Two weeks ago, I was at the Writer’s Conference in NYC. I can’t believe two weeks have already passed. 😲 I’ve met some amazing writers here. The four day conference kick-started with everyone getting drawn into groups. So, mysteries and thrillers had a separate group. Sci-fi authors seemed to be another big group. I was part of the women’s fiction/literary fiction/historical fiction group. Literary agent Paula Munier and author Michael Neff. Michael didn’t mince words and sugar coat things. He was very blunt. Writing is hard and getting published is harder.
Venue
The writer’s conference was at the Ripley Grier Studios. It was a great venue at 8th Ave, NYC, because you can almost palpate the nervous energy of the dancers who audition here for plays. You can hear the whole musical range of a soprano and the tune of a piano never escapes you. It’s a great place for artists and as soon as you enter the place, you find yourself swept away in the magic of creativity and artistry. Has anyone noticed the piano in the corner? 🤭 Yeah, I keyed some during the lunch break and didn’t let Gary, the only literary author in our group, have his noon nap!!!
The Actual Writer’s Conference
I have to admit this was harder than I thought. Our biggest blessing was author Susan Breen. 😇As a cozy mystery author and alum of the writer’s conference, she was by far the single best thing at this conference. Susan brought her decade long experience as an author for Penguin Random House to our group. Over four days, she pored over our stories, pitches and first pages. She patiently listened with keen interest, offered pointed advice and helped us hone our pitches to a shine. She also offered developmental advice and what to do after the writer’s conference. I cannot help but remember the moment Susan championed me from her seat when I pitched the editors. I was super nervous and just having her nod and smile, made the world of a difference.
(From L-R) Authors Cathy Parill, Havilah Gianetta, Lucy Lehmann and our Mentor Susan Breen
Writer’s Conference Authors
I also believe we had a good mix in our group. No two stories were alike and so there was this huge melting pot of cultures, ideas, thought and emotions in the stories. One of the major advantages of the conference was hearing the opinions of other authors writing within the same genre. Authors shared some truly objective advice here that authors about the stories and pitches.
You can tell this is after the fourth day of the conference where I’m sooo happy after a successful pitch round!!! 😊Woot-woot!!! I think we all are and Susan was nothing but ecstatic about our success. All her hard work proved fruitful.
Author Friends for Life
I’ve made some amazing author friends. Lucie calls us the Sisterhood of the Pitch Conference. The above picture is one of many lunches we had together. Anne Marie Romer was one of the few non-fiction authors writing her sister’s story and she was super positive. I have to say she’s one of the most put together women I’ve ever met. Her laughter was infectious and she was such a rock during the four days. Angel Di Zhang, writing fantasy, women’s fiction is definitely a firecracker. If you ever meet this author, you should buy her whiskey! 🥃 Lucie Lehmann, a Swiss miss, was our “Comp Godmother.” She knows books like the back of her hand. She recommended Kristin Hannah’s Night Road for my comparative title and it worked beautifully. She also didn’t laugh when I didn’t know what a Shirley Temple was and bought me a fruity concoction 🍹 at my first bar social (OUR POST-PITCH COOL DOWN). (Thank you Lucie!!) Cathy Parill, who’s a musical genius, and is writing nonfiction based on her experiences in Haiti, offered vocal lessons to me. If I ever turn into a soprano, this woman deserves all the credit.
Post Writer’s Conference
After the conference, I was in such a celebratory mood, that I went to Macy’s for the flower show and ended up buying my signature fragrance, Daisy! Thanks to Susan there’s a lot of work that needs to be done on the manuscript but having been surrounded by amazing authors and their work, makes me want to deliver the best story. So fingers crossed as I go back to the drawing board and obsess over every word and line of my manuscript!
I highly recommend the Writers Pitch Conference. Maybe I’ll do another post on the finer details of what went down after I’ve edited my manuscript. In the mean time, I have to get back to editing!!!