CONFERENCES, CONTESTS, & WORKSHOPS - Publish & Thrive

Good morning, everyone!

Wow! Where did the month of January go? For me, I think hibernating from the frigid cold temperatures and keeping busy inside helped the time fly by. Thus, I'm coming in just under the wire to tell you about this week's Conferences, Contests, & Workshops spotlight!

Registration is now open for PUBLISH & THRIVE, created by YA Fantasy author, Sarra Cannon. 

Note, the above link is an affiliate link if you want to help a girl out ;-)

I've been enrolled in this course for a couple of years and have yet to walk myself through all of the modules. That's my mind shift for this year. My Word of the Year is FINISH. At first, I thought I would use FORWARD, because Sarra is always reminding us to stay focused on what will move us forward, closer to our goals. 

With that in mind, I plan to walk through each module of this course as she leads us through this first round of 2024 (the course will be offered again in the fall)

Once you pay for Publish & Thrive (or any of her courses) you have Lifetime Access! That means you pay for the course once and can go through it at your own pace, if you choose, and as many times as you'd like. You also receive all of the upgrades she makes to the curriculum as she is always keeping the information current with the industry!

We start with a LIVE Kick-off call via FB & YouTube (private link will be sent to you prior once your registration is confirmed) That is always a great time.

I know the price may seem a bit much but in comparison to what others charge, you won't get better bang for your buck anywhere! She also offers six or twelve- month payment plan.  

If you can't afford the jump right now, that's fine. Start a Cash Envelope and save for the next round.

Also, remember... if you are SERIOUS about building a business as an author, this class is invaluable and tax deductible! She also offers a money back guarantee but I promise you won't need that. 

HURRY... sign up closes either tomorrow night or Noon Saturday. Our Live Kick Off Call is at 2 p.m. EST on Saturday.

If you have questions, you will find me on FB - https://www.facebook.com/angela.drake.58

All my best!

~ Angela

CONFERENCES & CONTESTS - Sleuths Ink Workshop

NOTE from my desk: While I have not attended most of the conferences I showcase, I have heard excellent comments regarding their offerings. Please check their website thoroughly and if you have any questions, use the contact information on their page.

If you attend any of the conferences or enter the contests I list, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please share your review in the comments section of that conference's post.

Know of a great conference you'd like me to share? Please use the contact form on the right to drop me a note.

Thank you!

Today, I've asked Tierney James to stop by today to answer a few questions regarding the workshop.

Thanks for taking us a bit behind the scenes of the Sleuth's Ink Workshop.

1 – You have an excellent line-up of speakers. Lori Copeland as a keynote is a great way to kick off the event. Why Lori in particular?

Lori is a seasoned writer/author who has seen trends in the publishing industry come and go. She knows how to adjust to the market, whether it is a traditional house or transitioning to the now popular “indie” route. She has received success over many years and has even broken into the television market with one of her books being made into a Hallmark movie. 

2 – Most would think that a mystery writing group would have more genre-specific topics for the workshop, yet with the exception of a couple of breakout sessions, SI seems to be focusing on mechanics. How did the content decision come about?

After attending a variety of writing conferences, sitting in on critique groups, and judging contests, it became clear there is a need for the mechanics of writing. Just because you write words doesn’t make you a good writer. There needs to be a lot of fine tuning to get it right. Most of us just aren’t aware there is a right and wrong way to create stories. There are rules of grammar, punctuation, genre, etc.

3 – Sometimes having two workshops scheduled for the same time slot makes it hard to choose which one to attend and which one to hope a friend is taking good notes.  I see some workshops are scheduled twice. Is this to allow others to not miss something in the rotation?

Absolutely! There will be a lot of good ideas and time is short. By scheduling some sessions more than once, writers don’t have to worry about missing something that could add that spark they’ve been looking to push them ahead.

4 – How did you select your other speakers?

 Some of the Sleuths’ members searched their own bank of talent and formed a committee to see who might be interested in taking this project on in hopes of inspiring new writers and reminding not-so-new authors of their own greatness. As it turned out our group had a lot of tips and tricks to share.

5 – What do you hope attendees will take with them from the workshop?

My hope is that they will see the road ahead of them filled with possibilities, not potholes. Attending a one-day conference or workshop is a sure-fire way to ignite the fires of the imagination. We also can’t wait to meet new writers who want a support group and can add a little pizzazz to Sleuths’ Ink. 

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - Angela Drake - The Chosen Path

For the past few weeks, I've been talking about jumping on the indi-publishing train. I'm anxious about this new path as well as excited for the journey.

I told you yesterday I was making adjustments to my writing space so that I could be more productive. A specific space is mandatory for me to switch my mental gears from the day job writing, to the words I need to put on paper in able to become a published author.

Aside from putting my office space in order, I'm setting goals towards getting A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER into the hands of my readers - hopefully in time for the holiday season. Because the story takes place in Eureka Springs AR, I 'd love to have the book ready for sale by the time I attend the Ozark Creative Writers Conference in October.  Since this is my first indi and there's a learning curve to doing all that needs done, I'm not sure I can make the timeline. But until I actually put a the project on paper, I won't know for sure if I can make that goal. I'll let you know on Friday how I'm progressing.

In the meantime, tomorrow I'm sharing information about a great one-day workshop in Springfield Missouri. I've interviewed one of the coordinators, Tierney James. She'll be sharing what went in to planning the workshop and what they hope the attendees will take away from the educational day.

CONFERENCE & CONTESTS - Tennessee Writing Workshop

NOTE from my desk: While I have not attended most of the conferences I showcase, I have heard excellent comments regarding their offerings. Please check their website thoroughly and if you have any questions, use the contact information on their page. 

If you attend any of the conferences or enter the contests I list, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please share your review in the comments section of that conference's post.

Know of a great conference you'd like me to share? Please use the contact form on the right to drop me a note. 

Thank you!

Between Sessions

Stock Photo courtesy of Angela Drake

2017 TENNESSEE WRITING WORKSHOP

Get Your Writing Published!

Nashville TN

July 22, 2017

From the website:

     This writing event is a wonderful opportunity to get intense instruction over the course of one day, pitch a literary agent or editor (optional), get your questions answered, and more. Note that there are limited seats at the event (150 total)

Because of limited space at the venue, the workshop can only allow 150 registrants, unless spacing issues change. For this reason, we encourage you to book sooner rather than later.

This looks a packed one-day event with a lot of opportunity for networking and learning. The site boasts a minimum of ELEVEN literary agents in attendance. Wow!

Click the link above and jump in! When you've come back from what appears to be a very busy day, please come back here and leave a comment to let us know your thoughts!

Creative Blessings!

Angela