This past weekend saw me at the 30th Annual Pikes Peak Writers Conference in Colorado Springs. This is my home conference, the one I never miss and have been loyal to since 2016. The event was a blur. What with so many fellow writers to connect with and workshops to blow my brain, it’s no wonder I came home Sunday night and collapsed in bed before my daughter was even in her PJs. PPWC continues to be amazing and it’s timing this year was perfect. And so it’s time to share with you a bit about conference and contests!
Conference
This year’s PPWC served as a milestone for me in multiple ways. It was my second time serving as the event’s emcee and my first on a big anniversary year as well as my first at the new conference venue (DoubleTree by Hilton). Being the voice of conference helps me connect with the hundreds attending who otherwise would shy away walking the halls. It also gets me recognized by agents and editors before there’s ever any talk of pitch or query.
This was also the first year I had books in the conference bookstore. Exceptionals and A Night to Remember both stood proud in their stacks. In the end, I returned home with one lonely copy of Exceptionals and only a half-dozen copies of its cohort. The two anthologies featuring Rom and Drood were there, too–Journeys into Possibility and Fresh Starts. Folks snapped those up quick.
I also got to sign books at PPWC. The conference even gave me a signing table shared by the wonderful Nikki Haverstock. Before (just signing Fresh Starts) I was comfortably nestled in amongst other authors. It was a bit unnerving being in the BIG room with the BIG names. I’m talking Robert Crais and Barbara O’Neal big. But when Draft2Digital guru and The Canadian Mounted author Mark Leslie LeFebvre came by as the first in a string of folks seeking my signature, it blew my top. It’s a giddy high I will cherish forever.
I also led my first workshop at PPWC this year. Oh, I’ve run others, both online and at other conferences. But this was the first time I got to do one in the place it means the most to me: at home. The workshop was And…ACTION! my class on writing fight scenes. As I was 1) a newbie instructor at PPWC and 2) my session was first thing in the morning on Sunday, I planned on minimal attendance. I would have been happy with eight or nine rugged souls. Was I surprised when the attending crowd grew so big as to force folks to stand at the back. There must have been forty people in there. Freaking awesome!
Bottom line: Conference was amazing. If you are a writer, check out coming to PPWC in 2024. If cost is an issue, there are scholarships available plus volunteer opportunities that reduce the registration price.
Contest
You may have seen my profile over at AllAuthor.com (or not). Exceptionals is up for Cover of the Month in May. The contest requires votes to be cast each week until the end of the month seal the win. Please, head over there and cast you vote. It’s not just a boon for me. My sister-in-law designed the cover, so winning would keep me tight with the fam.
Thank you and have a great week!
