Why February in Phoenix Was the Place to Be

I just returned night before last from the annual ANWA Conference in Phoenix. This is my fifth or sixth year to attend, and I have to reiterate that in February, Phoenix is the place to be. I’m telling you, the weather was fantastic. All you suckas stuck in the snow who opted out of the conference, eat your hearts out. Sunny and 80 degrees, baby. The pool and hot tub at the hotel were in constant use.

Other great stuff happened besides the weather, though. A New York Times Bestselling author was there. So was her husband (who was presenting a class on contract law ins and outs for authors) who has a really fun middle grade book of his own. There were two USA Today Bestselling authors as well, giving us their wisdom. Lots of award winners, as well as top-notch teachers.

The organizers brought in agents from New York and Los Angeles. Pitch sessions were super cheap, like only $10. Seriously, folks. And they were nice women. Like, one of them gave me a hug when it was over. An editor was there from Harlequin Heartwarming, for all us clean romance writers. Another editor was there from a mid-sized press in Salt Lake City called Shadow Mountain, which for some reason WordPress won’t let me put a link to today, but this is the place for you if you write clean fiction and want a national audience. Anyway. She was a delight. And my pitch to her was really uplifting and encouraging.

One of the little sweet moments for me was during a class taught by Heather B. Moore, USA Today Bestselling Author (click on the link to learn how they did it) and ingenious writer and businesswoman. She was teaching about co-authoring, the ins and outs and ups and downs of it, as well as how to do it right. One on of her slides discussing author collaborative projects was a picture of the cover of my upcoming book IMMERSED, as an example of what kinds of things can be done. Cool. Made me feel kinda special.

Other classes included “How to Write Cinematically” by Adam Sidwell; “The Hero’s Journey” by Annette Lyon; the contracts class by Kenny Pike; short story writing; a time-saving tips class by Dierdre Eden; lots more that I thoroughly enjoyed. Oh, yeah, a panel discussion from the editors and agents. Good stuff. And a great and inspiring keynote by Sarah Eden, as well as a bookstore where I spent way too much money but don’t regret a single purchase, and a costume ball.

My favorite thing by far was getting to see the good women and men I have met through writing circles, hear about their lives, their triumphs and tragedies. I wish I could have spent more time visiting with each of them, and I guess that’s what I look forward to most if I ever make it to heaven. It’ll be good conversations with people I love at leisure.

So…over all…! Good times! Put it on your calendar for next year. They already announced that the keynote speaker will be BRANDON MULL. Yes, ladies and gents. Brandon Mull. We shall be learning from the best yet again.