2024 Colorado Gold Writers Conference

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2024 Colorado Gold Writers Conference

Welcome, writers! If you have any questions about the schedule or the conference at large, please refer to the conference website at rmfw.org/conference or email conference@rmfw.org. To view the conference floor plan, select or click on map from the menu.

8:00am MDT

Traditional Publishing Bootcamp ~ Block One: Traditional Publishing Overview

Thursday September 26, 2024 8:00am - 9:50am MDT

Conference Room VII

From idea to manuscript, from published novel to reverted rights, trace a story’s typical journey across the mountains and valleys of the traditional-publishing landscape.

Speakers

Angie Hodapp

Director of Literary Development, Nelson Literary Agency

As an active member of the Denver literary community, Angie Hodapp has served as a board member for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and she regularly teaches highly regarded writing and publishing workshops, including at Denver’s prestigious Lighthouse Writers Workshop. She is the... Read More →

Thursday September 26, 2024 8:00am - 9:50am MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Restricted Event
Audience Beginner
Subject Publishing

10:00am MDT

Traditional Publishing Bootcamp ~ Block Two: Contracts and Royalties: Know Your Rights, Manage Your Money

Thursday September 26, 2024 10:00am - 11:50am MDT

Conference Room VII

Angie will put into easy-to-understand language the major sections and clauses of a typical Big Five contract. Get a peek at the full laundry list of rights and subrights (including film/TV deals) on the table during a negotiation and learn to spot red flags that mean an author should walk away. Want to understand how the money moves in publishing and learn how to read a royalty statement to catch typical Big Five accounting errors? Be sure to catch this session!

Speakers

Angie Hodapp

Director of Literary Development, Nelson Literary Agency

As an active member of the Denver literary community, Angie Hodapp has served as a board member for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and she regularly teaches highly regarded writing and publishing workshops, including at Denver’s prestigious Lighthouse Writers Workshop. She is the... Read More →

Thursday September 26, 2024 10:00am - 11:50am MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Restricted Event
Audience Beginner
Subject Publishing

1:00pm MDT

Traditional Publishing Bootcamp ~ Block Three: Agents and Editors: Hook ’em Deep and Reel ’em In

Thursday September 26, 2024 1:00pm - 2:50pm MDT

Conference Room VII

By this point in the day, you’ll already have a pretty good idea what agents and editors do—and what they don’t. Now we’ll cover not only how to land an agent or editor (which includes knowing how to craft compelling pitches, query letters, synopses, and opening pages), but also how to maintain these professional relationships as your career progresses…and how to know when it might be time to break up.

Speakers

Angie Hodapp

Director of Literary Development, Nelson Literary Agency

As an active member of the Denver literary community, Angie Hodapp has served as a board member for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and she regularly teaches highly regarded writing and publishing workshops, including at Denver’s prestigious Lighthouse Writers Workshop. She is the... Read More →

Thursday September 26, 2024 1:00pm - 2:50pm MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Restricted Event
Audience Beginner
Subject Publishing

3:00pm MDT

Traditional Publishing Bootcamp ~ Block Four: You Be the Agent: Live Pitch Read

Thursday September 26, 2024 3:00pm - 4:50pm MDT

Conference Room VII

Don’t miss this fun, action-packed, end-of-day session wherein you’ll be the literary agents! Angie will read aloud pitches submitted anonymously, ahead of time, by you, the audience—and you, the audience, will decide which pitches would have you scrambling to offer representation. (Everyone who registers for the Thursday Intensive will receive an email from Angie with instructions for submitting your pitch.)

Speakers

Angie Hodapp

Director of Literary Development, Nelson Literary Agency

As an active member of the Denver literary community, Angie Hodapp has served as a board member for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and she regularly teaches highly regarded writing and publishing workshops, including at Denver’s prestigious Lighthouse Writers Workshop. She is the... Read More →

Thursday September 26, 2024 3:00pm - 4:50pm MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Restricted Event
Audience Beginner
Subject Publishing

8:00am MDT

Audiobooks: What The Author Needs to Know - Master Class

Friday September 27, 2024 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT

Conference Room VII

With eleven consecutive years of double-digit growth and revenues of 1.79 billion in 2022 (APA Survey, 2023), can you ignore audiobooks any longer? The workshop focuses upon audiobook production. Co-presenter and narrator, Josh Innerst, will give you insight into compelling audiobook narration.

Speakers

Tom Farrell

Author

Tom Farrell Tom Farrell has worked as a golf course starter, a chemist and clerked at City Hall in Chicago while attending law school. He is the author of The Wager Series, including Wager Tough (Book One), WagerEasy (Book Two) and Wager Smart (Book Three). Each book has received... Read More →

Susan Brooks

Editor in Chief, Literary Wanderlust

Susan Brooks is Editor-in-Chief at Literary Wanderlust. She has many years of editoral experience and a master's degree in publishing from George Washington University. SHe was on the board of directors for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and played many roles from 2009 through 20... Read More →

Josh Innerst

Actor, Audio Book Narrator

Josh Innerst has narrated audiobooks for Penguin Random House Audio, Harper Collins Audio and others. He is the narrator for each of the books in The Wager Series by Tom Farrell. He was the recipient of an Earphone Award from AudioFile Magazine and was named as the Voice of the Month... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 8:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Restricted Event
Subject Publishing

2:30pm MDT

The Truth About Swords & Armory

Friday September 27, 2024 2:30pm - 3:20pm MDT

Conference Room VII

Swords too heavy to swing? Studded leather armor? Pop culture is filled with misconceptions about armored combat throughout the ages. Learn how to defeat these fallacies and create consistency in your worldbuilding when it comes to combat, weapons, and armor.

Speakers

J.E. Zarnofsky

Author

J.E. Zarnofsky is a writer, costumer, larper, and devotee of dark and heartfelt fantasy. Her debut novel, Tides of Blood, will be published in 2024 by Raven Canticle Press. Apart from her day job in software, she can be observed in her natural habitats of coffee shops, ice rinks... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 2:30pm - 3:20pm MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Genre

3:30pm MDT

The Quintessential Query

Friday September 27, 2024 3:30pm - 4:20pm MDT

Conference Room VII

This workshop outlines the dos and don’ts of the query process. It includes (1) an overview of the querying process and how it works, (2) how to find an agent, (3) how to format a query letter, (4) what information should and should not be included in a query letter, (5) and a step-by-step walk-through a sample query letter.

Speakers

Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong

Literary Agent, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency

Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong is a Literary Agent at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, and is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA). With eight years of industry experience and a published author herself, Cathie has been on both sides of the querying process and takes... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 3:30pm - 4:20pm MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Publishing

4:30pm MDT

Level Up Your Writing Craft

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 5:20pm MDT

Conference Room VII

The first step toward writing success is not brand or publishing choice, but producing a story that engages, satisfies, and delights readers. Let’s look at five solid techniques to take our writing to the next level, avoiding common pitfalls and separating our fiction from the common run.

Speakers

Carol Berg

Award-Winning Author

Carol Berg writes epic, mythic, and adventure fantasy novels and short fiction under her own name and her pseudonym, Cate Glass. Her eighteen novels have won national and international awards, including four Colorado Book Awards and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature... Read More →

Friday September 27, 2024 4:30pm - 5:20pm MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Craft

8:00am MDT

The Power of Now

Saturday September 28, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am MDT

Conference Room VII

What is the white-hot core of character motivation? What sets your characters in motion? Why does anybody do anything? How does ink on the page make us feel something? How do we build empathy for fictional characters, both good and bad? How do you help readers connect a plausible, grounded story?

Speakers

Mark Stevens

2023 Writer of The Year

Author of The Fireballer and five books in The Allison Coil Mystery Series. Short stories in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Tribune, two RMFW anthologies, and others. Host of the Rocky Mountain Writer podcast. RMFW Writer of the Year (2016 and 2023). Previous RMFW President... Read More →

Saturday September 28, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Craft

9:00am MDT

The Science of Magic

Saturday September 28, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am MDT

Conference Room VII

If magic doesn’t have consistency and limits, then it can hurt your storytelling more than help it. When readers choose immersion in speculative fiction, they crave both grounding and imagination. Science can provide both.

Speakers

Kim Lajevardi

Award-Winning Author

I'm a former teacher who traded the insanity of middle school science for that of working all day, every day with my family. What could go wrong? I've written two upmarket books both of which have either won or been recognized in Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer's Gold, Pikes Peak's... Read More →

Saturday September 28, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Genre

10:00am MDT

Memoir Mastery - How to Write Your Story so it Sells

Saturday September 28, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am MDT

Conference Room VII

Writers with an incredible personal story often struggle with where to start their tale and how to share it effectively with an agent/publisher/reader. Discover how to present your amazing story, determine where to begin it on the first page, and start using it to attract more readers, agents, producers, publicists, press, and clients.

Speakers

Jennifer S. Wilkov

Creative Consultant, Your Book is Your Hook

Jennifer S. Wilkov is a multi #1 international best-selling award-winning author, producer, an award-winning freelance writer, The Literary Agent Matchmaker™ and a respected book, business and entertainment creative consultant for nearly 20 years. Jennifer was selected as the Error... Read More →

Saturday September 28, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Genre

11:00am MDT

Kink & BDSM: Beyond The Stereotypes

Saturday September 28, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am MDT

Conference Room VII

50 Shades gave an impression of kink that irks kinksters as much as Glocks with safeties does gun experts. This session will dispel misunderstandings and answer questions.

Speakers

Veronica R. Calisto

Author

Veronica R. Calisto (she/her) is an alto, a writer of speculative fiction, and a big nerd. One of those rare Colorado natives, she has a degree in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and is a two-time American Idol reject. She is the author of several books, including Diary... Read More →

Saturday September 28, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Genre

1:30pm MDT

The Year of 100 Rejections

Saturday September 28, 2024 1:30pm - 2:20pm MDT

Conference Room VII

This class will focus on a 100-rejection challenge, how to face and use rejection, how to choose submissions, how to read and follow guidelines, and how to track your submissions. We’ll also look at rejections as a tool for improvement and how to separate ourselves and our worth from rejection.

Speakers

Sarah Reichert

Author

Sarah Reichert (S.E. Reichert) is a novelist, poet, blogger, writing mentor, and herder of cats. She’s the Youth Coordinator for the Writing Heights Writers Association. She is also the webmaster for WyoPoets and a member of Wyoming Writers, Inc. Her Sweet Valley Series, a contemporary... Read More →

Saturday September 28, 2024 1:30pm - 2:20pm MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Publishing

2:30pm MDT

Becoming a Plotter

Saturday September 28, 2024 2:30pm - 3:20pm MDT

Conference Room VII

If you’ve ever set down to write with a pocket full of vibes, you may be a pantser. But what feels good in the moment can cause you to curl into the fetal position when complicated revisions come knocking. What can a pantser do? Plot. No, seriously. Let me show you plot is not a four-letter word.

Speakers

Kim Lajevardi

Award-Winning Author

I'm a former teacher who traded the insanity of middle school science for that of working all day, every day with my family. What could go wrong? I've written two upmarket books both of which have either won or been recognized in Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer's Gold, Pikes Peak's... Read More →

Saturday September 28, 2024 2:30pm - 3:20pm MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Craft

3:30pm MDT

Let's Rewrite a Famous Scene Together

Saturday September 28, 2024 3:30pm - 5:20pm MDT

Conference Room VII

Learn from your heroes. We go into a meticulous study of a single scene from a famous book, interrogating every decision, every word choice, made by the author. Then we see if we can rewrite it.

Speakers

Oliver Blakemore

Author

Oliver has been writing novels since he was twelve. He’s written fifteen books, and two of them may even be worth reading. He spent four years as a technical writer and six years in brand marketing as a content writer. His credentials include a hard head and nine Honorable Mentions... Read More →

Saturday September 28, 2024 3:30pm - 5:20pm MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Intermediate
Subject Craft

8:00am MDT

Playing God for Fun and Profit - Building Worlds your Readers will Love

Sunday September 29, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am MDT

Conference Room VII

Worlds are big, and building them can be daunting. Learn how to build a fantastic setting, whether modifying our world to include magic and dragons, building a new secondary world, or constructing an entire galaxy to explore. What pitfalls do many authors fall into, and how can one avoid them?

Speakers

Calvin Studzinski

Author

Calvin Studzinski is an award-winning aerospace engineer, amateur historian, role-playing game designer, and aspiring author. As a child, Calvin was an avid reader, consuming the works of Jules Verne and J.R.R. Tolkien with equal voracity, before reading everything he could get his... Read More →

Sunday September 29, 2024 8:00am - 8:50am MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Genre

9:00am MDT

Writing with Chronic Illness

Sunday September 29, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am MDT

Conference Room VII

Chronic illness has a way of making us feel like we aren’t doing enough, fast enough. This presentation will examine mental health while writing with chronic illness, as well as ergonomics and self-accommodations to keep you writing more often and for longer amounts of time.

Speakers

October K Santerelli

Author

October K Santerelli is a local author from Denver, Colorado. He identifies as queer and disabled, and writes characters that share his life experiences. His works are primarily fantasies, ranging from dark to epic and everything in between. His debut novel, City of Day (Nightfall... Read More →

Sunday September 29, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Everyone
Subject Productivity

10:00am MDT

Exoplanetary Exploration - Realistic Methods for Visiting Alien Worlds

Sunday September 29, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am MDT

Conference Room VII

Science fiction often resorts to fantastical technologies to reach other stars, but could we do it in real life? Explore the real science we would use to explore exoplanets, the dangers involved, and how the restrictions of sub-luminal space travel should inspire gripping sci-fi narratives.

Speakers

Calvin Studzinski

Author

Calvin Studzinski is an award-winning aerospace engineer, amateur historian, role-playing game designer, and aspiring author. As a child, Calvin was an avid reader, consuming the works of Jules Verne and J.R.R. Tolkien with equal voracity, before reading everything he could get his... Read More →

Sunday September 29, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am MDT
Conference Room VII

Conference Room VII

Topic Workshop
Audience Beginner
Subject Genre