Flops and Victories: More of the SCWW Experience

Saturday morning, I spilled coffee all over the breakfast table and added a beautiful stain border to Craig Faris's freebee signup sheet. I learned that it's best to remove my swinging purse from my shoulder BEFORE I lean across my coffee. Everyone else at the table agreed this was a valuable lesson, except Craig, who, being a man not from San Francisco, does not carry a purse.

Patti Callahan Henry was the keynote, and you wouldn't believe how approachable she is! I hope I'm always able to conduct myself with that kind of enthusiasm and outright bubbliness, when I'm a published author.

My mom, myself with derpface, and Patti.

I finally met agent Sorche Fairbank, after a couple of years of missing her throughout the conference. Last year and this year, I'd heard people talk about her critiques with glowing praise. Two different writers spoke of her in hushed voices, as if she were a secret. I informed her of this somewhat mystical reputation.

As for my personal victories, Sunrise is back in action. I pitched, and the the stronger chances held true. Yay for full manuscript requests. I was much less nervous than last year. I had overprepared and built the pitches up in my head as these monumental moments. And spending some time at Random House probably developed my comfort level and confidence.

Harry Potter references make great ice breakers. In certain scenarios, so do Fifty Shades innuendoes.

Follow Friday: The South Carolina Writers Workshop Conference 2012

I love this conference, and this is my first year as a volunteer. A few things made today exciting, all of them centered around people worth following!

I had dinner with the lovely Kim Boykin and her agent Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. We discussed the intense impact of the Fifty Shades phenomenon; the industry now looks at erotica and self-published books with a more open mind. I forgot to ask Kevan about her client Katie McGarry and the story behind her book Pushing the Limits. I couldn't put that one down. I truly need to blog about it.

Denise Roy's Class An Insider's Guide on How to Get Published hit all of the highest and lowest notes of the industry. Getting a book published is all about finding other people who will get excited about it - agent, editors, readers. She emphatically recommended The Merchants of Culture by John B. Thompson.

The Petigru Review literary journal was revealed, and I found out that my professor James Barilla and two MFA students I know were judges. Congratulations to Alexis Stratton and Brandi Ballard! Not to mention all of the journal's writers and award winners!

This is the view from my room. U jelly?