Monday, September 21, 2009

2009 ACFW Conference

Wow. I've gone to the ACFW Conference every year since 2004, this was my 6th -- and best one yet! (The photo below is of the dessert at the banquet.)

I can't urge writers and wanna be writers enough to attend conferences. The education, the friendships, the opportunity to meet agents and editors, the fire it lights in your heart to write, write, write are compelling reasons to push yourself to go to a conference. Start a separate account and put a bit of money in it monthly. In a year you should have enough for a conference.

Each year there are more wonderful memories made.

The Donald Maass early bird workshop was worth the price of the entire conference. So much info and so much advice!

I attended a continuing session on screenwriting. It was taught by Rene Gutteridge. She was wonderful about sharing her knowledge and encouragement. Guess what I'm going to try to do now?

The workshops and chats were wonderful, too. It's fun to sit with friends and learn new things about the craft and the industry.

On Saturday I participated in a book signing with over 100 other authors. Thrilling!

On the right is a photo of me with the delightful and talented author Nicole Young.

I was thrilled to join other WordServe writers for a wonderful dinner at McCormick & Schmicks on Friday night. Fun!

I was so happy that my friend Donita K. Paul won the Mentor of the Year award. Here she is with her lovely daughter Evangeline. Donita was very surprised, it was so much fun to see her get this well-deserved honor.

My friend Danica Favorite-McDonald was a finalist in the Genesis Contest (for unpublished authors), she won runner up. I'm so proud of her. Her Husband joined her at the banquet.











Here's my friend Michele Cushatt (she writes beautifully and is a gifted speaker) and the 2009 conference photographer Pauline Fortuna of Fat Tuna Photography.


This is a photo of me with Angie Breidenbach (Mrs. Montana!). And yes, that's her crown I'm wearing.