2013 Conference Info

Writers of Southern Nevada presents “Fiction Writing in the Digital Age” October 11-12, 2013 at The Plaza in Downtown Las Vegas. Hear editors, agents and authors discuss writing and getting published in the bold and brave new world of contemporary publishing.

FRIDAY

Time

Track I
Craft

Track II
Business

9:00 Welcome. Opening remarks by Oscar Goodman, former mayor of Las Vegas
9:15-10:05 Character, the Heart of a Good Story - Shelley Coriell  Publishing Options - Jo Wilkins
10:10-11:00 Don’t Tell Your Story, Show It! – Maxwell Alexander Drake Author Promote Thyself – Kate Sexton
11:05-11:55 How to Plot Anything - John Hill The 10 Most Common Mistakes First Novelists Make – Toni Lopopolo
1200-1:00                                Lunch – Keynote Speaker Deb Coonts
1:00-1:50 Setting, Theme and Style (or How to Make Your Writing Awesome and Avoid Nigerian Scams) – Mason Ian Bundschuh You’ve Written an E-book. Now What? - Peggy Richardson
2:00-2:50 First line; first page; first 5 pages - Toni Lopopolo The Hook, The Book and The Cook – Pam van Hylckama Vlieg
3:00-3:50 Settings, Strange and Otherwise – Dave Wolvertine Everything You Wanted to Know about Publishing* (*Now’s Your Time to Ask) – Peter Senftleben
4:00-4:50

Moderated Agent Panel

Toni Lopopolo, Pamela van Hylckama Vlieg

 

5:30

Atomic Book Signing at Atomic Liquors

SATURDAY

8:45  Welcome, opening remarks
9:00- 9:50 He Said/She Said: Writing Male & Female POV Like A Pro – Eric  James Miller and Moriah Densley Peggy Richardson 
10:00-10:50 More than Wham, Bam, Thank-You M’am – Wooing the Female Reader - Jeffe Kennedy Small Press Author Panel – Eric James Miller, Morgan St. James, Mercedes M Yardley
11:00-11:50 Two Heads: How to Co-Write a Book Without Going Crazy – Jennifer Allee Kamikaze cold Reads -Kerri Buckley
1200-1:00

Lunch – Finding Time to Write – Mercedes M. Yardley

1:00-1:50 Prepping Your Manuscript for Submissions and Building that Author/Editor Relationship – Johanna Melaragno  Publishing Your Manuscript in Ten Easy Steps - Gail Delaney
2:00-2:50 Dialogue: It’s Not Just People Talking - Maxwell Alexander Drake  Marketing - Morgan St. James
3:00-3:50 Putting Personality on the Page: Showing Character to the Reader - Tami Cowden Dream, Dare, Do – Shelley Coriell
4:00-5:0

Moderated Editor Panel

Alex Logan, Kerri Buckley, Peter Sentfleban, Gail Delaney

5:00-5:15

Closing remarks

5:15-600

Last chance Speaker Book Signing.

 

The Writers of Southern Nevada is proud to present Fiction Writing in the Digital Age on October 11th and 12th at the newly renovated Plaza Hotel in Downtown Las Vegas. This two-day writers conference will focus on exciting new opportunities in the digital marketplace for both traditionally published authors and those seeking the latest tools to enhance or launch their own writing careers. Featuring a variety of discussions and workshops led by editors, agents, authors and digital content experts, this is a can’t miss event for anyone serious about their writing. Register early to book a pitch session with the agent or editor of your choice! (The number of pitch sessions is limited and will be available on request in the order which registrations occur.)

Mix and mingle at an informal cocktail party on Thursday evening. Continental breakfast and lunch provided each day. On-site registration is $325. Attendees of “Fiction Writing in the Digital Age” also receive room and food discounts at the Plaza and pitch meetings are free to those who register early. 

Speakers confirmed for the conference include the following. Check back often to see who has been added!

Editors

 Peter Senftleben Peter Senftleben is an associate editor at Kensington Books, where he continues to build his own varied and distinguished list.  He joined Kensington in 2006 after sharpening his editorial skills and red pencil while working at literary agencies.  A graduate of Tulane University with a degree in chemical engineering and math (yes, math), Peter occasionally indulges the numbers side of his brain with a challenging Sudoku puzzle or by baking, but he can more often be seen watching trashy television shows.Peter is currently acquiring many types of fiction; his interests include: mysteries, thrillers, mainstream and women’s fiction, urban fantasy, paranormal fiction, all subgenres of romance, gay fiction, and young adult novels with crossover potential.  Peter is often drawn to quirky, offbeat projects with distinctive voices (like The First Annual Grand Prairie Rabbit Festival by Ken Wheaton and Curses!: A F***ed-Up Fairy Tale by J.A. Kazimer), stunning writing (see any of T. Greenwood’s novels or Yield by Lee Houck), realistic characters (read Closer to Fine by Meri Weiss or Where You Are by J.H. Trumble), and stories that will make him LOL (literally), cry in public, scare the bejeezus out of him, or engage him so deeply that he skips meals.  He does not want to see anything with terrorists of any kind.  You can follow him on Twitter at @gr8thepeter.
 Johanna Meleragno Johanna Melaragno from Wild Rose Press. Publishers of digital Romance, including erotica.
 Jo Wilkins Jo A. Wilkins is the Chief Executive officer for Mystic Publishers, a company that helps qualified writers self-publish. She also runs Ink & Quill Publishers (www.iq.publishers.com), a traditional publishing house, where she now partners with Maxwell Alexander Drake an author with Imagined Interprises Inc. (I.I.I.). As an author she collaborates with R.R. Draude on the Tyranny series, sold some of her short stories to places like KNPR’s “Making Nevada Home” (www.knpr.org). She is published in a dozen anthologies, and is in negotiation regarding her murder first murder mystery. She teaches beginning, intermediate and advanced author technique classes at Recreation centers for the City of Henderson and does one-on-one private coaching. She does content editing on the side and currently content edits and helps as an acquisitions editor for Imagined Interprises, inc. Her major accomplishments as a content editor are for the fantasy novels of Maxwell Alexander Drake’s Genesis of Oblivion series and The Dragon Souls Saga by Josh Hartkey.
 Kerri Buckley Kerri Buckley began her publishing career in 2003 at Bantam Dell, going on to acquire and edit both fiction and nonfiction for various imprints within the larger Random House family.  Thrilled to have been invited to the digital-first party at Harlequin’s Carina Press, Kerri is building her list in the following areas: historical romance, paranormal romance, romantic suspense, erotic romance, all subgenres of contemporary romance, new adult, urban fantasy, male/male romance, and cozy mystery.  Find her on Twitter @BuckleyKerri.About Carina Press: Carina Press is a digital-first imprint of Harlequin Books.  Led by Editorial Editor Angela James, the Carina Press team has more than a decade of experience in digital marketing and publishing.  Carina Press is dedicated to delivering a professional publishing experience to authors and finding fresh new voices for readers.  Visit us on the web: www.carinapress.com
 Gail Delaney Gail R. Delaney stepped into the world of small print publishing over a decade ago when she signed her first contract as an author. Since then, she has had twelve novels published, worked as a senior editor, acquisitions editor, and executive editor for other publishing houses. Through a course of events which, at the time many of those events seemed a turn for the worse, Gail and her business partner Jenifer Ranieri decided to open Desert Breeze Publishing in December of 2008. They began releasing novels in April of 2009. Gail looks back now at those events she thought were the worst case scenario, and has come to realize they were the best possible turns in her life. She is now editor-in-chief of her own publishing house, and while the hours are long and the to do list never ends, she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Alex Logan Alex Logan acquires thrillers and women’s fiction of all kinds. She holds a journalism degree from Northwestern, attended the University of Chicago Publishing Program, and worked at Borders and Random House before joining Grand Central Publishing.She is the editor for New York Times bestselling romance author Jill Shalvis and women’s fiction author Lisa Verge Higgins. But her first love is thrillers, and she is very excited about the upcoming novels of psychological suspense by Suzanne Redfearn and Sandra Block.

Agents

 Pam van Hylckama Vlieg Pam van Hylckama Vlieg started her literary career as assistant to Laurie McLean in early 2012. By April Pam was promoted to Associate Agent at Larsen Pomada. In January of 2013 after selling twenty-one books in her first year of agenting Pam was promoted to agent. When Laurie McLean mentioned creating Foreword, Pam jumped at the chance to follow her mentor and create a new agency together.Pam blogs at Bookalicio.usBookalicious.org, and Brazen Reads. She partners her blogs with her local bookseller Hicklebee’s where magic happens daily.Pam grew up on a sleepy little Podunk town in Virginia. She’s lived in the UK, several US states, and now resides in the Bay Area of California. She has two kids, two dogs, two guinea pigs, but only one husband. You can find her mostly on Twitter where she wastes copious amounts of time.
 Toni Lopopolo Toni Lopopolo’s publishing resume began in 1970 in the publicity dept of Bantam Books. She moved to Macmillan as Executive Editor, then next to St. Martin’s Press as Executive Editor from 1981 to 1990 She has taught fiction and narrative non-fiction writing at Temple University. In l991, Toni opened Toni Lopopolo Literary Management, which she recently moved to Santa Barbara from the east coast. Toni’s website is: www.LopopoloLiterary.com

 

Authors

 Jennifer AiLee Jennifer AlLee was born in Hollywood, California, and spent her first ten years living above a mortuary one block away from the famous intersection of Hollywood & Vine. Now she lives in the grace-filled city of Las Vegas, which just goes to prove she’s been blessed with a unique life. A multi-published author, she’s worked with four different publishing houses in the genres of Women’s Fiction, Contemporary Romance, and Historical Romance. When she’s not busy spinning tales, she enjoys playing games with friends, attending live theater and movies, and singing at the top of her lungs to whatever happens to be playing on the car radio. To find out more, visit her website at www.jenniferallee.com
 Mason Ian Bundschuh Mason Ian Bundschuh is an author, musician and troublemaker raised in Hawaii, educated in England and currently haunting Las Vegas. He once punched a shark and can play the banjo like a champ. He also reads Beowulf in Old English to his toddlers, and they in turn think he’s a little strange. He loves writing bios because he could totally be making all this up and you’d never know (but so far he’s told you nothing but truth). You can find him at www.MasonBundschuh.com.
  Deb Coonts -  My mother tells me I was born a very long time ago, but I’m not so sure—my mother can’t be trusted. These things I do know: I was raised in Texas on barbeque, Mexican food and beer. I currently reside in Las Vegas, where my friends assure me I cannot get into too much trouble. Silly people. I am the author of WANNA GET LUCKY? (A NY Times Notable Crime Novel for 2010 and double RITA™ Finalist), LUCKY STIFF, SO DAMN LUCKY and two digital novellas, LUCKY IN LOVE and LUCKY BANG. My upcoming releases are tow digital novellas, LUCKY NOW AND THEN, Parts One and Two (March and April 2013) and the fourth Lucky novel, LUCKY BASTARD (May 14th in hardcover). I can usually be found at the bar, but also at www.deborahcoonts.com.
 Shelley Coriell Shelley Coriell is an award-winning author of smart, sassy novels for teens and big, edgy romantic suspense. Her debut novel, Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe, was a 2012 Indie Next Pick, and Publisher’s Weekly praised Coriell for her “…sparkling wit and great skill in creating complex characters with memorable personalities.” Her second teen novel, Goodbye, Rebel Blue, releases October 2013, while The Apostles, her dark romantic suspense series about an elite but maverick FBI team, releases Spring and Summer 2014 from Grand Central Forever. Shelley lives in Arizona with her family and the world’s neediest rescue weimaraner. You can find her at www.shelleycoriell.com and twittering @ShelleyCoriell.
 Tami Cowden Tami Cowden has presented programs at more than one hundred writing conferences and retreats across the country, and has taught online writing classes.    Tami is the coauthor of The Complete Writers Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes, a guide to literary archetypes.  Her first novel, Cruising for Love, winner of RWA’s Golden Heart, was released by Avalon Books.
 Moriah Densley Moriah Densley sees nothing odd at all about keeping both a violin case and a range bag stuffed with pistols in the back seat of her car. They hold up the stack of books in the middle, of course. She enjoys writing about Victorians, assassins, and geeks. Her muses are summoned by the smell of chocolate, usually at odd hours of the night. By day her alter ego is your friendly neighborhood music teacher. She lives in Las Vegas with her husband and four children. A 2012 RWA Golden Heart finalist, Moriah Densley is published in historical and paranormal romance. Visit her website at http://moriahdensley.com.
 Maxwell Alexander Drake Maxwell Alexander Drake is an award-winning Science Fiction/Fantasy author, Graphic Novelist and Playwright. He is also the lead tie-in writer, senior editor and game story consultant for Sony Online Entertainment’s massive online game EverQuest Next. He is best known for his fantasy series, The Genesis of Oblivion Saga. Drake teaches creative writing at writers’ conferences and fan conventions around the country. Find out more about him at his website, www.maxwellalexanderdrake.com, more about the Genesis of Oblivion Saga at www.genesisofoblivion.com, and more about his latest graphic novel at www.downfallthecomic.com. You can also follow him on Twitter or Facebook.
 John Hill John Hill was a full time, professional TV and screenwriter from 1974 to 1999.    His credits include GRIFFIN AND PHOENIX (1976) based on his spec script, starring Peter Falk and Jill Clayburgh, an ABC TV-movie; thirty years later, in 2006, it was remade with his script for the Lifetime channel, starring Amanda Peet and Dermot Mulrooney ; HEARTBEEPS (1981) based on his pitch, starring Andy Kaufman and Bernadette Peters; co-writer of LITTLE NIKITA (1988) starring River Phoenix and Sidney Poitier; and QUIGLEY DOWN UNDER (1990), based on his spec script, starring Tom Selleck, Laura San Giacomo, and Alan Rickman.   He has worked on staff as a writer-type producer on QUANTUM LEAP in 1990 and on L.A. LAW, where he won an Emmy in 1991.   Of particular relevance to new screenwriters, between 1989 and 1996, he sold three different spec scripts for six-figures each, in three different genres.    He wrote a regular column for SCR(I)PT magazine and teaches writing and filmmaking at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.  He also now writes and directs ultra-low budget independent films.  He has written 74 feature length screenplays.   One-on-one mentoring in screenwriting or novel writing is available.   He may be reached at (702) 622-8251 or Hillwithit@aol.com.
 Jeffe Kennedy Jeffe Kennedy is an award-winning author with a writing career that spans decades. Her works include non-fiction, poetry, short fiction, and novels.She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with two Maine coon cats, a border collie, plentiful free-range lizards and a very handsome Doctor of Oriental Medicine.Jeffe can be found online at her website: JeffeKennedy.com, every Sunday at the popular Word Whores blog and pretty much constantly on Twitter @jeffekennedy.
 Eric Miller Eric James Miller is a novelist happily transplanted from L.A. to Las Vegas since 2006. A veteran of the independent film world and former resident of Venice Beach, he finds life in the desert less neurotic, but equally eclectic as Hollywood and the southern California beach communities. “For Rent: Dangerous Paradise”, the first novel in Eric’s new For Rent Mystery Series, will be released by Writers Exchange e-Publishing in May 2013.
 Morgan St. James Morgan St. James is an author, speaker, and columnist. In addition to ten published books, award-winning author Morgan St. James publishes the online bi-monthly eZine Writers Tricks of the Trade and has written over 500 published articles related to writing. Morgan frequently presents workshops and appears on author’s panels.All of her books are available at Amazon worldwide and many other online bookstores.www.morganstjames-author.com
 Kate Sexton Kate Sexton Beginning as a music journalist turned publicist, Kate Sexton’s career spans 30 plus years of involvement from rock and roll in the 70s to the digital/internet revolution of the 80s and 90s. She has been a marketing professional for Fortune 100 companies, small startups and nonprofits. Kate is currently President of the Ventura County Writers Club, and on the Board of Directors of the Pacific Institute for Professional Writing. She has published 4 nonfiction books on the music business and a novel. She is a partner in Kathleen Kaiser & Associates, a marketing communications firm that helps authors promote their books. She created the Author Promote Thyself workshops to help writers learn the basic skills required to promote their books even with professional help. www.authorpromotethyself.com
 David Wolverton David Wolverton is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author who has penned nearly fifty science fiction and fantasy novels for both adults and children.
  Mercedes M. Yardley wears poisonous flowers in her hair and writes whimsical horror. She has been published in several diverse anthologies and magazines, including John Skipp’s Demons, Werewolves, and Psychosanthologies.  Mercedes is the nonfiction editor of Shock Totem Magazine and the author of the short story collection, Beautiful Sorrows.

 Other Speakers

 Peggy Richardson Wizard of eBooks Peggy Richardson is a geek with a difference. With a 20-year background in IT, Peggy loves the techy aspects of eBooks and marketing, and offers Kindle eBook and print book formatting and coaching services. She has self-published since 1994, in both print and digital formats, including the participation now in more than 200 books, eBooks, and information products, both for herself and for clients.Peggy also blogs about eBooks and online marketing at WizardofeBooks.com. She loves teaching, and is well-known for taking complicated technical language and making it accessible and real. With curiosity and flair, Peggy excels at making the unclear clear, bridging the gap between people and technology, and generally stirring up trouble.