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CONFERENCE
Holy moly, it FINALLY HAPPENED!
We hosted a full three-day weekend of workshops and talks on March 15-17, 2024
This free, virtual conference is designed to help you make the most of your time with short videos and live chats with presenters around the world. Videos are available on YouTube indefinitely; presenters are available on YouTube and Discord. These authors, editors, and industry professionals are donating their time to help you be a better writer.
Learn more about our presenters and their topics below!
Subscribe for free on YouTube.
Organized by S.E. Reed, Lindsey Odorizzi, and Theresa Green
Sponsored by YOU
March 15-17, 2024
Find the full schedule with talk details on our blog.
Check out these outstanding presenters!
Penni Askew
Find the Manual to Your Brain:
Work WITH Your Brain to Optimize Outflow
Giveaway: 10% off copy editing
In “Find the Manual to Your Brain”, you'll learn about different ways to approach their workday, ideas gleaned from Penni's years of experience guiding now-grown neurodivergent offspring. The ideas and tools presented are meant to help you find what works best for you. This presentation shows that all brains/ways of thinking deserve respect and includes ideas to help you optimize your workflow, plus reinforcement that it’s okay to ignore or stop things that don’t work for you.
About Penni:
Penni Askew is a genre fiction and narrative nonfiction editor who loves helping authors produce the best book possible while maintaining the author’s voice. Past clients have described her editorial comments as compact and powerful, allowing the author to make their voice shine.
She began her editing career in 2015 as an intern at a small publisher, started her editing business in 2017, earned her certificate of copyediting from UC-San Diego’s Extended Studies, and has worked on over 100 books. Penni performs manuscript evaluations to help you improve your story’s structure; line edits to help each sentence be as effective as possible; and copyedits to help fine tune the grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Penni grew up in Colorado and spent a lot of time on her grandfather’s ranch in Idaho (now run by her cousins) and only as an adult appreciates the experiences she had during lambing/calving and haying seasons. She lives in North Texas with her family where she enjoys listening to audiobooks, knitting, and playing with her dog.
Sarah Bailey
Query Packages & Submissions Guidelines
Saturday at 3pm Eastern (7pm UTC)
Sarah Bailey is a writer and freelance editor specializing in fiction and memoir for adults, young adults, and children. She is also a Writing Studies graduate from the University of Utah and the mom of five crazy kids and one rambunctious Goldendoodle. Before starting her freelance editing business, she interned at Future House Publishing and Wasatch Magazine. When Sarah is not writing, editing, or listening to audiobooks, she can be found walking her dog, planning her next travel adventure, or helping a kid find their shoes. You can learn more about her services and contact her at www.baileyediting.com.
Casie Bazay
Writing for Teens
Sunday at 8am Eastern (12pm UTC)
Casie Bazay is the author of the YA novel, Not Our Summer (Running Press Teens, 2021) and has a short story appearing in As We Convene: An Anthology of Time and Place from Inked in Gray Press (May, 2024). After leaving the teaching profession nearly 13 years ago, Casie has worked mainly as a freelance writer, specializing in equine health and care. She has hundreds of articles and blog posts published with various companies and publications such as The Horse, Country Extra, Natural Horse Magazine, Oklahoma Horses and more. Casie’s other full-time job is mothering two wonderful but headstrong children and many (less headstrong) four-legged pets.
Olivia Bedford
Self-Revising Strategies
Sunday at 3pm Eastern (7pm UTC)
Olivia Bedford is a developmental editor, writer, and educator. After several years as a high school English teacher, Olivia founded her business, Olivia Helps Writers, to empower fiction writers with actionable feedback and revision guidance. She loves all things fantastical—whether that’s world-shaking epic fantasy, sweeping historical fiction, or heart-melting romance. Whether working with reluctant students, beginning novelists, or experienced writers, her greatest love is helping writers discover the magic in their messy manuscripts. You can learn more about her business at oliviahelpswriters.com.
Charlotte Bismuth
Fact Checking
Friday at 8am Eastern (12pm UTC)
Charlotte Eugénie Bismuth is the author of the true crime story BAD MEDICINE (OneSignal), which Kirkus called “A gripping read tailor-made for the silver screen.” In BAD MEDICINE, Bismuth chronicles her time as the Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan who successfully prosecuted the landmark case of Dr. Stan Li, the first doctor in New York state to be charged with and convicted for the overdose deaths of his patients. Bismuth has served as a consultant for the Prosecutors' Center for Excellence, and currently works with nonfiction authors on a freelance basis to shape, fact-check, and line edit their books. She is a graduate of Columbia College, Columbia Law, and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (“Sciences Po”) in Paris.
Elizabeth Bradfield
Chat With Broadsided
Friday at 2pm Eastern (6pm UTC)
Elizabeth Bradfield, Editor-in-chief of Broadsided, a literary/arts publication she founded in 2005, is the author of five poetry collections, most recently Once Removed, Toward Antarctica, and Theorem. She is co-editor of Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry and Broadsided Press: Fifteen Years of Poetic/Artistic Collaboration. Her work has appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, New Yorker, The Sun, Orion, and her honors include the Audre Lorde Prize in Lesbian Poetry, a Ragdale Residency, a Massachusetts Cultural Council grant, and a Stegner Fellowship. Liz lives on Cape Cod, works as a naturalist and field assistant, runs Broadsided, and teaches at Brandeis University.
Insta: @e.bradfield
Face: www.facebook.com/ebradfield
Insta: @broadsidedpress
Face: www.facebook.com/Broadsided
Erik J. Brown
The Art of Believable Dialogue
Saturday (April 13) at 5pm Eastern (9pm UTC)
Erik J. Brown is the author of genre-blending books for teens. His debut, All That's Left in the World, received a starred review from Kirkus and went on to win the UK's readers choice Books Are My Bag Award and Ireland's Great Reads Award. It was also nominated for a Yoto Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Award. His follow-up, Lose You to Find Me, became a USA Today Bestseller and received a starred review from School Library Journal. The Only Light Left Burning, the highly-anticipated sequel to All That's Left in the World, is sure to devastate his readers once more when it releases in May 2024. He lives in Philadelphia with his family.
Tiffany Chacon
Plotting Techniques for Plotters, Pantsers, and Plantsers
Sunday at 4pm Eastern (8pm UTC)
Tiffany has been riding horses since before she could walk. She's competed in a variety of disciplines from barrel racing to showing Arabians to dressage and show jumping. She was a five-time International Arabian Horse Association national champion in equitation and dressage. She regularly competed at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington with her gentle giant, Obi-Wan, an Oldenberg/Argentinian Polo mix.
Tiffany studied at the University of Florida and graduated summa cum laude in 2010. She received her Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Tampa in 2016. She's the author of the Equestrian Dreams series, a collection of New Adult sweet romances set in the world of competitive show jumping.
She married her middle school sweetheart, Tyler, in 2009 and together they have two wild and crazy boys. They live in Tampa, Florida.
Amazon series page: amzn.to/3TagdVs
Additional Books:
Off Course: amzn.to/3sVt837
The Cowboy Christmas Distraction: amzn.to/46SNGqY
"Elements of World Building" in the Ford City Anthology: Essays on the Craft of Writing: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ford-city-anthology-da-lockhart/1124339814
Katie Chambers
The Beauty of Beats & Free Indirect Speech
Friday at 4pm Eastern (8pm UTC)
Katie Chambers, owner of Beacon Point LLC, is a nonfiction and fiction developmental editor and copy editor for independent authors, content writer and editor for business professionals, and online teacher. Having taught middle school and high school for eight years and trained in public speaking, she is passionate about teaching and helping others learn. So while she loves being an editor and running a business, she is grateful for opportunities to explore her other passions: speaking and teaching. Check out her resource center full of helpful resources for fiction and nonfiction authors, her “small look at a big personality,” and her editing services to learn more. Follow her on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram to get helpful tips, fun snippets from her life, and ask questions.
Stacey Covell
All About References
Saturday at 10am Eastern (2pm UTC)
One Word Editing was born out of a love for words. Stacey loves working with each client to meet their specific needs and helping authors find their best words. Every writer has a unique voice and One Word Editing is committed to preserving that voice. Stacey also has a particular love for helping writers learn the ins and outs of quoting others in their works and when and how to reference and cite material to help authors maintain great professionalism and credibility in their writing.
Stacey loves connecting with writers and each idea a writer brings. A Minnesota native, Stacey is a transplant to Central PA after living in Ireland for twelve years. This cultural perspective greatly enriches her work, bringing diversity in thought, culture, and perspective. As a writer herself, she knows the joys and struggles writers face in this beautiful and sometimes terrifying process called writing.
Jennifer Della'Zanna
Incorporating Technical Jargon
Saturday at 9pm Eastern (1am UTC)
Jennifer Della’Zanna has published more than fifty feature articles for magazines and websites on topics as diverse as firearms, movies, and healthcare. She has written and teaches five online courses, has published several short stories, and her first novel is represented by Lizz Nagle at the Victress Literary Agency.
Jennifer holds a Master’s of Fine Arts degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA. She worked closely with drummer Rich Redmond to craft MAKING IT IN COUNTRY MUSIC: AN INSIDER’S LOOK AT THE INDUSTRY based on his experiences and with the input of other major country music artists and experts.
Facebook: facebook.com/JenDellaZanna
Instagram: instagram.com/jendellazanna
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/jennifer-della-zanna-46690729
Website: www.jen-dellazanna.com
Kate Erickson
Taming the Blank Page
Friday at 11am Eastern (3am UTC)
Kate Erickson is an architect turned freelance illustrator for kids. She illustrates regularly for magazines, is currently illustrating the third nonfiction picture book in a series, and is pursuing her graduate degree in creative writing. She loves volunteering with writing groups and working with her clients to help them reach their goals.
Katie Evans
Writing Middle Grade
Friday at 9pm Eastern (1am UTC)
Katie Evans is the author of the Aunt Claire's Pet Care middle grade book series. She was a newspaper and magazine writer, with publication history that includes breaking news and feature stories, before shifting to fiction. Katie lives in Phoenix, AZ, with her family and dog Benny the Jet.
Dana Hawkins
Finding a Spark: Believable Romance
Sunday at 8pm Eastern (12am UTC)
I am the author of two “soft steam” sapphic romance novels: NOT IN THE PLAN and IN WALKED TROUBLE, and one sweet romance SERVING LOVE. When not searching the country for the perfect cup of piping hot Americano, I spend my time chasing my kids and rewatching ’90s movies with my spouse. After living for twenty years in Seattle, I have recently trekked back to my hometown in Minnesota. I am a huge romance-genre book nerd and borderline obsessed with happy-ever-afters.
Listen to me as a co-host on the Authorish Podcast
Instagram: www.instagram.com/d.hawkinsauthor
Threads: www.threads.net/@d.hawkinsauthor
Twitter: twitter.com/DHawkinsAuthor
Trailer for: Not in the Plan (Preorder Link)
Trailer for: Serving Love
CoffeeQuills
Writing on Twitch
Saturday at 9am Eastern (1pm UTC)
CoffeeQuills is a genre-weaver who enjoys writing horror, fantasy, sci-fi, apocalypse, & romance. They're a dev with 4thewords (an RPG for writers) & a Writers CONduit planning dragon. Warning: Coffee is a #HurricaneWriter, #DustWarrior, & #ApocalypticallyOptimistic ~ Ask me about my books!
T.M. Jacobs
Ghostwriting: A How-To
Friday at 10pm Eastern (2am UTC)
T.M. Jacobs, a native to the shoreline area of Connecticut, now resides in various locations along the east coast with his wife traveling and working from their RV motorhome. He has published 15 books (one of which was featured on C-SPAN), over 450 articles published in various newspapers and magazines, teaches classes on writing and publishing, and is currently the owner of JWC Publishing. He is the founder and former editor for Patriots of the American Revolution magazine and has been a freelance writer for over 35 years.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/timjacobsghostwriter
Website: www.jacobswc.com
Email: tjacobs@jacobswc.com
E.L. Johnson
Murder Mystery: how to write a whodunit
Sunday at 10am Eastern (2pm UTC)
E.L. Johnson writes historical mysteries for Dragonblade Publishing, the #1 ebook publisher of Historical Romance on Amazon. A Boston native, she gave up clam chowder and lobster rolls for tea and scones when she moved across the pond to London, where she studied medieval magic at UCL and 16th-century remedies at Birkbeck College. Now based in Hertfordshire, she is a member of the Hertford Writers’ Circle and the founder of the London Seasonal Book Club. She was a reader for the 2023 George Orwell Youth Prize and has given expert comment to national news outlets on creative writing and historical fiction.
Twitter: @ELJohnson888
Insta: eljohnson_writes
Facebook page: @theELJohnson
Tiktok: @alecto99
Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/18090432.E_L_Johnson
Bookbub: bookbub.com/profile/e-l-johnson
Jessica Klimesh
Understanding Rejection
Saturday at 2pm Eastern (6pm UTC)
Jessica Klimesh (she/her) is a writer and editorial professional whose creative work has appeared or is forthcoming in Cleaver Magazine, trampset, Atticus Review, Ghost Parachute, Bending Genres, Flash Boulevard, Flash Fiction Magazine, and Does It Have Pockets, among others. After a number of years of intermittent freelancing, she started JEK Proofreading and Editing, LLC in 2019, making editing and writing her full-time career; her broad range of editing/writing knowledge encompasses not just creative writing, but academic and technical writing as well. She previously taught English as a Second Language (ESL) and Rhetoric at the University of Iowa. Jessica holds an MFA in Creative Writing and an MA in English and has over twenty years of writing-workshop experience, both as a facilitator and a participant. Her own writing has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best Microfiction, Best Small Fictions, and Best of the Net, and she won 3rd Prize in the 2023 South Shore Review Flash Fiction Contest. You can learn more at jessicaklimesh.com. To follow Jessica’s writing journey, pick up writing tips, and receive occasional prompts, subscribe to her Substack newsletter, JEK Writes.
Eva Langston
Beta Readers & Using Feedback
Sunday at 2pm Eastern (6pm UTC)
Eva Langston received her MFA in Fiction Writing from the University of New Orleans and teaches at The Writer’s Center in the Washington, DC area. Her short stories have won prizes (such as The Playboy Fiction Contest) and been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. These days she focuses on writing novels, both YA and adult. She is represented by Ali Lake of O’Connor Literary, and they are hoping to soon sell Eva’s young adult debut. Eva also writes a popular Substack newsletter with tons of advice and resources for writers on the journey towards publication. She can be found on Substack and Instagram.
Deb Lerew
Based on a 'Boo' Story
Saturday at 10pm Eastern (2am UTC)
Deb Lerew is a high school building substitute living in Central Pennsylvania. As Leta Hawk, she writes paranormal mystery novels. Her debut novel, The Newbie, was first released in 2014. Since then, she has published four more novels in the Kyrie Carter: Supernatural Sleuth series, with one more to release in 2024. She has also written a couple short stories and has had pieces selected for several Wild Ink Publishing anthologies. Under her given name, she has written one poetry chapbook, and is working on a second. When she’s not writing or wrangling high school students, Deb enjoys crocheting, visiting St. Augustine, and spending time with her husband, two teenage sons, and black lab.
Zac Lindsey
Anthropology in SFF Worldbuilding: the ethnography of our heroes
Saturday at 8am Eastern (12pm UTC)
Zac Lindsey is an anthropologist by training and a fiction writer for fun. These days, he mostly writes fantasy, though he's written sci-fi as Isaac Teile. For nearly ten years, he has written a popular column on Maya history for the Institute of Maya Studies. His first fantasy novel is available: amazon.com/dp/B0CH3TW3YD
Follow him on Instagram @z.lindsey_fiction
Sally Lotz
Author Bios
Sunday at 11am Eastern (3pm UTC)
Sally Lotz is a children’s author, a writing coach, and mentor. She has four published children’s books, her most recent published in May of 2023 She was a winner in the 2021 Writer’s Digest 50th Annual Short Story contest. She creates non-fiction content on Medium. She is a podcast guest, talking about the craft of writing. She is represented by Amy Nielsen of The Purcell Literary Agency.
She lives in Orlando, Florida, where she enjoys the local beaches, kayaking in the springs, visiting the local bookstores, and writing. She can often be found writing on her laptop at the local coffee shop or caring for her numerous plant babies.
You can find her on:
Instagram: @SallyJLotz
Facebook: @YourPathtoWriting
LinkedIn @SallyJLotz
Brittany McMunn
Chat With an Editor
Saturday at 8pm Eastern (12am UTC)
Brittany brings years of leadership and project management experience to any project she embarks. An editor with a deep passion for helping writers achieve their dreams, Brittany received her MFA in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University with a certificate in Professional Writing. On her adventure through graduate school, Brittany saw the need novice writers had in refining their works. This need is what drove her to create an online writing community for MFA students aspiring for publication, as well as branching out into freelance editing through her LLC, The Paraphraser. Brittany is the managing partner and Editor-in-Chief of Wild Ink Publishing, the owner of Conquest Publishing, and has edited five published anthologies with the sixth and seventh launching in 2024, two published novels with sixteen more scheduled or in active edits for 2023 – 2024, and eight published books of poetry and children’s literature. Brittany has found a way to embrace her technically-minded nature with a healthy balance of creative.
Judy L Mohr
Hidden Traps of an Online Platform
Friday at 11pm Eastern (3pm UTC)
Kiwi Judy L Mohr (pronounced “more”) is a writer, developmental editor, writing coach, amateur photographer, and a science nerd with a keen interest in internet technologies and social media security. Her knowledge ranges from highly efficient ways to hide the bodies through to how to improve your SEO rankings for your websites. When she isn’t writing, editing, or volunteering in her local community, she can found plotting her next foray into mischief and scouting for locations to hide the bodies. (Shh… Don’t tell anyone.) You can follow her crazy adventures on her blog at judylmohr.com
For editorial advice or writing tidbits, check out the Black Wolf Editor’s Blog found at blackwolfeditorial.com/blog
Lynda Rush Myers
Writing Practice, Process, Ritual:
imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
Friday at 3pm Eastern (7pm UTC)
Lynda Myers, English teacher emeritus, late-blooming poet, is a native of Oakland, CA. Lynda makes her home in Durham, North Carolina. Lynda loves horizons, walking barefoot, printed over-the-knee socks, pelicans, poems and seashells. She is a student of poetic form, writing process, rituals (did you know Coleridge “employed his soul in the poetic process” and was an opium addict?), revision. In luminous older age, she finds her poetic soul in lines that shimmer, teach, clutch, recall, transport, imagine, witness through another’s eyes, remind: Tyehimba Jess, Donald Justice come to mind. Her poems capture what her students’ taught her—over 55 years—resilience, gratitude, forgiveness. Her work in progress: Sometimes, A Man Stands Up During Supper, a work in late process, seeks a publisher. She is happily decades past technical publications, proposals, marketing collateral.
Lynda’s work appears in Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA), EDGE of Faith magazine, The Poet (U.K.), the Tiferet Spiritual Journal (2020, 2021, 2022), WayWords, Kakalak 2023, Gravity’s Grave Vol. 2 The World Beneath Our Feet (Plants & Poetry.)
Find Lynda on Facebook at facebook.com/lyndarushmyers
Find her neglected pages, essays on:
bloomstoheirlooms.wordpress.com
Jennifer Navarre
Chat With a Kidlit Editor
Friday at 9am Eastern (1pm UTC)
Jennifer Navarre is a kidlit editor and book coach who spends her days helping authors refine their audience and their story as they develop their picture books, chapter books, and middle grade and YA novels.
She’s worked in prose and rhyme on books for kids, tweens, and teens and led presentations on writing and education at conferences across the US.
Jennifer is a part of many online writing communities as both a writer and an editor and is a champion procrastinator when getting her own stories out of her head and onto the page.
To learn more about working with Jennifer, contact her here.
Amy Nielsen
Reading for Writers
Saturday at 11am Eastern (3pm UTC)
Amy Nielsen spent twenty years as a children and youth librarian filling the hands of eager readers with books. She is now an associate literary agent at The Purcell Agency and a developmental editor at Wild Ink Publishing. She is the author of Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder and It Takes a Village: How to Build a Support System For Your Exceptional Needs Family. Her young adult novel, Worth It, debuts in May of 2024. She is co-host of the Author(ish) Podcast with presenter Dana Hawkins. When she's not reading or writing, she and her family can be found boating the waters of Tampa Bay.
Kailei Pew
Picture Book Publishing
Saturday at 1pm Eastern (5pm UTC)
Kailei Pew is a wife, mother, and children's book author represented by Emily Forney of Bookends Literary.
She loves to write books that help kids see they can do anything they set their minds to. When she isn't reading or writing, you can find her jogging through the Arizona desert, enjoying family game night, or baking anything with extra chocolate. Her debut picture book, The Monster Above The Bed, released from HarperCollins/Clarion in October 2023. Upcoming books include: KID-VENTORS (Illustrated by Shannon Wright, F& F/Macmillan, April 23, 2024) and I SEE COLOR (Co-authored with Valerie Bolling, illustrated by Laylie Frazier, HarperKids, May 28, 2024).
Patti Procopi
Telling Your Story
Sunday at 9am Eastern (1pm UTC)
Patti Gaustad Procopi is a former army brat who lived all over the world before settling in the rural community of Gloucester, Virginia. There she and her husband, Greg, raised three daughters and numerous cats and dogs.
After retiring from two area history museums, Patti finally had the time to do the things she always wanted to do, including writing. The nomadic life of an army brat often made it difficult to make friends and form lasting relationships. Patti’s writing is about those feelings of loneliness and loss, friendship and family.
Her first novel, Please…Tell Me More, was published in 2020. Her second, I’ll Get By, came out in 2022 and the sequel to her first, titled, Stop Talking, will be out late this year. She’s won a few short story contest and has had a story published in a literary journal and an on-line story podcast.
Patti has given presentations on Writing Your Story for the Chesapeake Bay Writers, The Virginia Writers Club and at several area libraries.
Patti can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads and Linked In. Check out her website Pattproauthor.com.
S.E. Reed
Tips for Busy Writers
Saturday at 7pm Eastern (11pm UTC)
S.E. Reed resides in Florida—nestled between the Everglades and the Atlantic Ocean. She writes YA across genres, focusing on strong characters and voicey narratives. Her debut novel, MY HEART IS HURTING, released in July '23 and her next 5 books are set to release in '24 and '25 with multiple publishers. When she isn't writing, reading or cooking, S.E. enjoys spending time with her spouse and children searching for seashells at the beach. She also has a fur baby who demands constant attention and belly rubs.
Dayna M. Reidenouer
Publishing: For Love or Money
Sunday at 7pm Eastern (11pm UTC)
Dayna M. Reidenouer (they/she) is the owner of True Love Editorial Services LLC, which they opened in 2020 after fourteen years as a feature writer and photographer for a group of weekly newspapers in Lancaster County, Penn. As Your Publishing BFF, Dayna offers book editing and coaching for independent authors. They specialize in contemporary romance and romcoms of all heat levels and sexualities, but she also enjoys working on cozy mystery and children’s books. Dayna served as co-chair of the 2023 Contemporary Romance Writers virtual writing conference and is a member at large of the board of governors of the Editorial Freelancers Association. Additionally, they have published two articles about publicity in the Romance Writers of America monthly member publication. To learn more about Dayna and her services, visit YourPublishingBFF.com.
Srivalli Rekha
The Hive Publishing
Saturday at 7am Eastern (11am UTC)
Srivalli Rekha (she/ her) is a BIPOC author from India. An MBA graduate, she, also has an MA in English Literature. A freelance content writer during the day, she devours books at night and loves to review them on her blog and Goodreads. Books and music are her favorite companions.
As a pagan, she believes in the beauty of nature worship and loves to learn the secrets of the universe the Indic way. She is a budding tarot reader and is fascinated by the intricacies of astrology.
Srivalli is a co-founder and managing partner of The Hive Publishers, an indie publishing collective. Her works have been a part of several Indian and international anthologies (eBooks and paperback publications). Violets in Hand, The House of Justice, and Pebbles in the Grass, her self-published eBooks, are available on Amazon.
Find her on Goodreads | Blog | Instagram
Ginny Myers Sain
Setting as a Character
Saturday at 5pm Eastern (9pm UTC)
Ginny Myers Sain is the author of DARK AND SHALLOW LIES (2021), SECRETS SO DEEP (2022), and ONE LAST BREATH (2024), all from Penguin Teen. Her debut novel, DARK AND SHALLOW LIES, is a New York Times bestseller, an Indie Bookstore Bestseller, a Barnes & Noble YA Pick of the Month, an Amazon Editor's Pick, and the 2022 CRYSTAL KITE award winner from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Ginny's books are available world-wide in eight countries and counting! Although she comes from a long line of writers, Ginny's first love has always been the theatre. She has a degree in theatre and has spent most of her career teaching acting and directing plays and musicals. Ginny currently lives in St. Cloud, Florida, with her college-age son and a wild goldendoodle named Magnolia. When she is not working in the theatre or writing, you're likely to find her listening to true crime podcasts, taking pictures of alligators, eating tacos, traveling to spooky places, or hanging out at Walt Disney World.
Natalie Silver
Transferrable Skills in Writing & Editing
Sunday at 6pm Eastern (10pm UTC)
Natalie L. Silver is a freelance editor and writer who has worked in the publishing industry for two decades. She operates Silver Scribe Editorial Services and maintains a few blogs, including the recently launched Natalie L. Silver: Reflections on Life and Work. She specializes in nonfiction, including academic journals and dissertations, trade and self-published books, health content writing, and project management within publishing. Outside of her business, Natalie enjoys reading, traveling, watching sports, and attending Broadway musicals. You can find her at www.silverscribeeditorial.com and on Instagram @natalielsilver.
Nicky Shearsby
Leveraging Social Media
Friday at 10am Eastern (2pm UTC)
Breaking into serious novel writing wasn’t something I began in earnest until taking early retirement in 2020. Since then, I have concentrated my efforts on producing my debut novel, To The Bitter End, which was released worldwide in February 2022 by award-winning independent publication house, SRL Publishing. Two decades of writing non-fiction, graphic design, magazine publication and organic skincare manufacturing, finally led me to my dream job: writing novels.
For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the human mind, our emotions, how we think, those nonsensical things we do, and the struggles life often throws our way. Because of this, my writing reflects the questions I feel are not asked often enough. I try to push boundaries and challenge the reader’s perspective by tackling complex issues through powerful characterization.
My work asks serious questions that promote deeper and more profound thinking. My aim is simple. To open up emotional and thought-provoking thinking that guides others within their own lives, helping them to see things differently. We all struggle, and escaping into fiction is the perfect way to unburden a busy mind, whilst hopefully learning valuable life lessons along the way.
Find me on twitter – Nickyshearsby22
Instagram – nickyshearsby22
Website - nickyshearsby.com
Anne Marie Stoddard
Chat With a Mystery Author
Saturday at 4pm Eastern (8pm UTC)
Anne Marie Stoddard is a USA TODAY bestselling author of suspenseful thrillers and cozy mysteries with an edge. Her award-winning Amelia Grace Rock n' Roll Mystery series was inspired by her experience working in radio and at concert venues and music festivals across the U.S.
Anne Marie has previously served as Vice President of the Atlanta Sisters in Crime chapter and has worked in marketing for several small publishers and agents, including Booktrope, Tandem Light Press, and Lucinda Literary, LLC. She's passionate about writing and reading fiction and helping other authors tell their stories and find new readers online. She's appeared on panels at events such as Killer Nashville, the AJC Decatur Book Festival, and DragonCon to share her experience with writing and literary marketing.
Aside from all things writing-related, Anne Marie loves her husband, two boys, and their dog, as well as college football, hockey, music, hula hooping, coffee, and anything pumpkin-flavored.
Frances Turner
Claiming Your Voice as a Writer
Friday at 5pm Eastern (9pm UTC)
Frances Turner is a 50+ year-old proud mother of two grown daughters, an arts leader with a particular penchant for travelling the world, and an emerging creative writer. Born in the USA, she is both Native American and European, now living in Auckland, New Zealand.
An avid reader of fiction and non-fiction, much of her writing prior to 2019 was in travel journals, technical manuals, proposals, reports and speeches. She began entering writing competitions during the pandemic and won Judges’ Choice in the 2021 Writer’s Games; her story “The Lightkeeper’s Daughter” is published in 72 Hours, vol. 10. She’s been a member of an international online writing community ever since, and has especially loved the chance to write from surprising (e.g. non-human) perspectives.
You can find her work in various anthologies and literary magazines, including: “A Chance Encounter at The Best Exotic Fruit Market in Jaipur” in Glittery Literary of June 2021 (UK), and both “Intergalactic Mission of Mercy” and “Controlling the Narrative” in Suddenly and Without Warning. Her short story “b r o k e n” was long-listed with Honours in the 2020 NZ Writer’s College short story competition, and “I Have a Name” was long-listed in the UK’s Dorothy Dunnett Historical Writers Association Awards in 2022.
She received a 2023 NZSA Mentorship with a Professional Writer for her memoir, Homecoming in the Time of the Budding Moon (working title), about her journey of reconnection with the land of her ancestors (the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin), her family history and ultimately, herself.
Kate Vacek
What You Can Learn From Writing Creative Nonfiction
Friday at 8pm Eastern (12am UTC)
Kate Vacek is a writer and writing coach with a PhD in teaching writing. Her current creative projects include picture books and a memoir about anxiety, gender, and social class. She also owns Compass Academic Coaching, which serves graduate students, professors, and other researchers as they pursue their degrees, tenure, and research agendas. Her research on academic literacy practices has been published in several peer reviewed journals and the edited collection, Women in Scholarly Publishing: A Gender Perspective. She lives in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Connect with Kate at kathleenvacek.com.
Abigail Wild
TikTok Marketing 101
Sunday at 7am Eastern (11am UTC)
Abigail Wild, MFA, is the founder and creative director of Wild Ink Publishing LLC, an adjunct instructor for the MFA program at SNHU, and runs the Young Writers and Young Filmmakers Workshop at Messiah University. In her spare time, she can be found at her dining room table, with copious amounts of coffee, studying for her second master's degree in communications, where she takes a special interest in Public Relations from the lens of social media while feeding her TikTok addiction.
Julian Winters
Journey to Publication
Sunday at 9pm Eastern (1am UTC)
Julian Winters is the author of the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Award-winning Running With Lions; the Junior Library Guild Selections How to Be Remy Cameron and The Summer of Everything; and the multi-star reviewed Right Where I Left You and As You Walk On By. A self-proclaimed comic book geek, Julian currently lives outside of Atlanta. He can usually be found swooning over rom-coms or watching the only two sports he can follow—volleyball and soccer.
