The Emerald City Writers' Conference in Seattle!



On the Beach today we are serving Dirty Martini's (Olive juice) and Crackers with Roasted Bell Pepper Hummus with Feta Cheese.
Now everyone get a cracker and grab a beach chair because here's Kim Hornsby to talk about the upcoming conference in her area next week...







 
The Emerald City Writer's Conference is almost here (October 17-19) and I'm getting excited about all the prospects waiting for us, not the least of which is Sexy Librarian Night on Saturday.
This Seattle Eastside Conference is located at the Westin Bellevue, a gorgeous location in the heart of Bellevue's fabulous shopping district, within walking distance of forty restaurants and is usually sold out.
I'm not only attending but giving a workshop on Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. (Wake UP!!) called Surviving your Virgin Year of Publishing or Survival Kit for Your Virgin Year. Depends on where you read my title but the gist is the same--how to get through that first year knowing you did everything you could to insure the success of your writing career.  I'll be handing out and talking about a top ten list compiled by me and my writing friend Christine M. Fairchild. Unfortunately Christine won't be attending the conference this year and I'll be presenting alone BUT I'll still be talking about the list. As someone who gets easily discombobulated, I like short lists. My attention span can be likened to a chipmunk on Adderall. I'm going to give my audience all the tips I didn't have seeing I made a bunch of stupid mistakes.
I'll also be at the Book Fair on Saturday afternoon, selling print books and ebooks. I'm trying to figure out the QR code thing this weekend so my customers who are more tech savvy than me will be able to scan a code to buy my books. Last year at the Book Fair I worried that there were so many authors and being new I was unknown. I sold only a few print books and didn't offer a QR code. Needless to say as a new author, I didn't autograph any either. This year I will set my expectations low and just enjoy the camaraderie of the room. I have a humungous banner that says I am an Amazon Bestselling Author. Is that too much? I hope not because secretly I think it helps people trust the book won't be awful if it has high numbers and a recommendation by that title.
I'm pitching as well. Even though I am self-pubbed mostly, I want an agent. This has been my dream since I wrote my first book and imagined I'd be on Oprah within the year. I want movie deals, prints in foreign languages, cocktail parties where I'm the toast of New York in a business suit and fabulous shoes. For that, I need an agent. So I'm pitching my next book titled Fortune, about a woman who escapes an abusive husband to hide at t friend's empty house in Taipei and learns how to love again with the adoption of a baby girl. I've pitched this book before, when it was my first book, back when my writing was like a newborn baby that couldn't see yet. Now, I hope my writing is at least an adult.
This is the agent I'm hoping to wow with my brilliant novel. Kathleen Rushall. She's with Marsal Lyon Literary, an agency I've been bothering for years. I hope it doesn't seem too stalkerish to put her photo up here.


This week I'll line up my outfits, color my hair, assemble my prizes for the workshop, finish my raffle basket, and count the days until the Emerald City Writer's Conference. I always learn something valuable and get inspired at this thing.


Have you gone to any conferences lately? Sold any books? Taught a workshop? Created QR codes? I'd love to hear your experiences.

FREE BOOK ALERT until October 13th at midnight. The Dream Jumper's Promise
Recent winner of Chanticleer Reviews Paranormal Mystery Award, 226 Reviews.