Meet Our Keynote Speaker
Leticia Gomez
Editor-at-Large for DAFINA/KENSINGTON BOOKS
& Founder and Principal Agent of Savvy Literary Services
Leticia Gomez is an Editor-at-Large for Dafina Books, an imprint of Kensington Publishing
Corp., which focuses on high-quality fiction and non-fiction that centers on race, identity, and its impact on our experiences. She is also the founder and principal agent of Savvy Literary Services, a Texas-based literary agency that specializes in bringing culturally diverse voices to the forefront. She has helped her clients secure deals with the largest publishers in the world and has seen several of her projects successfully optioned for TV and film adaptation. Leticia is actively seeking to acquire fiction and nonfiction in all genres from mainstream authors as well as stories for marginalized communities with a focus on voices of color.
Additional Workshops
5 Ways to Use Dreams to Inspire, Deepen, and Develop Your Story
Paula Chafee Scardamalia
Over centuries, writers like William Blake, Maya Angelou, Isabel Allende, Stephen King and many others have tapped into the rich imagery, metaphors and stories of their dreams. This workshop teaches participants how to remember and record their dreams in a dream journal. From that rich dream material, they’ll learn how to discern answers to story questions and retrieve ideas and inspiration for current and future work. They’ll also learn how to do what is termed conscious dreaming in order to work with their Muse even when they aren’t asleep. And they’ll learn how to mine their dreams for narrative, characters, and settings. Other tips, and resources are included.
Asking All the “Write” Questions
Stacey Wilk
You’re sitting before your latest work in progress, ideas flow, characters debate, then BAM! Your creative mind crashes headfirst into a concrete wall. You’re not going anywhere, and you can’t figure out how to fix the damage and confusion. Authors are often faced with plot holes and stalled storylines. They might think they have writer’s block, or their original book idea is no longer any good. Often times, that’s just not true. By asking the right questions, the plot holes fill, the path to “The End” becomes clear. In this workshop, we will work through your story issues by asking what, who, why, and how. Together we’ll get curious and deliver you safely back onto the “write” road. Be sure to bring your examples. This is a hands-on, real-time event.
Atmospheric Antagonists: Using Setting as a Character
Michael J. McLaughlin
Award-winning thriller author Michael J. McLaughlin has written stories set in the Arctic, the Amazon, the North Woods, and other remote places worldwide. While covering this important topic applicable across genres, he will discuss moving beyond setting as a mere scenery backdrop; how a compelling setting can influence characters, choices, and plot; giving a place its own personality, mood, and secrets; using geography, weather, architecture, and atmosphere to create tension; how setting can reveal character; and making the environment create obstacles, opportunities, and consequences. By applying these principles, authors can make readers feel that the story could have only happened where it was set.
Be a Booth Boss: The Complete Guide to Selling Books at Live Events
Paulette Stout
Selling in person can be one of the most rewarding—and terrifying—parts of being an author. But having a great event requires planning, smart choices, and taking the steps needed to stand out—while still being you. Join award-winning marketing pro Paulette Stout as she walks through everything authors need to have successful, in-person selling experiences. From small local fairs to 20,000-attendee conventions, Paulette will share how to bring your author brand to life when selling books in person. She’ll cover everything from how to choose events (and avoid scams), to table setup, payment processing, swag, and transporting books to the venue. And because the core of in-person selling is engaging with readers, Paulette will cover how to have meaningful conversations with strangers about your work. By the end, authors will have the skills needed to dive into in-person selling and create meaningful connections with readers. This session is perfect for anyone who:
• Is unsure where to start with in-person selling
• Needs tips for crafting an attractive table
• Wants to avoid unnecessary costs and scams
• Is new to selling in person or wants to improve By the end, attendees will know how to:
• Choose events that are best for them
• Craft a table setup that reflects their author brand
• Manage costs and hidden fees
• Attract customers to their table
• Handle the business aspects of in-person selling
From Completion to Publication
Jawahara Saidullah
Some writers face obstacles after completing their work and struggle with the query process, the editorial work involved, in completing their publication journey. This is the psychological process of transforming your ‘baby’ into your ‘product.’ This workshop is best suited for newer writers, not those who already have established agent and/or publisher relationships. This is also best suited for those exploring traditional publishing, not self-publishing. This four-step process can help authors along in their journey from completion to representation/publication. 1. How to know when The End is truly the end: determining your final draft 2. Preparing for the trenches: growing a thicker skin (critique groups, reader exchanges, how to receive negative feedback) 3. Finding the trees amidst the forest: Approaching the agent/publisher submission process (online resources, social media, creating personal contacts, structuring and staggering your submission list) 4. Submission Purgatory: submissions are never fun, but committed and prepared authors can survive and thrive.
Genre Expectations & Your Ideal Reader
Rona Gofstein
Your ideal readers are looking for a specific reading experience—the intersection of your genre’s promise and your unique writing voice. In this workshop, you’ll be lead through exercises to help you learn how to be clear about the expectations that define your genre, understand what all readers of your genre expect so you deliver on the fantasy they came for, and then define what your ideal readers want. When you know these, you’ll not only discover how to balance familiar conventions with your storytelling style, but you’ll have a focus for your writing, editing and pitching process. The result? Stories that satisfy readers, stand out in the marketplace, and keep fans coming back for your next book.
Getting the Medical Details Right for Novelists
Linda Rawlins
Bring authentic realism to your fiction by mastering the medical details that keep readers hooked and believable. Whether you are writing a fast-paced medical thriller, a cozy mystery, or adding high-stakes drama to a romance or drama, this class breaks down clinical accuracy into practical, writer-friendly tools with Q & A or send questions or scenarios in advance. The key subjects that will be covered are:
Medical Terminology Made Easy: Learn how to use authentic jargon correctly without overwhelming your reader or sounding like a textbook.
Character Portrayals – Make your protagonist, victim, or medical examiner sound and behave realistically.
Poisons & Pharmaceuticals (Rx): Explore how drugs and toxins, dosages, administration methods, work to advance your plot.
The workshop will also feature a Q&A session where attendees may ask Linda questions about getting the medical details right.
The Productive Writer: Time Saving Strategies for Real Life Chaos
Maria Alexander
Life is busy, messy, and often overwhelming — especially when you’re trying to write a book while juggling work, family, aging parents, pets, health, and everything else demanding your attention. If you constantly feel stretched thin and struggle to protect time for your writing, you’re not alone. In this workshop, award winning author Maria K. Alexander shares practical, real world strategies to help you reclaim your time and energy so you can focus on what matters most: your writing. You’ll learn how to set boundaries without guilt, prioritize your creative goals, and build sustainable habits that fit your actual life — not an idealized version of it. Whether you’re just starting your writing journey or already published, this session will help you create a personalized plan that supports productivity, reduces overwhelm, and keeps you moving forward, even on your busiest days. Walk away with tools you can use immediately to stay organized, stay motivated, and say “yes” to your writing with confidence.
Promotion on a Shoestring: Street Teams, NetGalley, Press & Podcasts, and More for Indie Authors
Carla Conti
You don’t need a big budget or a publisher’s marketing department to find readers. You just need a few tactics that work and a plan to use them. This workshop gives authors of any genre a practical, low-cost promotion toolkit built on these approaches:
* Street teams: what they are, how to recruit reliable readers, and how to keep them engaged after launch
* NetGalley: when it’s worth the cost, how to build a listing that gets requests, and how to turn reviews into momentum
* Press coverage: how to interest local publications and turn press coverage into more promotions and bookstore events
* Podcast outreach: how to find shows that fit your book, pitch hosts, and be a memorable guest
Carla will share real examples from my her indie publishing experience, including what worked, what flopped, and what I would skip, along with a step-by-step checklist. Attendees will leave with a simple plan they can start using right away, plus a handout covering extras like Goodreads promotions.
Protecting Your Mental Health While Nurturing Your Writing Life
L.G. O’Connnor
Writing and publishing can be deeply fulfilling and rewarding but also mentally demanding. Filled with highs and lows, the creative process can foster purpose, connection, self-understanding, and resilience, but it can also bring isolation, self-doubt, rejection, and creative pressure that test our mental health. During this engaging, evidence-based workshop, we will explore how to support our mental well-being without sacrificing ambition or creative depth. Participants will learn how stress affects attention and imagination, why perfectionism and comparison can stall progress, and how sustainable routines help protect both the writer and the work. Guided coaching questions will invite participants to identify their personal pressure points, challenge unhelpful beliefs, and define what a healthy writing life looks like for them. Through reflection, practical exercises, and approachable strategies, participants will create a personalized “Writer Well-Being Toolkit” they can use throughout their creative and publishing processes. We will discuss grounding techniques, compassionate self-talk, realistic goal-setting, healthy boundaries, restorative breaks, and ways to reconnect with creative purpose when motivation fades. The workshop will also clarify when ordinary creative discomfort may require additional support from a qualified mental-health professional. Participants will leave with concrete tools to manage stress, respond to the inner critic, recover from setbacks, and build a writing life that is productive and sustainable. This is not about eliminating struggle or forcing constant positivity; it is about learning to work with greater awareness, steadiness, self-trust, and care for the long-term journey.
Returning to the Page: Reclaiming Your Writing Career After a Hiatus
Tracey J. Lyons
What happens when a writer steps away—from publishing, from ambition, from their own creative voice—and then feels the pull to return? In this candid workshop, author Tracey J. Lyons explores the realities of coming back to a writing career after a long hiatus. Drawing from personal experience, Tracey will discuss her emotional, practical, and creative challenges that surfaced as she has been trying to pick up where she left off. She wil examine questions like; how has the market and life changed over the past five years? What are reader expectations now? Even if we’re not putting the words on the page, do we ever really stop being writers? Participants will see how confidence and the publishing landscape can shift over time. Whether your hiatus last months or years, this workshop offers reassurance to help you return to the page—not as the writer you once were, but as the writer you are today. There will be time in this workshop for honest conversations about the joys and pitfalls of returning to the writing life.
More workshops coming soon!