204: Run Up to 10th Anniversary Conference Sept 2023.mp3

In this special edition, we talk round-table style with three of the hard-working volunteers behind making the 10th Anniversary Celebration a success:  Jamie Beck, heading up the Agent Pitch and Query Letter happenings, Wendy Rossi, interim co-chair of the event (which means her fingerprints are pretty much everywhere), and Erin Quinn-Kong, in charge of our great line-up of guest speakers and workshop facilitators. We discuss what's in store for the attendees, the long-term planning as well as behind-the-scenes details (nametags, anyone?) that went into making an event like this happen, and what each is most looking forward to next week as 350 members meet in real life in Chicago. Jamie Beck is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of 18 novels, which have been translated into multiple languages and have sold more than three million copies worldwide. Critics at Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist have respectively called her work "smart," "uplifting," and "entertaining." In addition to writing novels, she enjoys dancing around the kitchen while cooking and hitting the slopes in Vermont and Utah. Above all, she is a grateful wife and mother to a very patient, supportive family.   Erin Quinn-Kong is an award-winning writer and editor based in Austin, TX. Currently the managing editor of Texas Highways, Erin has also been an editor at Austin Monthly, Us Weekly, and Allure. She's been writing fiction since 2019, and her debut novel, HATE FOLLOW, will be released in October 2024 by William Morrow. Born and raised in Missouri, with a three-year detour to California, Erin is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. When she's not writing, you'll most likely find her on an adventure with her foodie husband and their two delightful children.   Wendy Rossi is the Membership Director for WFWA, a role she's been in for almost three years. Prior to joining the Board, Wendy helped to facilitate several online activities for the organization, which led to the opportunity to be nominated for Board service. Wendy is currently polishing her draft of her first work of fiction, a dual-timeline work of Women's Fiction and Historical Fiction. She retired from her professional career in business-project management in January 2023 and is looking forward to pursuing her creative and home-centric interests until grandkids come along.  To learn more about WFWA, click here.