Author Sightings

The first author I ever saw was Carol Shields. I had never read one of her books, in fact, I had never heard of her until I learned that she was coming to a local library to read her book, The Stone Diaries. I went just to find out what a real author looked and sounded like.

This week we have been talking about writer’s conferences and I have to admit that one of my favorite parts of a conference is getting to meet authors. I’m kind of an author groupie, possibly to the point where I embarrass my family. (Not really.)

Sure, the learning at conference is great.  Meeting other writers is great. Pitching to editors is great. (?) But where else do you get to see real authors in their natural habitat? To hear them talk about creating the books you love? What could be more inspiring than hearing from those whose footsteps you are following?

Fun conference experiences: I sat in on the first writing class T. Davis Bunn ever taught. Al Gansky GAVE me a copy of his multi-book proposal that launched his writing career. I even ate breakfast once with Karen Kingsbury.

Meeting authors is fun. And you learn that authors are people Just. Like. You. They each have a story about how they got published, and aside from the “I’ve never been rejected” stories, hearing another author’s story is both enlightening and encouraging. You’ll leave the conference feeling like you, too, can do it.

Earlier this week someone asked where a writer can find out about conferences. Well, it depends on what kind of conference you want. The big ones all have dedicated websites that show up with an Internet search for “writers conference.” You can also sign up for the Guide to Literary Agents newsletter to keep on top of conferences in the United States. In the last email update there were 18 conferences listed up through June.

Locally, keep an eye on the paper, although by the time a conference is in the paper it is usually scheduled that weekend. Join writers groups and other writers will talk about conferences. Join a professional group in your genre: children, western, mystery, romance, etc. and you will hear about specific conferences.

The first conference I ever went to wasn’t even billed as a writer’s conference. I think it was called a media conference. But writing classes were being offered, so I went. I found that conference in an announcement sent to my church.

The last “conference” I went to wasn’t a writer’s conference either. It was a free book festival: Tucson Festival of Books. There were almost 400 authors at this event. The festival was complete with book signings, readings, and workshops. And, being a family event, my husband and kids came along and got to experience a little bit of my world. I stumbled across this conference in a local children’s newspaper.

Oh, you were wondering about that picture above? Yes. Two of my favorite children’s authors were at the book festival. They signed books, took pictures, answered questions, and doled out advice.  So, for the one day I was able to go, I tailed Gail Carson Levine and Karen Cushman from book signing to reading to workshop, picking up gems of wisdom as I followed.