FOUR DAYS AND COUNTING

We are so excited we could burst!

Four days until the 2nd annual +MdC3Con is here. On October 10; authors, fans and writers will descend upon +HuntValley Maryland to attend the Creatures, Crimes and Creativity conference.

We have worked hard to put together this conference for you. The board members have met every month and tweak, stretched and scratched our heads on how to make it a great conference for you.

You will be surprised on the number of suggestions that we took from the survey's last year to make you the conference that you wanted.

From more fan panels to more time to network; we listened and we hope that you will enjoy this conference.

We have more volunteers who will be wearing some really cool hats for you to find them more easily. We also have a scavenger hunt planned with the grand prize being a KINDLE FIRE..now how cool is THAT!

So, get your pens, paper and brains ready. We are going to have a blast and we can't wait to see you all.

If you are going to be there, spread the word about our book signing. We have not one but 3 New York Times bestselling authors signing their books on Friday AND Saturday. So grab your wallet and camera and come on down; they are waiting for you and have their smiles ready!

WHAT'S IN THE NAME?

We are gearing up for this to be the best convention/conference yet!

You may have noticed that we changed the term conference to convention and you may be wondering why.

Well in our experience, the word conference seems to indicate that you are merely there to meet for a consultation or discussion.  The word convention means covering matters in a less formal setting.

Doesn't that convey what we are doing at the Creatures, Crimes and Creativity Convention. We are meeting in a less formal setting to convey or cover the world of writing for fans, readers and authors.

In discussing the name for the convention we wanted something that was all inclusive to the writing community. We however wanted to take into account those people who are "in the process" of writing and we thought, well all authors or wanna be authors are "creative". Then we wanted to make sure to include those mystery writers and thought of "crimes", after all what is a good mystery without a little bit of crime. However crimes also cover thrillers and suspense. Then we needed something that included our paranormal, Sci-Fi and Horror writers. So of course came 'creatures". So as you can see the title that we thought of had to include a lot of different genres and we feel that with the inclusion of all of the above mentioned genres, that the 'convention' would be a great way to bring it all together.

This is the second year and it has double in size from it's first year. We are so very happy and we hope that you will leave the C3 con with a newfound love of writing and also with a kick in the seat of your pants to put your butts in the chair and finish that novel.

So, have you signed up? If you have, leave us a comment about what you hope to accomplish at the convention.

If you haven't signed up, it is not to late; you can do so right here--->Creatures, Crimes and Creativity Con

We hope to see you there on October. 10-12, 2014 in Hunt Valley, Maryland. It is going to be a blast!

A PINCH OF THIS...A DASH OF THAT!

Guest blog by Kathryn Johnson (aka Mary Hart Perry)

       Perhaps it’s because I love to cook—buttery popovers, succulent roast chicken, sweet and moistly rich red-velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing (really, whatever suits my mood)—that I often think of novel writing in the same way. I start with a hunger for a particular mix of story elements, grab my ingredients, and get to work. The desire to experiment and create is something we all share—whether that means baking, writing, or tinkering with car engines. If, like me, your reading tastes are eclectic—and you also enjoy writing fiction—you, too, might consider mixing genres not only in your to-be-read pile but also in your to-be-written file.

         Here’s where it starts for many of us. . . One lazy Saturday you’re in the mood for an edge-of-the-chair thriller. Another evening you long to mellow out with a moving love story. Still another day your brain cells call out for challenging mystery or a mind-blowing adventure set in an exotic locale. There certainly are a great many exciting thrillers, romances, and adventure stories being written by talented authors today. But I guess I’m a little greedy. I want it all. All in one book, that is.

And that—pure selfishness—is the raison d’être for the series I’ve been working on for the past few years. If I were to apply a label to these novels—three published, so far—I’d call them romantic Victorian thrillers. The ingredients are drawn from my favorite genres: mystery, romance, and historical fiction. And the recipe is this: Each novel, so far, is based on real events surrounding Queen Victoria’s family and features one of the little queen’s three daughters as the protagonist. Based in fact and the Victorian era, I’m able to satisfy my love of history. But then the creative writer takes over—after all, I’m not penning a biography or history text—and I develop an interesting mystery with quickly paced thriller element to challenge my royal protagonist. Only then, when the first two elements are locked down, do I allow myself to give my hero and heroine a romance. Because, after all, what is life without a little love?

I’ve had such fun with these stories. If you get a chance to read any of my Mary Hart Perry novels, I hope you’ll let me know what you think of the mix. What genres or elements of fiction would you include in your own creative story blend?

Meanwhile, here’s just a tiny bit about each of the Mary Hart Perry novels. . .The Wild Princess: Princess Louise, considered the wild-child of the royal family because she wishes to become—Gasp!—an artist, struggles to protect the queen from an assassination attempt by Irish separatists who are bombing London. When a mysterious American borrowed by the Queen’s Secret Service steps in to chase down the culprits, he sets his heart on capturing more than the dynamiteers.

           Seducing the Princess: Beatrice, youngest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, is expected to shun all men and devote herself entirely to her widowed mother, “unto the grave”. But when the Bea finally falls in love, the Queen is horrified to find her daughter has not one but two suitors. Will they sort out which one truly loves her, and which one is a spy secretly planted at the palace by the ruthless heir to Germany’s throne?

              The Shadow Princess: The year 1888 brings tragedy to Crown Princess Vicky, Queen Victoria’s eldest child. Empress of Germany for just 3 months before her husband died, Vicky is now without a “job”, since her adopted country’s throne has gone to Willy, her mad son. When news of Jack-the-Ripper’s shocking murders in London reaches her—and she learns that nephew Eddie is at the top of the list of suspects, she must rush home to clear the family name. It’s there that Vicky tangles with an intriguing Whitechapel detective, who is as intent on catching the Ripper as he is on avoiding romantic entanglements with a lovely royal.

You can find out more about these books, sign up for a newsletter, or contact me, through these links. Happy reading and writing! Kathryn Johnson (aka Mary Hart Perry)

www.WriteByYou.com

www.MaryHartPerry.com

Facebook:  on.fb.me/Kj7hzU

Twitter: @Mary_Hart_Perry

www.Goodreads.com/Mary_Hart_Perry

Email: Kathryn@WriteByYou.com

AND NOW THE WORK BEGINS

The C3 Conference ended last Sunday, a little before noon. The panelists were heading home, the hotel was quiet and the board members were exhausted.

The drive home was spent in reflection.

Had everyone enjoyed themselves? Was it what I wanted it to be? Did I do a good job moderating my panels? Did everyone think I was funny, stupid or just an annoyance? Did my shoes photograph well?

I know people enjoyed themselves and I know that although there weren't that many fans there, I think the authors had a great time.

Look, we (the board members) tried our hardest to get the fans involved but we didn't have costumes, movie stars or TV stars and we didn't have a game room that stayed open all night. We didn't have the 8-3-1 rule (for those that don't know it is...sleep for at least 8 hours, eat at least 3 times and take at least 1 shower) Apparently at some 'fan' based conferences they have to state that rule up front. Well we didn't have that rule although a lot of us ended up in the bar, we still managed to get enough rest that we didn't look like we were zombies. (hint: +visine is your friend at a conference)

What we did have was panels that were informative, authors that were accessible and volunteers that were helpful. We thought we wouldn't get a lot of feedback but you know what; we did and all of the feedback has been positive.

Were there problems, sure, just like any conference but those problems were so small we could swat them away. (for those of you at the conference, you know what I am talking about) Hey, that was a good problem to have. Not every first time conference can say that they had almost 80 people there, the food was great and the entertainment was fantastic!

We Can!

All that to say, hopefully next year fans will want to come even if we don't have those silly rules and no game room. If not, the writers and their friends, who have now become fans, will have a blast. Just like they did this year.

If you were there and took pictures of our marketing director and her shoes, please send them to our shoe diva so she can post them here and on her blog; aptly called "Shoes On Tour 2013"

Next year's conference is scheduled for October 10-12 and will have more great authors, more great panelists and the cutest shoes our marketing director can find. You don't want to miss it!

Submitted by: Sandra Bowman

THE C3 CONFERENCE FIT THE BILL

Submitted by: Robin Murphy

There was a reason for my excited anticipation for the C3 conference.  I had searched for the last couple of years to find the “right” conference to attend.  The issues I ran into were either distance (West coast), cost, or quite frankly, not permitted to attend due to the fact my publisher wasn’t found on their “approved” list.

Then, while I was out perusing the members section of the Sisters in Crime website, I found the listing for 2013 conferences.  Lo and behold, I discovered Creatures, Crime, and Creativity.  As I read the description, and then further reviewed their website, I finally found a writer’s conference that fit the bill.

From the start, the communications and transactions with the powers that be (i.e. Austin Camacho, Denise Camacho, Sandra Bowman, Delia Lawrence, and Lauren Carr) were clear, concise, cordial, and patient.  I’ve been in the administrative world for over 30 years and have organized my share of events, so I know the work that goes into making a conference a success, and in my estimation, that’s exactly what the C3 conference was…a success.

From the moment I arrived, I was warmly welcomed and felt as if I knew the organizers.  I was given easy to understand instructions, received my nifty “gift bag” filled with a ton of goodies, and then was led to the opening ceremony promptly at noon.

Speaking of goodies, there was a unique approach at this conference.  They allowed the first response authors to contribute a story of their own to the C3 Anthology, which was published by Acorn Book Services and only distributed to conference attendees.  What a great way to combine talent in one book!

The first panel I sat on regarding publishing a series with Austin Camacho and Bill Rapp felt like I was sitting in a coffee shop discussing and sharing ideas and tips.  I wasn’t the least bit nervous, and without a doubt, Austin clearly knew his panel and the subject matter, because the conversation flowed seamlessly.

The rest of the weekend continued in the same manner with great panel discussions, wonderful keynote speakers, and amazing fans and authors.  Oh, and let’s not forget the great food that was included in the conference registration fee.  They even allowed my son to attend the dinner Friday evening for just a small added cost for his meal.  Everyone was so easy going.

The one thing that stood out above everything else was that I felt as if I was on the exact same level as John Gilstrap and Jeff Deaver, who were completely approachable and quite funny!  There was no pretense on their part and they were so willing to share their “do’s and don’ts”.

I met some great people and did some amazing networking throughout the weekend.  I believe these newfound relationships will remain bonded and I look forward to seeing them all at the 2014 C3 conference.  I can’t deny I’m dying to see what “shoes” Sandra will be showcasing next year!

CON YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS

Okay, I’m not proposing that you do anything illegal here. What I’m proposing is that if you’re an author or an unpublished writer you should consider attending writer’s conferences or cons as us authors like to call them as a path to success.  Cons provide a wealth of information that writers find very useful: how to start a novel, how to plot story lines, how to develop strong characters, how to promote and market through social media and the list goes on.  It gives you a platform to be visible as a panelist to “strut” your stuff, to act as a moderator – showing that you can manage the authors and the audience and if you’re not quite comfortable doing either, you can always be a volunteer. Regardless, it affords you the opportunity to meet, mix and mingle with like-minded individuals and who knows you may run into your “writing” hero.

When I decided to become serious about my writing, I quickly joined the Maryland Writers’ Association and was eager to attend my first con. I remember it was on a brisk Saturday morning in spring and I dragged a couple members of my writer’s critique group along with me.  We were the first ones to arrive. After receiving my “goodie” bag of freebies, I started going through the list of workshops and one in particular caught my eye. It was being taught by Leslie Esdaile Banks aka “L.A. Banks.” She was so engaging as a speaker sharing how she got started writing and that we should consider writing a “business.” Unfortunately, a few months later, she succumbed to cancer. However, I was glad I was in her presence at this con. Since then I’ve attended the Eastern Shore Writers Conference twice and was a panelist at the Love is Murder conference in Chicago earlier this year.

Fast forward a few months later and I’ve taken on a new role as the Author Panel Coordinator for the Creatures, Crimes and Creativity Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, September 13 – 15, 2013 at the Hunt Valley Inn. This con will bring together readers and writers of mystery, suspense, thriller, horror, sci-fi, fantasy and steam punk. My job is to communicate with all registered authors and ensure that they are placed on the panels of their choices so that they can “strut” their stuff. This is not an easy task as most of the authors would like to be placed on the “hot” panels such as “New Writers Talk About their First Novel,” “What Makes a Hero,” “Men Writing the Softer Side/Women the Rough Stuff,” etc. So, the juggling begins when all the choices come rolling in.

With all of these moving pieces, I’m thankful that I’m very organized in coordinating and putting things together. Overall, it’s a very exciting process and I look forward to meeting, mixing and mingling with all the authors and fans when they all come to con their way to success!  

Submitted by: Author Deliah Lawrence

Meet and Greet

Today we would like to introduce you to one of the authors that will attend the conference this year.

She signed up recently and we decided to put her on the spot and have a short meet and greet with her.

Her name is D.A. Spruzen and we would like to tell you a little about her.

Hello everyone, my name is Dorothy Spruzen Hassan, but my pen name (maiden name) is D. A. Spruzen.

I am President of the Northern Virginia Writers Club and delight in communing with my fellow writers. I attend writing conferences and workshops whenever my schedule allows, and am looking forward to the C3 Conference where I will meet writers closer to home than is the norm. There is always something to learn, always that golden nugget of information ready to drop into my lap if I remember to stop and listen.

I’m a writer of fiction and poetry and have lived in Northern Virginia since 1971, except for a two-year hiatus in the Middle East. I grew up near London, U.K., earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Queens University of Charlotte, and teach writing for Fairfax County Schools Adult and Community Education program and the McLean Community Center.  I also run private critique workshops in my home.

In another life I was Manager of Publications for a defense contractor. My undergraduate degree was in dance education and I served on the faculty of a London Theater school before coming to the U.S.A. My short stories and poems have appeared in many publications, and I am seeking representation for my novel The Blitz Business, set in WWII England.  The first two novels in my Flower Ladies Trilogy, Not One of Us and Lily Takes the Field, are available on Kindle and in other e-book formats, as well in paperback.  My first poetry chapbook, Long in the Tooth, will be published by Finishing Line Press in June 2013.

My husband and I live in McLean, Virginia with a Jack Russell terrier who doesn’t know he’s old and doesn’t know he’s small. If you want to look me up, all you have to do is click on one of the links below.

I hope to see you in Septemeber!

www.daspruzen.com

Not One of Us

http://tinyurl.com/93c3p5s    

Lily Takes the Field

http://tinyurl.com/8dskcv5    

Crossroads

http://tinyurl.com/9jvowq8    

Long in the Tooth

www.Finishinglinepress.com

Posted by: Author D.A. Spruzen

A Conference kind of weekend.

This weekend +Austin Camacho and +B Swangin Webster attended the +Bay to Ocean Writers Conference.

Every year this conference is held in Queenstown Maryland at the Cheaspeake College. Their mission is to inform, encourage and inspire writers of all levels. They strive to share helpful knowledge and experiences among the writers in attendence.

The day is filled with panel discussions that hit on every topic from marketing, to blogging, to poetry.

Intrigue Publishing is always in attendence as Austin Camacho is one of their dedicated speakers.
This year was no different. His class on developing a plot was well attended and the questions that were asked went from how to not get writers block (that would be by making an outline) to writing in a spiral vs straight ahead.

Even best selling authors had a question or two.

This year, Intrigue Publishing hopes to bring some of those authors and aspiring authors to our conference by offering different panels and hosting some great NY Times best selling authors such as +John Gilstrap and @Jeffrey Deaver as well as +Christopher Golden and +Trice Hickman

Wilson Wyatt and his team of dedicated volunteers put on a great one day conference and if you have never been, you really need to think about going.

If you missed this conference, it is not to late to register for C3.

Our conference is in September 13-15, 2013 in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

After all, you are never to accomplished to learn something new.

Best Way to Improve Sales: Give Readers a Free Sample!

Have you ever heard of Mrs. Fields. She’s the lady that makes those great homemade chocolate chip cookies. Do you know how she became Mrs. Fields? Besides marrying Mr. Fields.

Answer: She gave out free samples.

Mrs. Fields made up a platter of her cookies and walked up and down the street handing out free cookies. Yep! She gave them away! Then, once customers became hooked, they started buying those cookies by the bag-full and Mrs. Fields became the Queen of Cookies!

So, when my publishing company Acorn Book Services signed on to sponsor the C3 Conference, I asked myself how best to promote not just myself as an author, but those authors who I work with. Then, my thought turned to those new authors who may be nervously attending the C3 conference for the first time as an author.

How does a new author, who is promoting his or her very first book, convince readers that they are good? That they are worthy of spending a few bucks on their first book?

Answer: Give out free samples!

That is the purpose of the C3 (Creatures, Crimes, and Creativity) Anthology.  Acorn Book Services will publish and give a copy of our anthology to each attendee at the conference.

Picture this! You are a new author on your first panel. The readers are sitting in the audience thinking, “Well, he seems like a nice guy, but I can’t afford to buy a copy of all of these authors’ books. How do I decide?”

You answer their hesitation by holding up the anthology. “And you can read a copy of my short story in the anthology that you received in your welcome pack. It starts on page 42.”

The readers will read your story. Fall in love and you’ll have a fan, or two, or three, or a hundred!

Please pay close attention to their submission guidelines below:

Word Count: Maximum 7,500 words.

Limit: One short story per author, who must be registered and attending the C3 conference.

Limited to twenty-five stories accepted for publication so be sure and get registered today so your story can be part of the anthology! Space in the anthology is limited. I wish we could afford to publish a hundred stories, but we can’t.

Please include author photo, bio, website, and other information to accompany short story in the anthology.

Short stories accepted for the anthology must be edited, and will be edited and proofed by Acorn Book Services. By submitting a short story, the author agrees to giving Acorn Book Services rights of usage of the short story in the Anthology to be published in print and e-book form (at the cost of Acorn Book Services). The printed format will be given to attendees of the C3 conference. This anthology will serve as a promotional tool for the authors, who will retain all ownership rights to their story.

After the conference, Acorn Book Services will then release the anthology in e-book form on Amazon. In this e-book format, in exchange for use of their short story, the author will receive further promotion as the e-book will also include the author’s bio and links to their website and places where their books can be purchased.

All of this is at no cost to the author, other than the cost of attending the C3 conference. All proceeds from the sale of the e-book version will be retained by Acorn Book Services to help offset production cost of the anthology.

Deadline to submit: March 1, 2013.

For more information or to submit your story contact Acorn Book Services at writerlaurencarr@gmail.com

 

The Dream Book Event for an Independent Author

By Lauren Carr

Back in the days of the “giant lizard” (aka dinosaurs), after my first book, A Small Case of Murder was published; I was told in no uncertain terms, “You need to go to conferences. That is where you meet and make fans and they get to know you.”

So I started going to conferences, where I met some fans, as well as authors who showed me a few ropes that I would not have learned otherwise. As with everything, there were a few problems in fulfilling this conference attending requirement.

Problem Number One: Conferences Are Expensive—especially if they’re out of town, which is usually the case. Between the registration fee, meals, and hotel, especially in today’s economy, the cost can be prohibitive. If you are mid-list or below, most likely you aren’t going to make enough money in book sales at the conference to cover the cost. Argument can be made that the benefit of going to the conference comes from meeting fans who will buy your books at the event and hopefully continue purchasing your books in the future.

 Problem Number Two: Lack of Exposure for Independent (self-published) Authors—which, in conjunction with Problem Number One, can drive most authors to stay home.

With the vast changes in technology opening doors for independent authors, I began independently publishing my own books when I released It’s Murder, My Son.  (That’s another story.) At the same time, some conferences made the decision that self-published authors would not be assigned to author panels. This means lack of exposure to authors who have the confidence to invest in their own books. Fans don’t meet or see them, which renders attending these conferences useless.

In spite of this, It’s Murder, My Son, and my other independently published books (Old Loves Die Hard, Shades of Murder, Dead on Ice) have been receiving great reviews and great sales.

When other authors, seeing my success asked for my help, I ended up becoming a publisher: Acorn Book Services.  In working with my authors, I have struggled with ideas in how to personally introduce them to readers at great events like a conference, where they can experience the pride they have earned as authors.

I was playing with the idea of establishing my own conference when I got an e-mail from Sandra Bowman of Intrigue Publishing announcing the dates of Creatures, Crime, and Creativity Conference to take place in Baltimore. Immediately, I hit the reply button and asked, “Is this conference friendly toward independent authors?”

Moments later (seconds really!) came Sandra’s reply, “Certainly.” We set up a dinner meeting with her and Austin S Camacho (author and publisher). I was so excited that I barely ate. This was the type of conference I was looking for not just for myself, but my authors.

Days later, Acorn Book Services was a sponsor for the Creatures, Crime, and Creativity Conference (C3), to take place in Baltimore on September 13, 14, and 15, 2013.

Not only is the C3 conference friendly toward independent authors, but it is affordable. This is the first conference I have seen where the meals are included in the event for the whole weekend!

C3’s goal is to introduce fans to new authors, no matter how they are published. None of that matters. Yes, fans will be drawn by the big names who are attending (Jeffrey Deaver and Trice Hickman, to name two), but during the weekend, through author panels and other events (including a scavenger hunt), there is no way they can leave without meeting new names in mystery, suspense, paranormal, crime, and fantasy writing.

If you’re an author, you will be one of those authors that fans are going to meet!

Fans will also be meeting new authors through the C3 Anthology, which Acorn Book Services is going to publish exclusively for this event. Every fan, author, and agent attending this event will get a free copy of the C3 anthology. After the conference, Acorn Book Services will be publishing the anthology in e-book form, which means the marketing benefit will be continuing after the weekend for those authors published in the C3 Anthology. Space in the book is limited only to authors registered for the C3 event.

My next post will be more details about the anthology. To learn more right now, go to the anthology page on the C3 website and register for the conference today. This is your chance to meet and make new fans! 

What is genre?

I’ll soon see the release of the fourth book in my Stark & O’Brien series . 

When I wrote the first book I knew it was action/adventure.  That’s what they were calling other similar novels at the time.  Then at some point I was told that what I write are really international thrillers.  Okay, people seemed to understand that meant lots of action and suspense, although before that I had thought thrillers were scary.

Then the other day I was describing my novels to someone who doesn’t read thrillers.  When I mentioned that my two protagonists happen to have a psychic link that warns one when the other is in danger her eyes lit up.  “Oh!  So you really write UF or PNR!”

I nodded and smiled but when I got home I had to Google it.  UF turns out to be short for Urban Fantasy.  These books aren’t urban in the sense of books about drug lords and hookers.  In this case urban is NOT a euphemism for African American or gangbanger style.  UF literally means fantasy fiction – ghosts, goblins and demons – set in a city.  Jim Butcher seems to be the leader of this pack, although C3 conference keynote speaker Christopher Golden is also a leading figure.  A lot of this material is what I would have called horror.  Much of what Bram Stoker and Stephen King have written would qualify as Urban Fantasy.

Then there’s PNR – ParaNormal Romance.  This label seems to separate the vampires and werewolves (and other shape shifters) from the UF books.  Of course, as the name implies there has to be a romance element, but vampires and werewolves still sound like horror to me.  Except that a lot of these books (like Laurell K. Hamilton’s  work) are about vampire hunters or demon hunters, and they read like action/adventure to me… or maybe I mean thrillers.

When we set up the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity conference we tried to take in all the fictional genres that seemed to fit together: mystery, suspense, thriller, horror, science fiction, fantasy and even the newcomer steampunk (a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid that would have described Jules Verne’s and HG Wells’ work.)  But we didn’t account for the rush of new sub-genres.  So it’s startling when someone writes, “I see you don’t take romance, and that’s what I write but my books have shape-shifters and elves.  Will I fit in at your conference?”  To me that’s fantasy, or horror, or SOMEWHERE in that space.

My point, (and I do have one)  is that if you think the books you love to read might edge their way into one of the categories we’re touting for the C3 Conference, then you can be sure you’ll meet others who read them, and maybe someone who writes them.  So bring your love of genre fiction in almost all its forms to the C3 Conference in September.

And let me know what other sub-genre we should call out to.

What's all the fuss about?

I'm sure you are asking yourself that very question, right about now.

No...you're not. Well why aren't you?

The noise that you hear are the gears grinding together of the collective minds of Denise Camacho, Austin Camacho and Sandra Bowman.

We have been hard at work planning the C3Conference next year.
The Creatures, Crimes and Creativity Conference; get it, C3; is coming up in September 13-15, 2012.

We have secured four great guests. Jeffery Deaver, John Gilstrap, Chris Golden and Trice Hickman.

We have nailed down a venue. The Hunt Valley Inn near Baltimore.

We have pinned down a team of dedicated volunteers. Ok, well we didn't have to pin them down, but we did have to chase them for a little while, but Ann Arbaugh, Deliah Lawrence, Juli Monroe and Cyndi Lauth graciously agreed to help us.

They have even secured a couple of sponsors, Frugal Bliss organic bath products and Acorn Book Services. Don't fret, it's not to late if you would like to sponsor something or donate something to the hospitality suite.

Yes, that noise that you hear is us hard at work putting together the best conference that $275 can buy.

Where else will you find Steam punk, Thrillers, Mysteries, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror and Suspense in one place?

We have planned a few surprises, like...wait, if I told you then you wouldn't attend, now would you?

So what's all the fuss about?
Why not click this link, www.creaturescrimesandcreativity.com and find out.

You are in for a surprise!

Welcome to the first entry on the official blog for the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity conference.This con will be the annual gathering place for writers and fans of genre fiction in the Mid-Atlantic area, something that we think has been missing for a long time.

Well, maybe not all genre fiction.We don’t expect a lot of romance writers to show up, but if you love to read or write stories of mystery or suspense, if you love a good thriller or horror tale, if science fiction or fantasy is your bag, or if you’re getting into the steampunk style, this will be the con for you.

We have a website – www.creaturescrimesandcreativity.com – we have a contact email - dbcamacho@hotmail.com – and, 346 days out, we have a spectacular slate of key note speakers and special guests.So why do we need a blog?

Well, I can think of three reasons.First, there will be too much going on at this conference for us to put all the details on our web site.We plan a scavenger hunt for attendees.There will be a beer tasting and a wine tasting.A video crew will be on hand to shoot author interviews.And the registration packet will include an original anthology featuring some of the attending authors.You’ll want the details of these and other specials planned and in the blog we’ll have the space to give you those details.

And that’s just what we know now.We expect things to grow and change over the next eleven months and we can keep you up to date here.It’s also the ideal place to call your attention to deadlines for things like early bird pricing, anthology submissions and author bios for the program.

Finally, this blog will be a chance for attending authors and con sponsors to talk directly to you about what they’re up to and what they plan to do at the C3 Con.This will help you know who you want to find and get to know better when you arrive in Baltimore next year.

Our greatest objective at the C3 Con is to provide a venue for readers to get up close and personal with writers, and for authors to be able to communicate directly with their fans.This blog is just an extension of that goal.

So check back here every week for the latest on the C3 conference.