* Tentative Schedule subject to change without prior notice *
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Pre-cruise Party
Thursday, January 24, 2013
12:30pm- 2:30pm Cruise Ship Boarding
Per Carnival website: You must check in at least 1 1/2 hours prior to departure or risk cancellation of your reservation.
1:00pm - 3:00pm Registration
5:30pm- 7:00pm Welcome Aboard
8:30pm- 10:00pm Dinner
Friday, January 25, 2013
8:00am- 7:00pm Workshops and other Conference Events
8:30pm- 10:00pm Dinner
Saturday, January 26, 2013
1:00pm- 10:00pm Cozumel
Sunday, January 27, 2011
8:00am- 7:00pm Agent & Editor Appointments
8:00am- 7:00pm Workshops
TBA Evening Events and Farewell
Conference Events:
Floridian Idol: Submit the first two pages of your manuscript at registration and our dynamic readers will read the pages aloud to the group. The Agents and Editors will offer their valuable feedback on each submission. Be aware, we occasionally get some Simon Cowell type comments.
Rules of the Floridian Idol:
* The first two manuscript pages
* One submission per attendee
* Notate genre, and manuscript length in the header.
* All submissions must be turned in at registration, so carry them on board with you.
Industry News with Editors and Agents
Keynote Speeches
Golden Palm Winner
Sampling of Workshops:
Writing Conflict & Character with Joan Johnston--Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?
Effective promotion in a competitive market with Sally Schoeneweiss: How to reach your readers. The array of promotional possibilities today is dizzying! Marketing whiz Sally Schoeneweiss (check spelling of her name!), founder of Book Talk and Talk Ink, will speak on how to decide what's right for you.
Pre-appointment Polish your pitch with Karen Kendall: Attendees will work in small groups with published authors to polish their pitch to perfection.
Mystery Writing 101 with Nancy Cohen: If you haven’t got a clue where to start, this is the workshop for you! Author of the popular Bad Hair Day mystery series, will teach how to plot a mystery. Topics include: Creating the Sleuth, Introducing the Suspects, Weaving a Web of Deceit, Heightening Suspense, Series Continuity, and Staying on Track.
Keeping it Real the Teen Brain with Traci Hall: Why teens and world building are a perfect match – making the unfreakingbelievable believable through character. Delve into the teen psyche and learn what makes teens tick.
HEA Dreaming - How to Write an Emotion Packed Ending with Linda Conrad: This Workshop will show you how to create an ending that turns your book into a keeper.
Muse Therapy with D. D. Scott: Could you use a romance writer's go-to-gal for muse disorders? If so, stop looking 'cause you found me. It is all about injecting life into tired and/or stressed out muses. Discover what makes your muses tick. What ticks ‘em off. And what makes ‘em dance like nobody's watching.
Finding Your Voice with Luann McLane: You have a great hook, a complicated plot, lively characters, believable dialogue and yes even a vampire and you’re still getting rejections. What is the problem? Why can’t you get published? What is that elusive something that you’re lacking? Until you discover your voice, that special writing DNA that is uniquely yours, you will lack that sparkle, that shine that will make your manuscript stand out from the rest of the submissions. So… how do you find your voice?
No More Secret Babies—A History of Contraception with Liese Sherwood-Fabre: This workshop explores how couples have attempted to prevent conception from the ancient to the modern world.