A Writer's Adventure ... through the looking glass! Toppling into a writers conference.
I was a bit nervous when I wore the outfit. Then I heard the lady in back of me in the cafeteria line say, "When you do this, this dress up thing you gotta own it." Enough. No matter what the comments I would own my outfit. Actually, I had such good feedback. Even those who gave me the WHAT look after I told them what I was trying to depict agreed I had done a good job dressing up.
On May 17, 2014, left for Asheville, North Carolina. Arrived at Blue Ridge Conference Center with not like butterflies but more like dinosaurs fighting in my stomach. What was this going to be like? Needed to place myself in front of agents? Agents that would represent me to publishers if they were interested in the work I showed them. Wanted to place proposals for two books before them. One, a novella, Commuters, the story I'm working on dealing with demonic transference ... the story of an African-American police detective who falls in love with a young widow mother of the little girl he rescued from a serial killer. The same little girl who gets tormented then, by the transference of the demons from the killer to her. Can he somehow rescue her again using his Haitian grandmother's techniques for deliverance? And then, the second book, my memoir, Beyond The Veil, the story of my confrontations with evil spirits when I ventured, in 1979, into occult realms. Something light. Right?
The conference's title abbreviation is BRCWC. The Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference. I thought it a very good place to go for learning and presenting the work. After all, who better to believe in the existence of the demonic and the power of God over demons.
Was the trip worth the money, time and effort? You bet! Over four hundred people attended. Met wonderful new writing friends. I entered the Novella, Commuters in the contest and it won third prize. It's quite a feeling when you're sitting at the banquet that last night of the conference and they call out your name. I entered a Flash Fiction story into the contest and that won second prize. It's quite a feeling when you're sitting at the banquet that last night of the conference and they call out your name for the second time! Affirmation is necessary for this writing life.
Costume Party!
We were encouraged to dress up in an outfit of the genre or topic of what we write. So ...
I came up with an idea for the fight between good and evil. Spiritual warfare. Notice in my picture there's more white than black. God wins! It was fun putting on the paint. I had forty-five minutes to change and work on my face after all the writing workshops. I thought, if only my grandchildren were here to see their Nana!
Well, enough for one day. Will share more soon. Thanks for stopping by!
A selfie in my room. Getting the nerve to go out.
With new friend, a writer born in Finland
Dare to meet me in a dark alley? SPIRITUAL WARFARE!
