8th Annual Kentuckiana Authors Fair

This past Saturday I attended the 8th Annual Kentucky Authors Fair in LaGrange. The Authors Fair originated in Madison, Indiana, and was an outdoor festival before the change of venue. Approximately 80 authors sold books ranging from YA to mystery to romance. It was good to see old friends and meet new ones. I'm looking forward to next year, and will hopefully have one or two new books to sell.

What a Weekend It Was

Courtesy of Morguefile.com

Earlier this month, I attended ConGlomeration, a sci-fi/fantasy convention here in Louisville. This was my second time at ConGlom, and my first time being on panels: Mysterious Ways, the Love Connection, Monsters and Folklore, and Religion and the Supernatural. I also read from my short dark suspense story, "Family Tradition."

What I love about cons is meeting new people and seeing old acquaintances again. This year, I met fellow authors, L. Andrew Cooper and Rachael Rawlings, as well as authors I've met before, including Kate Lynd/Amy McCorkle, Marian Allen, and Tony Acree. I also talked with a publisher about a short story collection project, and met another publisher I want to submit to in the future.

Cons are a great place to network. One of the things I do is collect business cards, which I keep in a booklet. That way, if I see these people again, I remember where I first met them. Who knows, they might help me on my writing/publishing journey.

Now to get ready for Fandom Fest this summer.        

A Shout Out to Kentucky Writers (Part 2)

Last week, I talked about some of Kentucky's literary authors. This week, I want to introduce you to several genre writers. They write romance, science fiction, mystery, horror, and more.

First there's the Kentucky Independent Writers group. These authors take writing and publishing seriously and are willing to learn and pass on their knowledge. You can learn more about each author by stopping by the KIW blog.

Another independent author who publishes with small presses is Amy McCorkle. She also writes as Kate Lynd, and has had stories published by Hydra Publications and MuseItUp Publishing. You can find out more about her at her blog, Creative Chatter.

Debbie Kuhn is a multi-genre author whose work has appeared in Shroud Magazine, Apex Publications, and Mysterical-E, among others.

Reviewer and author, Michele Lee also writes speculative fiction and is an advocate for helping others understand autism.

I hope this introduction to these Kentucky authors will inspire you to check out their writings.

A Shout Out to Kentucky Authors (Part 1)

I live on a street named after a Kentucky writer. We get teased for being bare-foot, uneducated rednecks, but we're also home to some of the best storytellers.

Award-winning literary authors include Sena Jeter Naslund (Ahab's Wife), Bobbi Ann Mason, (Shiloh and Other Stories), Wendell Berry, (That Distant Land: the Collected Stories), Silas House, (Coal Tattoo), and Robert Penn Warren (All the King's Men).

Still think we're all uneducated hicks? Then let me introduce you to our poets, including the aforementioned Berry and Warren. Frank X. Walker is the founder of the Affrilachian Poets and received the Kentucky Arts Council Al Smith Fellowship. Other Kentucky poets include Crystal E. Wilkinson, also a founding member of Affrilachian Poets, Joy Bale Boone, Barbara Kingsolver, among others. Two Pulitzer Prize winning playwrights also hail from the Bluegrass State: Marsha Norma ('night, Mother) and Suzan-Lori Parks (TopDog/Underdog)   

Kentucky is home to the Southern Kentucky Book Festival/Kentucky Writers Conference, the Kentucky Book Fair, Kentucky Women's Book Festival, and the Kentucky Women Writers Conference, among others. While Hawley-Cooke is no longer in business, Carmichael's Bookstore and A Reader's Corner Bookstore help keep Louisville's independent bookstores alive.

Next week, more Kentucky writers, including best-selling romance and mystery authors, and independent/digital/small press writers.