Fall in Texas, y'all -- football, fairs & writing

 I feel like Rip Van Winkle -- as if I've slept since last posting here in January. All I can say is, it's been a year: multiple international trips (not necessarily for fun stuff), as well as typical Texas weather -- monsoon rains followed by months of hellish heat, both with power outages.

But TGIF -- which in Texas means, thank God it's fall, with its abundance of literary events. Most of these listings are in the state, particularly in my corner of North Texas. But if there's something particularly juicy in another region, I'll dish it up too, starting this weekend.

September 21: The Writer's League of Texas presents Texas Writes with free workshops by authors Alex Temblador ("Prep Your Book: Going from Idea to Opening Pages") and Diana Spechler ("Writing Our Lives: The Art of the Personal Essay"). At Chico Public Library (that's north of Fort Worth), 106 W. Jacksboro St., Chico, TX. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Refreshments provided. Free. Pre-register by calling the library at (940) 644-2330.

Now-December 1: The Historical Novel Society North America presents its first short story contest. In honor of the society's 205 conference setting in Las Vegas, entries must be set in or around Vegas at any time up to 1975. Stories must be historical, but any subgenre is acceptable. Unpublished stories only, with a 4,000-word limit. Entry fee $25. Cash prizes and anthology publication for finalists and grand prize winner, chosen by a panel of best-selling historical fiction writers. See the site for details.

September 24: Richardson Reads One Book presents author Brendan Slocumb ("Symphony of Secrets") at 7:30 p.m. in First United Methodist Church Richardson, 503 N. Central Expressway, Richardson. Free, but tickets are only available online, on a first-come, first-served basis at bit.ly/RROBLecture24.

September 25: Dallas indie bookstore The Wild Detectives, 314 W. Eighth St., hosts "Banned Book Trivia," 7-9 p.m. Assemble a team and grab a beverage from the bookstore's bar as you test your knowledge of banned books. There's a general discussion of book bans, including Dallas' favorites, to bring you up to date! Free, except for food and drink selections.

October 4-6: Houston Writers Guild hosts the AuthorPalooza conference with craft workshops, industry panels, and literary fun! A few acquisition editors will also be available October 5 (Saturday) to take pitch sessions. Events at Rick University, 6100 Main St., Ley Student Conference Center. See the site for schedule and tickets.

October 5-6: The DFW Writers Conference at the Hurst Convention Center, Hurst, TX, offers craft and business workshops and panels, keynote speakers Steve Berry and A.S. King, and literary agents from around the country. Registration includes one free pitch selling, with additional sessions offered for sale.

This year's agenda also includes a Romance Forum, with a panel of New York Times best-selling authors. See the site for schedules. Regular registration (ends September 22!) is $449 for both days or $250 for one day. Late registration through October 4 is $99 (two day) or $299 (one day).

The adjacent Hilton Garden Inn is sold out, but other nearby hotels include Hampton Inn Suites Dallas, Holiday Inn Express & Suites DFW, and Hyatt Place Fort Worth/Hurst. Or drive in. Traffic should be less than fiendishly awful on a weekend.

October 11-13: HAY Festival Forum Dallas 2024 returns to the city's Bishop Arts District with 25 artists across 21 events over four venues! The festival includes both free and ticketed options. Opening night at the Wild Detectives bookstore, 314 E. Eighth St., opens with a free session by Pulitzer Prize winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen. See the site for a complete list of events. Day passes which ensure admission to all ticketed and free events are $85 for October 12 (Saturday), $65 for October 13 (Sunday, or $100 for an all-weekend pass.

November 13: Dallas indie bookstore Interabang Books presents best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell in conversation with Krys Boyd of KERA's Think. At Highland Park United Methodist Church, 3300 East Mockingbird, Dallas, 7 p.m. Tickets are free, although seating is limited, or $32 for exclusive "meet and greet" with the author. Gladwell will share his new book, Revenge of the Tipping Point. Books for sale which supplies last. See the site for ticket purchases/reservations.

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Want more? Of course you do! Stay tuned for these and other Texas literary events!

Sun shines bright on summer literary events in Texas

 As soon as the thermometer hits 90 degrees F., it's summertime in Texas. And summer literary events are off to a blazing start, beginning this week. (Note: some events have earlier registration deadlines.)

May 9-August 16: Dallas Arts & Letters Live opens its 2023 season with Abraham Verghese (The Covenant of Water). In-person tickets for this opening event are sold out, but see the site for virtual tickets, $15 for the public or $12 for Dallas Museum of Arts members. Ticket prices and venues vary for additional speaker programs. See the site for details and ticket purchases.

May 10-14: The Dallas is Lit! literary festival, courtesy of the Dallas Writers Garret features programs at a variety of venues in Dallas' historic Oak Cliff neighborhood and for a variety of ages, including a Rail Writers field trip, ghost story telling, multilingual poetry performances, readings and workshops. Most events free, but reservations may be recommended. See the site for details and locations.

May 11: The Dallas Historical Society presents "Blood and Thunder: An Evening with Mark Finn" in discussion about Texas pulp fiction author Robert E. Howard and his place in Texas literary history. Howard's creations -- Conan, King Kull and others -- defined heroic fantasy but the author himself, who died tragically at age 30, has fallen into obscurity. His biographer, Mark Finn, offers a tour of Howard's world as he saw it -- through his incomparable imagination. In the Hall of State, Fair Park, 3939 Grand Ave., Dallas, at 6:30 p.m. Free, but see the site for ticket reservations.

Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

May 26-June 9: Reservations begin for Richardson's Young Authors program for kids entering grades 5-9. Classes run June 9-July 28. Children can write and illustrate their own books and receive personal copies with help from children's book author Nancy Churnin and library staff. Free, but participants must be Richardson, Texas, residents with a Richardson Public Library card. Call 972-744-4358 or visit the Youth Services Help Desk at the library to register.

June 3-August 12: Summer reading programs aren't just for kids! Grownups can participate too, through the Dallas Public Library's SMART Summer program. Read 60 minutes a day (ebooks and audiobooks count!) and pick up a free book every 20 days. Adults who read at least 50 days by August 12 will be entered to win the grand prize. Readers can also earn challenge badges with STEM and art activities and classes for additional prize choices. Free, but register at the site.

June 7-July 26: The annual Rejebian Series hosts book reviews and author talks beginning at 7 p.m., in Wesley Hall of Highland Park United Methodist Church, 3300 Mockingbird Lane, Dallas. This year's series opens with author Sam W. Haynes' discussion of Unsettled Land, his history of the Texas Revolution and Republic, and the states diverse people. Programs repeat each Wednesday through July 26.

Other authors discussing their own works include Texans Kathleen Kent, Dave Lieber and Marjorie Herrera Lewis, as well as reviews by professional speakers. Free, or reserve an optional dinner at 5:30 p.m. for $15 online through the site or by calling 214-523-2240. Books available for purchase in most cases.

June 8-10: The Historical Novel Society North America holds its conference in San Antonio, Texas, this year. (There's also a virtual version.) But hurry. In-person registration closes May 15, virtual June 4. Either option offers access to award winning authors, including special guests Lisa Wingate, Jamie Ford, Libbie Grant and James Scott Bell.

Prices: $589 for in-person HNS members, $639 for nonmembers; virtual attendees $299, students $350. In-person attendees may also book rooks at the Marriott Rivercenter at the conference rate.

But, you may ask, will there be agents and editors in attendance? Yes, 15 agents and editors will offer virtual and/or in-person meetings with authors. These can include either pitches or advice on honing query letters. Cost is $25 for each pitch or query letter session. See the site for details, agent/editor lists, and registration.

August 4-6: ArmadilloCon returns with its annual writers workshop, at Austin Southpark Hotel, Austin, Texas. Registration for the workshop is $125, which includes workshop, lunch, and membership for the rest of the convention. Note: manuscripts are due June 23. The workshop is only for manuscripts of original, unpublished speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, horror, slipstream, bizarro, and similar). 

A limited number of workshop places are available to writers of color, those identifying as LGBTQIA+, and those whose financial status might otherwise prevent their participation. Contact the workshop director at www.writersworkshop@armadillocon.org for enrollment and other questions.

August 12: The North Texas Book Festival offers chances to chat with and buy the books of favorite local authors. Free to the public, at Patterson-Appleton Arts Center, 400 E. Hickory St., Denton Texas. See the site for additional information.

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Is something missing? The pandemic, economic issues and, dare we say, climate change, have caused several rearrangements of Texas traditional summer literary events. The annual REH Days, celebrating Texas fantasy writer Robert E. Howard at his hometown of Cross Plains were moved from June to April this year. Most REH programs are outdoors, and June in Texas can get hot!

FenCon, the Dallas-area science fiction/fantasy convention usually held in early fall has been moved to February 2024, with a new venue. I'm hoping it will also bring back its writers workshop.

The Writers League of Texas Agents and Editors Conference has turned into a biannual event, next scheduled for 2024.

And no dates have yet been announced for the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference, which has fluctuated between summer and fall in recent years. However, the site says registration will open soon. I'll post when more information is available.

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Next up: Yes, there will be writing contests! Stay tuned!

The literary agent said 'yes' -- ask before you say 'I do'

 In the previous post, I wrote about what literary agents want to see from writers. But what happens when, after all our work, we've caught the eyes of those agents. Before we say, "I do!" agents Cate Hart and Melissa Danaczko offered some cautionary words at the recent Historical Novel Society Conference.

Although writers will have already checked the agent's website and social media posts, a personal call -- usually scheduled by the agent -- is the time to dig into specifics.

Hart and Danaczko have a list of questions they'd like writers to ask potential agents, including:

• What did the agent like about the book? Why did they love it? Where does it fit in the marketplace?
• What level of revision is the agent looking for? 

   "I usually come to the call with some notes," Hart said. "Once signed, I'll dig deeper."    

• What is the agent's communication style? Phone? Email? Does the writer like regular check-ins? Or want to know what a particular editor said about the manuscript?
• Timelines -- When does the agent expect to receive answers to their submissions to editors? When do they expect follow-up from the writer?
• How many clients does the agent have? Where does the agent see this writer fitting into their client base? Ask to speak to a few of the agent's other clients.
• How many editors does the agent expect to submit to? At what publishing houses?
• Does the agent handle contracts or does the agency use another person/team?
• What will the agency agreement look like?
• What does the agency support staff look like? How do they handle sub-rights such as foreign, audio, TV/film?
• What is expected of the author?

To which I'll add -- what happens if the author/agent ends? Agencies and publishers don't always live forever. Check out what the ever-after may look like.

Image: StockSnap for Pixabay

Writers may well have other questions. Make a list, check it twice -- or more -- and keep it handy, especially if an agent has shown signs of interest.

Writers should also note that if they have submitted to multiple agents, they must inform them before accepting an offer. If an author is still unsure whether the agent on the call is "the one," the author should also check with others they may have contacted to ask if they want to make their own offers.

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After all that, what should the writer expect the agent to do? 

"We're the middleman," Hart said. "We're continuously networking behind the scenes, for you and the book."

Besides formulating a sales pitch, contacting publishing house editors, and following up on the author's behalf, an agent is the "go-to" person for any other concerns an author has. Don't like the publisher's choice of title or cover? Although I've heard writers have little input on these issues, little doesn't mean none. Let the agent know. 

Agents should also keep up with a publisher's marketing and publicity plans, and of course the sales of multiple rights. 

And perhaps the agent's most important job is to promote and protect the writer's body of work  "Publishers are looking at what's coming out right now," Danaczko said. "Agent's may be able to take a longer look after the initial publication -- looking at your whole career." 

***

Still to come from the conference trenches -- writing a novel with dual plotlines. And -- where to find more agents!

Tips direct from the lit conference trenches

 Here I am, in the middle of back-to-back virtual writing conferences with lots of tips from the trenches.  First up, from this past week's Historical Novel Society North America conference, is a discussion by agents Cate Hart and Melissa Danaczko from their master class on navigating past the publishing world's gatekeepers.

Although many smaller publishers are willing to consider unagented manuscripts "most major trade publishers don't have the bandwidth to sort through the tends of thousands of submissions they receive in a year," Danaczko said. Instead, those large publishers rely on gatekeepers -- literary agents -- to do the initial sorting.

I've lost track of the number of times I've heard fellow writers decry agents who reject a manuscript as "unsellable." But agents, legitimate ones at least, only get paid once their clients receive money. They're the ultimate commission sales force. And because of this, they need "a very clear path in our minds as to how we're going to sell the novel," Danaczko said.

Image: Pixabay

Among the questions they ask themselves when considering a manuscript, particularly historical novels, is where it fits in current culture and whether there are connections between the story's past and our present world.

Connection that can pique an agent's -- and a publisher's -- interest include narratives that have been overlooked in the past but are becoming relevant today. Other connections include reimaginings of works coming into the public domain once their copyrights have expired, or anniversaries of significant events.

However, Danaczko warned, "it can be tricky to jump on trends or even to try to predict future trends. And works relying on topics that have become extremely popular may encounter a glut of similar projects in the marketplace.

Cate Hart concurred. "It's hard to follow trends. . . Write what you love, then work with themes of today to see what fits."

Some things we writers have been taught to obsess about may seem surprisingly less important to agents. Among these are the writer's social media presence.

Hart pronounced social media "not a make or break." And as Danaczko noted, "an author's engagement with social media is something you need to think about but only to your (level of) comfort and enjoyment. It doesn't hurt to dip your toes in the the water," but for her, it's what's on the page that counts most in her decision about who to represent.

However, being a follower on social media can provide much needed information about what agents are interested in, what they love, things they notice in popular culture. And as always, check the agent's website.

Danaczko also noted that many pitching events on Twitter, such as the quarterly #PitMad, offer good practice for authors, helping them refine their pitches and drill down on what works.

So ow, say we writers have completed and polished our manuscripts, preferably with the help of beta readers. How do we put the information we've gleaned into our queries?

"Look at book descriptions" on the blurbs for published books and their online sales and review sites. "What is it about the description that entices you?" Danaczko asked. "I need to have a really good sense of what the book is about and what's at stake."

Or as Hart put it, in a formula she loves, the query needs to have a "hook, a book, and a cook." 

The hook is the elevator pitch such as "X meets Y." (And yes, she loved "Pride and Prejudice with zombies"!)

The book part of the formula is two or three paragraphs, including the inciting incident, highlighting major plot points (but not the ending), and what's at stake if the main character does -- or does not -- accomplish their goal.

This is also where the often-dreaded topic of "comp" (comparative) titles appears.

Although Danaczko admitted sometimes requesting manuscripts even if the query listed no comp titles, these can be a useful shorthand for the book's themes, plot or characters. It's best to avoid mentioning as comps books that either not sell well or, conversely, were massive best sellers.

She suggested such formulas as "for readers of X type of book" or "with the feel of Y book."

"Comp titles work better for high concept/commercial books," Hart said. "But if your book is quieter, comps are less helpful." And although writers are often advised to use only the most current books as comps, "sometimes something older works, if it's culturally on people's minds."

The cook is us, the authors, the reason why we're the one destined to write this story. We often fret if we have no previous publishing experience but both Hart and Danaczko say not to worry. Everybody is unpublished at sometime. Instead, consider whether there are relevant family connections or research specialties, but stay as relevant as possible. 

Surprisingly to me, another often-touted must have -- professional editing -- was less important to the agents. Both Hart and Danaczko noted that although editors can be helpful, too much reliance on external help can be a sign that the writer's own toolbox of techniques may be skimpy. The manuscript should be as polished as the author can make it but "editors are not going to guarantee representation down the line. Take it as far as you can on your own."

After all that, did they have any major turnoffs about queries?

For Danaczko:

• When I can't locate quickly what the book is about
• Queries that promise things nobody can guarantee, such as sales comparisons
• Verbatim repeating of the agent's bio in the query

All of the above, Hart said, adding:

• Pasting parts of the book in the query -- "I still don't know what the book is about" 
• Not a genre I represent
• When requesting a synopsis, "I get two paragraphs when what I need is a beat by beat version"

    ***

 Still to come: what to ask an agent who offers representation? How to know if they're right for you? And what the heck do they actually do?

This way to crowds of summer literary confabs!

 (Updated 9:08 a.m. June 9 to include information about writing workshops at FenCon and ArmadilloCon.)

Is it summer already? Unseasonably boggy weather has kept temperatures in North Texas at far from balmy levels. And those crowds of kids I’d expect to see? Time lost to the pandemic as well as last winter’s one-two punch of killer cold and equally deadly power outages has extended the school year weeks longer than usual.

At least, we have plenty of literary conferences to look forward to, in a mix of in-person, virtual, even hybrid venues. I’ll concentrate on those with a Texas twist. But in a virtual world, around the country – or the world – can be as close as our hometowns, starting with:

June 10-12: REH Days

Image: wikimedia commons

celebrates the life and works of Conan creator (and Texas native) Robert E. Howard in his hometown of Cross Plains, Texas. Of course, it’s in person – we’re all barbarians! – but feel free to mask up. (Maybe with one of the stylish Conan versions available online?) Free, as always. The only paid event is the annual banquet which is already sold out. Access to Howard’s home and museum, the Cross Plains library’s collection of original typescripts and memorabilia, readings, and more. Cross Plains is approximately a three-hour drive from Dallas. Lodging is available at nearby towns, including Brownwood, site of REH’s grave. See the REH Days site for full list of events.

June 11-13: Houston Writers Guild’s annual conference goes virtual. Saturday speakers include Dallas-own Arianne “Tex” Thompson Agent/editor panel, agent pitch sessions, plus sessions on marketing, networking, genre writing and blending, memoir writing and more. Early bird registration (ends June 11), $30 plus processing fee. Editor/agent pitch sessions (which still appear to be available) are $25 each. See the site for details and registration.

June 21-27: Historical Novel Society North America’s annual conference will be virtual. This year’s guest of honor is Lisa See (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan), with special presenters Libbie Hawker and Jane Friedman, master classes, panels, and more. Unfortunately, it’s too late to register for agent pitches. Registration: $259 for HNS members, $289 for nonmembers. See the site for complete schedule.

June 28-July 1: Thrillerfest XVI stays virtual. Options include master classes ($399) consulting ($75) and pitching ($50 sessions), and more. There’s also a free “Best First Sentence Contest,” open to registrants. Deadline for registration by mail as well as entries for the Best First Sentence Contest is June 15.

July 22-24: When the conference goes virtual, location is not a problem. So, although the Writer’s Digest reports itself to be sad not to see participants in person, it’s eager to proclaim a virtual conference. Pre-conference workshops July 22 ($199 each), and a choice of fiction or publishing business tracks for the main conference July 23-24 ($199 each). See the site for add-ons, including recordings.

August 25-29:  BoucherCon, the world mystery conference, plans to meet in-person in New Orleans, with guest of honor Michael Connelly. Registration is $195, fully refundable if an in-person meeting in deemed to be not available. See the site for tentative schedule and list of special guests.

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How many literary conferences have pushed their normal summer dates back in order to proceed in-person? Lots! Including the Writers League of Texas in Austin, Texas, now scheduled for September 17-19.

Those are also the dates for the Dallas-area science fiction/fantasy convention FenCon. A Facebook message stated that due to limited staff, FenCon will not have an organized writing workshop this year. The convention is considering what it terms "workshop-style panels" for 2021 with a return to the formal workshop in 2022. 

The hands-on event, Writers in the Field returns in person October 9-10, to Mansfield, Texas. Registration opens in June, with more information to come.

The Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference plans a hybrid conference – part in-person, part by Zoom – October 15-16. The site says plans are still being made but assures that the traditional writing contests and networking opportunities will be part of its lineup.

The Austin, Texas, science fiction/fantasy convention ArmadilloCon is delaying its return until October 15-17. At this point, information only appears to be available at the convention’s Facebook page. A Facebook message stated that ArmadilloCon will have an in-person writing workshop October 15, with format similar to previous years. More information will be available when the website is updated.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Writers Conference follows on October 23-24, in Hurst, Texas. Early registration (through October 10) is $379 for both days. Saturday only registration, which includes the keynote address, is $289; Sunday registration, which includes the Query Gong game show) is $239. I’ll update as more information is available.

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Still to come: The Romance Writers of America (RWA) conference will be held virtually in November. Check the site for details.

Worldcon, the World Science Fiction Convention, is moving its 2021 dates to December 15-19, with provisions for a virtual conference if necessary.

The World Fantasy Convention is still monitoring the pandemic situation but hopes to have an in-person event in Montreal this year, apparently sometime in late fall.

As always, I’ll update this blog as new information arrives.

Writers conferences show the love, virtual or not

Will writers let a pandemic stand in their way? No way! Although many 2021 literary conferences are still treading water, sometimes pushing their events late into fall to allow in-person attendance, others brave the virtual waters. I’m presenting a selection of these – with emphasis on my own North Texas area – as well as tantalizing bits from further afield. Because, in the virtual world there are no boundaries. All times are in Central Time unless otherwise noted.

Now – March 13: The San Miguel Writers’ Conference continues a virtual season on Zoom. Still to come – Diana Gabaldon (Outlander series) February 13 at 6 p.m., Simon Winchester (The Professor and the Madman) March 7 at 6 p.m., and Jorge F. Hernandez and Margo Glantz on the Mexican tradition in literature March 13 at 6 p.m., more. Monthly passes $125, individual events generally $25. See the site for details and to register.

February 25: The Highland Park Literary Festival presents New York Times bestseller and multiple award-winning author Téa Obreht as keynote speaker at 7p.m. The event is free and open to the public but viewers must register. Obreht became the youngest recipient of the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2011 for her debut novel, The Tiger’s Wife. In 2019, Barack Obama named her second novel, Inland, as one of his favorite books of the year, unfolding in the drought-ridden Arizona Territory in 1893 and recreating the myth of the American West. To buy Obreht’s books and help support the HP LitFest, please visit the Interabang Books LitFest page.

March 5-6: North Texas Teen Book Festival 2021 now coming to you on YouTube! More details to come, but at this point, more than 80 middle grade and young adult authors, graphic novelists and YouTube celebrities are scheduled to appear. These include John Green (Fault in Our Stars), Taina Telgemeier (Guts), Ransom Riggs (Miss Peregrine series) and of course, more! Keynote speakers include Chelsea Clinton and Newbery Medal winner Katherine Applegate. Free. I’ll post more as information becomes available.

Image: Pixabay

June 21-27: Historical Novel Society North America’s 2021 conference will be virtual. Early-bird registration opens February 15-March, at $219 for HNS members, $249 for nonmembers. This year’s guest of honor is Lisa See (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, and more), with special presenters Libbie Hawker and Jane Friedman and master classes with Hawker, Friedman, Alma Katsu, Gillian Bagwell, Melissa Danaczko and Cate Harte.

June 28-July 10:  Thrillerfest XVI. Registration for this virtual conference is open although the website is still a little wonky. Options include master class ($399), consulting ($75) and pitching ($50) sessions and more, including a free “Best First Sentence Contest.” Deadline for registration by mail as well as entries for the Best First Sentence Contest is June 15. 

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Meanwhile, some conferences normally scheduled for early summer have pushed their dates into late summer and fall in hopes of once again operating in-person. These include the DFW Writers Workshop Conference and the Writers’ League of Texas conference.

August 25-29:  Bouchercon, the world mystery conference, plans to hold its 2021 conference in-person in New Orleans. Registration is $195, with hotel registrations also available. See the site for schedules and guests of honor.

September 17-19: The Writers’ League of Texas conference in Austin is now scheduled for September 17-19. I will update as more information becomes available.

September 17-19: These are also the dates of FenCon, the Dallas-area science fiction/fantasy convention. More information to come.

October: The DFW Writers Workshop conference, as I learned at a recent meeting for members, is scheduled, probably for mid-October, although the conference website still shows the June 2021 dates originally posted with the 2020 conference was cancelled. Again, more information to come.

What’s still up in the air? Writefest in Houston, normally a week-long, late spring event, hopes to go in-person in the fall, but no dates are available as of this posting.

I don’t have any information about the fate of WORDfest, usually held in March. In 2020, this big-tent 'all-you-can-meet' literary event brought over 20 North Texas writers’ organizations and more than 300 writers together virtually last August. Still waiting to see if it will happen again.

Wordcraft – Where the heck do you go to meet an agent?

Third of an occasional series about publication and promotion

It’s a story dear to the hearts of all published writers: how they found their literary agent. It’s always as unique as a love story, they insist. It was a once in a lifetime event, they say. It’ll never happen this way to anybody else, they say. Please. No matter what the romantic trappings of love stories, they all amount to this: two somebodies put themselves out there. No one ever fell in love – or was fallen in love with – while huddled in a dark closet. Same thing with meeting agents. They get out there. We gotta get out there.

I met my agent because a friend invited me to come for dinner one evening in a small city on the other side of the metroplex. I was so tired that night I almost didn’t go. Who cares, I thought? Nothing’s going to happen anyway. But it did. Of course, it helps to put ourselves out there in places where agents are apt to lurk – such as at the restaurant where my friend was waiting. But for those without attentive, agented friends, I suggest conferences. Especially conferences with agents.

Stuff happens when people meet

These are usually more plentiful in the spring and summer, which is why I post lists of several Texas conferences early each year. At this season, I searched further afield to find a few still available between now and year end, and will mention some coming up next year, because we need time to prepare.

September 2-4, 2016: I was amazed to learn there is still space available at the Historical Novel Society conference in Oxford, UK. Check the site for information, or see next year’s schedule when the HNS will meet in the United States.

September 9, 2016:  Still room too at the Sacramento Writing Workshop, in Sacramento, California, September 9. Besides teaching classes at the one-day event, agents will also be available to hear writers’ pitches. Check the site for further information and pricing.

November 19, 2016: Same story at the Las Vegas Writing Workshop – still space available and agents to teach and pitch to. 

And coming up next year:

February 16-19, 2017: The San Francisco Writers Conference runs through the long Presidents’ Day weekend with lot of classes, lots of chances to socialize, and “speed dating” for agents. Registration is currently open.

Spring 2017, TBD: The Houston Writers Guild  hosts a Houston-area conference with speakers, classes and – agents! Usually in April each year, but check back with the site later for information.

May 6-8, 2017: DFW Writers Conference returns to downtown Dallas. Registration is currently open, and by taking a survey, we may win prizes – including possible free registration!

June 22-24, 2017: Historical Novel Society conference in Portland, Oregon. The Historical Novel Society meets in England and North America in alternate years – in 2017, it’s the colonists’ turn!

June 30-July 2, 2017: Writers League of Texas Agents & Editors Conference in Austin, Texas. This is the biggest writers conference in the state! Keep an eye on the site for registration opening later this year.

July 11-15, 2017: ThrillerFest in New York City. I’m thrilled just thinking about it. Lee Child will be there! (Need I say more? Oh, yeah, craft workshops, a pitch fest, and agents!)

July 26-29, 2017: The Romance Writers of America holds its annual conference in Orlando, Florida. Yes, it’s nearly a year away, but this one always sells out early, so keep an eye on the site.

Wordcraft -- Let the new year’s contests begin!

I promised previously to make this post about literary events, but a look at my inbox has convinced me that contests are more pressing issues. At this time, I’m only listing contests for book length works, but see www.thefirstline.com/, http://overtheredline.com/, http://carvezine.com/, and www.glimmertrain.com/ for current and upcoming short story contests.

I’ll list the long-form contests in order of deadline urgency. Although some were listed in posts last fall, after the stress of NaNoWriMo, a repeat may be in order. Others are new, or new-to-me items. There are always more than I can participate in personally, so I appreciate feedback from readers about their contest experiences.

January 31: The Writers League of Texas 2015 manuscript contest. You don’t need to have a completed manuscript to enter this contest, only the first ten pages and a synopsis of your work in any of ten fiction and nonfiction categories. Contestants receive professional critiques. Winners get individual consultations with literary agents and recognition at the WLT conference June. Contest fee is $65 for non-WLT members, $55 for members. See www.writersleague.org/109/Manuscript-Contest for details.

March 30: Houston Writers House genre novel contest is a chance to win $100 for unpublished novels in five categories, including middle school and young adult novels. Winners will be announced at the Houston Writers Guild June workshop. The contest opens February 1. Fee is $15. See www.houstonwritershouse.com for details.

April 1: 2015 Historical Novel Society new novel award. New this year, a complete manuscript is no longer required to enter. Generally, entries must be unpublished, but see complete rules at http://historicalnovelsocietylorg for exceptions for novels self-published since December 1, 2014. Cash prize. Contest fee is $35 ($20 for HNS members). A brief reader’s report is available for an additional $15.

June 1: Mayborn Writing Competition. Nonfiction writers who may be feeling a little overlooked will get their chance to shine at the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference in July. Winners in the book-length manuscript contest and a chance at publication by the UNT press. The conference’s site currently lists 2014 information, so check
www.themayborn.com/writing-competition for updates.

June 30: INK & Insights 2015 writing contest, from editors at Critique My Novel. Entries accepted beginning March 1 in two fiction categories (Apprentice and Master) and nonfiction. This is new to me, but includes cash prizes, writing resources, and feedback for the top three winners in each category. Top three manuscripts in the Master and nonfiction categories will also receive readings from literary agents. Fee is $35. The contest “officially” opens March 1, but entries between February 1-28 receive a $5 discount off the entry fee. For details, including a list of agent readers, see http://critiquemynovel.com/.

(Next Tuesday, a first look at spring literary conferences and events in Texas. For now, please note that the Literature + Medicine conference at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas has been rescheduled for this Thursday, January 22. Cost is $25. See www.TexasHealth.org/LitMed/.)

Wordcraft -- Year end writing contests

Just when we’re revving up for National Novel Writing Month craziness (November 1-30), I’ve found a way to make things even crazier: totally unrelated writing contests.

I first thought somebody was joking when a couple of contest blurbs showed up in my email recently. Contests? This late in the year? Which started me on a hunt to see how many more I could find. The answer was¾ a surprisingly large number, which I’m listing in order of urgency. Contests, NaNoWriMo¾ do try to get a little sleep and maybe a meal or two somewhere in between it all.

October 31, 2014: The Red Line magazine’s deadline for its current bimonthly short story on the theme, “Sex.” No reading fee. For details see http://overtheredline.com/.

October 31, 2014: Glimmer Train’s Very Short Fiction Award. (Although the magazine’s site, www.glimmertrain.com/, notes that there’s always a one-week grace period for submissions.) Reading fee is $15 in this contest for stories up to 3,000 words. Upcoming deadlines for other Glimmer Train contests are November 30, 2014; January 2, 2015; January 31, 2015; and March 15, 2015. See the site for rules and reading fees for each.

November 1, 2014: The First Line Literary Magazine’s winter contest using the first line, “We went as far as the car would take us.” No fees. See http://thefirstline.com/submission.htm/ for details.

November 15, 2014: Narrative 30 Below Contest. Open to writers, poets, and other artists between 18 and 30 years of age. $22 reading entry fee. See www.narrativemagazine.com/30-below-2014 for details.

December 20, 2014: ConDFW XIV short story contest. Open to amateur writers only. No fee for attendees at this Dallas science fiction/fantasy convention, $5 for non-attendees. See www.condfw.org/about-the-convention/short-story-contest/ for details.

January 31, 2015: The Writers League of Texas manuscript contest. You don’t have to
live in Texas to enter. You don’t even need a completed manuscript, only the first ten pages of your novel and a synopsis. It could be from those NaNoWriMo manuscripts we’re poised to start, or from nonfiction or memoir manuscripts. Fee is $55 for WLOT members, $65 for nonmembers. Submit using the online entry form, available November 1, at
www.writersleague.org/109/Manuscript-Contest/.

January 31, 2015: Historical Novel Society Indie Award. Any genre of historical novels (pre-1965 setting) from all formats of self-publishing. No entry fee. See http://historicalnovelsociety.org “Awards” for more information. (Details of additional contests for historical short stories and unpublished novels still to come at the HNS site.)

Want more contests? Check out listings at these additional sites: www.freelancewriting.com/, www.be-a-better-writer.com/, and www.writersviews.com/.

A late addition hit my inbox: Houston Writers House contests for novels, creative nonfiction manuscripts, short stories and poetry. Novel submissions are $10 per entry, and require only the first 10 pages of the manuscript. Deadline is November 30 (so maybe if we finish NaNoWriMo early?) See www.americansocietyfreelancers.com/contests for details.

Wordcraft -- Search the markets for historical fiction

I’m always looking for literary events in genres I love. And one of those genres is historical fiction. It’s not always easy to find. So I could hardly believe my eyes when three local book readings in two weeks featured works by writers of historical fiction. Make that, writers of bestselling historical fiction: Leila Meacham, Sue Monk Kidd, and Nancy Horan.

Chameleon that it is, historical fiction doesn’t get a shelf to itself in bookstores or libraries, lurking under appellations such as general fiction or general fiction, masked as mystery, romance, or young adult fiction. But just because historicals can be so transparent, it’s not always easy to find markets for them. As an experiment, I searched for--and found--historical short story publishers in Duotrope’s Digest using “historical” as a subgenre under each of its genre listings, general, action/adventure, erotica, fantasy, horror, mystery/crime, romance, science fiction, suspense/thrillers, and westerns.

Historical fantasy is almost too easy a search, with both historical and pseudo-historical subgenres like heroic fantasy, mythology and fairy tales, such as Fantasy Short Stories, http://fantasyshortstories.com/.

I thought historical science fiction would be impossible. But try expanding the search with the likes of alternate history such as the aptly titled Alt Hist, (which also publishes straight-forward historicals),
http://althistfiction.com/.

Don’t feel comfortable paying Duotrope’s $50 annual subscription price? Opt for a seven-day free trial,
http://duotrope.com/.

Or go totally free at a couple of alternative sites. The (Submission) Grinder offers many of the same search criteria as Duotrope at no charge (although it loves donations). Not as many markets as Duotrope, and I wasn’t able to link directly to publication websites as I was on Duotrope’s site. See
http://thegrinder.diabolicalpolots.com/.

Another free site, Ralan.com, doesn’t support searches by genre. Advertising itself as a site for speculative fiction and horror writers, it includes listings for more general publications as well, at
www.ralan.com/.

And while looking for historicals, don’t forget the Historical Novel Society. In addition to publishing short fiction in its magazine, it offers awards for both historical novels and outstanding short stories. Deadline for the 2014 short story contest is April 1, 2014. The entry fee is $15 ($5 for HNS members). For full rules, see http://historicalnovelsociety.org/hns-short-story-award-2014/.

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If you love genre fiction, save the date of March 15 for a day of writing workshops and authors’ appearances at the Barnes and Noble bookstore, The Parks at Arlington, 3881 S. Cooper St., Arlington, Texas. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, see

www.prlog.org/12289011-bringing-authors-to-local-area.html.

Adventure classics -- Choosing happiness

The Joy Luck Club

by Amy Tan

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Some time ago, I read an article by a well-known literary agent I won’t name, claiming she could only represent historical fiction if it was about a well-known historical character. The article was in Solander, the magazine formerly published by the Historical Novel Society.

Obviously, some major world figures have lived amazing fictional lives as well, although maybe it’s me, but I can’t imagine the life of an Abraham Lincoln who slays vampires, for instance, is anywhere near as fascinating as Lincoln’s actual life.

This blog has forced me to acknowledge things about myself I don’t always like to admit, and one of them is that I’d rather keep the biographies of world-shaking figures on the nonfiction shelf. I just as soon not see Lenin, for instance, hijack Dr. Zhivago. Or Augusto Pinochet usurp The House of the Spirits. And I applaud Amy Tan for keeping Chiang Kai-shek out of the way of the mah jong players of The Joy Luck Club.

Instead, she wrestles with her own place as the daughter of Chinese immigrants in American culture through the tales of four immigrant women and their daughters. That the tales are colored not only by the immigrant experience, but by the universal tug of war between generations, makes them so much the richer.

As Tan relates in her near-memoir, The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings, she didn’t intend The Joy Luck Club to be a novel at all. Her only previous fiction had been a few short stories, and she imagined her first book would be treated as a group of linked short stories. Instead, it emerged as a many faceted story of the great wave of Chinese immigrants fleeing a war-torn homeland for mid-twentieth for America, the Mountain of Gold.

Only, for friends Suyuan Woo, An-Mei Hsu, Lindo Jong, and Ying-Ying St. Clair, the beauty of the fabled Mountain of Gold proves as illusory as the beauties of the celebrated city of Kweilin where they live under siege during World War II.

“I dreamed about Kweilin before I ever saw it,” Suyuan tells her American-born daughter, Jing-mei “June” Woo. “. . .how quickly Kweilin lost its beauty for me. I no longer climbed the peaks to say, How lovely are these hills! I only wondered which hills the Japanese had reached.”

Thrown together with other wives whose husbands have gone to war, in the midst of a starving city, Suyuan forms a club to find a few hours of joy each week. “What was worse, we asked among ourselves, to sit and wait for our own deaths with proper somber faces? Or to choose our own happiness?”

The club binds the women through the horrors of war, their escape to America, and in Suyuan’s case, the breakup of her marriage to a brutal first husband. And in the next generation, the club will bind their daughters as well, as each unravels the central story of her mother‘s life.

For Tan, June Woo’s real life stand-in, that story was the revelation of her lost half-sisters, the children her mother was forced to leave behind during the war. (Fleeing for her life, Tan’s mother left three young daughters behind, although in the story these are condensed into a single pair of twin girls.)

“She touched each baby’s cheek and told her not to cry. She would go down the road to find them some food and would be back. And without looking back, she walked down the road, stumbling and crying. . . .”

What vampire slaying could top that?

For more about Tan, see www.amytanauthor.com/.

By the way, although Solander has gone the way of so many magazines, its publisher, The Historical Novel Society, still lives, holding its 2013 conference June 21-23 in St. Petersburg, Florida. More information and excerpts of the magazine are available at http://historicalnovelsociety.org/.

(Next Wednesday, another look at a family’s trials, seen through a father’s eyes, in Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth.)