SPECIAL SUNDAY ANNOUNCEMENT: THE 2016 PIKES PEAK WRITERS CONFERENCE: KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

By:  Jason P. Henry

The 2016 Pikes Peak Writers Conference will be the 24^th running of this spectacular event. For nearly a quarter-century, Pikes Peak Writers has been organizing a gathering of aspiring authors from all spectrums and skill levels.

At the 2015 Conference, I had the pleasure of meeting a new writer who was working on her first chapter. In that same weekend, I had the honor of meeting R.L. Stine, who has published more than three-hundred books. That’s what our conference is about. It’s about those who have achieved their dreams encouraging those who are still chasing theirs. It is a place where emerging authors can gather, no matter their abilities or genres, and enjoy being around others who share similar aspirations. The Pikes Peak Writers Conference is about learning, networking, and about friendship.

As director for the 2016 Pikes Peak Writers Conference, it is with excitement and pride that, on behalf of the entire conference planning committee, I announce our keynote speakers. For 2016 we are bringing in not four, but FIVE of the biggest and the best. I hope you will join us in welcoming  Kevin J. Anderson, Rachel Caine, Joe R. Lansdale, Jeff Lindsay and Wendy Corsi Staub. For our attendees, both new and returning, I am certain the stories of these five talented authors will breed new energy into the pursuit of your own dreams.

I wish you many words and a thrilling journey on your path to publication. Even more, I hope that journey leads you to Colorado Springs, Colorado on April 15^th – 17^th, 2016 where you can join many others traveling the same road at the 2016 Pikes Peak Writers Conference.

Together, let’s Dare To Dream!

Cheers to all,

Jason P. Henry
Conference Director

2016 Pikes Peak Writers Conference: Dare To Dream


About the Author: When he's not working with the dedicated and passionate people of Pikes Peak Writers, Jason P. Henry is lost in a world of serial killers, psychopaths, and other unsavory folks. Ask him what he is thinking, but only at your own risk. More often than not he is plotting a murder, considering the next victim, or twisting seemingly innocent things into dark and demented ideas. A Suspense, Thriller and Horror writer with a dark, twisted sense of humor, Jason strives to make people squirm, cringe, and laugh. He loves to offer a smile, but is quick to leave you wondering what lies behind it. Jason P. Henry is best summed up by the great philosopher Eminem “I'm friends with the monsters beside of my bed, get along with the voices inside of my head.” Learn more about Jason at www.jasonphenry.com.
 

Countdown to Conference: Why My Conference is the Best Conference

By the Completely Unbiased M.B. Partlow

When I attended my first Pikes Peak Writers Conference, I didn't know any writers. I hadn't written a word since college. I felt like a giant fraud, certain someone would stand in a workshop, point at me and declare, "J'accuse!" And shy? It was all I could do to muster the intestinal fortitude to ask "Is this seat taken?" at lunch.

This is where I'd like to tell you I met the agent of my dreams at that conference, who saw my hidden potential and gave me a billion dollar advance to write the novel of my dreams.

Ha! Even then, agents weren't tossing money at unknown wannabes. And self-publishing was reserved for anarchists and pornographers, neither of which was an aspiration of mine.

Instead, I met people who were deeply, passionately interested in the craft and the business of writing. People who read as deeply and widely as I did, dreamers from every walk of life. People who wanted to tell stories. People who wanted to tell lies and get paid for it.

In other words, it felt like coming home. As though my entire life, I'd been just a half-step out of focus with everyone around me, speaking a language that was just a little different. But at conference? At conference I was surrounded by writers.

It was just like that moment when The Wizard of Oz goes from black and white to color. Or the moment in high school when all of a sudden either algebra or geometry (never both) clicks and makes sense.

We work really hard to make the Pikes Peak Writers Conference a successful event for everyone who attends, from the best selling keynote speakers to the most shy attendee hiding behind his or her laptop.

How do we do that?

Would you believe me if I said magic?

No? How about a ton of hard work, a legion of dedicated volunteers, and occasional copious amounts of wine? (Maybe I meant whine. Maybe I didn't.)

We review every single conference survey our attendees fill out. We read every session evaluation. We look at what worked in the past and challenge ourselves to find ways to make it even better. We make every attempt to stay current with the rapidly changing industry of publishing, which is something like tap dancing on an active fault line--you never know when the whole foundation is going to shift.

Not only that, we encourage all of our volunteers (and they are legion) to go out of their way to extend a smile, answer a question, make anyone and everyone feel welcome.

This year, we're trying something completely new and different for us. We've broken the conference fee (still $395!) down into five payments of $79. And you can make those payments any time you like, as long as you finish by April 15th. We all know what it's like to live on a budget, and we hope this new option will make the conference a possibility for even more aspiring writers who want to attend.

(You do know what you get for your money, right? Our keynotes this year are so fabulous, I could weep. Jim C. Hines, Chuck Wendig, Gail Carriger and Hank Phillippi Ryan. Five sit-down meals plus two continental breakfasts. A book signing with all published faculty. Agents and editors from across the country, representing a wide variety of genres. A faculty specifically chosen to inform, amuse and inspire. On-site contests. A bookstore. An awards banquet. And all this takes place at the Colorado Springs Marriott, where the staff goes above and beyond to ensure our safety, comfort and well-being.)

If you're thinking about attending, take the plunge. Before you know it, you'll go from being a new face to an old friend. A published friend. One who spells my name right on the dedication page of their first novel.

About the Author: MB Partlow, 2014 Programming Director for the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, is hard at work getting fantastic speakers and participants for the conference. You can reach her at programming@pikespeakwriters.com or find more information on the 2013 Pikes Peak Writers Conference at pikespeakwriters.com.

Countdown to Conference: How to Prepare

By MB Partlow

To properly prepare for conference, you need to take a page from the Santa Claus playbook.

Namely, you need to make a list and check it twice.

What am I blathering about? Come with me while I walk you through the thought process.

For beginning writers, start with the keynote speakers. Have you heard of them? Read anything they've written? If the answer is no, read their books. This is the easiest and fastest way to find out why these particular writers are considered our keynote speakers.  If you want more background than we have on the PPW website, go to the authors' websites. See if they're on Twitter, if that floats your boat. If you don't go to YouTube and see Libba Bray in the cow costume to promote Going Bovine, you're really missing out.

Look at the agents and editors next. Find out who works in the genres you write in, and make a note so you can attend their sessions at conference. Then take a look at all the other authors and specialists. You probably can't read all of everyone's work, but you can familiarize yourself with which ones are doing something you're interested in.

For those of you at a more intermediate level, start at the same place with the keynotes. But when you get to the agents and editors, pay a little more attention. You might decide to sign up for a Read and Critique (R&C) session, and we divide those up by genre. Wait, you don't know what R&C is?

R&C Author is a closed-door session where a few aspiring writers sit down with a published author and read their first page aloud. The author then gives immediate feedback, and with this smaller session, there's time for some back-and-forth between the newbie and the pro. The other two flavors of R&C are open for any conference goers to attend. In R&C X, you stand at the front of the room and read the first page of your work aloud. The agent or editor in that session will give you immediate, first-impression feedback.  In R&C 123, a designated reader will read each first page aloud, giving the author anonymity. Then the panel of one author, one agent and one editor will each give brief feedback.

One note: you need to sign up for R&C when you register for conference. These are highly organized and meticulously timed sessions, run by skilled moderators. I repeat: sign up in advance. Play nicely. Follow the rules you'll receive when you sign up--the moderator isn't going to let you read a first page that's got 1/4-inch margins and is single-spaced with 6-point type.

More experienced writers, with completed manuscripts, have the option of signing up to pitch to an agent or editor. This means more research, because the last thing we want to do is waste the time of you or the agent/editor. When you visit their website, go further than the bio. Look at what authors they work with, what books they've had published recently. This pays a double dividend. First, it pays to be aware of what others in your genre are doing, what flavor of vampire is "it" this month. Second, it shows you exactly what type of books your targeted agent/editor likes to work on.

Are they on Twitter? Follow them. Run their names through your favorite search engine to turn up interviews they've done or industry news items. Remind yourself that you're a writer, not a stalker. Read their blog, and not just the most recent one. Not familiar with their authors? Go back to the library (or book store, your choice) and see for yourself what kind of work they like. One of the best pitch sessions I ever had resulted because I found out (ahead of time) that the agent and I had a favorite book in common, and it gave us something to talk about.

Oh, yeah, you read that right. A pitch session isn't you sitting across the table from an agent or editor and begging them to publish your masterpiece, this heart's blood that you've committed to paper. It's a small slice of time where you get to know each other. You're much more likely to be remembered (favorably) if you ask them a coherent question or two about their work.

The last suggestion I have for conference is this: practice. The question you will be asked, repeatedly, is "What do you write?" Have an answer. Practice saying it out loud. Say it to your mirror, your cat, your spouse or your neighbors.  If you're signing up for R&C, read your first page out loud. Not just in your head, cheaterpants. Really, out loud. Get the cringing out of the way in the privacy of your own home. Bonus: you'll discover in a hurry if something isn't right. If you're going to pitch, practice talking about your work. You should be able to cover the basic essence of the story, the log line, in a single sentence.

Now get out of my head. You've been here long enough, and you're leaving muddy footprints on my brain.


MB Partlow, 2013 Programming Director for the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, is hard at work getting fantastic speakers and participants for the conference.  You can reach her at programming@pikespeakwriters.com or find more information on the 2013 Pikes Peak Writers Conference at pikespeakwriters.com.