LTUE

So, things are nuts, and I'm sick. This post will just have some pictures from the event. I took tons of notes and will rehash some of that information in subsequent posts.

Panel on Marketing

Authors Bree Despain, Lynn Hardy, Jenn Johansson, and Elana Johnson

Panel on Queries and Pitches

Lisa Mangum (author and acquisitions editor), Chris Schoebinger (Shadow Mountain), J Scott Savage (author), Kirk Lovell Shaw (Covenant Publishing), Donna Milakovic (moderator)

Panel on Making a Book Trailer

Heather Monson, Angela Corbett, Paul Genesse, Lani Woodland, Dan Wells

Author Michael Young on Avoiding Cliche

Author Andrea Pearson on Indie Publishing

Writing Excuses

Howard Tayler, Dan Wells, Larry Correia, Brandon's brother Jordy, Mary Robinette Kowal, Brandon Sanderson

Panel on Why We Love Horror

Nathan Shumate, Michael Brent Collings, Michael Collings, Robin Weeks (moderator), Jenn Johansson

Panel on What I Wish I'd Done Differently

Mette Ivie Harrison, Author Andrea Pearson, Brad R. Torgersen and Elana Johnson.

Panel on Plots, Subplots, and Foreshadowing

Brandon Sanderson, Stacy Whitman (editor), James A. Owen, J Scott Savage and Bree Despain

Panel on Urban Fantasy

Natalie Whipple, Bree Despain, Kasie West and James Dashner

Lotsa Peeps

Elizabeth Mueller, ?, Kasie West

The Schmidts

Leigh Covington, Brenda Sills, Me

Melony Pulley, Kenzie Pulley, Amy White, Me, Stephanie Kelly

Lotsa People

Peggy Eddleton, Leigh Covington, David Powers King

Heather Cole, Betsy Love, Theresa Sneed, Kari Pike

There were tons more classes and people. These were just a few of the ones I was able to attend or connect with.

Jenn's Query Craft / Critique Giveaway

Jenn Johansson is having a Giveaway! From her post today:

So, I thought perhaps I could have a giveaway and lend my meager assistance to those of you in the land of Query-hater-dom. The winner can send me their 1 page query (whenever they have one ready) and I will help them polish it up until it hooks, gleams, and all other good things.

Here is what I'm thinking. To enter, just comment. If you would like extra entries (entirely optional, of course) you can get an extra entry for any tweets, posts, links, or signs you wear around your neck to let people know about the giveaway--provided, of course, that you let me know you did it in the comments section of this post.

If, you are lucky enough to exist instead in Query-love-land or I-Have-An-Agent-So-Queries-Can-Bite-Me-Ville, then you can choose between a book from my magical, mystical bookshelf... or a beautiful orange silicon Kindle cover (because I'm all about the Kindle these days).

This giveaway will be open until Sunday at 2:41pm Mountain Time (because I want to, that's what) and I'll post the winner in my post next Monday, March 14.

So check it out -- unless, of course, you're one of those in the "I-Have-An-Agent-So-Queries-Can-Bite-Me-Ville".