The Conference is coming! The Conference is coming! by Connie McKenzie

Whether this is your first Pikes Peak Writers Conference or your 20^th, this year’s event will be full of new experiences.  Here is some information to help you navigate the waters.

BOOK SIGNING AND SILENT AUCTION

Thursday, April 19^th.  Doors open at 7:00 p.m., signing begins at 7:30.  Authors include Robert Crais, Jeffrey Deaver, Susan Wiggs, Kevin J. Anderson, Carol Berg, j.a. Kazimer, Joe R. Lansdale, Marie Lu, Pam McCutcheon (a.k.a. Parker Blue), Barbara Samuel, Carrie Vaughn, and Denise Vega.  This event is open to the public, so feel free to invite friends. 

DRESS

General:  Layers are a good idea; the temperature in the rooms can vary.  You will be rubbing elbows all weekend with editors, agents, and other writers, so you might want to leave the ripped jeans and graphic t-shirts at home.

Thursday:  Casual, jeans or comfortable slacks or skirts.  Sneakers or walking shoes.

Friday day:  Casual, jeans or comfortable slacks or skirts.  Sneakers or walking shoes. 

Friday evening:  Dress as your favorite literary, TV, or movie character, within reason.  If your favorite character is a nudist, come DRESSED as your second favorite.   Fake swords, battle axes, guns, and other weapons are allowed, but must be peace-tied or obviously fake.  ABSOLUTELY NO WEAPONS ALLOWED IN THE BAR. 

Saturday day:  Business casual.  Shoes should be comfortable for walking.

Saturday night:  Dust off that old ball gown!  Saturday’s banquet is your chance to shine.  Cocktail dress or better is requested, no jeans or sneakers allowed.

Sunday:  Business casual.

FOOD

The Marriott Hotel requests no outside food or drink, with the exception of water bottles, be brought into the conference area.  If you have a room in the hotel, you may eat your own food in your room.  If you do not have a room in the hotel, there are snacks for sale in the hotel store to the left of the main entrance and coffee and other drinks available at the bar.  There will be water stations around the conference area.

The hotel also does not allow food to be taken out of the ballroom, so remember to save room for dessert!

If you have severe food allergies, make sure you note them on your registration form.  At the meals, be sure your server sees your allergy meal ticket so you will be served the proper meal.

Speaking of meal tickets, DON’T lose your meal ticket or leave it in your room or at home.  Meal tickets will be REQUIRED for entrance into the ballroom. 

If you decide not to attend a meal, you may donate it to one of our hardworking volunteers by turning your ticket in to the registration desk. 

Additional tickets for the Saturday banquet may be purchased in the bookstore on a first come, first served basis.

ALTITUDE

Welcome to 6,035 feet above sea level!  If you are not acclimated, altitude can have some adverse effects.  Breathing may be difficult, as Colorado Springs does not have an overabundance of oxygen.  Alcohol will hit you harder and faster than at lower altitudes, you may experience headaches, and your skin could become alarmingly snake-like. 

The best way to counter the effects of altitude is to drink plenty of water - much more than you would at home.  If you find yourself light-headed, sit down and drink some water.  If you are short of breath, sit down and drink some water.  If you have a headache, take your choice of headache remedies, and drink some water.  Limit your alcohol intake; drink water instead.  Remember that caffeine dehydrates you, so after your morning coffee, drink some water.  As for the snake skin, lotion is your friend.  And water.  Drink it.  We’re not kidding about that.  You are welcome to bring a refillable water bottle. 

ETIQUETTE

After all that water, you may find yourself in the bathroom.  Suddenly, in the next stall, you hear the voice of your dream agent talking on the phone.  This is your perfect chance!  You have a captive audience!  You begin your pitch, blocking the stall door so the agent can’t escape until promising to look at your manuscript.  Score!

WARNING:  Engaging in the above scenario will not get your book sold.  The agent in question may find another use for your pages. 

The agents and editors who attend the Pikes Peak Writers Conference are among the friendliest in the industry.  Most will be happy to speak to you or answer questions at meals, in workshops, at the bar, or during your scheduled Pitch or R&C session.  Some places, however, are sacred.  If you stumble across an editors or agents in the bathroom, entering or leaving their hotel room, or hiding under a table, smile and give them their moment. 

Speaking of meals and workshops, while it is not only perfectly acceptable and expected you will have conversations with the faculty, try not to monopolize their time.   

TRANSPORTATION

Unfortunately, the Colorado Springs Marriott does not offer shuttle service to and from the airport.  Taxi service from the Colorado Springs Airport, one way, is currently around $40.  Check out the PPWC Ride and Room Sharing page for people who may split the ride with you.  http://www.pikespeakwriters.com/html/sharing.html

COMMUNICATION

So, you made plans to meet up with a friend after a workshop, but on the way, the editor you pitched your manuscript to stops you and asks to sit down and talk to you for an hour or so about your work (hey, anything’s possible!).  Obviously, you are not going to meet your friend, but you don’t want to leave them wandering lost around the hotel.  A message center will be located near the registration desk.

PITCH AND READ & CRITIQUE SESSIONS

Your pitch and R&C sessions are assigned on a first come, first served basis, determined by your date of registration.  In the event you didn’t get your first choice, you can attempt to swap appointments at the pitch or R&C desks in the registration area on Friday.  Index cards with your appointments will be in your name badge holder in your registration packet.  Pitch appointments are on the 7^th floor of the hotel, and your check-in time is on your card.  Please be on time.  We have a very tight schedule, and if you miss your appointment, we will not be able to reschedule. 

If you choose not to use your Pitch or R&C appointment, please turn in your card at the proper desk. 

TECHNOLOGY

Unfortunately, there is no free internet connection in the Conference area.  You can get free Wi-Fi in the lobby of the hotel. 

If you use Twitter, the hash tag for the Conference is #PPWC2012.  Tell your friends!

ENJOY

There’s a lot to learn at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, but don’t forget to relax and have a good time.  If you need any help, look for someone with “Staff” on their nametag, a staff shirt on Friday, or go to the registration desk.  And don’t forget to drink plenty of water.

Column: Craft Versus Voice by Karen Albright Lin

Quite a while back, fellow PPW member, Frank Dorchak, posed the question of craft versus heart when it comes to writing fiction.

I say both are important and many others have said it better:

Craft:

“Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.” – Lin Yutang

Heart:

“When a thought takes one’s breath away, a grammar lesson seems an impertinence.” – Thomas W. Higginson

I say: We don't write just to show off craft or just to share our voices and hearts with others. We write like addicts when it seems we should give up. Why? Because the writing itself is cathartic and cheaper than a psychiatrist and drugs – unless they are generic.

(Originally posted at the Sisters of the Quill blog on August 27, 2010)

About the Writer:  Karen is an editor, ghostwriter, pitch coach, speaker and award-winning author of novels, cookbooks, and screenplays. She’s written over a dozen solo and collaborative scripts (with Janet Fogg, Christian Lyons and director Erich Toll); each has garnered international, national and regional recognition: Moondance Film Festival, BlueCat, All She Wrote, Lighthouse Writers, Boulder Asian Film Festival, SouthWest Writers Contest, and PPW Contest. Find out more at www.karenalbrightlin.com.

Top Five Conference Myths by F.T.Bradley

It’s almost time for Pikes Peak Writers Conference! Conferences are exciting, and for writers, they’re a great chance to meet other publishing professionals, learn more about the business, and make some new friends. It’s a way to show you are serious about this writing thing, even if your mother/best friend/fill-in-the-blank tells you it’s a waste of time. You’re a writer. Back off, non-believers.

            Since I have a dozen or so conferences under my belt now, I thought I’d share my mistakes, and some conference myths I bought into. So you don’t have to go there.

Myth 5: My pitch needs to be perfect

My first pitch session went like this: I was pitching a women’s suspense I’d written to a nice young editor with Bantam Dell. Man, was I nervous. I practiced for a week, and then the day leading up to my actual sit-down appointment. When I sat down, I pretty much froze. It’s the nightmare pitch scenario, right? So this sweet editor asked me about my favorite books, we talked, and then I told her about my project. She requested the manuscript—despite my terrible pitch.

Reality: you need to know what your book is about, but don’t get too hung up over a rehearsed line. Answer this question: what’s your book about? Relax. Unless you’re a Hollywood scriptwriter, your pitching skills don’t have to be perfect. Just be nice, and show your passion for your story. Research the person you’re pitching to, so you can talk about favorite books in case things go south.

Myth 4: I should get as much face time as possible with these important agents/editors

Conferences mean lunches and banquets, so you usually get to sit with an agent/editor/famous author. Awesome opportunity to pitch, right? I used to think so.

You want to know the truth? The way to get the most from any time with a publishing insider is to shut up, and listen. Gather information, let them share their expertise. Ask a question or two, but don’t monopolize someone’s time, whether it’s at a dinner table, during a panel session, or at the bar for drinks.

 

Don’t start every sentence with, “In my book, my character Johnny…” It does the opposite of what you want—that in-your-face selling just turns people off. Listen instead. Then after the conference, you can still send this person a query, referencing your conversation. They’ll appreciate you remembering something they said rather than your pushy pitch, trust me.

Myth 3: I need to wear professional attire

True story: I was getting ready to pick up a NY editor from the airport, and wore my comfy jeans, sneakers and a black sweatshirt. I’m a casual person, what can I say. My husband frowns. “Shouldn’t you look a little more, you know, professional?” I studied my clothes, wondering if he had a point, and changed, just to be safe. So I found my editor in the arrival hall, and she was wearing…

You guessed it: jeans and sneakers. Now, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look nice. But don’t think you’re interviewing for a job here, even if you kind of are. You’re a writer. Wear what you want, because the truth behind this myth?

The writing is all anyone cares about. Honestly.

Myth 2: I should pitch to anyone I can, no matter what their bio says. You never know, right?

After my slightly-botched-but-successful pitching session with the editor, I was on a pitch-high. And it became a bit of a competitive thing to tell other attendees how many requests for pages you’d gotten, so I pitched to a few more agents.

Bad idea. If someone is looking for science fiction and you wrote a romance, why pitch it? Not only are you wasting everyone’s time, you come off looking like an amateur.

Be professional, first and foremost. You want a good agent, not just any agent.

Myth 1: I will find my perfect agent at this conference, and (s)he will sign me on the spot.

No one will admit this out loud, but we all secretly hope that we’ll rewrite debut author history. You dream that you’ll shake that agent’s hand, and (s)he’ll ask for the whole manuscript (because you are that awesome), read it that day, and will sign you as a client before the whole event is over (again, because you are that awesome). Writers everywhere will tell your story in awe, because you are—well, you get the idea.

The truth? The odds of you signing with an agent at a conference are slim; it happens, but not often. And it will certainly not go down that fast. The good news is that there are hundreds of agents out there, waiting to land the next big thing—which is you, of course, because you truly are that awesome. That’s no myth.

Conferences are great opportunities to learn to think of your novel as a product, look at yourself as a professional, and make connections with other people who love books and writing. Don’t hang all your hopes on one pitch. Instead, listen and learn from that person sitting across the table.

Here’s a final bit of advice from the one who made all the conference mistakes, in case you’re still listening.

Connect with your peers.

Those other writers at the dinner table, the people you meet on the elevator on your way to a pitch appointment? They’re the real gems of a conference. Sure, the agents, editors, and famous authors are cool, but they meet hundreds of you over a weekend, thousands in a year, no doubt. You won’t be friending them on Facebook.

Your fellow writers are your strongest allies, the people who get what you’re doing because they’re doing it too. They’re your believers when everyone else says you should probably try accounting instead.

Guess what? When your debut hits the shelves—and it will, because you are that awesome—they’ll be high-fiving you in the halls, and showing up at your book signings. Take some advice from a conference veteran: make a friend, and keep in touch. Oh, and wear something comfortable.

About the Writer:  F.T. Bradley is the author of Double Vision (Harper Children's, Fall 2012), the first in the middle-grade adventure series featuring Lincoln Baker and Benjamin Green. Find out more at www.ftbradley.com.

Her husband's Air Force career has F.T. and their two daughters moving all around the world, but for the moment the family lives on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. 

Quote

Life can't ever really defeat a writer who is in love with writing, for life itself is a writer's lover until death - fascinating, cruel, lavish, warm, cold, treacherous, constant. ~ Edna Ferber

Book Signing...and a Little Contest

Help us get the word out! We're hosting a silent auction and BIG booksigning, featuring Robert Crais, Susan Wiggs, Jeffery Deaver and a lot more authors on April 19. Download a BOOKSIGNING flyer at our website and take it to your favorite  Front Range bookstore, library, coffee house and any other place where you can post an announcement. You can download a B&W flyer or a full color one. Take a PICTURE of yourself by the flyer and POST it on our FACEBOOK page (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1124764736) by Monday April 9. Who knows? There might be something in it for you, like a $25 Gift certificate you can use at the signing!

COLOR FLYER: http://www.pikespeakwriters.com/FLYER-COLOR.pdf

B&W FLYER: http://www.pikespeakwriters.com/FLYER-BW.pdf
 

The Business of Writing: The Shy Author Syndrome, Part 1 by Linda Rohrbough

Recently, I’ve seen a phenomenon that some vanity houses are taking advantage of. I call it “the shy author syndrome.” Authors who were in the beginning almost militant about being published, suddenly get a case of stage fright right before and after their books come out.

There are two questions here. One is why would an author suddenly get “shy?” And the other is how would a vanity publishing house take advantage of that? Good questions. Let’s start with “why shy.”

Part 1: Why Shy?

New authors can be almost militant about their books. They look around, see other authors doing well whose books aren’t nearly as good as theirs and they think, “Why shouldn’t I be successful?” I don’t know how plugged into reality most authors are. First time authors always have big dreams. And it doesn’t seem to matter if they are producing great books, mediocre work, or dreadful trash that really needs to be burned.

But in any case, the result is the same. It’s like stages of child development. Everyone learns to talk, to walk, to read, and so on. Some learn it faster than others, but everyone pretty much gets it on a fairly predictable schedule.

Like stages of child development, there are stages of author development. Once the first book gets published, no matter how that happens, there appears to be, with very few exceptions, a shy stage. The author suddenly is unwilling to mention the book at parties, conferences, or even to friends. They don’t want to do book signings or media interviews. They’d rather hide.

I think there are a couple of reasons for this. One is the reality is just not quite as enticing as the romance. Most people admire authors. But once you actually are an author, you find out how unromantic it can be. My friend Jodi Thomas said she went into a bookstore and saw an author sitting by herself at a back table. So she introduced herself and it turns out it was Mary Higgins Clark. The bookstore hadn’t advertised Clark was coming and they weren’t even announcing it over the loud speaker to patrons in the store.

This happens to authors, no matter who you are. And a couple of hours sitting at a table being mistaken for the person who gift wraps books is enough to shrink anyone’s ego. But then there’s the guy next to you on the plane who thinks your book is one of those “dime store trashy romance novels.” Or if you write nonfiction, then you’re writing “technical manuals” like you just sat down in a day and wrote a VCR repair guide. (Like anyone repairs VCRs anymore.)

Or your friend’s grandmother gets disappointment all over her face when she finds out you don’t know John Grisham. And when your friends find out there’s no book tour, they start to look at you squinty-eyed.

But there’s another element and that’s the fact that the author suddenly is aware of all the shortcomings in the book. Every mistake becomes a glaring error. Plus the author becomes painfully aware of how much self-revelation is in the confines of those pages.

Now add to that the stigma of self-publishing. No matter how good the book, how polished, how well-presented, how well-written, once it’s self-published, it becomes an uphill climb. As self-published books do better sales-wise, the stigma is decreasing, but people who discover the author paid to publish the book still get a jaundiced eye and put their hand protectively over their wallet. And this is true from bookstore owners to the next door neighbor.

Add all this up and once the book hits print, you’ve got the shy author syndrome. Authors shrink back, refuse to set up book signings, refuse to seek media interviews, and stop fighting to get their books into distribution.

This phenomenon is a frustration to publishers, who have skin in the game and are trying to recoup their investment. They’re going to do the promotion they promised to do no matter what the author does, because they have a mechanism in place to do so and it runs pretty much without author input. Authors sometimes find that frustrating, but that’s how it works. It works better, though, when the author does his or her part.

In Part 2, we’ll look at how and why vanity presses are a prime place for shy syndrome authors to get taken.

About the Writer:  Linda Rohrbough has been writing since 1989, and has more than 5,000 articles and seven books to her credit along with national awards for her fiction and non-fiction. New York Times #1 bestselling author Debbie Macomber said about Linda’s new novel: "This is fast-paced, thrilling, edge-of-the-seat reading. The Prophetess One: At Risk had me flipping the pages and holding my breath." The Prophetess One: At Risk recently won two national awards: the 2011 Global eBook Award and the 2011 Millennium Star Publishing Award. An iPhone App of her popular “Pitch Your Book” workshop is available in the Apple iTunes store. Visit her website: www.LindaRohrbough.com.

From the Editor: It’s That Time!

We are less than three weeks away from the 20^th Annual Pikes Peak Writers Conference. Are you ready?

PPWC is more than just sitting in workshop after workshop, passively absorbing information. It’s talking with other writers who are going through the same struggles you are. It’s networking. It’s meeting authors, editors, and agents and gaining valuable insights into the publishing world. 

PPWC is also more than just another writer’s conference – it’s one of the top conferences in the country. Behind the scenes are dozens of hard-working volunteers who give countless hours of their time to ensure that you have the best conference experience possible.

Between now and the start of conference, we’ll be posting some articles from veteran conference-goers about how to get the most out of your conference experience.  Whether you are a first-time attendee or one of our regulars, I’m sure you’ll find information you can use.

Not going to PPWC? No worries – we’ll also have articles from our regular contributors about writing and the writing life to keep you going.

Robin Widmar

Managing Editor, Writing from the Peak

Quote

Being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of your life. ~ Lawrence Kasdan

PPWC Rates Increase April 1, 2012

If you haven't signed up for this year's Pikes Peak Writers Conference, do so now! Registration at the regular rates end today. Late registration fees begin tomorrow, April 1st.

Please note that prices remain the same for the Thursday add-on workshops.

We do expect to hit our maximum registration this year, so sign up now to guarantee your spot.

Conference brochure: http://pikespeakwriters.com/PPWC_2012_Brochure_FINAL2.pdf

PPWC Registration:http://www.regonline.com/ppwc2012

PPWC 2012 Faculty Addition

MacGregor Literary agent Amanda Luedeke is joining the PPWC 2012 faculty. She represents literary fiction, YA, romance, women’s fiction, science fiction, fantasy, horror, steampunk, African American fiction, middle grade fiction, nonfiction, and Christian non-fiction/fiction. Ms. Luedeke is hoping to add twenty clients to her list in the next year.

Check out the brochure for more information on Amanda Luedeke and the rest of the PPWC 2012 faculty. Over 70 workshops, panels, and talks are planned for PPWC 2012, presented by 7 agents, 4 editors and 46 authors and specialists.

PPWC 2012 brochure available here or at www.pikespeakwriters.com.

Registration is open now: http://www.regonline.com/ppwc2012

PPWC in the Independent

Check out this great article by Kirsten Akens in the latest issue of the Colorado Springs Independent:

Author Games

Pikes Peak Writers Conference heads into its 20th year of changing writers' lives

The conference has become a legacy created by authors, editors and agents who visit Colorado Springs annually to network with writers and educate them in the realm of commercial fiction.

Click here to read full article:

http://www.csindy.com/colorado/author-games/Content?oid=2447166

Throw It Back by Shannon Baker

I was staring at the interesting patterns cast by the full moon through the light tube in the bedroom ceiling at three, twelve this morning. Before I was a women-of-a-certain-age, I never had insomnia. That thought struck me with a sigh of frustration. Then I remembered what one of my wise Sisters (of the Quill) said about her wakefulness. She said she thinks of that quiet time as a gift she can use to think. Who couldn’t use some uninterrupted brain time?

I started reworking a particularly hairy plot issue in my latest WIP. Why would my villain do this thing I needed her to do? The motivations I’d come up with previously didn’t seem to be strong enough. I threw my original idea back and asked my brain for a better one.

And that’s when the train derailed and I started out across the barren prairie of my mind on foot. Where had I come up with the idea to throw my idea back and ask for another? Fully distracted now, I thought back to an RMFW conference. It was the year Bouchercon was in Denver the same weekend as our annual Colorado Gold so we had a two-day workshop instead of the full conference. What year was that? And the guest speaker was—I’m ashamed to admit I can’t remember—someone with the last name of Cook.

I bought Mr. Cook’s tape of the event (tape, you understand, that’s how long ago it was). He talked about trusting your subconscious. I can almost hear him say, “If you don’t like the idea your imagination gives you, throw it back and demand another. It will keep working until it gives you something you can use.”

I can’t remember what else he had to say although it seems he gave us that quote about only having to see what is directly in your headlights to keep driving. But these words about demanding more from my brain have been with me every day since then. I know I benefited by his other words of wisdom but this is the gleaming gold, the nugget panned out of a river of good writing advice.

I jumped from this to thinking about Sister Janet’s blog about the Rule of 10 on Chiseled in Rock blog.http://chiseledinrock.blogspot.com/2011/03/rejection-angst-try-my-rule-of-ten.html It is such wise and thoughtful advice. I thought about the precious jewels I’ve collected from writers--those I know, those I admire, published and not-yet pubbed--that have made my journey easier and my writing better. And I thought of the advice from my Sister about using my wakefulness that started this convoluted trek through my consciousness. I think that might have been my last thought until the alarm woke me.

When I got up, I looked for that long lost tape of Mr. Cook. But it must be in a storage box in the garage and I don’t have a cassette player, anyway. I did find a bunch of conference CDs I’m anxious to listen to again.

I would really love to hear from any RMFWers who remember this conference and what Mr. Cook’s name might be. And I’d also like to hear what golden nuggets you’ve retained from your various writerly digs.

(Originally published at the Sisters of the Quill Blog, March 28, 2011)

About the Writer:  Shannon Baker has a right brain/left brain conflict. While the left brain focuses on her career as an accountant, her right brain concocts thrillers, including her 2010 release, Ashes of the Red Heifer. A lover of mountains, plains, oceans and rivers, she can often be found traipsing around the great outdoors. The first book in the Nora Abbott Mystery Series will release in the fall of 2012 from Midnight Ink publishers. 

Quote

One ought only to write when one leaves a piece of one's own flesh in the inkpot, each time one dips one's pen. ~ Leo Tolstoy

You Choose! Exciting Thursday Options at PPWC 2012 by Cathy Dilts

One of the many nice things about PPWC is that you have options. With so many choices, you might feel like Forrest Gump reaching into his box of chocolates, and not knowing what you’re gonna get. Well, I can fill you in on one good selection.

Two years ago, I was unable to attend the Pikes Peak Writers Conference. Fortunately, the Thursday Add-On / Stand-Alone program had just been implemented. I opted to attend a Thursday only, all day workshop with Linda Rohrbough. I got more than my money’s worth, and left exhausted, inspired, and educated.

Last year, I had to pick either/or, so I went for the Friday through Sunday conference option. No regrets, but I did wonder what I’d missed Thursday. There was a special intensity to an entire day devoted to one subject area.

This year I get to have it all – the Conference and the Thursday workshop. Picking from this year’s Thursday workshop choices isn’t going to be easy.

If you’ve never written a novel, I suggest you try "So You Wanna Write a Book?" Published author Angel Smits will provide a complete primer for those new to the world of professional fiction.

"Mile High Concept: The Big Idea" will explore defining that high concept idea in your work, and how to translate it into a novel, or series, that sells. Part of the workshop will focus on crafting a query and pitch. Authors Esri Allbritten and Karen Albright Lin, and literary agent Kristin Nelson will present this workshop.

Writers who are testing the waters with Young Adult fiction will want to attend "Day on YA." An impressive cast of published authors will lead this workshop presenting everything you need to know about writing Young Adult and Middle Grade books.

Donald Maass, New York literary agent of renown, returns to PPWC to present "Writing 21st Century Fiction." This workshop is suggested for advanced writers.

Deciding which workshop to attend isn’t going to be easy! And space is filling up fast.

Learn more and register here: http://www.ppwc.net/html/thursday.html

When and Where:

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Colorado Springs Marriott

5580 Tech Center Drive, Colorado Springs CO

Dinner with the Stars

Imagine dining with a bestselling author, or a New York agent. Then imagine having your photo taken with him or her, and receiving priority in their autographing line. Too good to be true? Not at PPWC 2012!

This is your chance to meet your favorite author in an elegant and exclusive setting.  Pikes Peak Writers will be hosting a very private dinner party on April 19 at 6:00 p.m. at the Colorado Springs Marriott with our keynote speakers, authors Robert Crais, Susan Wiggs, and Jeffery Deaver, and agent Donald Maass.

You're invited to bid for a chance to join this festive occasion. Your friends are invited to bid, too. How about your critique group, or your book group? All are invited to bid, but only a lucky few will enjoy Dinner with the Stars!

The guest list is limited to thirty-two participants with eight seats available for auction at each of the four hosted tables. The highest bidders will be seated on either side of our guest. 

Hurry! Bidding closes March 25 at 8:00 p.m. Mountain Time.

http://www.ppwc.net/html/auction.html