www.inkthinkerblog.com — In addition to all the fun I had at the conference attending the sessions and getting some expert advice from people whose work I really respect, I also met up with a ton of great people just moseying around:
When I arrived, I chatted with the diamond mines guy while waiting to meet up with an online acquaintance (now friend!) from the DCPUBS Yahoo Group.
After the keynote address, I had the pleasure of talking with Jerry B. Jenkins about his next project, which, in my opinion, is a major departure from what he’s written in the past.
During the first session, I lucked out when I sat beside author Catherine Kent, who has several great projects in the works right now. We seemed to be on the same wavelength yesterday, because we were in nearly every session together — nice to see a familiar face amid the crowd!
In my second session, I met journalist and professional blogger Dana Loesch, author of Mamalogues.com, and I think I want to be her when I grow up. Add Dana to your must-watch list, so you can honestly say that you loved her before she was an international icon — but hurry up, because this girl is going straight to the top.
Before lunch, I bumped into Writer’s Digest Editor-in-Chief Kristin Godsey. (I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Editors are real people, and they’re just as pleased to meet you as you are to meet them.)
After lunch, I met WD columnist Kevin Alexander, whom I had been seeing pretty much every time I turned around all day. I didn’t know who he was — no name tag — so I finally went up to him and was like, “Hi, I’ve been seeing you all day, so I just wanted to say hi and meet you for real. I’m Kristen King.” As soon as he told me who he was, I was like, “I know who you are; I love your column! Um, how old are you?” Smooth, right? Yeah, I thought so, too. (And it got even more suave, just wait.) Turns out he’s my age, and it was very cool talking to him about how he snagged the WD column. As we were talking, my eyes started watering uncontrollably for no apparent reason. It got so bad that I finally had to say something. My theory, which I shared, was that I was allergic to something blowing out of a nearby air vent (or perhaps to him, as someone else pointed out). “Or, you know, you’re like the Beatles, and it’s just, you know, like, such an honor to meet you, like, you know?” I said, wiping my eyes and willing them to stop tearing up already. Yeah, as I said, suave all the way. ::insert eye rolling here::
I also met a media consultant with a brilliant idea for a fantasy novel and a handy concept for a book all writers will benefit from, college professor working on a novel, a romance writer (Nancy from southwest VA, if you’re reading this, please e-mail me!) who is definitely going to make a splash in the business world with her nonfiction book idea, and several agents with a lot of good advice.
More on that later.
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