Keynote Presenter
Jane Porter
NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Founder Tule Publishing
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jane Porter holds an MA in Writing from the University of San Francisco and has written 75 novels since getting her first sale to Harlequin Presents in 2000. Jane’s runaway bestseller, Flirting with Forty, became a Lifetime movie starring Heather Locklear in 2008, and in 2021 Jane had two of her Tule Publishing romances adapted for GAC TV movies. A six time RITA finalist, and RITA winner in July 2014 for Take Me, Cowboy, Jane founded Tule Publishing in 2013 and is known for her passionate, powerful stories and relatable heroines. You can find more about Jane at www.janeporter.com.
Additional Workshops
Writing First Lines That Hook the Reader
Julia Amante
Whether you’re querying agents, self-publishing, or submitting to contests, your novel’s opening line carries a lot of weight. In this hands-on, craft-focused workshop, participants will learn how to write irresistible first lines that hook readers, establish tone, and lay the groundwork for their story’s premise.
Based on my blog post, “Secrets to Crafting the Perfect Opening Line for Novels,” this session will explore what makes a first sentence memorable—and why so many writers get it wrong. We’ll analyze examples from bestselling novels across genres and break down techniques like subtext, contradiction, specificity, and emotional resonance. Attendees will also workshop their own opening lines, receiving real-time feedback from other participants.
Ideal for writers at any stage of the drafting or revising process. Participants will walk away with:
– An understanding of what makes a strong (or weak) opening line
– A checklist of techniques to apply to their own work
– A revised and more compelling first line for their novel
This interactive session is perfect for writers of fiction—especially romance, women’s fiction, and commercial genres—who want their first pages to shine.
Updates on Social Media & Q&A with a Social Media Influencer
Samantha Ann
Social Media and its algorithms are always changing. Learn from an Amazon bestselling author and social media influencer about the important changes to keep in mind and ask questions about how to improve your social media presence.
How to Get the Yes (and making sure it’s the right one for you): From Agent Queries to Publisher Submissions
Laurie Batzel
From her start in (terrible) Downton Abbey fanfiction to persisting through the trials and triumphs of her debut with a now-defunct micro-publisher, persisting through hundreds of rejections to finally signing with a top-notch agent and landing a seven-book series with Harlequin, Laurie Batzel will guide aspiring authors through the red and green flags she has learned to spot along the journey.
Beyond the Book: How & Why to Sell Direct with Merch, Shops, and More
Michelle Miles
Are you curious about selling your books directly to readers—but not sure where to begin? Whether you’re an indie author exploring new income streams or traditionally published and ready to take control of your reader experience, this workshop is your roadmap.
Author Michelle Miles pulls back the curtain on how she launched her own Shopify store, developed merchandise tied to her book worlds, and turned superfans into loyal customers. You’ll discover why direct sales are worth the effort, how to start with minimal tech know-how, and what kinds of products work best. Plus, you’ll learn the real pros and cons of selling direct, from setup and fulfillment to reader engagement and revenue.
If you’ve ever dreamed of launching your own online shop (but felt too overwhelmed), this session will give you the clarity—and confidence—to take the leap.
Wellness For Authors: Achieving Peak Productivity
L.G. O’Connor
Writing is deeply creative yet mentally and physically demanding. Long hours at the keyboard, fluctuating energy levels, and the challenge of maintaining focus can take a toll on an author’s well-being. Whether dealing with brain fog, low energy, or the hormonal shifts of perimenopause and menopause, writers need effective, sustainable strategies to stay healthy and productive.
This workshop is designed to help writers regain mental clarity, improve focus, boost energy, and integrate simple movement and nutritional habits into their daily routine. By addressing common challenges such as brain fog, fatigue, and hormonal imbalances, this program is designed to provide practical, actionable wellness solutions that fit seamlessly into an author’s lifestyle. Through a combination of science-backed insights and practical wellness strategies, authors will learn how to optimize their well-being without disrupting their creative flow.
Using Tropes to Boost Reader Engagement
Caridad Pineiro
Tropes are a great way to identify universal themes and boost reader engagement. They are quite common in romance but tropes are not just for romance writers. Caridad will review tropes in other genre fiction. She will also discuss why to use tropes and how they boost reader engagement in your stories.
Mindmapping Your Story
Misty Simon
Multi-published author Misty Simon presents a wonderful interactive workshop where participants will build a story with the whole group to show how plotters, pantsers and plantsers can plan as little or as much as they want to keep their story moving along.
Daring the Threshold
Paula Chafee Scardamalia
A threshold is any point of entering. Also called limen, it is any point or line or place between what is and what will be, or between what was and what is now, often that defining moment of no return.
In romance, the common threshold is seen when one wedded partner carries the other partner across the threshold, signifying a new life together as a couple.
This workshop will provide examples of common story thresholds, including thresholds of time, place, and character, as well as thresholds within the story structure, and how to use them.
Making Sense of Writing the Senses
Paulette Stout
Sensory detail is a powerful tool any writer can use to help readers climb into the story worlds we create. But immersive writing demands we make smart use of the five senses—sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound. Join 23x award-winning author Paulette Stout as she journeys through writing the senses, sharing practical tips writers can use to improve their craft.
Learn why the senses are so important and how to create sensory balance. The session will also cover how to use sensory details to build character, introduce backstory, and master scene anchoring without setting overload. And because rich storytelling requires readers to center on what characters experience, Paulette will cover “show” vs. “tell”, a critical writing skill at the center of sensory writing. By the end, writers will have the skills needed to create textured scenes readers can touch, taste, smell, and more.
This session is perfect for anyone who:
• Struggles to write the senses
• Wants to write immersive stories
• Needs help with scene anchoring
• Gets confused by show vs. tell
• “Info dumps” backstory
Revision Tools and Techniques
Yvonne Ventresca
Whether your novel is collecting dust in a drawer or you’ve just finished a shiny new draft, one thing is certain: revision is a crucial part of the writing process. Yvonne shares a three-tiered approach—story, scene, and sentence—with techniques, questions, and resources to guide you through each level.
Let’s Build a Story
Stacey Wilk
Grab your tool belts! We’re taking your story idea and building a foundation for a strong novel. One that readers can’t put down.
We’ll hammer out everything from inciting incident to resolution and all the turning points in between. You’ll come away with a framework that enhances your writing voice and a format you can rely on for every book you write.
2026 Conference Schedule
You can view a tentative schedule at Tentative 2026 Schedule.