EPICon 2010

What a great time! We've always enjoyed EPICon, and this year was no exception. Our first conference was in San Antonio, TX in 2006 when we were finalists with 31 Months in Japan: the Building of a Theme Park for best nonfiction. We lost to Meredith Coppola for her editing on Made a Difference For That One. She compiled her husband's emails from Iraq. Dr. Chris Coppola was a surgeon stationed there, and his descriptions and very human and compassionate reporting of his experiences was both interesting and compelling. If we couldn't win ourselves, we were happy that they won and led a standing ovation.

In San Antonio, we met several people who have become friends, even though we often only communicate via email: Marilyn & Hap Meredith, Pauline Baird Jones, Michael Charton, Betty (Anne Manning), Kasischke, Brenna Lyons, Jeff and Janice Strand, Dan Reitz, Debbie Fritter, and my dear writing partner, Sherry Derr-Wille, among others.

The following year, the conference was held in Virginia Beach, VA. Despite being deathly ill (Larry had to rush me to the emergency room on Sunday morning before we left because I had passed out on Saturday night; I was in bed for the following week.) I had a great time once again. The beautiful Jolie DuPre saved our presentation by supplying an extension cord. (We never travel without one after that lesson!) Although the hotel decided to remodel the conference rooms the week we arrived, we managed to find places to do our presentations. We did have to show the PowerPoint for one of ours on the ceiling, however, because there were no walls in the room! Sherrilyn Kenyon was dynamite, and the large group book signing and eFiesta were huge successes.

On to Portland in 2008 and another great time was had by all. We had dinner with Steve & Debbie Womack and the Whiskey Creek gang since, by then, they were my publishers. I coveted Debi Sullivan's rain cape. Come to think of it, I still do! We presented two workshops for this one.

In Las Vegas last year, we were scheduled for three workshops, and I had planned to moderate the non-erotic publishers' panel. We arrived early and had dinner with Carol McLeod on Wednesday night. She greeted us with, “ You will do the keynote for the New Voices luncheon.” It wasn't a question. Fortunately we had something with us we could adapt and did!

Another fun conference, especially with Jim & Zetta Brown from Scotland, Marci Baun, Helen Madden, Kathy Sullivan, Connie Crow, and another writing partner, Christie Shary and her husband, Tom. (I wore my cape on Saturday night just to prove to Debi I had one. But, really, hers is cooler!)

NOLA was equally wonderful. Holly Jacobs and I decided we must be distantly related somehow. (It's the Irish “ thing.”) Charlotte Parker had everything organized very well, including the riverboat dinner cruise.

Friends told us that we HAD to go to the Cafe Du Monde for coffee and begniets, so that's what we did our first night in town and again on our last morning. Scrumptious!

Since last year, I've lost about 65 pounds, and Larry has lost nearly 30. We both feel MUCH better and have so much more energy! On Saturday night I wore the dress I bought for our 25th anniversary nearly twenty years ago! (Okay, so I'm cheap. But I loved the dress, even though I never expected to get back into it again in this lifetime!)

We presented one workshop called 25 Words or Less: How to Write the Perfect Pitch. It was a lot of fun since it was interactive. (We?ll send the handout to our webmaster soon to be posted on our website.)

I also moderated the publishers' panel again. Actually, I got to do it again for the New Voices attendees since one of the other presenters couldn't make it. We had an intimate chat with about five of the publishers. They were extremely candid, and our young writer got amazing advice most aspiring adult writers don't have access to.

Saw lots of our favorite people including Janet Lane Walters (who laughed as loud as I at Dan Reitz's introductions during the awards ceremony), Gloria Oliver, and new friends Billie Johnson and Kat O'Shea, most of those listed above, and especially another writing partner, Luanna Rugh and her husband, Len, who are also very close friends. Their book, Promises Kept: How One Couple's Love Survived Vietnam, was a 2010 EPIC's eBook Award finalist in the nonfiction category. Several months ago, I asked Dan if I could present that one since it was the same category we were finalists in, and he let me. (Now, I wonder if he knew who'd won...)

The very best moment of the whole wonderful weekend was when I opened the seal. I'm sure there was a pregnant pause because I made myself read the names twice. I wanted them to win so badly, I was afraid I would read their names even if the other finalist was listed. But there on the sheet I saw: Leonard and Luanna Rugh!

I'd warned them and Larry that I would probably lose it if they won, and I did. This incredible work took Len over twenty-five years to complete. Then we spent another two years helping them edit it down from its original 1300 pages to its current 400+. It was a labor of love for the most inspiring book I?ve ever read. Apparently the judges agreed. You can see some photos of the evening here

I collected a great set of new quotes from Debra Dixon, and enjoyed watching several others accept their beautiful awards, including Deidre Knight and Brenna Lyons.

We ran into Sean Brennan and Lisa Brennan-Webb at the airport, and talked about our visions for ebooks and next year's conference in historic Williamsburg. Hope to see everyone there!

Learn more about EPIC at www.epicauthors.com and about New Voices at New Voices.