EPICon 2010

On March 4-7, 2010, New Orleans will once again celebrate her recovery from Hurricane Katrina when she hosts the Electronic Publishing Internet Connection's annual writers’ convention. The four-day convention, EPICon, will include a networking mixer, a riverboat cruise, an awards banquet as well as workshops and seminars.

Keynotes speakers include award-winning romance author, Holly Jacobs, award-winning author and motivational speaker, Debra Dixon, literary agent, Deidre Knight, New York Times Bestselling author, C.T. Adams and Louisiana's own bestselling author, Deborah Leblanc, among others. As well there will be representatives from many of the top print and electronic publishing houses, including Mundania Press, Awe Struck, Phaze, Hardshell Word Factory, Red Rose Publishing, Leap Books, Belle Books, Loose Id, Oak Tree Press, L. L. Publications (Logical Lust) and more.

We are also offering very low cost ad space in our Conference Binder. Simply go to our Web site, www.epic-conference.com and click on Conference Binder for info.

Knowing EPIC is a non-profit organization, some of those already registered and those unable to attend have asked if they can contribute in some way. Absolutely and with great thanks! We are looking for sponsors to help defray the cost of events during the conference; The Thursday Night Mixer ($600), Saturday Night Riverboat Cruise and dinner ($2,000). Even something as small as the cost of name badges ($215) would be immensely appreciated . Full contribution for name badges would result in your name and/or logo on the badges. Now, we are not asking anyone to donate the full cost of the Riverboat Cruise or even the Mixer, but even $100 donations are very much welcome. We are also looking for items for the goody bags, and/or books (autographed or not) for a raffle basket. All proceeds from the raffle will go to the New Orleans Library system to help refill their shelves from Katrina loss. And all donations are tax deductible.

We hope you can join us for a Spring weekend in New Orleans and Lezzez le bon temp rouler! Let the good times roll.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Run Away Escape

I woke up this moring wishing I were somewhere else. Where? Who cares. LOL Okay, I had in mind a log cabin in the mountains. Maybe being snowed in. Have a good generator just in case the power goes out. A big fireplace. It can be a gas fireplace. Never liked cleaning out all that ash anyway. Enough food to last me. It can be canned chicken noodle soup and jerky, I don't care. (Wait! Brain flash, what a great way to diet.) And, last but not least, my computer. Yes, this would be a run away to work escape. No. Hubby would not be there. That's one of the reasons I want to escape. No hubby asking, When are you going to get off your butt and do something? No TV. No emails. Just me and my computer (no Internet), my cell phone for emergencies, and if a cell won't work in the mountains, then I'll accept a land line. I'll just resist going onto the Internet. I'd like a full month, please.

I truely believe if I could have one month all to myself I could get my first draft completed, plus a good start on plotting out the second story that is driving me nuts to get on the screen. Think about it. One month. Alone. Nothing to distract me. Stopping only to eat, no, make that stopping only to heat that soup or grab a stick or two of that jerky. I can work while I eat. Oh, yeah, and to sleep every once in a while.

Oh, you think a whole month by yourself would be lonely, creepy.... Okay, how about this. Some of the national parks has a program where writers can rent cabins very cheaply to do exactly what I'm describing. If you don't want to be by yourself , how about you and a friend or friends rent a couple/few cabins. You can still be alone when you want/need to be, but have the evenings/early mornings/mid afternoons to talk/brainstorm with your friend(s). Now come on. Doesn't this sound great?

Gads, dreams are wonderful.

Spring in New Oreans

Have you ever experienced spring in New Orleans. While most of the country is still suffering cold, damp weather, New Orleans is in bloom, the weather is warm.

Come see how we've come back since Katrina and gather with other writers.

http://www.epic-conference.com/

EPICon 2010, the writers' conference for the twentyfirst century.

2010 Goals

I'm not going to make any resolutions for 2010, but I'm going to set some goals.

1. Live through EPICon 2010.
2. Write.
3. Do a better job of keeping up my blog.
4. Write.
5. Help a friend rewrite her first book so it will be ready to submit.
6. Write.
7. Finish at least two books.
8. Write.
9. Have at least one book ready to release in E-book.
10. Diet (Now did you think I'd not drop that in?)

It's a new decade. If you believe all the 2012 prophets, it may be our last decade. We might as well go out kicking.

Not So Worthless

I was in one of my funks and trying to find a way to get out of it. I think we all have days where we feel basically worthless. So after reading one of my friend's blogs about all the things she could do, I sat down and thought of all the things I was good at. I really didn't think the list would be very long, but here it is:

I decoupage, macrame (Jewlery, purses, wall hangings without patterns. Give me a pattern and I can make anything.), rugs (I can braid room-sized rugs from rags), needlepoint, crochet, quilt, tat, paint landscapes, ceramics (I can pour the slip into the mold, remove, dry, clean, paint and fire. I have my own kiln.), throw pottery, embroider, make homemade candy as good as any you can find in fancy stores, and I can cook just about anything from scratch. I learned in the mid 60s how to make stained glass decorations and windows, but I've not done it in years.

But for the life of me, I cannot sew!

Not So

Rain

I love rain. I love the sound of it hitting the roof. I love the scent of ozone just before and right after it begins to rain. I love how it's able to cool the air on a hot summer day. I even love it on a cold winter day, with the fire place blazing and the lights turned down low.

I remember as a child I used to stay the summer at an aunt's farm in upstate New York. Any time it would rain I'd want to go out to the barn and listen to the rain striking the tin roof. I spent many a night in that barn, sleeping on a blanket on top of the hay and listening to the rain.

It's raining now. A slow but steady drumming on the roof lulling me into a peaceful respite from my day. I sit here and let my thoughts run from one topic to another with no real path or plan. Story ideas pop up, I jot them down, and move on to the next thing my mind wants to unload.

I'll set aside the frustrations of the day. I no longer care that one of the kitchen lights decided to die and there is no way to find one to match. Maybe it's time to find something more modern.

I'm not going to worry that EPICon is three months away. It will be okay. I've worked hard and it will pay off. People will register. People will come to New Orleans and have fun. I'll be able to sit back on another night like tonight and say, You did okay, kid.