes & How to Market to Market

  Get ready to dive into your book's tropes and its alignment with your genre. This process is foundational to all critical areas of your success: blurbs, ad copy, Facebook ads, ad images, and cover design. Learning the common plot, settings, and tropes present in your target genre is a critical step in ensuring that both your book and your marketing efforts are aligned with what readers are currently looking for. You might think you know your genre and tropes, but if it’s been some time since you studied the market, you'd be surprised how quickly things change! 

Sessions:

• Anthologies and the Power of Collaborations

  There is power in numbers—we've all heard this saying before. Well, it's true—especially relating to collaborative writing projects. Participating in an anthology or partnering with a fellow author on a project can pay off big time. Participating in an anthology automatically connects you to a supportive community of writers and multiplies the marketing efforts for your project allowing your story to reach even more readers than you could alone.

• How My Military Career Influences My Writing

  As a black woman who served in the US military, I knew right away I had a unique story to share. My time in the military shaped me as a woman, a leader, and now an author. I am grateful for the many ways my military career has impacted my story, so much so that I created a whole platform for other military women to share their stories. It is a place of healing for our words and a place where our service is honored. There is no one better to share these stories than the women who lived them.

After receiving his journalism and political science degrees at San Diego State University, he began his career as an Emmy-nominated, Associated Press-winning writer/producer, working at the CBS affiliate in San Diego, then at KCAL/KCBS Los Angeles. He later decided that writing about reality wasn’t nearly as much fun as making stuff up, and so began his career as a storyteller.

 A former Indie Author, Andrew signed a dual international publishing deal with Thomas & Mercer and 47North where his novels reached the highest tier of Amazon’s Top 100.

Andrew also contributes to the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, where he’s chronicled his two battles against cancer and the struggles that followed to become a recognized author. He’s also an advocate for the disabled after being diagnosed with a debilitating neuromuscular disease in 2015.

Session:

• The Write Stuff

  How to avoid writing stories that irritate the hell out of readers and keep their interest from page one (common mistakes I’ve made along the way and learned from)

Luncheon:

• Dining With Death: A True Crime, Mystery, and Supernatural Luncheon Experience.

  Are you afraid of the dark? Do you hide under the covers when things go bump in the night? Are you brave enough to go into the basement alone on a stormy night after a prison break? Are you an amateur sleuth? Can you solve the mystery before the end of the book, or are you always surprised? If you really want to know whodunit, and why, then join us for lunch and a lively discussion about murder, mayhem, suspense, and spooky spirits.

Sessions:

• Marketing in 2024 and Beyond

  You can write, you can run ads, and you can burn out. What’s changed since we started publishing books is the way readers consume our content. Are you taking full advantage of that? Are you reaching them exactly where they are, with exactly the formats they want? Time to think bigger, broader. Here’s how.”
  

• 80,000 Words in a Single Day

  You can write faster than you ever thought possible. Here’s how to use dictation and new and emerging tools to produce words faster than you ever imagined.

Ally’s partial to all things dark and creepy…the scarier the better. She loves meeting authors, discovering fabulous new stories and helping authors realize their dreams. She’s obsessed with True Crime shows and Mr. Ballen’s “Strange, Dark, and Mysterious” YouTube videos. She adores editing, writing, reading, Elvis Presley, the MLB, the NFL, and watching her favorite television shows—which she calls 'research' so it doesn't seem as though she’s wasting time.

Luncheon:

• Ask the Agents, Editors, and Publishers: Everything You Should Know Before Submitting Your Manuscript

  Come prepared to ask all the questions you ever wanted to ask an agent, editor, or publisher. What do they really want authors to submit? What should you include in your pitch? What is the secret to getting their attention and a contract? What should you never say to an agent, editor, or publisher?

Pitches:

Learn more about what Ally & The Wild Rose Press are looking for on our Pitch Room page.

His clients have been published by Hachette, Random House, Baker Books, Writer's Digest Books, HarperCollins, Penguin, Potomac Books, and others. Several clients have won prestigious awards, in both the Christian and general markets.

Steve can handle almost any genre except short stories, poetry, picture books, horror, or screenplays. Learn more about Steven at WordWise Media.

Sessions:

• What NOT to Say to an Agent or Editor

  No how matter how good your story, or how awesome your execution, it might not be enough. You still have to sell this thing. Learn what to say, and—very importantly—what NOT to say, when pitching your book.

• Before You Jump Into Self-Publishing...

  In the brave new world of publishing, you have more choices than ever. Are you better off to bypass the "traditional" system? Self-pub offers many advantages, but that (apparent) empowerment is not always a good thing if you don't treat it like a business.

Luncheon:

• Ask the Agents, Editors, and Publishers: Everything You Should Know Before Submitting Your Manuscript

  Come prepared to ask all the questions you ever wanted to ask an agent, editor, or publisher. What do they really want authors to submit? What should you include in your pitch? What is the secret to getting their attention and a contract? What should you never say to an agent, editor, or publisher?

Pitches:

Learn more about what Steven & WordWise Media are looking for on our Pitch Room page.

In addition to being a publisher, Penders is a published author, has worked as a small town newspaper reporter, and excels at running offices and cleaning up small business’ accounting issues. 

Her love of writing goes back to about the age of 7 when she would compose short stories about her pets and her family.  She has full manuscripts she wrote as a teenager of mystery and romances.  She is a romance reader and writer at heart and that is where her passion lies (no pun intended).  Although she enjoys a wide variety of writing, it is romance novels that she comes back to time and time again.

Her role at TWRP is not only Editor-in-Chief and a variety of other hats but most important as an advocate for her authors. She will work with an author who is struggling and talk them “off the ledge” as she says.   Penders believes that authors, editors, and publishers are all part of the same team.  A good relationship, solid communication and professionalism on all fronts is what it takes to bring a good product to market.  She loves meeting writers and hearing about their lives and their books.  The people connection is what she values most. 

Penders resides in a small hamlet in Upstate New York nestled beside the Erie Canal.  She is quick to point out that this is true Upstate New York and is only an hour from the Canadian border.  Her home life consists of her husband of 28 years, Scott and her three adult sons who live nearby.  Her beloved rescue dog, Colby and her two cats Ralph and Tibbers can often be found fighting for space beneath her desk. 

In addition to her professional life, Penders enjoys cooking and baking for relaxation.  She often hosts gatherings for friends and neighbors for the sole purpose of cooking large quantities of food.  In the summer, she and her family enjoy boating on Lake Ontario.  She and Scott also love to travel and take several trips a year, especially if she can combine the trip with a writing conference or an author meet-up. 

Follow TWRP on Facebook, Twitter - @wildrosepress, & Instagram – Thewildrosepress

Session:

• Best Foot Forward

  We will discuss the beginnings of your manuscript and how to grab an editor’s eye, as well as the reader’s. Bring in the first 2 pages of their manuscript, in printed or digital form, to be read aloud, gently critiqued, and have the audience share their thoughts.

• The Business of Writing

  The business of writing, the legalities of signing with a publishing house, the self employment aspect of self publishing, etc.

Luncheon:

• Ask the Agents, Editors, and Publishers: Everything You Should Know Before Submitting Your Manuscript

  Come prepared to ask all the questions you ever wanted to ask an agent, editor, or publisher. What do they really want authors to submit? What should you include in your pitch? What is the secret to getting their attention and a contract? What should you never say to an agent, editor, or publisher?

Pitches:

Learn more about what Rhonda & The Wild Rose Press are looking for on our Pitch Room page.

Session:

• From First Draft to Published Book

  So you finished your manuscript. Now what? Agent Bonnie Swanson from The Purcell Agency outlines the steps that will take you from typing "the end" on your first draft to holding your published book in your hands. She will cover both traditional and self publishing, highlighting the similarities and differences between the two with a bonus discussion of the steps you should take when writing your query letter.

Luncheon:

• Ask the Agents, Editors, and Publishers: Everything You Should Know Before Submitting Your Manuscript

  Come prepared to ask all the questions you ever wanted to ask an agent, editor, or publisher. What do they really want authors to submit? What should you include in your pitch? What is the secret to getting their attention and a contract? What should you never say to an agent, editor, or publisher?

Pitches:

Her latest book, Burnt Offering, is a historical novel set in mid-800 century BC. Her series of Louie the Duck stories (4 titles published so far and two more to be released in 2024) has won several honors, as has her Panther’s Adventures series. Learn more about Vivian’s literary work on her author website.

Vivian serves on the Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. (OWFI) executive board as Grant Director and helps with the yearly writing conference hosted by the organization. Vivian presents workshops and sessions at conferences around the nation, including the Alaska Writers Conference, East Texas Writing Conference, and OWFI conferences.

Pitches:

Learn more about what Vivian & 4RV are looking for on our Pitch Room page.

Luncheon:

• Ask the Agents, Editors, and Publishers: Everything You Should Know Before Submitting Your Manuscript

  Come prepared to ask all the questions you ever wanted to ask an agent, editor, or publisher. What do they really want authors to submit? What should you include in your pitch? What is the secret to getting their attention and a contract? What should you never say to an agent, editor, or publisher?

Pitches:

Learn more about what Lisa & 4RV are looking for on our Pitch Room page.

Her Thrillers with Bite! pet-centric compilation, including the September Day and Shadow series, draws on her professional animal behavior background and often includes the perspective of non-human characters. Amy brings her experience as an actor, musician, songwriter, and VO performer to playwriting. Combining her love of the arts and animals, Amy co-authors musical theater productions with script-writing partner, Frank Steele. Shojai & Steele Plays also offers fun and educational theatrical workshops.

Investigate Amy’s thrillers and learn about her musical theater contributions on her website.

Sessions

• Songwriting for Playwrights: How (and Why) to Turn Your Script Into a Musical, or Poem Into a Song

  Musicals are one of the most popular forms of theatre, and songs offer a unique way to capture characterization, further the plot, and imbue a script with additional emotion. Songs vary from solos or spoken-word (rap or other) performance pieces to full choral arrangements. All have their purpose in the forward-action of a script while playwrights have their own individual styles and creative insights. Amy Shojai has co-written and produced four musicals and one non-musical "dramedy" with her playwright partner-in-crime Frank Steele. Together, they have previously presented at OWFI on writing scripts and collaboration but only briefly touched on the skills of writing songs. Join us for a deeper dive into this transformative art and share experiences on songwriting.

• Writing Like Cats & Dogs: How to Include Believable Animal Characters in Your Writing Universe

  Believable non-human characters in your writing goes beyond sticking a dog or cat in the story as a prop, or (gasp!) a victim for shock value. Animal companions add so much to the story texture and reader engagement. In this session, learn the does and don'ts for making your non-human characters resonate with readers, the (OH MY doG!) mistakes to avoid, and potential hot-button issues to understand before including them in your plot. Whether writing for kids, or adult Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Mysteries, Thrillers, Mainstream, Romance, or even nonfiction, learn how to make sure all your characters, including those with four feet, fur, feathers, or scales, offer more than window-dressing.

  "Talking" animals works not only for children's books but also for adults. Animal viewpoint? Sure. Character arc and pet story goal? Even better! Today, 66% of U.S. households (86.9 million homes) own a pet. Depending on the genre you write, the percentage of readers who love animals potentially reaches 80%. Some readers expect pet characters in their fiction (cozy mysteries, for example), so including animals in your work makes it realistic and relatable.

  The speaker, a certified animal behavior consultant for dogs and cats, has published 35+ nonfiction prescriptive pet care titles, and a pet-centric thriller series featuring animal viewpoint characters. The lively PowerPoint session includes lots of examples and fun (cute-icity!) animal pictures, along with a download handout for attendees to keep.

In college, Frank sold two mystery short stories to the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. He also wrote two stand-up comedy routines for a comedian named Tony Russell, but never got paid! He so appreciates the opportunity to speak to other members of the writing community about the good, bad, and pitfalls that await us all. 

Session:

• Songwriting for Playwrights: How (and Why) to Turn Your Script Into a Musical, or Poem Into a Song
  Musicals are one of the most popular forms of theatre, and songs offer a unique way to capture characterization, further the plot, and imbue a script with additional emotion. Songs vary from solos or spoken-word (rap or other) performance pieces to full choral arrangements. All have their purpose in the forward-action of a script while playwrights have their own individual styles and creative insights. Amy Shojai has co-written and produced four musicals and one non-musical "dramedy" with her playwright partner-in-crime Frank Steele. Together, they have previously presented at OWFI on writing scripts and collaboration but only briefly touched on the skills of writing songs. Join us for a deeper dive into this transformative art and share experiences on songwriting.

Working closely with Sudowrite in 2023 as their Community and Education Lead, she now consults for prompt engineering and loves staying up on the latest innovations. An alumni of Christopher Newport University with a B. A. in Leadership Studies, she has authored over 25 novels and hit the top 100 on the Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, and Google Play stores.

Learn more about Elizabeth’s work at Future Fiction Academy.

Sessions:

• Intro to AI Writing

  How do LLMs work? How can we best use the new "dictionary slot machine?" Learn how these AI models were trained by seeing actual training data sets, learn how they predict the next token, and what the limitations are for the AI-assisted author. The vocabulary might be new, but at the end of the day, these are Large Language Models and it's time for the language experts to take control of the future. We finish up with the basics of prompt engineering for brainstorming, creative writing, and marketing. At the end of the session, you will have full knowledge of the most recent AI tools and how you could harness them for your writing needs.
  

• Understanding New Advances in Prompting and Fine-Tuning for AI Writing Models

  You have the basics of prompting down, what's next? The "megaprompts" and how advances in RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) affect your work with large context models such as those with greater than 100,000 token context windows (GPT 4 Turbo, Claude, and more to come). Can an LLM serve as your literary research assistant, answering any question you have about your back list? Yes, and I will show you how. How can you get an LLM to write in your style and tone? It's tricky, but nothing a fine-tune can't handle!

In addition to nonfiction, Jeff has contributed to several Oklahoma magazines and operates Okie Comics, a comics magazine for Oklahoma graphic narrative. In fiction, Jeff has published five SF novels and numerous short stories in anthologies. His "Kiss from a Queen" won the 2015 Baen Fantasy Adventure Award, and his "Stealing Buttons" won the idiosyncratic prize for "badass steampunk heroine" in the 2023 University of Maryland Quantum-Thermodynamics Hub short story contest.

Scare up more information on Jeff and his work on his website.

Sessions:

• Researching and Writing Creative Nonfiction

  We'll discuss routes for research including interview, survey, and synthesis as well as creative options for finding out more. Then we'll show how to apply what we've found out to our prose to keep it exciting and not just an encyclopedia entry.
  

• Telling Spooky Stories

  We’ll review techniques for writing horror, especially in the short story form.

Luncheon:

• Dining With Death: A True Crime, Mystery, and Supernatural Luncheon Experience.

  Are you afraid of the dark? Do you hide under the covers when things go bump in the night? Are you brave enough to go into the basement alone on a stormy night after a prison break? Are you an amateur sleuth? Can you solve the mystery before the end of the book, or are you always surprised? If you really want to know whodunit, and why, then join us for lunch and a lively discussion about murder, mayhem, suspense, and spooky spirits.

She holds a Master’s in English Education and teaches workshops on writing and editing. You can follow her on all the socials @lara_wells1 on Twitter and @larabern10 on Facebook, BookBub, and Instagram. Uncover Lara’s collection of books on her website.

Sessions:

• The Heart of Your Story: Bridging the Gap Between Logic and Emotion

  Creatives tend to dwell in messy spaces. But as writers we need to follow prescribed parameters when crafting our books. How do we balance the contributions of both the left and right sides of our brains during the writing process? Come with paper and pencil and an open mind, ready to participate in exercises that will help you tap into creativity and elevate your writing. Whether you’re chaotic good or lawful evil, you’ll find something to help your process in this session.
  

• Editing For Maximum Impact

  Whether you intend to seek representation and a publisher or to indie-publish your story, you want to guarantee a polished, emotional experience for your readers. “Editing for Maximum Impact” offers guidance and examples to elevate your manuscript to the next level. Bring paper and pencil and come ready to actively work through examples of structural editing and using rhetorical devices to heighten the reader’s experience.

He is a two-time Quarterfinalist at the prestigious Austin Film Festival screenplay competition, and his latest script, A Little Dead, (which he also directed) won a Heartland Emmy. He is the president of 11:11 Media and has helped produce 20 projects over the past 7 years which have appeared on Netflix, Hulu, Lifetime, Hallmark, Amazon Prime, and National Television. On the festival circuit, his films have appeared at iconic fests including Festival de Cannes (short film corner), Flicker’s Rhode Island, Dances With Films:LA, Austin Film Festival. His work also won the ‘Audience Choice’ award for Best Short Film at Oklahoma’s Oscar-qualifying deadCenter Film Festival this past year. In addition to the aforementioned positions, he currently serves as an officer on the Board of Directors for the Oklahoma Motion Picture Alliance which aims to help grow the infrastructure and prevalence of film in the state.

Follow Ben on Instagram here.

Sessions:

• Polishing Your Screenplay: The Power of Proper Formatting

  Learn how industry-standard formatting and techniques can elevate your screenplay’s impact, and discover the optimal software to bring your story to life on screen. 
  

• Getting your Screenplay Produced

   Learn key strategies to make sure your screenplay is ready for production and gain effective insights into connecting with producers and directors to bring your vision to life on screen.

She is also a wife, mother, and an actress/comedian. Jami loves her family, all things Outlander, and puppies make her stupid happy. She can be found on Sundays during football season watching her beloved Houston Texans and trying not to let them break her heart.

Learn more about Jami’s work on her website.

Sessions:

• Build a Newsletter Full of Readers Who Will Buy Your Books

  Want to cultivate a following of super-fans who will buy anything you write and create evangelists for your books? A newsletter is the best way to achieve that goal. In this presentation, you will learn how to: - Build a newsletter before you publish your book. - Build a newsletter if you’ve been publishing forever. - Target the exact right readers for your books. - Methods for growing your newsletter. - How to revitalize a dead or neglected newsletter list.

• The Do’s and Don’t’s of Writing Funny

  Tips and tricks to including humor in your stories.

Nathan has published 26 books. Most recent is his new collection of poems, In the Days of Our Endurance, the fifth in a series now known as the Pandemic Poems Project, a collection of commissioned poems that deal with the days of the pandemic, and a new travel memoir Just Another Honeymoon in France: A Vagabond at Large. Karma Crisis: New and Selected Poems, was a finalist for the Paterson Poetry Prize and the Oklahoma Book Award. His earlier book, Two Tables Over, won the Oklahoma Book Award. His most recent album of all original music is The Streets of San Miguel, recorded at Blue Rock Studios in Wimberley Texas (featuring Joel Guzman and Warren Hood).

He’s taught songwriting, memoir, poetry, and performance workshops from Tuscany and Ireland to the Sisters Folk Festival in Oregon, the Taos Poetry Festival, the Woody Guthrie Festival, Laity Lodge, the Everwood Farmstead Foundation in Wisconsin, as well as for Blue Rock Artist Ranch near Austin, Texas. And his online live video series The Fire Pit Sessions—inspired by the Pandemic Poems Project—has had over 80,000 views. At almost 250 episodes now, Nathan reads a few poems from the project and performs a song at the end. Many followers of the series have referred to it as being one of the ways they’ve “made it through.” Naomi Shihab Nye said about Nathan’s book, My Salvaged Heart: “Brave new world! The sizzle of couplings and uncouplings – attraction and romance, ineffable magnetism, mysterious as ever – but doused with a savory dose of Nathan Brown humor, a tilted long-ranging eye that sees the next bend in the road even when he’s standing right here, firmly planted.”

Explore Nathan’s work on his website.

Sessions:

• The Art (and Work) of Poetry

  How do you sell your book, once you have it? Is it possible to make a living as a poet? We'll deal with these questions, and more. In poetry today, to go beyond printing a collection for, let's say, you, your family, and friends, there are some tough considerations to take into account. But that's what we'll try to tackle here.
  

• Snapshot Memoir

  Sitting down to "write a memoir" can be overwhelming. It's easy to bite off more than can be chewed. And pursuing it by way of "absolute chronology" is close to impossible, when it comes to the way our memory works. So, we'll take a look at how to write your story in segments and snapshots using timelines and vignettes.

Check out Gary’s books on his website.

Sessions:

• How to Make a Living Writing Genre Fiction

  What does it take to earn a living as a fiction writer? Many authors are already living that dream. Do you want to be one of them? This will focus primarily on indie publishing because to maximize your chances for success, you need to control your own work. We'll cover the best practices from choosing what to write (hint: write what you love), publishing schedules, branding, promotion, where to find the help you need for editing, covers, and more. There will be time at the end for questions.

• Indie Publishing vs Traditional Publishing - Which Is Right for You?

  In the writing world, as in the Led Zeppelin song "Stairway to Heaven" you have two paths to choose from and there's still time to decide which is best for you. I've walked both roads. Each has pros and cons. The path I ultimately chose (indie) is right for me, but it might not be right for you. I have friends who chose to stay on the traditional path, and it was the right choice for them. Let's shatter some myths and break things down so you can make an informed decision about which path is best for YOU. There will be time at the end for questions.

Her books range from Women's Fiction, Children's, and Non-fiction. She has been published in 16 Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Her early-reader chapter book, BOWWOW, Book of Winston's Words of Wisdom, has been used in the One Book program for a school district in Pennsylvania for the past two years. She is an OWFI Honorary Lifetime Member and in 2023 she was inducted into the Arkansas Writers Hall of Fame.

Discover more about Linda’s work on her website.

Sessions:

• Sharpen Characterization Using The Elements

  This is an unconventional approach to character development. As writers, we often put a little bit of ourselves into all of our characters which sometimes results in too much blending of personalities. By assigning an element such as earth, fire, air (wind), or water, to a character, the contrast is sharp. It also improves our understanding of how our characters interact with each other. So, what are the characteristics of each element? This interactive session, will demonstrate how.
  

• Writing For Today's Children

  Why write for children? What to write? How to write? This interactive session will address these questions and more on writing for our most important audience, children.

Learn more about Cathie’s work at The Purcell Agency

Session:

• Polishing Your Manuscript Before You Query.

  Topic Description: Avoid a hard pass from agents, editors, and publishers by fixing writing issues, eliminating crutch words, cutting unnecessary words, and tightening sentences before submitting your query.

• The Quintessential Query

  The how-tos of writing a query letter that will get noticed by an agent or publisher
  
  

Luncheon:

• Ask the Agents, Editors, and Publishers: Everything You Should Know Before Submitting Your Manuscript

  Come prepared to ask all the questions you ever wanted to ask an agent, editor, or publisher. What do they really want authors to submit? What should you include in your pitch? What is the secret to getting their attention and a contract? What should you never say to an agent, editor, or publisher?

Pitches:

Learn more about what Cathie & The Purcell Agency are looking for on our Pitch Room page.

“The Sirens”

Visit the Sirens Network and learn more about their podcast.

Session:

• Writing In True Crime

  Research, writing, and ethics when writing in true crime (articles, podcast scripts, books, and more).

Luncheon:

• Dining With Death: A True Crime, Mystery, and Supernatural Luncheon Experience.

  Are you afraid of the dark? Do you hide under the covers when things go bump in the night? Are you brave enough to go into the basement alone on a stormy night after a prison break? Are you an amateur sleuth? Can you solve the mystery before the end of the book, or are you always surprised? If you really want to know whodunit, and why, then join us for lunch and a lively discussion about murder, mayhem, suspense, and spooky spirits.

“Tikiman & the Viking”

Sessions:

• Blogging 101

  Is a blog a journal, an extended biography, or a marketing tool? Perhaps a little of all three. H.B. Berlow (The Tikiman Says...) and Brian Johnson (Rumination of Thunder) present the basics of creating a blog, making it entirely personal, and using it as one of the many tools in your platform. After all, you have to sell yourself before you can sell your books.
  

• Podcasting 101

  DO NOT FEAR TECHNOLOGY. This is a follow-up session to Blogging 101. With simple tools and free software, you can create a podcast to promote yourself as a writer as well as create meaningful connections with other creatives literally around the world. The story of how we created Tikiman and The Viking will hopefully show you how this can be a natural extension of your writing.

Luncheon:

• Dining With Death: A True Crime, Mystery, and Supernatural Luncheon Experience.

  Are you afraid of the dark? Do you hide under the covers when things go bump in the night? Are you brave enough to go into the basement alone on a stormy night after a prison break? Are you an amateur sleuth? Can you solve the mystery before the end of the book, or are you always surprised? If you really want to know whodunit, and why, then join us for lunch and a lively discussion about murder, mayhem, suspense, and spooky spirits.

Since then, she's stretched her wings by writing urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and horror, but her heart has always been in psychological thrillers, which is what she writes now. 


Luncheon:

• Dining With Death: A True Crime, Mystery, and Supernatural Luncheon Experience.

  Are you afraid of the dark? Do you hide under the covers when things go bump in the night? Are you brave enough to go into the basement alone on a stormy night after a prison break? Are you an amateur sleuth? Can you solve the mystery before the end of the book, or are you always surprised? If you really want to know whodunit, and why, then join us for lunch and a lively discussion about murder, mayhem, suspense, and spooky spirits.

Her latest release is Whisper in the Dark. She has seventy writing awards from contests in Oklahoma and Texas and is a long-standing member of the Oklahoma Writers Federation. She is also a member of Tornado Alley Sisters-In-Crime, The Oklahoma Romance Writers Guild and Rose Rock Writers. Discover Dianne’s works on her author website.


Luncheon:

• Dining With Death: A True Crime, Mystery, and Supernatural Luncheon Experience.

  Are you afraid of the dark? Do you hide under the covers when things go bump in the night? Are you brave enough to go into the basement alone on a stormy night after a prison break? Are you an amateur sleuth? Can you solve the mystery before the end of the book, or are you always surprised? If you really want to know whodunit, and why, then join us for lunch and a lively discussion about murder, mayhem, suspense, and spooky spirits.

She’s also worked with aspiring and established authors, providing editing support across the continuum, from developmental to final dust-offs and copy proofs.

Learn more about what TwylaBeth and Fawkes Press are looking here.