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Monday, February 20, 2012

Writers' Conference Update & Yahhy for Oppression :)

Book Launches Feb. 28, 2012 :)
Aloha,
I attended the 26th Southern California Writers' Conference this past weekend, and this is the first time I’ve opened my computer… in three days. That felt weird… but not bad:)
Oh my gash, dahlings, I simply must tell you how the weekend went!
But first, let's hop back in time to the 2011 SCWC, shall we? Come along now, lets stick close together.
...Morgan and Leigh, stop straggling and catch up.

Alex! Are you commenting on another blog? Hurry on with yourself. I know CassaFire is launching next week, too, but you simply must stop staring at the CassaFire button over there on the right hand side.

Lordy Lords, where is that child, Cassie Mae? Where did she wander off to now? And has anyone seen my can of Mountain Dew?
Sorry, where wa-, ah yes. There we were, on that first day of last year's conference, a small group of writers together for a seminar given by a wonderful editor called Jean Jenkins.
The Amazing Jessica Therrien (and some bald dude.)
In our small group was Jessica Therrien, an aspiring author from San Diego.
Quick! Jump in the DeLorean… whoooooosh!
Fast forward to this past weekend, and look :) There's Jessica - the author - signing copies of her new book, Oppression.

Published by Zova books, Oppression officially launches February 28.
That's like, next week! How exciting must that be for her :)
Catching up with Jessica was fun, but it was great seeing her at a table with a diminishing pile of books – her books – in front of her!
Hello, people, this thing, this dream, this goal of ours... it does happen!
(…We interrupt this regularly scheduled post to allow for one (1) quick Electric Slide and a shortened version of the White Man Can’t Dance Shuffle...
Thank you.
We return you now to our scheduled programming.)
Thanks, Jessica for being there, and making “it” real. Congrats again, and you go, girl :)
Folks, please check out her blog, and hit her up with some awesomeness and good wishes for the release of Oppression, which officially launches February 28th.
Dude, you like said that already….
What… can’t one be happy, thrilled even, for another writer’s success, especially when you met them when they, too were looking to find an agent and/or a publisher?
Well, OK, then.
Good, thank you.
That’s how my weekend started. This might sound obvious, like, but if you’re serious about moving your writing forward, you have to – you have to – figure a way to attend one of these conferences.
Write On!
I mean, I know I don’t evah share my feelings or thoughts with y’all…
Whatevah, dude.


But I gotsta tell you, the mental batteries are charged, the pages are ready to be written, and I'm so friggin’ excited that the guys who monitor Major League Baseball stars would probably suspend me for a season - I am that PUMPED up.
(A steroid is something you listen to music with, right?)

My plan is to write another post and share some of the tools I picked up while at SCWC... I just need to get some sleep:)

For now, here are several rarely asked questions I thought might help:
Mark, I don’t live near a Writers' Conference…whaggh...
It’s OK; they have these things called aero-planes now. They will get you there.
But Mark, conferences are too expensive.
It’s OK. Start saving and stop writing in Starbucks – go to McDonald’s. Bring your own coffee.
But Mark, wha-
Enough with the whining.

Make it happen.
Your writing will thank you.
‘Nuff said.
I gotta go sleep write :)

14 comments:

writing and living by Richard P Hughes said...

Sounds like you learned a lot. Can't wait to hear more about it.

Leigh Covington said...

Bahahaha! I'm not straggling! I'm totally keeping up! lol
And I bet Cassie has your Mt.Dew. :D

I am so excited for Jessica's book! I am part of her book launch and I can't wait. It's going to be wonderful!

Sounds like the conference was amazing! Lucky you!

Lara Schiffbauer said...

I attended my first conference last summer. It was small, but just perfect for me, and I got to speak personally with a lot of people. It was like a conference with training wheels! In April I'm so excited to go to the Pikes Peak Writer's conference, which is a lot bigger, and see how it compares. I'm glad you had a great time and are pumped for writing some more!

Nancy Thompson said...

I'm excited to be attending my first ever writer's conference in October. Such a long wait! I would love to attend ThrillerFest in July in NYC, but that would run about $5000 total. Yeah, so not going to happen.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that you've been tagged!

http://nancysthompson.blogspot.com/2012/02/really-you-wanna-know-that.html

Shell Flower said...

Great post, and wow, you really are high on this conference. It's like free stereos or somethin'! Sweet.

I went to my first conference this summer, and it was our area's first conference ever, which was perfect for me. I learned sooo much and pitched two agents, even got a request for the first 50, so yeah, it was worth it just for that. I plan to go again this year because it's in my town, (relatively) cheap, and still small. Yay for conferences. If you don't have one in your town, consider starting one!

Oh, and YAY for another author livin' the dream. I'm going to add Oppression on goodreads right now.

Jessica Therrien said...

It was so great to see you Mark :) Thanks for posting about Oppression! Let us know what happens with your advanced read requests!! I'm so glad you're PUMPED!!! Lol ;)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

What a difference one year made for Jessica! Congratulations to her.
Not dancing though.
And I'm not staring at the CassaFire button!
But I am about to go visit another blog... Ninja, off and running!

Pat Hatt said...

Wow looks like a grand time at the conference. Sounds like fun was had indeed.

Susan Fields said...

Congrats to Jessica - it is so exciting to see the dream happen for someone you know!

Morgan said...

Bahahaha!!!!! Seriously soooooooo funny... Loved this. Glad you had so much fun, Mark! I love conferences. Went to two SCBWI ones last year and they are SO worth it. I hope I'll get to go to at least one in 2012 :D

Cassie Mae said...

I'm so jealous you got to hang with Jessica! I want to go next time! I promise I won't steal your Mountain Dew :)

Sarah Tokeley said...

This sounds like so much fun, and educational too :-)

Nicole said...

Start saving and stop writing in Starbucks...

Haha! So true.

Tameri Etherton said...

This conference is seriously WAY too much fun. Don't get me wrong, we learn tons here, but we also mingle and have fun. If any of you can swing it, definitely try to make it to San Diego next February. They have one in Newport come September, but the San Diego one is bigger and longer.

It was so great to see you, Mark! Loved your recap and I'm looking forward to your tips that you got from the workshops. I admit, my note taking wasn't up to snuff this year, that's why I need to borrow yours. ;)

Chat soon, my dahling!

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