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!

WORKING HARD BUT HAVING FUN

THIS BLOG IS SUBMITTED BY SANDRA BOWMAN (aka Skype Mistress)

On Sunday the #MDC3Conference board met to discuss the upcoming event.

Sandra, Juli, Denise, Cindy, Dee
Austin, Ann (not pictured, Larry)

Since we all live a distance away from each other we decided to do SKYPE and boy did we have a ball. First on the 'test' call, everyone could see +B Swangin Webster but she could see nothing but the avatar or a blank screen. Not to worry, she would fix that in the twenty minutes before the call. +Ann Arbaugh couldn't connect to SKYPE so we called her on +Denise Camacho cellphone and had her on speaker. Everything is set, right?


Wrong, Wrong and Wrong.

The call started with everyone announcing themselves and the rule of only one person talking at a time was established. Great...we started off with Larry giving his update and then Juli and then +Austin Camacho and then it happened. It went something like this.

"Hello, Larry, I didn't hear what you said...are you there...Larry...Larry...LARRY...I THINK WE LOST LARRY! LARRY!"  (ok, maybe it wasn't that dramatic)

+Dee Lawrence was still on the line and said, "I can still see him connected" and so did I. Even +Juli Monroe could see he was still on the line and after a harrowing five minutes Larry called back!

Excited I tried connecting him but then something happened...Dee and Juli were now on hold! What! Hello! Hello! Hold on Larry, I think I need to reconnect...I 'resume the call' with Dee and Juli but now, Larry is on hold! oh wait! now what the Sam Hell is going on! Hold on Larry"....hey what's that noise....Ann said she needed to go into another room and now, suddenly there is the sound of rushing water! Oh no! Is Ann drowning...'Ann! Ann! are you there! Ann, are you OK?

Good lord, I think she's drowning!" Austin said (I think he was panicked but he won't admit it)

Flustered I said, "Lawd, Ann's drowning, Larry's lost....look, I think I need to redo this...everyone hang up and I'll call back."

Ann said, "ok" We (Austin, Denise and Sandra) yelled "Noooooooooo, not you Ann; just Skype"

I called everyone back, except Ann who by now should have had on a life vest; and the call continued without problem. After the call, Ann posted to Facebook and gasp! clutch the pearls, we forgot to add +CindyLauth to the call! Forgive us for we know not what we do.

See, although we were working hard, we still had fun! Miles away and we still find a way to cut up! Don't worry Larry, you will get used to it; Just ask Austin.

Until next month...I wonder what will happen then?

CASUAL, INCLUSIVE AND FUN

This blog was submitted by Lane Stone:

Panels at C3 reflected the casual, inclusive spirit of the conference.  By way of follow up, I thought I’d inflict the notes I had prepared for my panels on you now.

Here are the bullet points from my remarks in the “What’s so funny about…?”  

According to my informal survey people preferred the first Sex in the City movie to the second.  In the follow on, there was too much ‘set up for a joke, joke.’  Humor in your novel should be organic to the plot and the characters. Next, consider your genre.  In mysteries, you can use humor to give your readers a break from the tension you've created.  Whereas, in romance, including romantic suspense, editors tend prefer your heroine have very few funny lines. Her best friend can cracks jokes all the time.  Last, and you’ll have to trust me on this, after you read your funny lines a couple of hundred times you’ll question them.  Rely on your critique partner. 

“The morals of heroes & heroines.”   

 In this post-Breaking Bad world, we need to think of our protagonist’s moral code, rather than his or her morals.  In my Tiara Investigations series, the three sleuths start a detective agency and don’t tell their husbands, which forces them to meet clients at a local Cracker Barrel.  Sure, this deceit might look immoral to some, but it is consistent with their code of sisterhood.   Consistency is key – until it’s not.  Again, consider your genre.  In romantic suspense, characters are expected to change. They work their way through some internal conflict and are different by the end of the book, so they can – you guessed it – love again.  In cozy mysteries, the sleuth changes very little.  Think Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.  Your sleuth’s life might change (or not) but not her moral code.  And remember, show don’t tell your hero or heroines moral code.  

Loved the conference! 

LaneStone