This continues my recap of the Florida Writers Association Conference with a report on Day Three. We started the morning with a continental breakfast followed by two workshop sessions. The first one I attended was on creating emotional impact in your writing. We were told to think about characters in a book that we’d follow … Read more
This continues my recap of the Florida Writers Association Conference with a report on Day Two. After a buffet breakfast on Saturday, bestselling author Lisa Black gave her keynote address. Then we dispersed to various workshops. As a faculty member, I had a booksigning slot that morning. This meant I couldn’t attend … Read more
I had a great time at the Florida Writers Association Conference this past weekend. Giving presentations, meeting new/old friends, attending workshops, and eating too much … it all made for a productive and meaningful event. On Friday, I attended a talk on newsletters. I’ve already heard that drip campaigns can be effective, and I have … Read more
This past weekend I had the privilege of speaking at the “And the Women Gather” Annual Literary Event in Deland, FL sponsored by Desert Sage, a lifestyle wellness company. We left the house early to arrive in plenty of time for the book event, especially when I saw there was a Tuesday Morning store along … Read more
This month offers a number of books and bargains for my booklover friends. Check out these deals and steals with contests, giveaways, book fairs and upcoming new releases. May 1 – New Box Set Release Guess what’s coming in 2 days? My first mystery series box set! That’s right, The Bad Hair Day Mysteries Box … Read more
On Friday at the Amelia Island Book Festival, I headed out of town in early morning and pouring rain to present my “Developing a Mystery Series” workshop. This event was held on a college campus about thirty minutes inland in the town of Yulee. A brief introduction by the day’s organizers at 8:00 am led … Read more
We arrived on Thursday for the start of the Amelia Island Book Festival. There was an author reception sponsored by The Book Loft in the downtown historical district. We parked in a free public lot by the historic post office building and strolled along Centre Street to browse in the shops. Here you’ll find boutiques, … Read more
Recently, I attended the breakfast sponsored by Mystery Writers of America Florida Chapter at the Florida Library Association conference. Sixty librarians had signed up for this event. We ate first, and then jumped into Author Speed Dating. Since there were five of us, we had the librarians spaced out at five tables. During the allotted … Read more
After lunch on Saturday at Sleuthfest mystery writers conference, I attended a workshop given by Jane R. Wood on Marketing Your Books to Schools. This was a lot more complicated than I would have guessed. Your books must be appropriate for schools, have educational value, and be compatible with the core curriculum. They should reinforce … Read more
On Friday morning at SleuthFest mystery writers conference, the editors’ roundtable was held. Guest editors included Anna Michels (Sourcebooks), Chantelle Aimee Osman (Polis Books), Stacey Donovan (Hallmark Publishing), and special guest Neil Nyren. Conference co-chair, Michael L. Joy, moderated. Here is the gist of what I learned. Any errors are due to my misinterpretation. Sourcebooks … Read more