Annual, Weekly and On-Going Socials
Weekly Saturday Socials With HWG
Join us on Saturday mornings from 10:00 am to 11:00 am (CST) via Zoom for a time of networking and connecting to other writers.
Conversations about current work in progress, publishing, troubleshooting issues, plus sharing news and opportunities with one
another take place during this time as we meet up in virtual space for coffee.
Upcoming Houston Writers Guild Events
AuthorPalooza Extravaganza Conference
2024 Conference Itinerary
9:00 – 9:15 am Opening Remarks
9:15 – 10:15 Keynote Speaker -- Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton
Houston Poet Laureate
10:30 – 11:30 Breakout Session 1 -- Industry
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Room 1: Publisher’s Panel –
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Maer Wilson of Ellysian Press
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Tod Tinker of Balance of Seven Press
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Roger Leslie of Paradise Publishing
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Fern Brady of Inklings Publishing
Room 2: Alicia Richardson – DIY Audiobooks: Getting it done right
Room 3: Ronel Golden – Marketing In Today’s Complex World
11:45 – 12:45 Breakout Session 2 – Genres
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Room 1: Writing for Healing Panel
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Ronel Golden
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Barbara Ann Carle
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Cyndi Wilson
Room 2: J Lynn Else – Historic Fiction: Dos and Don’ts
Room 3: Kim Sauke – Screenplay Writing 101: The Nuts and Bolts
12:45 – 1:45 Lunch Break – On Your Own
1:45 – 2:00 Networking Mingle
2:00 – 3:00 Breakout Session 3 -- Craft
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Room 1 – Kim-Ling Sun – Poetic Techniques for Prose
Room 2 – Bianca Alejandra Gonzalez – Writing for Young Audiences
Room 3 – Ronda Carman – Publishing a Coffee Table Book
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3:15 – 4:15 Breakout Session 4 – Craft
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Room 1 -- Maer Wilson – Creating Multidimensional Characters
Room 2 -- Tod Tinker – World Building Across Genres
Room 3 -- Fern Brady – Using Conflict Variety to Build Tension
4:15- 5:15 Breakout Session 5 – Industry
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Room 1 – Mickey Mikkelson – Publicity: How It All Works
Room 2 – Alexandria Willbond – Editors: The People We Love to Hate!
Room 3 – John Simons – Selling Your Soul: Event Retailing Books and Merch
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Acquisition Editors Pitch Sessions:
Maer Wilson for Ellysian Press – Speculative Fiction Boutique Press
Roger Leslie for Paradise Publishing – Nonfiction
Alexandria Willbond for Inklings Publishing – Fiction – Genre Fiction
Saturday, October 5th, 2024
Sunday, October 6th, 2024
Friday, October 4th, 2024
Brazos Bookstore – 2421 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX 77005
7:00 – 7:15 pm Arrival and Mingle
7:15 – 7:45 Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton
Houston Poet Laureate
She will lead us in an activity for performance poetry
7:15 - 9:00 pm Book Launch Party
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Discussion of how these types of opportunities can help an author
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Presentation of Winners and Awards
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Readings from Winners
9:45 – 10:00 Final Day Opening Remarks
10:00 – 12:00 – Alicia Richardson – Writing Time!
12:00 – 1:00 – Networking and Light Lunch
1:00 – 2:00 – Fern Brady – Renga Competition
Keynote Speaker
Photographer, Pin Lim.
Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton is an award-winning writer, director, performer, critic, and the first Black Poet Laureate of Houston, TX. Praised by the NY Times as an artist who “defies categorization”, her genre-bending works span from stage to page, and everything in between. She is the author of Newsworthy (Bloomsday Literary, 2019) which was translated into German (Berichtenswert, Elif Verlag, 2020), Black Chameleon (Henry Holt, 2023), and an upcoming children's book, Hush Hush Hurricane (Kokila Books, 2025). Honored as part of Houston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 class, she has been a contributing writer for Glamour, Texas Monthly, Muzzle, and ESPN's Andscape, to name a few.
She has penned stage works including Marian's Song (Houston Grand Opera), The Forest of Secrets (National Sawdust), Atlanta: 1906 (Atlanta Opera) & On My Mind (Opera Theater St. Louis). Serving as Playwright/Director, she produced The World's Intermission, commissioned by Performing Arts Houston (Jones Hall), which has since been adapted for film, and Plumshuga: The Rise of Lauren Anderson, a choreopoem (Stages Theater) which made the cover of the NYT Culture section.
Her recent memoir, Black Chameleon examines Black womanhood through afrofuturistic mythology which Mouton later adapted into a storybook opera titled (Lula, the Mighty Griot, HGO) and an independent short film (Headache & Heartthrob). A former Resident Artist with the American Lyric Theater, Rice University, and the Houston Museum of African American Culture, her upcoming projects will debut at The Kennedy Center and American Lyric Theater. She resides in Houston, TX.
Acquisition Editors Pitch Sessions
Breakout Session Descriptions
Breakout Session 1 – Industry
Room 1: Publisher’s Panel –
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Maer Wilson of Ellysian Press
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Tod Tinker of Balance of Seven Press
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Roger Leslie of Paradise Publishing
-
Fern Brady of Inklings Publishing
Room 2: Alicia Richardson – DIY Audiobooks: Getting it done right
Room 3: Ronel Golden – Marketing In Today’s Complex World
Breakout Session 2 – Genres
Room 1: Writing for Healing Panel –
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Ronel Golden
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Barbara Ann Carle
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Pending To Be Filled
Room 2: J Lynn Else – Historic Fiction: Dos and Don’ts
Room 3: Kim Sauke – Screenplay Writing 101: The Nuts and Bolts
Breakout Session 3 -- Craft
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Room 1 – Kim-Ling Sun – Poetic Techniques for Prose
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Room 2 – Bianca Alejandra Gonzalez – Writing for Young Audiences
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​As an author and creator it is important for us to set goals in order to have something for us to strive for. Without an end goal in mind, we are essentially throwing our work into oblivion without any sort of strategy which could lead to an unmotivated future. Through peer discussion and coaching, we will dive deep into the importance of goal setting, not only for our creations, but also for our individual lives outside of what we do.
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Room 3 – Ronda Carman – Publishing a Coffee Table Book​​
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​A well-produced coffee table book is more than a book, it is a coveted, and sometimes a collectible, work of beauty. If you have ever dreamed of publishing a coffee table book, join Rizzoli author Ronda Carman. She will share what it takes to make it happen.
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Breakout Session 4 – Craft
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Room 1 -- Maer Wilson – Creating Multidimensional Characters
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Room 2 -- Tod Tinker – World Building Across Genres
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Room 3 -- Fern Brady – Using Conflict Variety to Build Tension
Breakout Session 5 – Industry
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Room 1 – Mickey Mikkelson – Publicity: How It All Works
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This presentation will be an information session of the publicist / author relationship and answer the following questions:
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What is publicity and different types of traditional media aspects
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Discussion around the publicist and author relationship
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leveraging the effectiveness of an author who is an indie compared to an author who publishes traditionally
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Finally, what a publicist looks for in signing a new client
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Room 2 – Alexandria Willbond – Editors: The People We Love to Hate!
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Room 3 – John Simons – Selling Your Soul: Event Retailing Books and Merch
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Sometimes if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. If the bookstore won't sell your book, so can do it yourself at cons, community markets, trade shows and other venues. This panel helps you approach your own event sales like a professional, from setting goals to selecting events to merchandising to sales strategies and techniques. We'll discuss everything you need to consider in order to make your sales.
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Presenters
Bianca Alejandra Gonzalez
Author
John Simmons
Publisher
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Kim-Ling Sun
Author
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Writing Coach and Developmental Editor, Max Regan, offers ongoing workshops and programs for writers of all genres.
For more information and to register contact Max Regan at hollowdeckpress@mac.com.
Upcoming sessions offered by Max Regan:
First Sunday of the Month Salon Reading
First Sunday Monthly
Taught by Max Regan via Zoom
For more information and to register contact Max Regan at https://www.hollowdeckpress.com.
Workshops by Max Regan
First Sunday of the Month Salon Reading
Free admission!
To Register please email Max at hollowdeckpress@mac.com
Join this free session every first Sunday of the month. Bring short 5-minute writing pieces to share and receive feedback from Max as well as the other authors in the room.
See other courses that are added to the Class Schedule at https://www.hollowdeckpress.com.