Lot's going on. What's coming up shortly is my first-time trip to Superstars Writing Seminars in Colorado Springs. While I've attended many other writing conferences before, this one focuses on the business of writing, a topic many writers shy away from.
"If I wanted to talk business, I'd be a business major, I just wanna write!"
The truth is, while fate may shine on one-book wonders like Harper Lee or J D Salinger, the rest of us ink-stained mortals need to figure out how to earn a living. Even if you've been blessed with a hefty advance, eventually, the money runs out and paying the bills becomes a challenge. Many writers leverage what they've learned into teaching but the real champions, to me at least, are those who can keep cranking out the words and using them to put food on the table.
Superstars offers panels and classes on promotion, marketing, networking, and yes, how to be a better storyteller. The faculty includes heavy-hitters in the fantasy/science-fiction genres such as Kevin J Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, Jonathan Maberry, Gail Carriger, Jim Butcher, and Kevin Ikenberry, plus editors and literary agents. Since the theme is the business of writing, we'll be selling our books at the Bookstravagansa.
Previously, I had mentioned that I was the Jefe Editor for the inaugural anthology from CALMA, the Colorado Alliance of Latino Mentors and Authors, Ramas y Raices. The project is moving along. We're in the process of final edits to the Advanced Reading Copy and I'm pleased to share our bad-ass cover, designed by Kathryn Renta of Latchkey Artist. Book launch, Summer 2024. Stay tuned.