Spotlight on: Diane Garland, Continuity Editor and CAC17 Speaker

2017-01-19T18:56:40-08:00By |

Have you even written a story and halfway through your protagonists eye change from green to brown? Unless you are writing a fantasy with metamorphic characters, that is generally not supposed to happen. But how do you keep track of all those niggly details, especially in a multiple book series? Meet Diane Garland, continuity editor. She has mastered the art of keeping track of every single changeable detail in a book series through her keen eye and her crackerjack proficiency with spreadsheets. And you can find her at the upcoming Chanticleer Author Conference—CAC17—March 31st to April 2nd where she will be teaching A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: Building a Foundation for your Characters & Plot. As part of our spotlight series, we asked Diane our five questions to get her perspective on professional success. 1. When did you know what you really wanted to be? I think I discovered myself and what I wanted to be back in 2012 when an off comment by Ann Charles had me delving into the uncharted waters of continuity in books and series.  With much refinement and encouragement I turned my ideas into a business, Your WorldKeeper.  Right now I am very happy with how my business has progressed, but it is constantly evolving which keeps things interesting. 2. What was the biggest challenge you faced? Probably my biggest challenge I faced was building my author base.  Determining who would most benefit from my work and how to advertise and reach those authors was daunting at [...]

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Spotlight on: Nicole Evelina, CAC17 Speaker, Author & 2015 Overall Grand Prize Winner

2017-01-12T17:08:49-08:00By |

Meet Nicole Evelina, author and historian. At last year's conference she was awarded the 2015 Overall Grand Prize at last years authors conference. And you can find her at the upcoming Chanticleer Author Conference—CAC17—March 31st to April 2nd where she will be teaching How to Use Pinterest to Develop Your Story and Career. As part of our spotlight series, we asked Nicole our five questions to get her perspective on professional success. 1. When did you know what you really wanted to be? I finally started taking my writing seriously in 2008, so when I was 29. Before then, it was just a hobby, something I did to entertain myself when I was bored. I always had a drive to tell stories, but I didn’t think that being a writer was something real people actually did. That is until I read Twilight. (Go ahead and laugh if you want.) Stephanie Meyer was the first average person I’d ever seen “make it” as a writer. I thought to myself “well, if she can do it, there is a chance for me.” At the time, I was about ¾ of the way into the first draft of what would become Daughter of Destiny, my debut novel, so I decided it was time to act like a professional writer. It took another eight years for the book to be published, but I did it!  2. What was the biggest challenge you faced? My biggest challenge was getting my book into the hands of readers. It [...]

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Spotlight on: Susan Conrad, CAC17 Speaker, Author & Graphic Designer

2016-12-28T15:33:10-08:00By |

You wrote a book, you sent it out to some editors and agents...and it wasn't accepted. Are you feeling like giving up? Are you wondering if its possible to do it all on your own? Do you need some inspiration and encouragement? Meet Susan Conrad, someone who knows a little bit about persistence and going it alone after her 1,200-mile solo kayaking journey to Alaska, as well as how to get out and tour with her book in unique ways that reach today's audiences. And you can find her at the upcoming Chanticleer Author Conference—CAC17—March 31st to April 2nd where she will be teaching My Life as an Unconventional Book Tour and be around to talk about the many things she has learned and experienced. As part of our spotlight series, we asked Susan our five questions to get her perspective on professional success. 1. When did you know what you really wanted to be? Well... I'm 55 now and I'm still pondering what I'll be when I grow up. When I was a little girl, my best friend and I had these reading contests to see who could read the most books in any given week. She always won, but I devoured every adventure book I could get my hands on: Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, The Hardy Boys, you name it! That same friend and I also had feverish letter-writing contests. That was back in the day when people actually wrote letters, with a spiral notebook and [...]

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Spotlight on: Pamela Beason, CAC17 Speaker and 2014 Mystery & Mayhem Grand Prize Winner

2016-12-21T20:32:25-08:00By |

You've written a book, or maybe you're writing a series or two. Your mind is full of questions. What lies ahead? How do you sell more books? How do you decide between traditional and Indie publishing? Do you get an agent? How? Wouldn't it be nice to hear from someone who has been through all of it before? Meet Pamela Beason, the multiple award-winning author of 4 fiction series, 9 novels, 2 non-fiction books...and still more to come. She's been both Indie and Traditionally published. Her agent has sold her books internationally. And you can find her at the upcoming Chanticleer Author Conference—CAC17—March 31st to April 2nd. She will be on hand to teach authors what she has learned from her years of successful publishing. Pam will be talking on How to Pitch Your Story and Writing in Multiple Genres. As part of our spotlight series, we asked Pam our five questions to get her perspective on professional success. 1. When did you know what you really wanted to be? As a kid, I wanted to be something different every week--a spy, a wildlife photographer, an astronaut. My"what next?" attitude has pretty much continued into adulthood: I've worked as a translator, mechanical/architectural drafter, palynology technician, a teacher, technical writer, managing editor, and a private investigator. But through it all, I have always loved reading and writing, and all my experiences flow together beautifully in the world of mystery fiction. For now, I have definitely decided to be a professional author [...]

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Spotlight on: Sara Dahmen, CAC17 Speaker and 2015 Laramie Grand Prize Winner

2016-12-17T12:15:12-08:00By |

You wrote a book. You published it. Congratulations, you are now heading up your own business. Even if you are traditionally published, so much of being an author is all about having good business skills, but so few treat their author career like a business. Time to be serious authors and learn how to be an authorpreneur. Meet Sara Dahmen, who is both an author and an owner & designer at Housekeeper Crockery (plus a blacksmith which is really really cool!). She knows what business skills need to be applied to a successful author career. And you can find her at the upcoming Chanticleer Author Conference—CAC17—March 31st to April 2nd. She will be on hand to teach authors how to treat publishing like a business--and other topics (check out her bio below, she's been a radio and TV producer, event planner and more--maybe we should just call her Wonder Woman). If you need to learn more about being an authorpreneur be sure to attend Bigger Than Books: Business Growth Applied to Authorship & Beyond. As part of our spotlight series, we asked Sara our five questions to get her perspective on professional success. 1. When did you know what you really wanted to be? As a Gemini (can I use that excuse?) I feel I've had multiple professional lives and enjoyed most of them. As an event planner, I did it because I was good at it and enjoyed the design and the puzzle of producing. As a metalsmith, the [...]

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Spotlight on: Kathy L. Murphy, Book Club Queen and Special Guest at the 2017 Chanticleer Authors Conference

2016-12-17T12:15:12-08:00By |

For authors, having your book chosen by a book club is one of those exciting author career highlights. A couple of book clubs is even better. But what about 700? Meet Kathy L. Murphy, founder of the Pulpwood Queens book club with 700+ chapters in the US and 15 countries around the world. If your book is chosen for the Pulpwood Queens Book Club Selections by Kathy, then your book could be ordered and read by all the members of those 700+ chapters. And you can find her at the upcoming Chanticleer Author Conference—CAC17—March 31st to April 2nd. She will be on hand to teach the ins and outs of book clubs and perhaps choose a few new books for her book club selection list. If book clubs are on your marketing radar be sure to attend Everything you need to know to get your book discovered in a really big way: It's all about Book Clubs and Social Media. As part of our spotlight series, we asked Kathy our five questions to get her perspective on professional success. 1. When did you know what you really wanted to be? I have always wanted to do many things. First, when I graduated from high school I did not know what I wanted to be so I decided I would become an airline stewardess. I figured I could travel then figure it out. Wrong, my counselor at school and parents decided I would become a teacher and go to [...]

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Spotlight on: Eileen Cook, Special Guest at the 2017 Chanticleer Authors Conference

2016-12-17T12:15:13-08:00By |

Two-year-olds begin to learn to resolve and reduce conflict when their mothers teach them that biting isn't nice. But it's an authors job to create and escalate conflict to uncomfortable degrees. Not quite biting level--maybe a notch below. Or there could be biting. The story will out. So how do authors overcome a lifetime of social training to avoid conflict? Eileen Cook to the rescue! Eileen is an author with a background as a therapist--specifically in conflict resolution. One of the sessions she will teach at the upcoming Chanticleer Author Conference--CAC17 is March 31st to April 2nd--will be her class The Perfect Storm:  Character, Conflict and Motivation, which is a unique experience falling somewhere between marriage counseling and writing class. If you have a slightly rocky relationship you'd like to improve, or some characters whose relationships need to be smashed on the rocks to get your plot moving, either way, you will benefit from attending this class with Eileen Cook. Also, not to be missed, is her class: Why Would You Say That?  How to Improve Your Dialogue. We asked our CAC17 special guest speakers a few questions to break the ice and introduce them to all of you who've already registered or are planning to register for CAC17. And Eileen was the first to jump in with her answers, below. 1. When did you know what you really wanted to be? I always wanted to be a writer. My parents kept a homework assignment I did in second grade where [...]

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