Jennifer Probst
Keynote ~ Write True: A Deep Dive Into a Romance Writer's Craft, Career, and Staying True to Oneself
Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She holds a masters in English Literature and lives in the beautiful Hudson Valley in upstate New York. Her passions include horse racing, Scrabble, rescue dogs, Italian food, and wine—not necessarily in that order.
She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance fiction. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, spent 26 weeks on the New York Times. Her work has been translated in over a dozen countries, sold over a million copies, and was dubbed a “romance phenom” by Kirkus Reviews. She is also a proud three-time RITA finalist.
She loves hearing from readers.
JenniferProbst.com
Write True: A Deep Dive Into a Romance Writer’s Craft, Career, and Staying True to Oneself
Do you dream of being a successful career author? New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst teaches a surprising key to success in the romance industry: truth.
Join Jennifer as she discusses handling fear, developing your craft, the importance of pivot in an ever-changing industry, and discovering your truth as a storyteller. Topics will include the important elements of marketing/branding, top tips to grow your audience, and the critical elements of how to create a gripping story.
Saturday WORKSHOP PRESENTERS
Hanna Rhys Barnes
Chopped! Slim Down Your Manuscript Without Losing the Weight of Your Story
Hanna Rhys Barnes is one of those people with a balanced right and left brain. She has a BA in English but retired as a high school math teacher.
For Hanna, rewrites are as fun as getting that first draft down. She has been a freelance editor and author coach for eight years. She has worked on books for well-known agents and authors. You can contact her at www.yourevileditor.com.
You can find Hanna’s historical romances, Widow’s Peak and A Knight’s Kiss, on Amazon. Hanna also writes Paranormal Romance as Tolden Rhys. Her latest release, Wolf’s Bane, is available at Amazon.
YourEvilEditor.com
Chopped! Slim Down Your Manuscript Without Losing the Weight of Your Story
Inevitably you’ll open an e-mail from your editor that reads “I love what you’ve done, but we need to cut 10,000 words.” Your jaw drops, your brain rattles and your forehead suddenly bangs against your desk. What do you do? Put your writing style on a diet.
Terri Brisbin
Hooks and How to Use Them: A Pantser’s View on Plotting
Award-winning, USA Today best-selling author Terri Brisbin is a mom, a wife, grandmom! and a dental hygienist and has sold more than 3 million copies of her historical and paranormal romance novels and novellas in more than 25 countries and 20 languages around the world. Her current and upcoming historical and paranormal/fantasy romances will be published by Dragonblade, Harlequin Historicals and independently, too.
TerriBrisbin.com
Hooks and How to Use Them: A Pantser’s View on Plotting
A writer must grab the reader’s attention and keep it moving from the first sentence to the last one, through paragraphs, pages and chapters. (If that reader is an editor, hooking them from beginning to end is critical.)
Terri will review various hooks and plot points and methods of plotting, their importance and how to use them to strengthen the pacing and structure throughout your book to the last word. (For beginning and experienced writers.)
Maria Connor
Three Stages of Marketing: Pre-Release, Release, Post-Release
Maria Connor, founder and owner of My Author Concierge and author of The Self-Publishing Checklist Series, has more than twenty years’ experience in the publishing industry, multiple credits and awards as a hybrid published author, and ten years’ experience as project manager for New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors. Whether coaching, consulting, presenting, or publishing resources for authors, she offers practical, insightful, creative tips and strategies so authors optimize time, money, and energy.
MyAuthorConcierge.com
Three Stages of Marketing: Pre-Release, Release, Post-Release
This two-hour presentation includes a marketing primer for authors, followed by tips and strategies targeted to specific outcomes based on the three phases of book marketing: pre-release, release, and post-release.
Laura Drake
Bleeding on the Page: Writing Emotion
Laura Drake is a New York and self-published published author of thirteen novels. Her debut, The Sweet Spot, won the 2014 Romance Writers of America® RITA® award for Best First Book. A city girl turned Texan, she’s currently working on her accent. She’s a wife, grandmother, and motorcycle chick in the remaining waking hours.
LauraDrake.com
Bleeding on the Page: Writing Emotion
Whether you write suspense, mystery, memoirs or romance, one of the most important tools in a Writer’s toolbox is the ability express true emotion on the page. In this session, you’ll learn the tools you’ll need to achieve and refine this skill.
Leigh Duncan
From Lemons to Lemonade: Making the Switch to Indie Publishing
Leigh Duncan is a Publisher’s Weekly and Amazon best-selling hybrid author of nearly thirty novels, novellas and short stories. Chosen as the lead author for Hallmark Publishing’s new line of romances and cozy mysteries, Leigh was thrilled when Southern Living Magazine named four of her books to their list of Best Hallmark Summer Reads. Leigh lives on Florida’s East Coast where she currently writes heartwarming women’s fiction with a dash of Southern sass.
LeighDuncan.com
From Lemons to Lemonade: Making the Switch to Indie Publishing
Has your publisher ever pushed your release date back by a year? Has your editor ever insisted on changes that don’t improve your story? If traditional publishing has left a sour taste in your mouth, learn how to seize control of your career by making the switch to indie publishing. (Leigh Duncan)
Kendra Elliot
Writing Collaborations
Kendra Elliot is the Wall Street Journal bestselling, award-winning author of the Mercy Kilpatrick and Columbia River series. She has sold over 10 million books and lives on the beachfront in Florida.
KendraElliot.com
Writing Collaborations
Learn how Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot prepare, plan, and plot two best-selling, long-running collaborative series of novellas.
Kerry Evelyn
World Building in a Binder
KerryEvelyn.com
World Building in a Binder
This workshop caters to the plotters and pantsers who prefer paper over Pinterest. Learn how to organize your research and world elements into a single binder. Suggested categories and a list of vital topics and tabs to include will be provided.
Davey Jay, Esq.
Contracts, Copyrights, and Co-Authors: A Crash Course in Literary Law
Davey Jay, Esq. is shareholder at Meehle & Jay P.A. in Orlando, FL and dedicates her practice to the areas of Entertainment and Intellectual Property law. She has worked on deals with major enterprises such as HBO, Warner/Chappell, Telemundo, Sony/Columbia, and Little, Brown and Company and has represented Oscar, Grammy, and Emmy winners. She has been honored by the Orlando Business Journal (Women Who Mean Business) and Florida Trend (Legal Elite) and served as the Chair of the Florida Bar Entertainment, Arts, & Sports Law Section. In addition to practicing law, Ms. Jay has been an educator for over twelve years, most recently as an adjunct professor at Barry University School of Law.
Contracts, Copyrights, and Co-Authors: A Crash Course in Literary Law
The key to success as an author is not just a well-written story, but in understanding your rights and knowing how to navigate the labyrinth of literary law. This workshop will provide you with a basic understanding of copyrights and publishing contracts as well as teach you to identify and avoid potential pitfalls and problems in your career.
Chris Kridler, aka Lucy Lakestone
Visual Marketing for Your Books
Chris Kridler, aka Lucy Lakestone, writes storm-chasing adventures as Chris and hot romances and fun mysteries as Lucy. A member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, she has decades of experience as an editor, reporter, designer, photographer and videographer. She started her career in newspapers and now edits, designs and formats books through her company Sky Diary Productions (and SharpEditor.com). In her spare time, she chases tornadoes.
ChrisKridler.com
Visual Marketing for Your Books
Learn how to master visuals for book marketing, incorporating a professional, unified and unique brand from covers to promotional graphics to book trailers. Get tips on designing ads, social media content, videos and more to help you find and engage with readers.
Melinda Leigh
Writing Collaborations
Melinda Leigh is a #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling, award-winning author of the Morgan Dane and Bree Taggert series. Her books have sold over 11 million copies. Melinda lives near the beach in Florida with her husband and two rescue dogs.
MelindaLeigh.com
Writing Collaborations
Learn how Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot prepare, plan, and plot two best-selling, long-running collaborative series of novellas.
Kristen Painter
Cracking the Self-Publishing Code
Kristen Painter is a USA Today Best Selling author who has amassed a loyal readership with her light-hearted paranormal romance series, Nocturne Falls, and the cozy mystery spin-off series, Jayne Frost. Since launching Nocturne Falls in 2015, she’s sold nearly a half a million books and almost 100,000 audio books. In January 1017, she launched her own Nocturne Falls Universe and invited other authors to play in her world. To date those books have sold over 40,000 copies.
The former college English teacher can often be found all over social media where she loves to interact with readers. She resides in Florida with her retired Air Force husband and a herd of cats.
KristenPainter.com
Cracking the Self-Publishing Code
An in-depth and detailed approach to self-publishing a successful series for authors at any level in their career. (With Roxanne St. Claire)
Roxanne St. Claire
Cracking the Self-Publishing Code
Roxanne St. Claire has been published since 2003, and is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nearly sixty romance and suspense novels. She has written several popular series, including The Dogfather, The Dogmothers, Barefoot Bay, the Guardian Angelinos, and the Bullet Catchers. Several of her books have been optioned for film and many have been translated into dozens of languages.
RoxanneStClaire.com
Cracking the Self-Publishing Code
An in-depth and detailed approach to self-publishing a successful series for authors at any level in their career. (With Kristen Painter)