Books 'N Authors and All That Jazz - 10th year

 Saturday April 28, 2012, I attended Books 'N Authors and All That Jazz, a conference at Weatherford College. It was their 10th Anniversary celebration and they put on a good show. I hung in the authors' wing, chatting with folks about my book - My Zoo World. Plenty of interest and enthusiasm

 My display included pictures of some of the critters cavorting through my chapters. Linda T's cat Benji was a star, as well as son Kevin's pit bull, Rusty. Certainly conversation starters.

 Other Trinity Writer attendees included Ann Summerville (A Graceful Death, High Tide, Storms & Secrets, and her latest The Berton Hotel), Sharon Owen (Thicker Than Water), and Arly Pineo (Cheat the Wind). Not pictured here are Sheryl Nelms (poet) and Kalvin Weaver (Kobra).  We hung out, made new connections, attended some classes (Dave Lieber is always a treat), and discussed the world of publishing in 2012 - ever changing, that's for sure.

The grand finale included some Jazz, thanks to the college jazz combo - very cool. Linda Bagwell, coordinator, also announced winners of various writing contests. Alas, I did not have to leap from my seat.
Nonetheless it was a worthwhile day in the world of writing and publishing....and all that jazzzzzzzzzz!

Weatherford Workshop - Books 'N Jazz

Stupendous Saturday in Weatherford at the college sponsored Books 'N Authors 'N All That Jazz workshop. A plethora of class choices, meet 'n greets with authors, and words - the glory of words, writing, and publishing.

I started my day with Laurie Moore's Snappy Dialogue class. She's a hoot and I enjoyed her insight on keeping your plot moving along with valuable conversation. Her mysteries don't lag, and the chat is never dull. www.lauriemooremysteries.com

Jazz was the theme of the day and Jazzing Up Characters starred Helen Ginger and Sylvia Dickey Smith. The two tag teamed about digging deeper into your characters, and giving the reader a reason to read your book. Sparkling insights and humor highlighted this class

www.helenginger.com and www.sylviadickeysmith.com

After lunch, a panel discussion turned into a business discussion - self publishing versus traditional, plus marketing via twitter, website, social networking, and an array of circus like promotions. The author give and take was lively, informative, and energetic. The key is to write a great book, then promote the heck out of it, and believe in it and yourself. Thanks to Dave Lieber www.yankeecowboy.com, Mike Kearby, Helen Ginger, Sylvia Dickey Smith, and Laurie Moore.

My final session of the day concerned children's literature. Rickey Pittman www.rickeypittman.com regaled us with poems and excerpts from his childrens' historical picture books. A prolific author, Pittman enthusiastically believes in children literature and the magic of reading aloud to kids. He shared marketing tips and his love of writing.

After the workshop, friends gathered to discuss the day, and agreed that Weatherford College put on an enlightening show and all that Jazz.