It’s that time of year again! All year long I look forward to the Chanticleer Reviews Author Conference and Awards Ceremony in Bellingham, Washington. Set on the bay, Bellingham is a city with many brewery’s and fabulous restaurants. Historical Fairhaven Village is known for its red brick architecture, boutique shops, and independent bookstores like Village Books.
Held at the Bellingham Holiday Inn this year, the conference kicked off with a Master Class with literary agent Donald Maass. I won’t lie, my brain hurt when the class was over. He shared wonderful information on writing and making it better, he really made us think and analyze our writing. I realized I have a lot to work on. He taught a few classes over the weekend and it was great to visit with him during the evening dinners.
As always, the classes at the conference are filled with helpful and practical information. Diane Garland taught about making a story bible. Something I really need to do! If your write a series, it’s a must do. Keeping track of characters and events is much easier with an organized system.
David Fitz-Gerald taught about advertising on Book Bub. Andy and Kiffer Brown taught about AI and how to use it to your advantage in keeping organized and many other uses. (Not to write book with) Bekah Brinkmeier from AutoCrit gave a wonderful presentation of the software. Becky Parker Geist from Pro Audio Voices and Amplify Audiobooks was full of information on the audiobook word. Everything from your first book pitch to getting a film deal were taught. Such an amazing conference.
Awards night is always the best. It’s wonderful to see an author be recognized for all of their hard work. I was lucky enough to get to announce the Laramie Winners. (western genre) David Fitz-Gerald won the Laramie grand prize. The overall grand prize winner was Michael Cooper for "The Rabbi’s Knight."
There were so many debut authors winning the First Place ribbon in their category and it was great. The one that stood out the most for me was Richard K Lowy. "Kalman & Leopold ; Surviving Mengele’s Auschwitz’s". A story about his father and another Jewish boy in Auschwitz. It started as a documentary that took years to make, that is now in the Holocaust Museum and he turned into a book. He won Grand Prize in his category.
This conference also honored the passing of Burl D. Harmon. A World War 2 hero that won an award for his book "Combat Missions" a couple years ago. I was luckily enough to meet him in 2024 at the conference.
As always the conference didn’t disappoint and it was great to see old friends and make new ones. Can’t wait until next year.
1 comment:
So glad you had a great time, T.K. and attended many valuable workshops. I remember Donald Maass' name from my writing group, which was about 20 years ago. I, too, keep a story bible for each series. Some are handwritten and some are on the computer. I can't tell you how many times I have referred back to them for something. P.S. you're octopus is adorable. Enjoyed seeing him on some of your FB posts. Thanks for sharing.
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