Learning Unforgettable Writing Techniques...

Happy Tuesday All,

I promise, I didn't do it on purpose. Really.

The NWHRWA Lone Star Conference came around and I...

Forgot my camera!

However, I did, in fact, go, and there are a ton of witnesses who will attest to the fact I was there. For all I know, RM Brand might have gotten a photo of me during the time I was down in the

Conference room helping them set up before it started. 


Donald Maass was unable at the last minute to come. His family had an emergency, so he had to back out. However, he was nice enough to do his best to help us get someone. In the end, James Scott Bell, who came last year, rescued us and returned with a brand-new topic. (I give Raven Raye, our 1st V.P. a lot of credit for dealing with this unforeseen situation, she worked so hard and deserves a standing ovation).

Friday night, I attended (by invitation) the Meet & Greet. I got to sit down and chat with agent Kevan Lyon, who is authors Jennifer L. Armentrout and Katie McGarry's agent. We had a delightful conversation, and I learned some awesome things about Armentrout's New Adult books. Ms. Lyon also spoke very excitedly about a McGarry novel (not yet available--and a title she didn't divulge), so that was fun.

Saturday dawned bright and early (especially since at first I woke up at 4 a.m. and went back to sleep, then woke at 6:15 a.m. when my alarm went off). I got ready, and headed downstairs. Since I was so early, the conference room wasn't completely set up, so I helped the 1st Vice President of my chapter set up.

The coffee service finally arrived, and we all made a beeline for that (some chose tea). People began trickling in, registering, and getting their name tags. 

NWHRWA current President, Susan Muller (author of The Secrets of Forest Bend, and The Witch On Twisted Oak), welcomed everybody, and then 1st Vice President, Raven Raye (author of Broken Prophecy) introduced keynote speaker James Scott Bell who started us off by announcing that he thought he'd figured out the greatest secret to writing unforgettable fiction. However, we had to wait until the end of the conference to find out what that was.


Meanwhile, I headed out about an hour later to where I was going to go help time pitch sessions for Harlequin Editor, Rachel Burkot. Ms. Burkot was extremely gracious, and I enjoyed talking to her about the industry, and her role at Harlequin. 

During lunch, 2nd Vice President, Jaye Garland (author of The 25th Hour) announced the final placement of the Lone Star Contest winners. Excerpts of the 1st place winners were read (so many good ones, by the way). She gave a great presentation. A couple of the winners were there, so it was nice to get to say hello to them, and also congratulate them.

After lunch, I went ahead and sat in to hear the rest of the Conference. Mr. Bell was going through the movie, The Fugitive to describe different ways of drawing out tension, and livening up your novels (whether your write Romance, Thrillers, or other genre).  It was very interesting, and a great way to illustrate his points.

At the end of the Conference Mr. Bell gave us the secret to the greatest secret of writing unforgettable fiction. Which, I can't share. You'll just have to attend James Scott Bell's Don't Let 'Em Put The Book Down workshop for yourself to find out. 

I'm sad Conference time is over, but feeling blessed I got to go. If you're a writer, please do consider coming down next year. Our Lone Star Conference is generally held in October.

Have A Terrifically Thrilling Tuesday!

Countdown!

Happy Wednesday All,

(No matter what the date tab says, this post is meant for Wednesday).

I can hardly believe it...not counting today, there are TWO days left until the Lone Star Conference. This is my third year going, and I'll be entering my fourth year as a member of the NWHRWA.

This group is an incredible group of men and women. I'm very lucky and blessed to be a member and to be amid so many talented writers.

I know travel can be a pain (especially if you live out of state, or even out of the country) but folks, these people are so hospitable and kind. If you're a writer, I cannot stress enough how important that is. It's also why I invite my fellow authors to this Conference every year.

Now that I've gotten the sentimentality out and told you how truly awesome the NWHRWA & the Lone Star Conference is, let me move on to what's kept me from the blog...

I have been reading like a mad fool, my dear readers. My cousin got me interested in an author I hadn't heard of named Elizabeth Hunter. Specifically got me engrossed in the Elemental Mysteries. I finished up A Hidden Fire and have gotten my hands on The Same Earth (and started it). I like the way she writes vampires...the idea that they all can control one of the natural elements (earth, wind, fire, water) is really intriguing and different (at least to me).

I also recently received another book for a November official blog review that I need to get a move on...plus some other books from other authors that I should get going on.

Not to mention the fact that I went haywire happy over Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux series and eagerly await Opal's release in December.

I've also been writing. Yep, I truly have. I've got two projects going. One is a story that I think will be a series (we'll see if that's still true at the end of the story) and another is something I started as a challenge to myself (if this story continues to take off, my critique partner is going to make me eat crow, I don't care how nice she is, I will be eating crow LOL).

As you can see, I've been a busy bee of a woman, and I am going to be prepping this week for the Conference on Saturday (so excited!)

So, please pardon the silence on here. I'm pretty regular on Twitter and Facebook, so look me up on there. (Twitter--@WriteByBethany Facebook is under Bethany Averie).

What's everyone got planned for this week and weekend?

Have A Wondrous Wednesday!

Need Books, Need A Writer's Conference? I Got You Covered!

Happy Wednesday All,

Today Katie McGarry's Pushing The Limits is available on e-reader! I got mine. I'm looking forward to reading it.

Shanna Swendson's book 5, Much Ado About Magic, is available for preorder from Amazon. Right now I don't have any information about it being available for preorder for Nook anytime soon. When I find that out, I'll let you know. It's due to release in e-book form on August 15, 2012.

RWA Nationals just ended and several of my chaptermates have gone. They seem to have come back energized and excited. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to attend Nationals. However, there is my chapter's October Conference! All writers welcome. For more information, click here. It should be a lot of fun!

Anyway, that's all I have off the top of my head (for now) :-)

Have A Wonderful Wenesday!