Emerald City Writers’ Conference

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An Author Assistant in Seattle

Hello, everyone. Jacki Delecki is currently recuperating from knee replacement surgery so she’s invited me to write this week’s blog post. Since I just returned from my first visit to Seattle, where I (finally!) met Jacki in person after working with her for two years, I thought I’d share my impressions of the The Emerald City.

The first thing I learned upon my arrival in Seattle is that the city lies on Puget Sound, not the Pacific Ocean. By car, it’s about four hours to the coast. Mt. Rainier lies south of the city and visibility depends on the weather. The day I arrived was 75 and clear as a bell so I was treated to a panoramic view of the region. I’m not a sports fan, but I was impressed by Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks football team. It’s huge!

I spent the first few days in Seattle with a friend at the The Arctic Club Seattle. This hotel is situated in a historic building, a former men’s club, that dates back to the early 1900s. Our room on the fourth floor offered cozy window seats, the perfect place to curl up on a rainy Seattle afternoon and watch the city life below.

In keeping with the period charm of our hotel, we had dinner at The Metropolitan Grill steakhouse. We splurged and ordered the Chateaubriand, which was carved table-side. Definitely planning another visit there on my next trip to Seattle.

I was most eager to visit Pike Place Market. On our walk to this waterfront marketplace, I visited the Gum Wall, had fish and chips at Ivar’s and became addicted to Ellenos Greek yogurt (we went back twice in two days).

Jacki’s fans know that one of her favorite activities is guiding children’s tours through Pike Place Market. She gave me a private tour and amazed me with her knowledge. I learned that there are red musical notes painted on the ground throughout the market which indicate where musicians and street performers can set up and entertain the crowds for a two-hour block of time. Sometimes they post their business cards on a nearby pole to claim a certain day and time. The market also features colorful murals and odd light fixtures suspended at odd angles–even upside down!–around the marketplace.

Coming from Florida but growing up in Michigan, I was thrilled for a few days of cool, overcast, rainy autumn weather.

My trip to Seattle included attendance at the Emerald City Writers Conference in Bellevue. Jacki and I presented a workshop on working with an author assistant, but the best part was working the Passport to Romance reader appreciation event with Jacki. I got to meet some of her fans, as well as Pearl Hewitt, who narrates Jacki’s Code Breakers series.

If you’ve never been to Seattle, put it on your Bucket List. The city vibe is a funky mix between New York City and San Francisco, located in one of the most breathtaking regions of the U.S. Now that I’ve been there, I can’t wait to re-read the Grayce Walters books to find some of the actual locations Jacki incorporates into the stories and say, “Hey, I was there!”

What I did at the Emerald City Writers' Conference

This past weekend I attended the Emerald City Writers’ Conference in Bellevue, Wash. I did two presentations with members from my author support team, audiobook narrator Pearl Hewitt and virtual assistant Maria Connor, both of which went very well.  I also attended presentations on craft and business. Writing conferences offer an opportunity to learn what’s new in the industry, as well as networking with other professionals, such as authors, editors, agents, graphic designers, bloggers and reviewers.

One of the conference highlights was Passport to Romance on Saturday. This unique reader appreciation event gives authors and readers a chance to meet and mingle and get acquainted in a fun, lively environment. More than 50 authors across all genres participated.

One of the hottest draws of the Passport to Romance event are the live-and-in-person romance novel cover models. I had fun getting a picture with each and every one! Which one would be your choice for the hero on my next romance novel?

Meet me in Seattle

This weekend, Greater Seattle RWA is hosting the Emerald City Writers’ Conference. Held every fall, this is the largest romance writing conference on the west coast. Three hundred attendees are expected, including leading industry editors and agents, phenomenal speakers. I’ll be presenting two workshops at the conference. Maria Connor of My Author Concierge is my co-presenter for “I’ll Take Care of That For You: Working with Author Assistants” and narrator Pearl Hewitt is my co-presenter for “How to Find and Audition a Narrator for Your Audiobook.”

One of the conference highlights is the the reader appreciation event, Passport to Romance.

Where: Bellevue Westin Hotel
When: Saturday October 15th 6pm-8pm

Free and open to the public, this two-hour event provides an opportunity for fans of the romance genre to meet their favorite authors and discover new-to-them authors. All subgenres are represented, including historical, contemporary, women’s fiction, sci-fi romance and paranormal. Many authors will be giving away swag and free books as a way of saying THANK YOU to dedicated romance fans.

More than 50 authors–including me–will be participating in this event. If you live in the Seattle area, make plans to join us. You can pose with a sexy male cover model, mix and mingle with fans and authors alike, and celebrate romance! I hope to see you there!

Make a date with a cover model

Okay, you can’t really make a date with a cover model, but you can enjoy some delicious male eye candy at the 2016 Passport to Romance. This reader appreciation event, held in conjunction with the Emerald City Writers’ Conference, will be held Saturday, October 15, 2016, from 6-8 p.m. at the Bellevue Westin Hotel. Admission is free.

The cover model line-up includes Scott Nova, Derek Hutchins, Wayne Adams and Jacob Rodney.

You can also meet and mingle with more than 40 romance authors, including me. I hope to see you there!

• Courtney Milan
• Roxanne St. Claire
• Cherry Adair
• Allie K Adams
• Anna Alexander
• Diana Ballew
• Beth Barany
• Pam Binder
• Jennifer Blackwood
• Julie Brannagh
• Kristine Cayne
• Wendy Lynn Clark
• Carmen Cook
• Malena Crockett
• Kate Curran
• Jami Davenport
• Jillian David
• Dana Delamar
• Jacki Delecki
• Tammy Dennings Maggy/Stephanie Ryan
• Saranna DeWylde
• LC Giroux
• KP Haigh
• JC Hay
• Joanne Jaytanie
• Joleen James
• Darynda Jones
• Shannon Kennedy
• Jennifer Kohout
• Athena Lawson/Anthea Sharp
• Eva Leigh
• Lori Lyn
• Jerica MacMillan
• Margaret Mallory
• Lauren Marie
• Clare Mckay
• Danielle Monsch
• Moxie North
• Shirley Penick
• Nico Rosso
• EL Roux
• Gerri Russell
• Samantha Saxon
• Deborah Schneider
• Alex Strong
• Marie Tuhart
• Olivia Waite
• LE Wilson
• Danica Winters

Pearl Hewitt on the Emerald City Writers' Conference

Last weekend was the Emerald City Writers Conference and Passport to Romance Reader Appreciation Event. Audiobook narrator Pearl Hewitt shares a few highlights.

I had the opportunity to meet many readers and some very enthusiastic audiobook listeners at the Passport to Romance Reader Appreciation Event. It was a very successful evening of laughter, chatter and giveaways. Everyone seemed to have a great time.

The presentation on how to Successfully Create an Audiobook went very well although it was a little rushed toward the end because the volume of information is large and many questions were asked by interested authors who seriously want to move into the audiobook minefield. I was happy to help get the word out and encouraged authors to branch out into the audiobook world and take advantage of this extra income source.

Thanks, Pearl, for sharing your experience with my readers!