Friday, May 25, 2012

Interviews from the 2012 Missouri Writers Guild Conference

Photo by Sarah Whitney
Interviews from the 2012 Missouri Writers Guild Conference

By Brad R. Cook


We’ve posted them for weeks, but now I am happy to provide the definitive and complete collection of interviews from Write Time! Write Place! Write Now! The 2012 Missouri Writers Guild Conference, held April 20 – 22. The Writers’ Lens, St. Louis Writers Guild, and the Missouri Writers Guild partnered together to host a series of live webchats with some of the speakers at the 2012 MWG Conference, and we have to thank everyone who watched online, and the speakers who participated. Though we had a few technical snafus we were able to post the interviews in multiple formats.

This endeavor was about two things – showcasing such an amazing conference and providing a deeper experience for everyone who attended. All the recordings may be listened to or viewed for free.

We hope these interviews provide deeper insights for those who attended and for those who didn’t maybe you’ll consider next year’s conference or picking up some of these writers books or maybe one of the agent’s clients.

The Interviews – provided in the order they were recorded.

Friday, April 20, 2012


Rhonda Penders, Editor-in-Chief of The Wild Rose Press
The Wild Rose Press is a small press and epublishing company that is home to over 1200 romance titles published in both electronic and print format. The companies premise has been and always will be “a kinder, gentler publishing company.” Rhonda Penders’ writing background includes everything from small town newspaper reporting to several years writing confessionals for Dorchester magazines. She has several full length novels and short stories published under the pen name Roni Adams. For more visit www.thewildrosepress.com

Rhonda Penders talks about epublishing.
View the video of her interview here – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwlNPHW-pJ0
The link to the raw webstream – http://www.anymeeting.com/stlwritersguild/EA57DF85804C
The link to the Podcast on The Writers’ Lens Tumblr page – http://writerslens.tumblr.com/

Then later that night,


New York Times Bestselling Author Christie Craig
Christie Craig, AKA C.C. Hunter, is an award winning writer, photo journalist, motivational speaker, and writing teacher. Known for her humorous yet heartwarming stories, her books are laugh-out-loud entertainment. Don’t Mess With Texas, the first book of her new humorous romantic suspense trilogy, Hotter in Texas, will release through Grand Central/ on August 23. As C.C. Hunter, she writes YA Paranormals for St. Martin’s/Griffen. Born at Midnight, the first book in the Shadow Falls series, was released March 29 and the second, Awake at Dawn, will release October 11.

Christie Craig talks about the Agent/Author relationship and more!
View the video of her interview here – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AtlXa9R44c
Listen to the two part podcast – http://writerslens.tumblr.com/


Saturday, April 21, 2012

Photo by Sarah Whitney
Christina Katz, the keynote speakers at the Show-Me Awards Banquet!
Christina Katz is the author of three books from Writer’s Digest: The Writer’s Workout, Get Known Before The Book Deal, and Writer Mama. Her writing career tips and parenting advice appear regularly in national, regional, and online publications. A popular speaker on career growth, Christina presents at writing conferences such as AWP, ASJA, PNWA, OWFI, and Williamette Writers. She is also often featured at literary events, MFA writing programs, and libraries. Christina is the creator and host of Northwest Author Series in Wilsonville, Oregon, where she lives with her husband, her daughter, and far too many pets. Learn more at www.ChristinaKatz.com

Christina Katz talks about Platform and more!
Listen to the two part podcast (best quality) – http://writerslens.tumblr.com/
Check out here pre-conference interview on the MWG Conference blog – http://mwgconference.blogspot.com/2011/11/whip-your-literary-ambitions-into-shape.html


Photo by Sarah Whitney
Paul Lesko, IP Attorney with the Simmons Firm.
Paul Lesko manages the Intellectual Property Group at The Simmons Firm a nationwide law firm based in Alton, Illinois. He has published articles in The Columbia Science & Technology Law Review, and blogs on IP topics for the online magazine Cardboard Connection. He has lso provided expert legal analysis in national leading publications including The New York Times, PC World, American Legal Magazine and Chicago Lawyers Magazine.

Paul Lesko talks about copyright and its implications for writers.
The three part podcast can be heard here – http://writerslens.tumblr.com/
The first part the video interview can be seen here – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYML_91eNcc
Part two of the video interview can be seen here – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvygowVAh-g


Ann Behar, agent with Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency
Ann Behar has always loved books, and in 2002 she joined SCG. She started by doing everything from, reviewed and negotiated contracts to evaluating manuscripts, with heavy, constant contact with writers. After five years, she was asked to take over the firm’s growing list of juvenile writers. She states: “I am looking for anything beautifully written, with strong, distinct voice and characters that come alive on the page. Ideally, a book should grab my attention from the very beginning and hold it there, and leave me thinking about it for a few days after I am finished.”

For more information Ann Behar or the Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency please visit www.sgglit.com
Listen to the podcast here – http://writerslens.tumblr.com/
You can also read her pre-conference interview on the Missouri Writers Guild Conference Blog – http://mwgconference.blogspot.com/2011/11/behind-books-with-literary-agent-ann.html


Ann Collette and Carol K. Carr
Photo by Brad Cook
Ann Collette is an agent with the Rees Literary Agency.
Some of her clients include Carol Carr, Vicki Lane, Barbara Shapiro, Mark Russinovich, and Clay and Susan Griffith.

Carol K. Carr is the author of the India Black series.
Her first book, India Black, was published in 2011 by Berkley Prime Crime. A sequel, India Black and the Widow of Windsor, appeared in Oct 2011. Carol is currently at work on the third book in the series.

For more information about Ann Collette or the Rees Literary Agency please visit www.reesagency.com
To learn more about Carol K. Carr please visit www.carolkcarr.com

This interview was conducted by David “Cupcake” Lucas and T.W. Fendley.
Listen to the podcast here – http://writerslens.tumblr.com/
You can also read her pre-conference interview on the Missouri Writers Guild Conference Blog – http://mwgconference.blogspot.com/2012/01/meet-agent-ann-collette-win-query.html



The interviews were conducted by Brad R. Cook, T.W. Fendley, and David Alan Lucas II.

They were made possible by a collaboration between St. Louis Writers Guild, the Missouri Writers Guild, and The Writers’ Lens.

Many thanks to Tricia Sanders, the 2012 Conference Chair, and Deborah Marshall, President of Missouri Writers Guild in 2011-2012.

Thank you as well to all the speakers who participated.



Brad R. Cook is a historical fantasy author and President of St. Louis Writers Guild. Please visit www.bradrcook.com or follow me on Twitter @bradrcook
To learn more about St. Louis Writers Guild, visit www.stlwritersguild.org Saint Louis Writers Guild on Facebook or on Twitter @stlwritersguild
For information on Missouri Writers Guild and its conference, visit www.missouriwritersguild.org or follow them on Twitter @MoWritersGuild

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