HEIDI RUBY MILLER

This weekend I attended my first ever SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) conference. Even virtual it was inspiring and so much fun. From the pre-conference socials to the Golden Kite Awards ceremony, hosted by Jennifer Garner, to the tour of Simon and Schuster, and the many agent and editor panels, there was always a sense of commitment to providing young readers with quality, important, and entertaining books. I could feel the warm vibes from our various speakers right through the computer screen. Such positive energy. I've put aside time today to review some of the tapes for concurrent sessions I wasn't able to attend. I can't imagine what these conferences are like in person, but I'm excited to find out. Thanks to everyone who made this such a lovely experience.

FROM THE PULPFEST WEBSITE BY WILLIAM PATRICK MAYNARD : PulpFest is proud that over 30 popular fiction writers will be attending our 2019 convention. “Back in the day,” the authors who labored for the rough paper industry liked to call themselves scribes, word-slingers, penny-a-worders, and, perhaps the most favored term of all, fictioneers. Join PulpFest as we celebrate today’s fictioneers — the authors writing today’s pulp fiction! On Friday, August 16, at 11 AM, join five writers from Raw Dog Screaming Press for a Rapid-Fire Read and Sweet Sixteen Celebration. It will be hosted by publisher Jennifer Barnes . Raw Dog Screaming Press has carved a niche for themselves as the specialty house for offbeat, dark, deviant, thought-provoking fiction. They were the recipient of the 2018 Horror Writers Association Specialty Press Award for outstanding horror, dark fantasy, and weird fiction. Their critically acclaimed publications are attracting mainstream attention with Ridley Scot...

I'm happy to be presenting part of my Science Fiction in Thrillers class from Seton Hill's MFA in Writing Popular Fiction program for the 2015 Pennwriters Conference, Building Bridges . Here is the description: Where would you shelve a book about scientists cloning dinosaurs for a theme park or a man turning into a chimera or how about the unleashing of a zombie plague? I asked authors and editors for insights into how the industry categorizes thrillers with expansive science fictional elements. If you write these types of stories, where do you think you fit in? The Pennwriters Conference is in Pittsburgh this year on the weekend of May 15 - 17 at the Pittsburgh Airport Marriott. Keynote speaker is Ridley Pearson . For a full list of workshops, including other Seton Hill Writers like Jason Jack Miller , Timons Esaias , Lawrence C. Connolly , and Rebecca Drake , peruse the website .

The energy at this year's Pennwriters Conference is still surging through me! I'm channeling it to work on two novellas in the Ambasadora-verse and finish up the second full-length novel in the series, so I barely have time for this post, but I had to give a little retrospective, mostly in photo form, like the one below of Jason and me with Saturday Keynote Speaker Jonathan Maberry. His speech should be required reading for the business--its theme was positivity and community, two sentiments I have always embraced when it comes to writing and the business of writing. Thanks to the participants in our all-day intensive workshop Many Genres, One Craft, based on our new writing guide of the same name. ( Buy it at Amazon right now! ) Seton Hill Writers ( Timons Esaias , Heidi Ruby Miller , Jason Jack Miller , Natalie Duvall, Matt Duvall, and Michael A. Arnzen ) taught one hour sessions on craft in the morning, then career in the afternoon. Each participant received a free har...

Conferences From Julie Long and Meredith Cohen , 2011 Pennwriters Conference Coordinators 20 Things You’ll Learn About Craft and Career in Just Three Days: 1. How to start, survive and thrive in a critique group 2. Creating a powerful sense of place in your novel 3. The art of social networking and shameless self-promotion 4. How to balance narrative with dialog 5. Why writing for younger audiences is different 6. How to give a great reading 7. Identifying your learning style to become a better writer 8. Understanding your character’s psychological issues 9. Setting and reaching writing goals 10. How to interview for the nonfiction book 11. How to know if you need a prologue 12. Life balance skills for writers * 13. How fixing your first page can improve your entire manuscript 14. Understanding the creative process and the writer’s inner turmoil 15. Taking your writing to the screen 16. How to perfect your pitch 17. What makes a good memoir 18. Using meditativ...

Conferences The 2010 Pennwriters Conference was the first conference or convention that Jason and I have attended since 2008, and I didn't realize how much we needed to immerse ourselves in the writing world again. The hiatus was by choice because we both needed to finish our third novels. It was a good choice, a therapeutic choice, and allowed us to appreciate the creative energy that comes from a group of writers converging at a single location. Jason Jack Miller and Heidi Ruby Miller Photo by Mike Mehalek We caught up with old friends, some from Seton Hill ... Timons Esaias , Heidi Ruby Miller , and Maria V. Snyder Photo by Jason Jack Miller and some (well, one - Jon ) that I shared an anthology ( Sails and Sorcery ) with... Heidi Ruby Miller and Jon Sprunk Photo by Jason Jack Miller and made some new ones... Ruth G. Zavitsanos , Elizabeth Kelley , Timons Esaias , Maria V. Snyder , and Meghan Schuessler photo by Heidi Ruby Miller had some wonderful bo...

Conferences Almost There Panel at WPF In Your Write Mind Retreat and Conference from L to R: Heidi Ruby Miller , J. A. Konrath , Uwe Stender of TriadaUS Literary Agency , Jason Jack Miller , and K. J. Howe We had a full schedule of workshops and panels at the Seton Hill WPF In Your Write Mind Retreat and Conference, as well as thesis readings and graduation for the WPF Graduate Residency, which was running concurrently. I moderated the "Almost There" panel about those of us in the middle stages of the novel publishing process: after the classes have been taken, the books have been written, and the queries sent out, how do you keep up your momentum? Here are a few other photos from the residency and retreat. WPF attendees at Red Star WPF attendees at Red Star WPF mentor Timons Esaias at Adrienne Kapp 's thesis defense WPF graduate Adrienne Kapp at her thesis defense Seton Hill WPF graduate luncheon Seton Hill Writing Popular Fiction graduate lu...