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TERESA BURRELL has dedicated her life to helping children and their families in both the courtroom and the classroom. As an attorney, she maintained a private law practice for twelve years, which specialized in domestic, criminal, and civil cases. Her work in juvenile court focused on representing abused minors and juvenile delinquents and earned her several awards and special recognition from the San Diego Bar Association for her countless hours of pro bono work with children and their families. Her debut novel, The Advocate, based in part on her experiences in the juvenile court system, was discovered in manuscript form at San Diego 22 and is just out from Echelon Press.

• DEBUT AUTHORS PANEL: "What I Wish I Knew Before Being Published"
• SESSION: "Legally Speaking — Is There an Attorney in the Room?"

DRUSILLA CAMPBELL is the author of fourteen novels, most recently the best sellers Bone Lake and Blood Orange. For more than twenty years she has taught classes, seminars and workshops designed for the writer who wants to be successful in today’s challenging market without sacrificing literary quality. As a motivational speaker, her personal story of success-to failure-and-back-to-success has inspired hundreds of writers to stick to their dreams. Her next novel, The Good Sister, will be available from Grand Central Publishing in February, 2011.

• IMMERSION TRACK: "The Novel Cram: Building the Better Book" (Full details)

GAYLE CARLINE was a software engineer for over 20 years, until she chewed her way out the cubicle and became a freelance writer. She quickly became a regular contributor to California Riding Magazine, and has been writing a weekly humor column for the Placentia News-Times since 2005. Her debut novel, Freezer Burn, was based on the topic contest she won at the SCWC*Palm Springs 3 conference. The humorous murder mystery was published by Echelon Press last July, after meeting publisher Karen Syed at SCWC*SD 22.

• DEBUT AUTHORS PANEL: "What I Wish I Knew Before Being Published"

MARK A. CLEMENTS' first horror novel, 6:02, was nominated for a Bram Stoker award. It was followed by Children of the End and Lorelei, both of which received multiple nominations and awards. As with his The Land of Nod, all of his books have been optioned for film, and he also wrote the script for an original short, Dreamweavers, starring Robert Carradine and Frank Gorshin. A read & critique workshop leader for the SCWC for over 20 years, Mark is currently at work on a new novel, The Black Queen.

• SESSION: Read & Critique

LAUREL CORONA is the author of The Four Seasons: A Novel of Vivaldi's Venice (Hyperion/VOICE), awarded both the coveted Theodor S. Geisel Award for book of the year and best in Historical Fiction at the 2009 San Diego Book Awards. "Corona shines when showing musicians at work," Publishers Weekly says of the novel, while Booklist praises the "charming, exquisite, and poetic" depiction of "the dazzling light of Venice and…two orphaned sisters full of ambition, heart, and steadfast love." Corona is also the author of YA and trade nonfiction, most recently Until Our Last Breath: A Holocaust Story of Love and Partisan Resistance (with research contributed by Michael Bart), (St. Martin's Press), which also won top honors in the category of Biography. Corona is a professor of Humanities at San Diego City College.

• SESSIONS: "The Monster and the Muse: Writing Scared" and "Writing Fiction about Real People"

EDWIN DECKER is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego Reader, Modern Drunkard Magazine, Real Deal, Seattle Stranger, Tucson Weekly, Creative Loafing in Atlanta, Cleveland Scene, Exit Magazine, Smash, No Cover, Out of the Gutter, The National Pist (Canada) and elsewhere. His satiric and sometimes controversial column, "Sordid Tales," runs every other week in San Diego CityBeat, and as a popular performance poet, his Barzilla and other Psalms collection is recently out from Puna Press. His website: www.EdwinDecker.com.

• SESSION: "Interactive Poetry Cram: On The Page and In Your Face"
Note: Each participant is required to bring at least 2 poems that will be read aloud. This is not a workshop for those seeking kudos, or who are sensitive about constructive criticism. Address questions to Edwin Decker here.

SELDEN EDWARDS' "Twain-indebted" debut novel, The Little Book, became an international bestseller only thirty years in the making. Of it Pat Conroy hailed, "I've never read a novel like it. I felt like my life was changing forever as I savored its many delights and mysteries." NPR's Maureen Corrigan called it, "A soaring thing of joy whose only purpose—and I mean this as a compliment—is to delight and entertain." Entertainment Weekly declared it, "Back to the Future for the intellectual set," and the New York Post proclaimed it simply, "Required reading." A professional educator for forty years, Selden began writing his "Vienna novel" in 1974, various drafts of which were summarily rejected by agents and publishers for the next 30 years. Post-retirement and one last, final polish later, after working with a freelance editor, an agent agreed to represent the book. A week later Selden inked a two-book, high-six-figures deal with Dutton. At 67 years of age, he finally published.

• SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER

MARILYN FRIEDMAN is the founder and lead instructor at Writing Pad in Los Angeles, a writing school that specializes in gourmet writing classes that stimulate the creative muse. Her poetry has been published in Pearl, Squaw Valley Review, California Quarterly, and The Great American Poetry Show. She has written articles on love and dating for Match.com. Currently working on a memoir about her experiences as a swing dancer, Marilyn has a BA in English and Writing from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master's Degree from Boston University.

• SESSION: "Hanky Panky: Writing The Erotic"
A note from the instructor: Are you having a hard time writing compelling and believable sex scenes? Expose yourself on the page (but keep your clothes on). This workshop will help you layer your characters and conflict with authentic sensuality. Our craft talk and writing exercises will help you create scenes so vivid your book will stand out (or up). Class will also include samples of erotic literature sans pictorals. Limited to 12 participants, by the end of this session you'll have teased out a short piece that channels your inner Anais Nin. For advance signup contact Michael.

T. (TAMMY) GREENWOOD is the author of Breathing Water, Nearer Than the Sky and Undressing the Moon, the latter two both Booksense 76 picks. She has received grants from the Sherwood Anderson Foundation, the Christopher Isherwood Foundation and, most recently, the National Endowment for the Arts. A teacher of creative writing at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland, Of her latest novel, Two Rivers, Publishers Weekly cites Tammy as "a writer of subtle strength, evoking smalltown life beautifully."

• SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER
• SESSION: "Creating Substantive Characters"
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Literary fiction, up to 20 pages double-spaced.

JEREMY LEE JAMES is an Internet strategist with a background in e-commerce, web development and information product design, a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Missouri-Rolla and a Masters degree in Information Science & Technology. Having placed first in Current Science Magazine's science fiction short story contest when he was a sophomore in high school, Jeremy has gone on to fuse his ongoing passion for writing thrillers and dark fantasies with his tech expertise in creating The Veingel, a hyper-text novel, e-book and podcast experiment geared to explore the ever-expanding opportunities for writers in a rapidly converging digital media world.

• SESSION: "One Flew Over The Twitter's Nest: Tools & Tips to Stay Sane While Building Your Platform" and "The Entreprenureal Author: What You Need to Know to Get Published" (roundtable)

KIRSTEN IMANI KASAI's richly woven debut fantasy adventure, Ice Song (Del Rey) explores issues of identity and difference on a world where DNA has mutated amok between humans and animals. Of the novel School Library Journal affirmed, "Told in a quiet, sometimes almost dreamlike style reminiscent of fairy tales (though at times disturbing ones), Ice Song will appeal to teens [and adults] interested in questions of identity and difference." Library Journal proclaimed it, "Reminiscent of Ursula Le Guin's paradigm-shattering The Left Hand of Darkness, this piercingly moving story belongs in most fantasy collections." While Publishers Weekly declared it simply, "Strikingly original." Its already muchly anticipated follow-up Tattoo is due out 2011.

• SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER

GORDON KIRKLAND has amassed several thousand publication credits spanning newspapers, magazines and books. Having gained popularity as a wry and offbeat commentator on life from the perspective of a husband and father in his humor column, which was syndicated weekly in Canada and the US for over 13 years, Gordon turned to writing books. He is a three-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Award of Merit for Justice Is Blind — And Her Dog Just Peed In My Cornflakes, Never Stand Behind A Loaded Horse, and When My Mind Wanders It Brings Back Souvenirs. His other books, I Think I’m Having One of Those Decades and I May Be Big But I Didn’t Cause That Solar Eclipse, garnered further accolades. A new collection of humorous essays was just released in December, 2009, Holly Jolly Frivolity turns his wit on the fun and frivolity of the holiday season. Site: GordonKirkland.com

• SESSIONS: "An Evening of Writer's Reality TV," "Funny You Should Write That," "Working to a Difficult Deadline," "Writing is a Profession — Are You a Professional?" and "The Entreprenureal Author: What You Need to Know to Get Published" (roundtable)
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Humor (any genre) and columns, up to 20 pages double-spaced

KEN KUHLKEN's stories have appeared in Esquire and dozens of other magazines and anthologies, been honorably mentioned in Best American Short Stories and earned a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. With Alan Russell, in Road Kill and No Cats, No Chocolate, he has chronicled the madness of book promotion tours. His earlier novels include Midheaven, a finalist for the Ernest Hemingway Award for best first fiction work, and the Hickey family mysteries The Loud Adios (St. Martin’s/PWA Press Best First PI Novel, 1989), The Venus Deal, The Angel Gang and The Do-Re-Mi (Shamus Award finalist, 2007). The Vagabond Virgins is his most recent. The Biggest Liar in Los Angeles is out April, 2010 from Poisoned Pen Press.

• SESSIONS: "Thanks James Frey: Is My Memoir a Novel or Not?" and Read & Critique
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Novels and Narrative Nonfiction, up to 20 pages double-spaced.

DAVID MATHISON is an internationally recognized media consultant, speaker, publisher, radio host, and hi-tech entrepreneur, with more than 25 years experience in content distribution. His new book, Be The Media, sold over 5,000 copies in just eleven days via his web site, blog, Twitter, and Facebook. From 1995-1999, Mathison was vice president with Reuters, the world's largest news agency, where he pioneered online content syndication. From 1999-2002, he was founder and CEO of the Kinecta Corporation, where he raised $30 million in under two years. Kinecta is now part of Oracle. Mathison received a Masters degree from Columbia University in 1995. He has served on the Board of Conveners for the Community Media Center of Marin, the Board of Directors of the Mountain Play Association, and is Deacon at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Tiburon, CA.

• SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER

CLARE HODGSON MEEKER is an award-winning author of eight books and numerous magazine stories for children. Her credits include Manorah The Bird Princess, Hansa, The True Story of an Asian Elephant Baby, I Could Not Keep Silent: The life of Rachel Carson, Arctic Journey and Lootas Little Wave Eater, selected a 1999 Notable Book for Children by Smithsonian Magazine. In 2006, Clare created a monthly story series entitled "Olive and Max’s Big Backyard" which was published in The National Wildlife Federation’s Your Big Backyard magazine for young children from September 2006-December 2008. One story in the series, "Beavers, Berries, and Bears, Oh My!" was a finalist for the Association of Educational Publishers Distinguished Achievement award in 2008. Her latest book is Charge Ahead, commissioned by KPBS public television as part of a national "Raising Readers" grant to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from the U.S. Department of Education

• SESSIONS: "Charge Ahead: The Thrills and Pitfalls of Creating a Commissioned Story"
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Children's Picture and Chapter books, up to 10 pages.

MATTHEW J. PALLAMARY's first novel, Land Without Evil, set in ancient Paraguay, has been acclaimed by readers and critics alike. Ray Bradbury declared "Bravo!" for Matt's The Small Dark Room of the Soul, a short story collection originally self-published. A memoir, Spirit Matters, chronicling his life-long search for truth, which took him from false faith on the bloody mean streets of Boston's Irish Catholic ghetto to the discovery of spiritual affirmation in the jungles of the Amazon, won a San Diego Book Award for Best Spiritual Book and was an Award-Winning Finalist in the autobiography/memoir category of the National Best Books 2008 Awards, sponsored by USA Book News.

• SESSIONS: Read & Critique and "Transformative Narrative: A Shamanic Approach to Story Structure"
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Horror, Fantasy and Transformative Fiction, first 20 pages double-spaced

ANDREW PETERSON is the author of First to Kill, his debut conspiracy thriller out from Dochester Publishing imprint, Leisure Books. The first in a planned series featuring former Marine Corps sniper and ex-CIA operative Nathan McBride, novelist Ridley Pearson (Killer Weekend) proclaims him, “the most brutally effective thriller hero to appear in years.” And Publishers Weekly reports it "kicks off a series in fine style... complex and action-packed." Knowing full well the subject of what he writes, Andrew is a life-long competitive marksman having won numerous titles, earning Master classification status in the NRA’s High Power Rifle ranking system. Web: AndrewPeterson.com.

• DEBUT AUTHORS PANEL: "What I Wish I Knew Before Being Published"
• SESSIONS: "Crafting the Thriller: How to Keep Your Reader Engaged," Read & Critique
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Male Adventure, Thriller/Suspense, first 20 pages double-spaced

KATHY PORTER is the author of Earth's Ultimate Conflict (Woods N Water, 2010), her soon-to-be released debut novel, and the first in a planned "Gray Guardians Series" of science fiction thrillers. Originally contracted for publication by a smaller house that was subsequently acquired by a larger, questionably reputable publisher with no intent of publishing science fiction, Kathy's circuitous journey to birth her book was fraught with frustration, litigation, shoddy editors, the election to go POD — and challenges of doing so — then, ultimately, legitimate publication success.

• DEBUT AUTHORS PANEL: "What I Wish I Knew Before Being Published"

FREDERICK RAMSAY's debut novel, Artscape, was called by Publishers Weekly, "A thought-provoking examination of serious pastoral issues and a thoroughly entertaining mystery that succeeds on all levels without recourse to bombast or carnage." It marked the launch of his popular Ike Schwartz mystery series, which includes Secrets, Buffalo Mountain, and the recent Stranger Room. His stand-along Impulse was called by Booklist, "A touching reflection on the changes that come with growing older in a society prejudiced against the elderly." Choker and the upcoming Predators, both of which were "starred" by Library Journal, are his latest. A mainsteam re-launch of his initially self-published title, Judas: The Gospel of Betrayal, is out January, 2010 from Perfect Niche.

• SESSIONS: "Distinguishing Plot from Over-Arching Story," Read & Critique and "The • Going Rogue: When, Why & How to Publish Your Own Book (roundtable)
Author: What You Need to Know to Get Published" (roundtable)
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Mystery, Crime, Historical, up to 20 pages double-spaced.

MIDGE RAYMOND 's story collection, Forgetting English (Eastern Washington University Press, 2009), received the Spokane Prize for Short Fiction and "lights up the poetry-circuits of the brain," raved The Seattle Times. Her award-winning fiction has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, American Literary Review, Ontario Review, Bellevue Literary Review, the Indiana Review, TriQuarterly and numerous other publications. She has been on the editorial board of the literary journal Green Hills Literary Lantern since 2004 and currently lives in Seattle, where she teaches at Richard Hugo House. Additionally, Midge has worked as an editor and copywriter for Penguin Putnam, Bantam Doubleday Dell, and Houghton Mifflin.

• SESSIONS: "Navigating the High-Stakes Seas of Writing Contests" and "Insider Tips for Getting Published in Literary Magazines"

JUDY REEVES is a writer and educator with more than 20 years of experience as a workshop leader. She is the author of four books on writing, including A Writer's Book of Days, named a "hottest book for writers" by Writer's Digest magazine. The other books are Writing Alone, Writing Together, A Creative Writer's Kit, and The Writer's Retreat Kit. She teaches creative writing at UCSD Extension, holds private workshops, and speaks at writing conferences internationally. In addition to her work as a writer and writing provocateur, Judy co-founded The Writing Center, a nonprofit literary arts organization and is executive director of San Diego Writers, Ink. New World Library will publish a 10th Anniversary Edition of A Writer's Book of Days next fall.

• SESSIONS: "Little Things Mean a Lot: Using Small Details to Create Big Impact" and Read & Critique
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Memoirs and Women's Fiction; up to 20 pages double-spaced SOLD OUT

MARK I. REICHENTHAL is an intellectual property and entertainment law attorney with Branfman Law Group P.C., with the emphasis of his practice centered on intellectual property, entertainment law, licensing, internet and book & magazine publishing. Prior to joining BLG, Mark worked at Simon & Schuster, William Morrow, Avon Books, was a Senior Counsel at Wiley Publishing, publisher of the wildly successful "...For Dummies" series where Mark was responsible for managing the day-to-day legal affairs of the company including the negotiation of book contracts, supervising the enforcement of the “…For Dummies” trademark, and all company trademark and copyright licensing.

• SESSION: "Publishing Law Today: Author Agreements, Copyright and Fair Use"

LINTON ROBINSON has been a professional writer since his early twenties, winning awards as a journalist and for feature work in magazines like Harpers, American Photographer, Science, and Penthouse, as well as alternative urban newspapers from Washington to California. His syndicated columns "Flesh Wounds" and "Weekend Warrior" were cult favorites in the Nineties, while James Holman, publisher of the San Diego Reader declared him "the best stylist I have ever read." Pulitzer nominee Luis Urrea called Imaginary Lines, his collaboration with Tijuana writer Ana Maria Corona, a "well guided tour" to the labyrinths of intercultural interface. A crime thriller, Sweet Spot: A Novel About Mazatlan Carnival, Dirty Politics, and Baseball (Adoro Books), is his latest. He is also author of several volumes of poetry and has earned his living by self-publishing books, including Mexican Slang 101, one of the best-selling English books in Mexico with over a 100.000 sold. Much of his recent work is for innovative eBook formats and webserials.

• SESSIONS: "Self-Publishing for an Income," and "The Online Edge: WebLit, eBooks and the New Path to Publication"

KAREN RONNEY is the author of Proud Parents' Guide to Raising Athletic, Balanced, and Coordinated Kids: A Lifetime of Benefit in Just 10 Minutes a Day (Thomas Nelson). A former professional athlete, tennis pro and award-winning journalist, Karen had spent some 25 years coaching professionally, before bringing her meticulously crafted book proposal to the San Diego 21 conference where she landed an agent who sold it in a five-figure deal. Since its publication, the book has received the NABE 2008 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, The National Parenting Seal of Approval 2009 — Best Parenting Book and top honors in the Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom Award in five categories, including Best Book in Children's Health and Well Being, Health Fitness for Family, Books-Parenting, Gifts for Mom and Gifts for Dads.

• SESSION: "Selling Practical Nonfiction: The Package, The Pitch"

ALAN RUSSELL has been nominated for most of the major awards in crime fiction and has won The Lefty for best comedic mystery of the year, the Critics' Choice Award, and a San Diego Book Award. Expertly moving from one genre to the next, his first two books, No Sign of Murder and The Forest Prime Evil, are classic whodunits, whereas his third and fourth novels, The Hotel Detective and The Fat Innkeeper are comedic mysteries. Alan's fifth and sixth novels, Multiple Wounds and Shame, are psychological thrillers, while his most recent works, Exposure and Political Suicide, are both suspense novels. Alan's website: www.AlanRussell.net.

• SESSIONS: 80-Proof Read & Critique and "Russell's Rules to Publication Success"
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Mystery, Crime, up to 20 pages double-spaced.

MICHELE SCOTT is an overnight success only ten years in the making. A graduate of the University of Southern California with a degree in communications with her eyes on being a reporter, she set out instead to write a novel. Enduring rejections of her manuscript for a decade, in March 2004 an agent signed her on and one month later Murder Uncorked sold to Berkley Prime Crime in a three-book deal launching Michele's Wine Lover's Mystery Series, which now includes Murder by the Glass, Silenced by Syrah, A Vintage Murder, and the upcoming Corked by Cabernet (Feb. 2009). Nine months later another three-book deal followed for a Equine Mystery Series, which debuted November '06 with Saddled with Trouble and now includes Death Reins In and Tacked to Death. Michele's debut novel for children, Zamora's Ultimate Challenge, is recently out from Quake. Her latest is Happy Hour.

• SESSIONS: "Muddled: A Story Reconstruction Clinic" and "Writing Niche Mystery: The Broad-Based Target Market
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Mystery, Mystery Series Proposal, YA, Childrens (non-picture book) up to 20 pages double-spaced.

EVA SHAW, Ph.D. is a best-selling author and ghostwriter with over 70 published books. Specializing in memoirs and biographies of people who make the headlines, Eva has ghostwritten the stories of great Americans and newsmakers who have experienced life-changing events, and families determined to create a history in a book form. Her work has won awards and received rave reviews from USA Today, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, L.A. Times, San Diego Union Tribune, Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal, Costco Connection and others, along with glowing book reviews from hundreds of publications. Possibly the world's most famous on-line writing instructor, with five different writing courses available at 2000 colleges worldwide, she has helped dozens of emerging writers become best-selling authors. Her latest release is an assignment-oriented book for combating writer's block Writeriffic II: Creativity Training for Writers.

• SESSION: "Writing You: Memoirs as Fact and for Fiction"
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Memoir, Narrative and Practical Nonfiction, first 20 pages double-spaced

NICK VALENTINO's debut novel, the steampunk adventure Thomas Riley, is just out from Echelon Press. The first in a series of alternative history books about two Victorian-era weapons designers that are forced into enemy lands to undo an alchemic mishap, Nick met his would-be publisher, Karen Syed, at the SCWC*SD 23 conference. He is also the author of "The Young Alchemists," a YA steampunk short story series published by Echelon Press Shorts.

• DEBUT AUTHORS PANEL: "What I Wish I Knew Before Being Published"

MARALYS WILLS is the author of a dozen published books in a variety of genres, including the techno-thriller Scatterpath, of which The New York Times said, "Her cockpit sequences all but put the reader at the controls," and four romance novels. Her nonfiction includes the critically lauded Higher Than Eagles: The Tragedy and Triumph of an American Family, which chronicles the loss of two of her sons and has been optioned for film five times, and Save My Son: A Mother and a Sheriff Unite to Reclaim the Lives of Addicted Offenders (with Michael Carona). Her latest titles include A Clown in the Trunk, a sequel of sorts to her light-hearted memoir, A Circus Without Elephants, and Damn the Rejections: Full Speed Ahead.

• SESSIONS: "Killer Queries & Snappy Synopses: The Key to Getting a Request," "Masculizing Your Book for the Male Market," Read & Critique
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Novels, first 20 pages double-spaced

JENNIFER DE LA FUENTE worked at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, The Gersh Agency, and Venture Literary before forming Fountain Literary in 2009. She also coordinated the popular “Artists on the Cutting Edge” series at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego for several years. She graduated from University of California, San Diego in 1992 with a BA in Literature. A voracious reader with a keen eye, she's interested in the following areas: literary and commercial fiction and everything in between (except sci-fi, fantasy, mystery and romance), health, parenting, memoir, pop culture, humor, self-help, food and wine, pop science, current events, women's issues, and big “think” books. She is not looking for spirituality, new age, finance, or sports.

• EDITORS PANEL
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Fiction and Nonfiction, first 15 pages double-spaced (submission deadline extended to Feb. 1)

JEAN JENKINS is a freelance editor (MsRewrite.com) and consultant to writers. Having worked with a number of authors, she has successfully shepherded to print both genre and mainstream novels for publishers such as Random House, Avon, St. Martins, Rutledge Hill Press, Tor and Donald I. Fine, and maintained her popular "Ask J.J." column for San Diego Writers' Monthly for several years. Jean also "moonlights" for KPBS, Public Broadcasting, various production houses and numerous attorneys. Several recent books that she has consulted on are nearing publication with major houses.

• SESSION: "How to Get the Most from the Conference"
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Mystery/Suspense, Police Procedural and Mainstream Fiction, up to 20 pages double-spaced

JILL MARR is an agent with the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, one of the most respected literary agencies in the U.S. Representing an impressive and eclectic client roster, SDLA has helped guide the illustrious careers of many best selling authors in several genres, including Maxine Hong Kingston, Amy Tan, Lisa See and Diane Mott Davidson and on the non-fiction side, Peter Irons, David Landes, Mike Davis, Chalmers Johnson and Susan Faludi, among others. Jill is interested in commercial fiction, especially women’s fiction, multi-cultural fiction, young adult, historic fiction, mysteries and thrillers. She is also looking for nonfiction in the areas of self-help, inspirational, memoir (she especially loves travel and foodie memoirs), parenting, history, health & nutrition, pop culture, humor and music.

• EDITORS PANEL
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Fiction, Nonfiction, up to 15 pages double-spaced SOLD OUT

MARLA MILLER's first book, All American Girls: The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, published by Simon & Schuster, enjoyed three print runs. She is editor-in-chief of Location 3 Magazine, a lifestyle quarterly magazine that circulates in Newport Coast, California. For 18 years, she penned three columns for the Orange County Register's lifestyle magazine. She has written for the Los Angeles Times, Oxygen.com and co-hosted a radio talk show on a NPR affiliate. A former nurse practitioner, she writes about health and consults on several health care websites. Her travel pieces appear in regional magazines. Miller teaches marketing-to-writers workshops at several conferences. She also has taught narrative nonfiction workshops at the University of California, Irvine - Extension. Of her freelance editing clients, two have authored best-selling books with Miller as editor. In her monthly column, "Early Years" in Writer Magazine, she talks to notable authors about their early years in this business. Site: MarketingTheMuse.com

• SESSIONS: "New Writers Primer Part 1: The Writer's Responsibility to the Business," "Nonfiction for Newbies: Is It a Book or Isn't It?" and "Pitch it to Me: Let's Fix Your Book Pitch!"
• ADVANCE SUBMISSION: Narrative Nonfiction, Fiction up to 20 pages double-spaced

LYNN PRICE is editorial director of Behler Publications, an independent publisher with an impressive variety of award-winning titles. A 2007 Independent Publisher Book Award recipient herself, for her novel Donovan's Paradigm, Lynn's passion for working with some of the most exciting new voices in American literature, on subjects tackling medicine, aging, family issues, death, abandonment, love, prejudice and more, has produced for Behler a growing list of poignant, lauded personal journeys in both fiction and nonfiction. Recent books include Kate McLaughlin's Mommy I'm Still In Here: Raising Children with Bipolar Disorder, Chip Jacob's Wheeling the Deal: The Outrageous Legend of Gordon Zahler, Hollywood's Flashiest Quadriplegic and Douglas Light's East Fifth Bliss.

• SESSIONS "Backstory Bedlam: What to Use, What to Lose?" and "I've Written 'The End,' Now What?"
• AGENTS/EDITORS PANEL
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Narrative Nonfiction, Fiction up to 20 pages double-spaced

JENNIFER SILVA REDMOND is Editor-in-Chief of Sunbelt Publications, an award-winning small press, and prose editor for the San Diego Writer's Ink Anthology A Year in Ink, Vol 3. Founding editor of the critically-acclaimed Sea of Cortez Review (1998-2001), Redmond joined Sunbelt, an independent publisher, as Acquisitions Editor in 2000, and was named Editor-in-Chief in 2004. As an author, she has sold stories, poetry, and essays to many publications and was recently featured in Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature. She enjoys speaking to writers' groups and working with authors, based on her 12 years of guiding authors through the acquisition, editing, and production of their books.

• EDITORS PANEL
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Fiction, Nonfiction, Short Stories, first 20 pages double-spaced

MIKE SIROTA is a freelance editor and author of 19 published novels including The 22nd Gear, Bicycling Through Space and Time, Demon Shadows and The Well, from such publishers as Bantam Books, The Berkley Publishing Group, Pocket Books and Zebra Books. Among his most recent client successes: Michele Scott's Tacked to Death, Jeff Sherratt's The Brimstone Murders and Dr. Paul Bernstein's Courage to Heal. He was the long-time editor and award-winning feature writer for a San Diego newsmagazine, and he presently evaluates and edits manuscripts professionally.

• SESSION: "Narrative Hook: Determining Where Your Story Really Starts"
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Mainstream, adult and Y/A novels, up to 20 pages double-spaced

KAREN SYED is the owner of Echelon Press Publishing. Having published more than 100 novels for some of the freshest voices in the industry, Echelon's quest is and always has been to bring dedicated authors, who are determined to succeed, onto their team. Occupying a comfortable place in the mystery/suspense genre, Karen is actively seeking submissions of all lengths, from short stories to full-length novels, with word counts ranging from 2,500 to 90,000 words. She is also especially interested in expanding Echelon's growing e-book line.

• SESSION: TBA
• AGENTS/EDITORS PANEL
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Mystery, suspense, and cutting-edge fiction; serious and narrative nonfiction, first 20 pages double-spaced

LAURA TAYLOR's acclaimed novel, Honorbound, received endorsements from authors Pat Conroy, W.E.B. Griffin, and Stephen King. The recipient of two Maggie Awards, as well as a Career Achievement Award, a Reviewers Choice Award, a lifetime achievement Award and Best Contemporary Mainstream Award from Romantic Times, she has written 22 books ranging in genre from romance to mainstream fiction, works as a freelance editor and is currently writing a true crime book.

• SESSIONS: "New Writers Primer Part 1: The Writer's Responsibility to the Reader" and Read & Critique
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Mainstream and genre fiction, first 20 pages double-spaced

CAROLYN HAYES UBER is the editor-in-chief of Stephens Press, the book publishing division of Stephens Media. Stephens Media publishes some fifty newspapers and associated magazines and other publications around the U.S. including the flagship Las Vegas Review-Journal. The company publishes books on a wide variety of subjects, often partnering with newspaper or other media organizations. An imprint, CityLife Books, offers both fiction and nonfiction titles with an edgier focus — books that question conventional wisdom or prod the powers that be. A second imprint, LifeStories, publishes memoirs. Her blog, WorkingTitlez.com, offers resources and advice for writers working on manuscripts and authors marketing books. She's interested in all nonfiction: history, biographies, nature, the Southwest, memoirs, true crime, current affairs, entertainment. For fiction: literary, mystery, thriller and suspense. What she's not interested in is chick lit or anything that sucking blood.

• AGENTS/EDITORS PANEL
ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Nonfiction, Fiction, first 15 pages double-spaced SOLD OUT

SALLY VAN HAITSMA is an agent for the Castiglia Literary Agency, which represents an international client database and has successfully placed numerous significant nonfiction and fiction titles with major publishers by first-time authors. With several award-winning writers included, these sales have also extended to film, audio, foreign, commercial and electronic rights where appropriate. Actively seeking unrecognized authors, Sally is interested in ethnic, commercial, literary and women's fiction, offbeat mysteries, narrative nonfiction, health, science, parenting, biography, architecture, interior design, current affairs and niche books.

• AGENTS/EDITORS PANEL
• ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Fiction (no sci-fi or fantasy) and Nonfiction. First 12 pages, cover letter and synopsis (synopsis mandatory)

NATANYA WHEELER is an agent with the Nancy Yost Literary Agency, NYLiterary.com. Natanya is specifically looking for voice-driven crime fiction, psychological thrillers and mystery series with memorable protagonists. She does not handle techno thrillers or medical mysteries. She's also looking for literary fiction that moves at a quick pace. For nonfiction, she's looking for well-platformed authors with unique and saleable ideas. She's interested in birds, alternative energy, humor and politics.

• AGENTS/EDITORS PANEL
• ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Fiction and Nonfiction, synopsis and first 15 pages double-spaced, cover letter and synopsis (synopsis mandatory)

BOB YEHLING is the award-winning author of seven books, ghostwriter of five other titles, and a long-time journalist, book editor and writing instructor. His titles include the practical The Write Time: 366 Exercises to Fulfill Your Writing Life (2009, Pen & Publish) and the 2007 Independent Book Publishers Award-winning Writes of Life: Using Personal Experiences In Everything You Write. His poetry-essay collections include The River-Fed Stone, Coyotes in Broad Daylight, Shades of Green, Open Meadows and the award-winning website Poetry Through The Ages. Through his companies, Word Journeys (wordjourneys.com) and AuthorStart.com (to launch in February 2010), he has edited nearly 100 fiction and nonfiction titles that have found homes with publishers of all sizes, and has helped place many of his clients with publishers and literary agents. In December 2009, Bob was named managing editor of the new literary magazine The Hummingbird Review.

• SESSIONS: "Conversational Interviews: Milking Your Subject," "Cross-Genre Writing" and "Your Journal, Your Goldmine"
• ADVANCE SUBMISSION CRITIQUE: Commercial fiction, memoir, biography, first 20 pages

MICHAEL STEVEN GREGORY is an independent filmmaker and WGA screenwriter of material ranging from mainstream drama and bio-pics to animated action-adventure and videogames. He has scripted series for Fox, UPN and HBO, directed television and features in a variety of genres, and been involved as a writer, producer or director in over 150 short films. His recent longform projects include the award-winning doculogue We, The Screenwriter, the romantic-comedy A Valentine Carol, and groundbreaking Don King Presents: Prizefighter for 2K Games.

• Executive Director, SCWC

WES ALBERS has had a hand in helping make a number of dreams come true for aspiring authors over the years. His efforts continue to foster a better sense of community for writers throughout Southern California and beyond. With more than twenty years experience in law enforcement, he has policed some of the most challenging neighborhoods in the United States, experience earned while serving in a number of capacities such as a patrolman, training officer, field evidence collections and ultimately detective sergeant. Wes’s latest book, Black & White, generated immediate agent interest and is being shopped as a series.

• Director, SCWC

CHRISSIE BARNETT
• Assistant Director

CRICKET ABBOTT
• Associate

EDWIN DECKER
• Associate