The Writing Con Is Over--And I've Got Good News & Bad News

As you all know, I went to the InD'Scribe conference over the weekend. I had some wonderful experiences!

Brenda Novak was a keynote speaker and she had some really inspiring things to say about how powerful fairytales and dreams are because they tie to our hearts. But the one thing she said that really resonated with me as an author, was to write fearlessly and create something you love. I think that's every author's dream, really. And you wouldn't think that would be hard to do, but it is, so this was a nice reminder and call to action!

Here's me and Brenda doing a booksigning years ago. 

Here we are at the conference. A little bit of a difference for both of us! LOL

I also got to sit in on a workshop with Anne Perry. She talked a lot about what makes a good story and said, "You build up tension by making the hero unafraid when the reader knows how much danger there really is." I loved that!

The first night of the conference featured a costume ball and this lady made this authentic costume herself! Isn't it amazing? If there was a prize for best costume, she would have won hands down.

Here's me in my costume. I'm a medieval commoner, in case you can't tell. (Or at least that's what I'm saying I am, no matter what anyone else thinks! Haha)

The RONE awards were the last night of the conference and my novel, The Captain, was a finalist for Best Suspense/Thriller. I didn't win, but I was thrilled to be nominated, and so excited for my friends who did win in their category.

The conference did offer a nice dessert bar for the losers. Here's what I chose, and it was yummy!

I am really glad to be home. And my cat was happy to see me as well, as you can plainly see from this picture since she lifted her head in greeting before going back to sleep.

So, the good news is that the conference was fun, I met some wonderful people, (including an audiobook narrator that may want to audition for me in the future!), but the bad news is, I didn't win the RONE. Although, I was so motivated with what I learned at the conference, I dove right back into my stories and hope to have some great new release news, soon!

In the end, I just want to thank everyone who has supported me on this writing journey. I couldn't do any of this without my readers, friends, and family. You are amazing and very appreciated!