Post-Convention Post!

Hello!!!! I am so glad to be back! Not that I really went anywhere, but it feels like it. Last week was magical; a term I don’t use often, let me tell you. But it really was. I’ve been going to When Words Collide for years now… if I remember correctly this was my fifth year. Year two and three, I was on panels, but I didn’t have any books out. It meant that in addition to me occasionally feeling like I was unworthy of being up there with published authors, I also had to deal with looking at people earnestly excited to meet me and read my books and not have anything to give them. So finally being able to have my book to show at the panels and being able to direct people where it was selling was wonderful.

First, let’s talk about the panels. I was on four panels, as I mentioned last week. All four went wonderfully. I felt a little unworthy and fan-girly about being on the East vs West panel, which came through in a slight inability to pronounce Japanese/Mandarin words correctly. Other than that, I feel that I did really well, showing my knowledge, talking with the other panellists and discussing the topic. We took questions and everyone left excited to have listened to us.

The two about social awareness went really well, too. I was intelligent and able to discuss my positions easily and intelligently. Being on the panel with Adam Dreece was as fun as I thought it was going to be. He may have stole the show, but he still made sure that all of us got a chance to talk, to discuss our positions and that we got to have discussions across the board. My favourite panel was actually on the bad guys though. It was a wonderful panel with a lot of energy and a great crew with me. We talked about monologuing, about the different classifications of bad guys, what we liked seeing, what we didn’t like seeing, what annoyed us and what interesting things you could do with your bad guys. It was awesome.

I got to have dinner with Laura VanArendonk Baugh and Rhonda Parrish (you’ll remember that I was part of her Giftmas last December) and a few other people. We had great conversations about everything from the food we eat, to religious beliefs, to what panels we’d been on and what we’d been doing all weekend thus far. It was wonderful and the dinner was very tasty. I really enjoyed it.

At the signing, I left Laura and Rhonda and found a seat at a table with two wonderful writers. I was fully expecting to talk to two or three people who stopped off to see the other two at my table, maybe show them my book and tell them where they could pick it up later if they wanted, and that was it. Instead, I was lucky enough to sell most of my copies and talk to a whole lot of people. I got to catch up with a few people I hadn’t gotten to see yet that year and had four people ask for my autograph. I was over the moon!

My table mates were awesome as well. Amanda Witow had some of the best swag I’ve ever seen; book lights, tote bags, bookmarks, pens… she had something for everyone. She was nice enough to give me a pen and sign one of her tote bags for me. Nicole Bross was super friendly as well and had the coolest prop I’ve ever seen; a working purple typewriter; a Remington Portable #3 from 1929! Apparently, she collects them and fixes them up, which I think is pretty darn amazing. She said she has 20-30 already, which is just an incredibly awesome thing to collect!

This is the Remington #3 in orchid that I mentioned above. Isn't it gorgeous?
Picture attributed to Nicole Bross

And that was my weekend! If I have any regrets, its that I had no extra money and wasn’t able to come home with any extra books for myself to read. It means I’ll be looking forward to next year all the more. Were any of you at WWC? Let me know how your weekend went? What panels did you go to and what books did you come home with?

When Words Collide - Itinerary

You may have noticed that my post is up early this week! That is not a mistake, but very deliberate. I wanted to let you you know where I'll be officially at WWC and what I'll be talking about, so you can plan your weekend and hopefully attend a few of my panels as well.

Friday 9am - 12pm
Social Media and Online Marketing Your Book with instructor Kat Flannery
This class is one that of the masterclasses that I am attending. while I'm good at social media, my online marketing sucks, so saying I'm looking forward to this class is an understatement.

Friday 1pm - 2pm
I will be volunteering at the ARWA booth in the Merchant's Corner. Take a look on the map, in addition to my novel, Hunter's Gambit, I will also have some jewelry pieces for sale. We will also have the books of everyone else in ARWA there too; a very fine selection of romances, mysteries and other genres, if I do say so myself. I've included the map, highlighting in purple where the table is located in the hall.

Friday 6pm - 7pm
Volunteering at the ARWA booth again!

Saturday 10am - 11am
Awakening to Social Sensitivity 
Brandy Ackerley, Diane Terrana, Erin Weir, Jay Martin 
This panel looked really interesting and I had to get in on it. We'll be talking about writing about other genders, races, classes, cultures with honesty and sensitivity, along with tips of how to be inclusive without appropriating or creating token characters.

Saturday 11am - 12pm
Writing a Character Who Could Never Be You
Adam Dreece, Brandy Ackerley, Colleen Anderson, Halli Lilburn 
Similar to the last panel, this one will discuss the benefits and pitfalls of creating characters that differ from us, as well as discussing that question of 'is anyone off-limits?' I'm really looking forward to being on a panel with Adam Dreece as well. I've met him a few times and I've got to say, the guy has one hell of a personality.

Saturday 2pm - 3pm 
Villains, Antagonists and Other Baddies 
Arlene F. Marks, Brandy Ackerley, Kevin Weir, Susan Calder 
I love writing villains; those people that you want to hate, and that you have no sympathy for. However, I also know that while all stories need an antagonist, not all of them need a villain. Specifically, look at my novel, Hunter's Gambit. You'd be hard-pressed to find a villain in there, although it's rife with antagonists. Having been on both sides of the wheel, I figured I could really contribute to this discussion.

Saturday 8pm - 10pm
Autograph Session 
Me and 70+ other authors will be signing your books! This session is open to the public, so tell your friends.

Sunday 10am - 11pm
East and West: How Our Mindset Changes the Way We Tell Stories 
Calvin Jim, Brandy Ackerley, Jennie Bennett, Laura VanArendonk Baugh
This panel is my little baby this time around. I get to be on a panel with some of my fav people and talk about the differences between eastern and western storytelling. Need I say more to get you excited?

Now, I haven't specified exactly where I'll be in between these times, mainly because I don't know yet. I will try to update Instagram and/or Twitter as often as I can during the weekend to keep you guys updated though. Also, keep your eyes open for me while you're walking the halls. I am almost always willing to stop and chat in the hallway or before a panel, so stop by and say hi! 

Where I'll be during When Words Collide 2019

It all feels like its happening so fast, and yet too slowly. I admit fully that the feeling might be exacerbated by my seasonal allergies and the current air qualities where I live. The air outside my window is shades of orange and grey with grit and smoke due to the fires happening in the province. I only hope that they get them under control and that no more towns need to be evacuated because of the fires.

So what exactly is happening too soon and not soon enough? When Words Collide, of course! Taking place on August 9th, 10th and 11th, it has been confirmed that I will be on four different panels this year, three of which will be on Saturday, and the last happening on Sunday. Saturday begins at 10 A.M. with Awakening to Social Sensitivity with Diane Terrana, Erin Weir, and Jay Martin. Directly after that, at 11 A.M., I'll be running to Writing a Character who Could Never be you with Adam Dreece, Colleen Anderson and Halli Lilburn. I am extra excited to realize that I'll be on a panel with Adam Dreece. He steals the show on every panel he's on, so I'm going to have to up my game to keep up with him. I'm looking forward to it and I expect we'll end up having a really great conversation. Later that afternoon at 2 P.M., I'll be on Villains, Antagonists and Other Baddies with Arelene F. Marks, Kevin Weir and Susan Calder. 

I got to see Adam Dreece earlier today for the release of his new book, 5 Critical Things for Successful Book Signings. It was certainly a timely release for me. Hopefully, this will help me to be even more engaging at my signings. It's a great book so far, and if you're an author in need of help on how to think about your author platform or how to improve your signings, definitely pick it up. I'm about seven chapters in and loving it!

Continueing the madness will be Sunday morning with another 10 A.M. panel, East and West: How our Mindset Changes the Way We Tell Stories with Calvin Jim, Laura VanArendonk Baugh and Jennie Bennett. I've done a panel with Calvin Jim before and love the conversations he and I have had. While I haven't been on a panel with Laura VanArendonk Baugh yet, I can't wait to see her point of view on this topic. For our last panellist, when I was thinking of other authors who might have a very interesting view on this topic, I immediately thought of Jennie Bennett, who writes K-Pop romance novels. I still find the idea intriguing and I can't wait to see what she brings to the table. This is the panel I am most excited about. While some of that is because it was my suggestion, a lot of it is just the people I'll be sharing the desk with and I think the discussion will be intense, interesting and inspiring to everyone. 

The times have remained pretty stable, but I'll let you know if anything changes between now and WWC so you can plan your weekend accordingly. 

If you just can't wait till WWC to meet me, I'll remind you that you don't have to. My signing at Sunridge Chapters is a go for June 9th from 1-3 P.M.  Come down and ask me any questions you might have about Hunter's Gambit, take a picture together or ask me about book suggestions for your own to-be-read list. If you don't already have a copy of Hunter's Gambit, you can pick one up and get it signed, along with everything else you need to keep your summer reading list active.

Also, thank you for letting me play with this for one more week! I promise I'll get back to the Sian Ku religion next week!

An Update

My finger is doing much better, but I didn't want to push my healing by doing a long blog post, even if I am loving the religion posts I've been sharing with you all. Instead, I'm going to take a step back and talk about the future.

I'm going to keep writing. No big surprises there, but it should still be said. That obvious bit out of the way, I'm hoping that I'll be able to have the sequel to Hunter's Gambit, tentatively titled Lord's Curse, out for near the end of the year. I already have book three written and I'm hoping to have the rough draft for book four finished this November during Nanowrimo. That's really far ahead to be planning, which is why I'm not giving specific dates for anything yet.

I'm still working on my art, though less in a selling fashion and much more in fun fashion. Also, I may be extending some of my creativity into playing around with making jewelry. Mainly because I wanted to create a new necklace for myself, and when the pieces I ordered arrived, I got over thirty instead of the four or five pieces I thought I'd ordered. Weird, but I figure if the first ones work, I'll put them up for ordering. It can be relaxing to work with my hands on something like crafting or painting or cross-stitching to recharge myself for writing.

In much more interesting news, I'm sure you all remember my book signing happening early next month on June 9th. While I am amazingly excited to be having one, I have even more exciting news. This year I'll be at When Words Collide again!

When Words Collide is Calgary's premier author and book festival. In addition to three full days of panels and presentations put on by your favourite authors, there is also a full signing on Saturday night, a merchant gallery for you to purchase books (open throughout the event), meetups, parties, book launches, readings and more! This year I will be one of the presenters and Hunter's Gambit will be available in the merchant gallery. I will also be part of the signing for the first time ever.

The panels I'll be on are Awakening to Social Sensitivity, Writing a character who could never be me, Villains, Antagonists and other Baddies and East and West: How our mindset changes the way we tell stories.

This post is getting long, but I want to tell you how incredibly excited I am about being part of these panels. I actually suggested East and West, which is going to be an in-depth discussion of the differences in plotting and structure that are common in North America and Japan. If you've ever noticed that animes and light novels seem to move at a different pace and with different plot points, e.g., not following the three or five act structure, this is why.

I'll have more on the times I'll be presenting, what rooms I'll be in and bring descriptions of the other three in a later blog since the schedule is in no way finished yet.

Will you be coming to my signing? Or maybe to When Words Collide? Let me know in the comments below.