The 2023 James River Writers Conference was amazing! All of the panel authors and agents were not only full of invaluable information, but they were also engaging and fun. I picked up The Hunger by Alma Katsu and West of Apocalypse by Bill Blume and was able to have both signed. Everyone was so approachable and friendly, and I met several new people with similar writing styles. I attended panels on horror, speculative fiction, and effective character arcs. It’s not all about the words on the page, though. I also attended panels about self-sabotage, persisting and finding a writing community. This is my 4th year attending this conference, and I can without a doubt say this was the best one yet.
We were lucky enough to hear Sadeqa Johnson and Dawn Michelle Hardy talk about their paths to success, and relationships between author, agent, and publicist. I could have listened to them for hours.
As a bonus, I was able to have a professional photographer take headshots while at the conference. Very nice photographer and beautiful shots. I’ll post them here when I receive them.
The one on one with the agent was a bust. My work is not what he’s looking for, but he did give me the name of another agent in the same agency who does look for this type of novel. He said I could mention he referred me. While I was pretty disappointed in the interaction, I’m taking it as a win. I was able to gain experience pitching my novel and I gained a contact at an agency.
I am already counting the days (361) to next year’s conference.
Wendy Crafton Writes 