16 August 2011

RWNZ Conference 2011

So this weekend is Romance Writers of New Zealand conference. I'm really looking forward to it - a chance to hang out with fellow writers and learn more about my craft.



We have a great line up of speakers this year:

- Tess Gerritsen – New York Times-bestselling author
Tess Gerritsen took an unusual route to a writing career. A graduate of Stanford University, Tess went on to medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, where she was awarded her M.D. While on maternity leave from her work as a physician she began to write fiction. For there it was a page strewn trip to the bestseller list.

- Bob Mayer – New York Times-bestselling author, writing coach and digital publishing expert
Bob Mayer has been published in many genres, including thriller, science fiction, suspense, romance and non-fiction. His Warrior Writer workshop, which helps writers set objectives for their writing and manage their careers, has been attended in electronic or face-to-face format by thousands of writers. He is adjunct faculty at the University of Washington, teaching communication. Bob Mayer is also a leading commentator on the digital publishing debate via his Write It Forward blog.

- Maria V. Snyder – New York Times-bestselling author of fantasy and dystopian fiction
Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, Maria V. Snyder studied meteorology at Penn State University. After writing many science fiction short stories, Maria started Poison Study, her novel about a food taster. Published in October 2005 in both adult and young adult versions, Poison Study won 3 awards, was nominated for four others, and received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly. Most recently, Maria’s young adult dystopian thriller titled Inside Out was released in 2010. Maria has a Master of Arts degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University.

- Jessica Faust, BookEnds Literary Agency
A veteran of publishing, Jessica Faust began her career as an acquisitions editor at Berkley Publishing, Macmillan, and Wiley. Jessica has been a regular columnist with Romantic Times magazine, taught at New York University’s Continuing Education Program, been recognized as Agent of the Year by the NYC Romance Writers of America chapter, and is asked regularly to speak at writers’ conferences throughout the world. As owner and literary agent at BookEnds, Jessica Faust prides herself on working closely with her authors to make their goals come to fruition.

- Sue Grimshaw, Editor-at-large, Ballantine Bantam Dell
Former romance book buyer for national USA bookstore chains Borders and Waldenbooks Sue Grimshaw was appointed Category Specialist and Editor At Large for New York publisher Ballantine Bantam Dell, a division of Random House, in April 2011. Sue is working primarily with the digital arm of the business, acquiring books for its new imprint. Sue is also a primary contributor to Random House’s soon-to-be released website, Romance@Random – currently on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/RomanceAtRandom.

- Lucy Gilmour – Editor, Harlequin Mills & Boon
Lucy Gilmour works in Harlequin Mills & Boon’s London office. She joined Harlequin six years ago after finishing her classics degree.

- Molly O’Keefe – RITA-winning author
Molly O’Keefe is a RITA-Award winning author with 18 Harlequin novels in publication. She’s won the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award for Best Flipside in 2005 and Best Superromance in 2008. She won the RITA for Best Novella in 2010. Her first Bantam contemporary single-title romance, Can’t Buy Me, will be released in 2011. She lives in Toronto, Canada with her family and the largest heap of dirty laundry in North America.

- Sue MacKay, medical romance author
Sue MacKay sold her first book to Mills & Boon Medical in February 2010 after submitting for more than ten years. She has since sold three more medicals and is currently working her way through a three book contract. In writing romantic fiction Sue has her dream job – a job she spent many years working to get! She lives in the Marlborough Sounds at the top of New Zealand’s South Island with her husband and a retired pig dog called Boss.

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