This past weekend I attended the DFW Writers' Conference in lovely Hurst, TX. Actually, I volunteered for most of it, but that was the best thing for this socially anxious gal. If I've got something to do, it's a lot easier for me to talk to people. The conference festivities began the night before for members of the DFW Writers' Workshop at Billy Bob's Texas. Hence, the cowgirl gear. Thanks go out to my friend Lori for loaning me the outfit and the boots!
The next day, it was all business. I moderated two classes for Mike Capuzzo, who I invited to attend the conference as a keynote. I interviewed him on this here blog last year. You can hear that interview here. He was a hoot and I very much enjoyed his keynote speech.
On Sunday, I attended a class about sex at 8:30 am. The speaker/author, Suzy Spencer, is a true crime writer who admitted that she was tired of writing about murder. She wanted to laugh, so she started out writing a journalistic exploration into alternative sex practices and it morphed into a memoir. I tried to pick her brain, as I did the same thing with death. She probably had more fun! There I am with her book. I started reading it last night. Very interesting material!
Despite the fact that I didn't attend many classes, I had a great time at the conference. It was killer to see Dawn Frederick with Red Sofa Literary at the Non-fiction panel. She knows the writing world and she's a roller-girl ref to boot! How cool is that?
I also got to meet up with a few people that I only communicate with in the social media world. It's totally cool to see those peeps in the flesh.
So, now I'm totally energized to write and make those changes that my editor suggested. I don't know if I'll go the tradition route with "Death Becomes Us" or if I'll self publish. What I do know is that I love the writing life. I know sometimes that I bitch and moan about it, but I can't imagine doing anything else.
