It’s tough to be creative right now, but we’ve got you covered at The BookFest®! Join us for some amazing events and panels the weekend of October 24 and 25. Join the discussions with best selling authors, speakers celebrities and more as they discuss their work. Chat with authors in an AMA chatroom and have fun while learning. This book convention is free to attend, so don’t miss it!
Are you a writer whose struggling with your next story? Getting ready to start your very first novel? Want to learn about how to make your work more inclusive? Well, you’re heading to the right place.
At 3pm PST on Saturday, check out Words Matter: How to Deliver What Readers Want In This Age Reckoning with Cultural Inclusion, Race and Racism. We’re dealing with a national reckoning with race and racism, and your work has to reflect that, no matter who you are and what you’re writing. What does it take for content to show us a real reflection of the world and the issues that are part of it? Our panel has some of the top authors in the business talking about how to make your words matter.
Joining the discussion is John DeSimone, author of Road to Delano and co-author of Broken Circle: A Memoir of Escaping Afghanistan and Courage to Say No by Dr. Raana Mahmood. Joey Franklin will talk about his work Delusions of Grandeur: American Essays and My Wife Wants You to Know I’m Happily Married.
Also joining is Dr. Mary-Elaine Jacobsen, Doctor of Psychology, professor, author, speaker, trainer and executive coach. She’ll give us perspective on why representation matters and so much more. Then we have Liem Le, founder of Little Lion, which provides diversity and inclusion building workshops as well as a digital interactive wellness platform for individuals and families. Sharon Orlopp, author of Standing Up After Saigon: The Triumphant Story of Hope, Determination, and Reinvention. She was previously the Global Chief Diversity Officer for Walmat, so she’ll have some great tips for you.
Moderating the panel is Raye Mitchell, JD, MBA, Boss Girl and Chief Content Officer, The Genius Agency, Inc. and author of How Women Negotiate from a Position of Strength.
If you’re looking for a reason to write, or an explanation of why we love reading, join us at 4pm PST on Saturday for Why We Love Stories: A Conversation with W. Graig Reed and James Rollins About the Allure of Fiction. It’s an intimate conversation about why we love stories, why we fall in love with fictional characters, and why suspense and thrillers draw us in.
New York Times bestselling author James Rollins and New York Times bestselling author and neuroscience expert W. Craig Reed will give us the lowdown on the allure of fiction. You just might find some tips to enhance your own work.
W. Craig Reed is the author of several award-winning non-fiction books including Spies of the Deep, The Seven Secrets of Neuron-Leadership and the critically acclaimed Red November. James Rollins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers including the bestselling Sigma Force series Sandstorm, Map of Bones, Black Order, The Judas Strain and more.
It’s a rough time right now, and if you’re a Young Adult writer or hoping to be one, don’t miss Young Adult Fiction in a Time of Tummultat 5pm PST. We’re all familiar with how young adult works take on topics that are edgy and give us a fresh look at social issues. So, how are they going to handle what’s going on in our world between the pandemic, the anti-racism movement and so much more? Romina Garber, Rebecca Kim Wells, AmyLea Murphy, Gary Soto, Ashley Woldfolk and moderator Christina Hoag will help set you on the right path.
Romina Garber, aka Romina Russell is a New York Times and international bestselling author of the Lobizona and ZODIAC series. Rebecca Kim Wells is the author of Shatter the Sky and Storm on the Earth. AmyLea Murphy is the debut author of Fine, and comes from a legal background. Gary Soto is a National Book Award and Los Angeles Times Award finalist and has published more than 40 books including Baseball in April, Living Up the Street and Buried Onions. Ashley Woodfolk is the author of The Beauty That Remains, When You Were Everything and the Flyy Girls series. Our moderator Christina Hoag is the author of Girl on the Brink and Skin of Tattooswho was a foreign correspondent who recently won honorable mentions for essay and short story in the International Human Rights Arts Festival.
Do you need some inspiration? We all do right now, and we’ve got it for you with the Being Wickedly Creative — Adapting and Thriving Now panel on Sunday, October 25 at 12:15pm PST. This conversation with successful creatives is all about finding motivation, building or rebuilding your brand and so much more.
Joining the panel are: Kevin J. Anderson, publisher of WordFire Press with 56 international bestsellers. He’s the author of novels in some universes you may recognize. Ever heard of Star Wars, The X-Files or Dune? We thought so. He’s got books set in those universes, including the Dune Prequel Series, written with Brian Herbert.
Echo Chernik, renowned commercial artist for brands like Celestial Seasonings Teas, Dave Matthews, Disney, Mattel, Penguin, Random House and more will help you with your branding. We’ve also got Debra Eckerling, author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning, and Achieving Your Goals and founder of the D*E*B* METHOD®. Russell Nohelty is a USA Today bestselling author, publisher and founder of Wannabe Press and will join along with Jeff Sweat, author of The Mayfly and Scorpion as well as working as a journalist, a social media pioneer and public relations expert. Moderating is Brandie June, author of the forthcoming Gold Spun, a Writers of the Future finalist and a playwright of an award-winning Oscar Wilde dark comedy.
We’ve all heard the phrase “kill your darlings,” but why? Why do we have to stop being so attached to what we first write? Join us at 1:30pm PST for My Precious! Why Writers Should Stop Being Precious About Their Manuscript.
On the panel is small press and indie publishing expert Dayna Anderson. Dayna works as a publisher, associate publisher, director of marketing and head of production and now founder of Cardinal Points Consulting. We also have David Farland, Nebula and Hugo Award nominees and author of several bestselling science fiction and fantasy novels and series including The Runelords and Of Mice and Magic, Bill Hayes, bestselling author and ghostwriter, Mandy Jackson-Beverly, writing coach, speaker and author of A Secret Muse, The Devil and The Muse, The Legend of Astridr: Birth and The Immortal Muse, and Jennifer Thomas, award-winning author, editor, designer and publisher. Moderating is Doug McIntyre, columnist for Southern California Newsgroup, and TV screenwriter who’s worked on Married…with Children, WKRP in Cincinnati, Mike Hammer and former radio host for KABC-LA.
With things being so unsettling right now, it’s wonderful to imagine what it would be like in other worlds. If you’re looking to do a bit of world building for your next (or first) book, you must join us for The World Sucks, Let’s Build a New One — Imagining Tomorrow’s World Today at 2:45pm PST. Let our panelists help you create dystopian, fantasy, science fiction, steampunk and fantasy worlds, while they discuss the endless possibilities we might face because of Covid, racial tensions, advancing technology, political divides and of course, murder hornets.
Joining us on the panel are Kevin Groh, author of The Omni Legend Series. The first book, The Commander: Guardian of Utopia will release in the United States in English early next year. We also have Laurel Anne Hill, author of two award-winning novels, The Engine Woman’s Light and Heroes Arise. Edgar Scott is an economist turned computer scientist, futurist and author odd the forthcoming 418. Lon Varnadore is the author of Junker Blues, Mostly Human and so much more in the sci-fi and fantasy genres. The panel will be moderated by Bill McCormick, creator of multiple universes including those in his novels Splice: Hit Bit Technology and The Brittle Riders Trilogy.
Black books matter, and Black authors matter. Don’t miss A Conversation with Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson — Black Books Matter at 4pm PST. Join husband and wife Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson, founders of Just Us Books as they talk about Black books and authors and the need for more African America children’s books in the marketplace. They’ll tackle how the industry has changed and the issues which are impacting the publishing industry, our country and our world. There will also be a Q&A discussion.
Cheryl Willis Hudson is the Vice President and Editorial Director of Just Us Books, and the author of many books for young children. Wade Hudson is the President and CEO of Just Us Books, as well as an author and poet. The panel will be moderated by Ramunda Young, Owner/Co-Founder of MahoganyBooks as well as the CEO and Founder of the Ramunda Young Group, LLC.
There is so much more to check out at The BookFest! Make sure to sign up for email notifications and check out our website, thebookfest.com!
We’ll see you at The BookFest!
