Judith Ashley: Bob Mayer

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Resources, Resources, Resources and a Win!

Judith Ashley

One of the best parts of attending a writer's conference is connecting with various resources. My Intention was to be out of my room (thanks, Bob Mayer) and checking out what was going on around me. Because that was my Intention, my focus was sharp. Here's what I noticed.

In my first post, I mention Diane Graham Photography. Another resource for those folks living in the Phoenix area is Pretty Faces Makeup Company. No, I didn't meet Vicki while waiting for my picture to be taken, I met her while I was waiting to talk to Vijaya Schartz who was being interviewed by local media.

Mary Keith, Keith Publications, was busy taking pitches from writers. Keith Publications has a plethora (love that word) of resources for writers.

Another great resource for Indie and Self-Published authors is The Indie Book Collective. I met founder, Carolyn McCray at one of their receptions. You'll remember Taylor Lee from my post on Registration.

And then there are books. I purchased Kris Tualla's Becoming An Authorpreneur : Navigating a 21st Century Career in Publishing which I've found extremely useful. If you have an Intention of self-publishing, check this book out.

Desert Dreams also has a raffle basket event. Writers, authors, publishers, chapters put together baskets of goodies (free critique, chocolate, wine, spa days, dinner at fantastic restaurants, Kindles, Nooks, stuffed animals, notebooks, note cards - you name it). Attendees purchase tickets and put them in the container for the prize they most want to win.

This year I won a Fantastic Basket donated by Carol Webb at Bella Media Management. What might that consist of? A FREE Ebook Conversion and Ebook Cover. I got my cart a bit before my horse in this case. However, it is good to know I'm set when the time comes!!!

I'd love to know what you think is the best part of attending a Writer's Conference.

www.JudithAshleyRomance.com
www.RomancingTheGenres.com
www.FreeReadsFromTheGenre-istas.com

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Conference Connections the Bob Mayer Way

Prior to attending the Desert Dreams Conference, I read Bob Mayer's work on how to get the most out of attending a conference. I highly recommend it prior to going to a conference because it is packed with great ideas on how to use your conference time to enhance your writing, your contacts, and your brand.

What I practiced is 1) staying out of my room; 2) having my business card with me; 3) engaging in conversations and exchanging cards with the people around me.

Here are some of the writers I met at the meals!

Nikki Kimbel, writes now but is also The Original Mudpie Queen

Margaret Boone Rappaport, is on FB, and writes science fiction for women.

Janice Brooks, writes contemporary women's fiction and has published two books.

Elizabeth Blake, editor/author of "How I Met My Spouse" a compilation of true short stories from 42 couples.

Because I was out of my room and chatting with people, I also met

Bernadette La Mazza, playwrite and author

Prior to the conference I met two women. One on the conference Yahoo loop and one through an earlier post on this blog.

Patricia L. Brooks, president/founder, of the Scottsdale Society of Women Writers, I met on the loop. We met in person at the conference. Hopefully our schedules will allow us to connect again when she visits Oregon.

Amy Jarecki, author of 'Adventure Kissed by Romance' I met on this loop. She has an interesting blog. I really liked her series on Donald Maass' Breakout Novel Workshop.

As you can see, I collected the business cards of seven women while at Desert Dreams. I actually talked to many more and passed my card out.

In 2010 I met Christie Walker Bos and Courtney Lewis who have joined me on Romancing The Genres. You just never know when a chance conversation and the exchange of contact information can lead to a longer relationship.

Bob Mayer is right. Have a plan when you attend a conference or in keeping with the focus of this blog - know your Intention when you attend a conference and look for those Synchronicities. I'm very glad I did!