I won a contest from Writer's Digest magazine to attend one of the biggest writing conferences in NYC! I'm so excited to be attending and meeting best selling authors.
The masters will be teaching classes during Craftfest (Wed and Thu morn) - John Sandford, Steve Berry and Lee Child, just to name a few. There will be 30 workshops to choose from, but since three are held at the same time, I can sit in to the ones I want and even switch in between. There will also be presentations and a cocktail hour to attend, as well as the authors who teach the classes will be doing book signings
On Thursday afternoon, more than 50 agents will be available for attendees to pitch their manuscripts, for all genrres. I've researched and selected about a dozen for my American Oliver Twist novel, "The Wildcat Orphan." I've been working on it for about five years and finally finished it, so now is the time to pitch it!
Unlike my other books that are in a niche market and therefore I self publish, this one will have broader appeal. Here's my pitch; let me know what you think!
In 1897, George “Mac” McDill is a ten-year-old orphan who’s banished from his first foster home in New York and sent by train to Colorado. No one is there to meet him, so the town drunk takes him home. The horse-loving boy longs for a permanent family but realizes he must learn to control his temper if he is to be accepted.
I was inspired to write this historical fiction story when I learned about my grandfather's childhood. He was an Orphan Train rider at the turn of the 19th Century, all because he lost his temper at his first foster home in New York. (He hit his violin teacher over the head with his fiddle!) The Orphan Train Program (coined many decades later) set up by the Children's Aid Society sent hundred of thousands of orphans and street children from the east to the Midwest and West to new homes. Many had better lives, but many were used for child labor. It was considered the beginning of foster care and ran for 75 years.
On Friday and Saturday, there will be sessions all day with panels of several authors discussing a variety of topics. Friday's Spotlight Guest is the renowned thriller author, Lee Child - one of my faves! I won't be able to stay for Saturday, but will soak up as much info as I can during my three days there.
To learn more about Thrillerfest, visit http://www.thrillerfest.com/
