SDCWG Fall Conference

On September 25^th and 26^th I had the pleasure of attending my second San Diego Christian Writer's Guild Fall Conference. At the Friday night Round Table I witnessed the Awards Ceremony for 2009's best fiction, non-fiction, poetry, etc. of the Guild members.

Congratulations to~

Susan Meissner, for The Shape of Mercy (fiction), and

Bob Hamer, for The Last Undercover (Non-fiction)

[Both books are on my To-Be-Read bookshelf]

I also received good information on the Christian book market from the panel of speakers.

I woke early on Saturday morning and rechecked my book proposal then took time to pray with my husband, T.Michael, before I set out. Sign-ups for the faculty consultations started at 7:45 and my number was 34 out of who knows how many. I have a slight tendency to run late, so I usually have my car's clock set seven minutes fast. Call me crazy but it works (sometimes). Except that on my way I realized I'd reset it the day before because I was picking up my in-laws at the airport and I didn't want them to think I was late. Oops.

So, while I thought I had seven extra minutes before sign-ups began, I was actually officially running late. By the time I got there they were past the numbered order of signing up and it was a free-for-all. The agent and the editor that I was hoping to sit with were all filled up. Oh bother.

But alas, they were not a perfect fit anyway. The editor only dealt with non-fiction, and the agent didn't usually represent Young Adult fiction nor did she generally sign new authors. So, it was not a total loss. Instead, I sat with two authors: Jack Cavanaugh and Susan Meissner. I asked them questions and they looked over my proposal: a one-page write-up about me and my book. Why I'm qualified to write it, a brief summary of the book (think jacket blurb), and target audience. Also, my one-page synopsis that succinctly outlined the entire book, followed by two sample chapters.

Both authors were hugely encouraging and gave helpful feedback on my writing. I was encouraged to take the next step of finding an agent.

And so I will. And you'll get to follow me as I do so, through the highs and the lows, as I pray all the while for wisdom and discernment in the decisions to be made.