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!

TEN MORE REASONS TO REGISTER FOR C3

Continuing the top reasons to attend the conference...Here are reasons number eleven through twenty.

Reason #11 to register now for the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Conference - #mdc3con: writers (and aspiring writers) can sign up for pitch sessions with agents like Alec Shane from Writers House, one of the biggest New York literary agencies. Learn more about Alec on the C3 website.    

 Reason #12 to register now for the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Conference - #mdc3con: Mystery author Brad Parks will be interviewed at Saturday’s lunch and will speak on panels. 

 At the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Conference- #mdc3con-Mystery author Brad Parks will be interviewed at Saturday’s lunch and will speak on panels. Register now! 

 Reason #13 to register now for the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Conference - #mdc3con: Paranormal/urban fantasy writer C.J. Ellisson will be interviewed at Sunday breakfast and will give a master class for authors.   

 At the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Con - #MdC3con-  Paranormal/urban fantasy writer C.J. Ellisson will be interviewed at Sunday breakfast and will give a master class for authors.  Register now! 

 Reason #14 to register now for the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Conference - #mdc3con: Published authors get to spend time with their fans, and to expose new readers to their writing by presenting on panels.       

At the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Con- #MdC3con- Published authors get to spend time with their fans, and to expose new readers to their writing by presenting on panels. Register now! 

 Reason #15 to register now for #mdc3con: Registered authors’ books will be available in the on-site bookstore and there will be two giant book signings.

At the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Con- #MdC3con- Registered authors’ books will be available in the on-site bookstore and there will be two giant book signings. Register now! 

 Reason #16 to register now for #mdc3con: Attending authors will be pictured in the C3 program book 

 Reason #17 to register for #mdc3con:  best-selling mystery author Brad Parks will teach a Master Class called “Where Papa Going With That Ax?” – Writing page-turning fiction that seizes a reader’s imagination and then holds it for 350 pages is damn hard. But the concepts behind it are actually quite simple. As a matter of fact, one novel we’ll study accomplishes everything you want fiction to do in just four paragraphs. We’ll also study voice, character, pacing and unveil the patented Brad Parks Formula For Suspense. No need to bring calculators.

 Reason #18 to register for #mdc3con: International bestselling romantic suspense/sci-fi/fantasy author Rebecca York will teach a Master Class: "A novel must look, sound, smell and taste real to the reader.  But it’s not reality.  It’s a world you build.  From plot and character to setting and dialogue, you make the decisions that define your fictional universe."

Reason #19 to register now for the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Con - #mdc3con: International best-selling thriller author John Gilstrap gives a class called "Broken Bones, Ballistics and Back drafts: Technical Stuff the Writers Get Wrong." Readers are getting more sophisticated all the time, and it's a writer's job to get the details right. John Gilstrap brings his thirty years of experience as a firefighter, EMT, safety engineer and hazardous materials specialist to the classroom in a lively, interactive session to teach the basics of projectile ballistics, fire behavior, how explosives work, and how the human body functions. What actually happens when a person gets shot or stabbed? Do silencers really work? He'll answer these and many other questions. 

Reason #20  Want dozens of writers and avid readers to know about YOUR book or service for writers.  Place an ad in the Creatures, Crimes and Creativity (C3 Con) Program book.

http://creaturescrimesandcreativity.com/?page_id=415

So, click here--->C3 Con to register for this conference. You don't want to miss it.

TOP TEN REASONS TO ATTEND THE C3 CON

Reason #1 to register the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity conference today: Enjoy 36 panels and presentations of interest to readers, fans and writers. #mdc3con

 Reason #2 Everyone at the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Con  - #MdC3con – gets the exclusive C3 Anthology-20 stories by attending authors like Brad Parks & Rebecca York. This annual collectors’ item is NOT sold in stores or on line. 

Reason #3 to register now for the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Conference #mdc3con: 1 lucky attendee will win a new Kindle Fire in our Twitter contest.

 Reason #4 to register now for the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Conference  -#mdc3con: 1 lucky attendee will win a $50 Amazon gift certificate in our scavenger hunt.

 Reason #5 to register now for the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Conference - #mdc3con: International best-selling thriller author John Gilstrap will deliver a keynote address at Saturday’s dinner.  Come meet the author of the Jonathan Grave series!  

Reason #6 to register now for the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Conference - #mdc3con: International bestselling romantic suspense/sci-fi/fantasy author Rebecca York will deliver a keynote address at Friday’s dinner.                      

 Reason #7 to register now for the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Conference - #mdc3con: It will be a great chance to spend the weekend with fans and authors of mystery, suspense, thriller, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and paranormal fiction.      

 Reason #8 to register now for the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Conference  - #mdc3con: The registration fee includes five meals: Friday’s dinner, 3 meals Saturday and Sunday breakfast. Readers and writers dine side-by-side! (ask those questions you’ve always wanted to ask!)  

 Reason #9 to register now for the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Conference  - #mdc3con: Attendees are invited to contribute to the C3 blog. 

Reason #10 to register now for the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity Conference  - #mdc3con: . Collector's item. This annual anthology goes to every attendee but will never be for sale.  

Click here: ---<C3 Con and register for this amazing conference! You won't be sorry!

FOUR WEEKS AND COUNTING

Hey there!

Its been almost two months since we have chatted but a lot has happened.

The conference has been moving right along and you wont BELIEVE what we have lined up for you!

This year our keynote speaker is John Gilstrap!

Our other 'guests' are +Brad Parks +Rebecca York and +CJ Ellison

All of these people are celebrities with big personalities and great novels. Have you signed up for the conference yet. If you haven't, click right here: ----->C3 Conference

We have some fun things planned like the scavenger hunt, the twitter contest and some great gifts to give everyone in attendance.

The twitter hashtag for our conference is #MDc3con  Simple, right?

So if you haven't signed up, please do so today. Oh, did we mention that we have some great literary agents that will be looking for their next big novel. It could be you but you have to be there to sit and chat with them.

So what are you waiting for, click that link above and we hope to see you there.

REASONS YOU SHOULD WANT TO ATTEND THE C3 CONVENTION

This blog is submitted by: Sandra Bowman (marketing director of Intrigue Publishing)

In the coming weeks you will see a list of 20 reasons on why you should attend the Creatures, Crimes and Creativity Convention.

Well for the fans of mystery, Sci-Fi, paranormal, horror, thrillers, fantasy and suspense; you want to attend because you will get to hang out with some very cool people.

Sadly there will be no costumes but there will be plenty of laughs to go around and the atmosphere will be friendly, inviting and most of all informative.

If you want to be an author, you need to be at this convention. It is geared so that you will share all of your meals with NY Times best selling authors. You will share your breaks listening to the process that some writers go through when they have deadlines. You will get the skinny on what is going on in social media today and you will also get first hand knowledge on how a publishing company works.

So if you check out @intrigupub on +Twitter you will find all 20 reasons on why you should attend the convention. Not to mention you will also see +BradParks  +CJEllison +RebeccaYork and +JohnGilstrap

But the main reason you should attend is reason number 21!

You get to see the +Fabulous shoes +BSwanginWebster will be wearing! That alone is worth it!

We hope to see you there.

THIS IS WHAT I DO

After years of following and becoming online friends (way before Facebook) with Austin Camacho, I finally met him and his lovely wife Denise. The C3 conference was their idea and it was designed for readers and writers to meet and exchange ideas, and to enjoy each other’s company in an informal atmosphere. Austin was a member of our blog group for a while, but he didn't have the time to keep up with it. He has remained a friend of mine and of Writing Wranglers and Warriors and often shares the blog. Maybe he will join us again some day.

I met Jeffery Deaver (another writer who greatly influenced me) and he was interested in my stories about life on the truck (Life in the Fast Lane). He is an international best seller. He wrote “The Bone Collector” among many others. He’s been writing for 30 years.

He gave five points for new writers to follow:

1.  Know your audience and give them what they want.
2.  Write in the genre that you read because you've already learned a lot about it.
3.   Take the authors you admire and who have written successful books in your opinion and you tear those books apart. Outline them. Learn what they did and when they did it.
4.  You need to outline your books. You need to structure you books. It doesn't have to be as extensive as I do, but you need to structure the books so you know where it’s going to go.
5. Finally, remember that a rejection is a speed bump. It’s not a brick wall. And just keep at it.

I've already shared ideas from the two panels I was on.

“Writing Sex in Novels” and “Where Do Ideas Come From?”

John Gilstrap was also there and he is also a best seller. I was surrounded by famous people who acted just like the rest of us. We had a good time and really got to know each of them, as well as many fans and other authors. There were people there from the very first stages of writing to the very prolific and profitable stages. The one thing you heard in each class was laughter and you know what my favorite thing to do is. LOL.

An Interview with John Gilstrap, Author of Scott Free Ever since I was a little kid, I've been fascinated by survival stories. There’s something very compelling about the notion of one person stranded in the wilderness, pitted against impossible odds, somehow triumphing over it all.

John was fascinating and I'll be reading his books soon, after I finish the more famous, in my eyes, books by our own Writing Wranglers and Warriors.

At one of the conference sessions, I was in the same group with Brian Keene, sitting by John Gilstrap, listening to Jeffery Deaver, who was on a panel being monitored by Austin Camacho.

It was almost as much fun as sitting (Quietly-Grinning here), listening to Del telling secrets about me.

So if you get a chance to go to a conference-GO! I have been to several and I've never been disappointed.

 If you get a chance to go to C3-definately go.

***How about you, what is your conference experience?***

Cher'ley's Books are listed below and on sale at Amazon and local bookstores. 

Stamp Out Murder”.

"

The Secret in Grandma's Trunk" This is an especially good book for your Tween Children and Grandchildren.

The Journey Back

PROMOTING IS HARD

Have you ever had to promote something that no one ever heard of?

We did. Last year. It was the first year of the +C3Conference and we had no idea how to go about letting people know about this conference. You can look at the fun we had by click the link: Creatures, Crimes and Creativity

We immediately took to +Social Media Explorer and started putting it out there for people to find us.

We were shocked by the turnout! We had over 100 registered attendees to a conference that was the brain child of  +Austin Camacho .

We gathered authors and fans of Sci-Fi, Horror, Paranormal, Mystery, Thrillers, Suspense and Fantasy in +HuntValleyInn to celebrate these genres.

We had great food, had lots of laughs and even took over the bar. We were so surprised at the reviews afterwards.

John Gilstrap has spoken about how great of a time he had last year and he plans to join us this year. We have some great folks lined up.

+Eric Von Lustbader, +Rebecca York, +CJ Ellison and +Brad Parks will be our headliners this year and we have already signed up over 2 dozen writers.

We have an anthology that will be given away and will never be sold. This is a way to get fans to enjoy new authors and their stories.

Our on site bookstore was always busy and some of the authors actually sold out of their novels.

We had a first time authors panel and a spouses panel where we got to hear all about some of the authors secrets while they were working on their latest novel.

So why not take a chance and go to our website and see what we are going to do this year. We promise you that you will not be disappointed.