PENNED CON RECAP

As always ... Penned Con was amazing!

Seeing so many readers and author friends at this event is a highlight for me every year!

This year, they added an extra day on Thursday of author educational panels that were fun and informative, and kicked things off to a great start!

Then, Friday began with an emotional and inspiring keynote from the one and only, Amy Bartol. The signing took place immediately afterwards from 10-6pm which was a whirlwind of friends, photos, and laughter as usual. 

On Friday as well, I was thrilled to participate on two panels: 

Opinionated and Proud! (A discussion regarding reviews) 

And Havenwood Squares! (The Havenwood Falls version of Hollywood squares) 

(The Havenwood Falls gang!)

Then, at the Red Coat PR party Friday night, my group won the lip sync battle with our rendition of the Outlander opening theme song, including a life-size Jamie cutout which was EPIC! (Jamie was then auctioned off for charity for $155, bought by Jamie McGuire.)

(Outlander Lip Sync)

(Our lip sync crew: EJ Fechenda, Julie Cassar, Danielle Banniser, Stacey Rourke, and Me!)

Saturday was another whirlwind of friends, photos, and panels. I participated in my first ever Flash Fiction panel, and while it was absolute chaos ... it was also an absolute BLAST! Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, filmed the whole thing and offered up prompts alongside the rest of the audience to which we had to create a story on the fly! As you can imagine, things went south fast, but in the end, I think we pulled it out! 

(Flash Fiction panelist: Stacey Rourke, EJ Stevens, Me, Barb Holland Speak, Ben Hale, Chanda Hahn, Danielle Bannister, George Sirois, and Eric Asher)

Then, Saturday night was our Roaring 1920's themed award ceremony and dinner, where I got to dress up as a gangster and spend time with some of my fantastic friends! :)

All-in-all ... another AMAZING event, hosted by Rick and Amy Miles! 

Next year, the theme is 'Going Back to the 80s', and I can't wait to see everyone again! 

Updates and Good Deeds

Hi, guys!! So today I'll be sharing a quick update as to where I'll be and what I'll be doing next year!

From now until April, I'm in the writing cave. I've got to finish The Daughters of Maine (Witches of BlackBrook #2) and Holli's Hellfire (The Women of Purgatory #3.)

For my 2017 author appearances, I'll be starting out in Kentucky, on April 22nd, at Authors in the BlueGrass hosted by my good friend, Kiki Chatfield.

Immediately after that, Kiki and I are headed to Atlanta together to attend RT17 on May 2-7th.

From there, I'll be taking a small break to finish my two secret projects (OMG...I can't wait to tell you about these!)

Then on August 12th I'll be in Michigan for Once Upon a Book Con hosted by my good friend, Stacey Rourke.

After that, it's back to St. Louis for my 4th year of Penned Con on September 29-30th. Which leads me to the second part of my post... Good Deeds.

I'm not sure if everyone knows this, but Penned Con donates 100% of its profits to charity. Specifically, to a local St. Louis-based charity, Action for Autism. This year, Penned Con donated $13,704 which goes towards the scholarships for local kids in need of assistance.

THIS is why I return to Penned Con every year! Well...that, plus the fact that is a great event where I've made some fantastic friends that I hate waiting a year to see!! 

If you're going to be at any of these events throughout the year, please...

#comefindme

Indie Author Awards: The Ugly Truth

I recently ran across an article entitled Indie Author Awards: The Ugly Truth, written by J.N Chaney. I opened the link, honestly thinking it would be derogatory and bashing but was pleasantly surprised. Its focus was about the entry fees and the actual return you get for winning one of the “prestigious awards,” and how instead you could use that money for purposeful marketing.

I’m sure we have all entered a contest hoping to be named its winner, and even paid for that entry. Personally, I’ve never paid more than a $10 entry fee for any of the contests I’ve participated in, which I could count on just one hand. However, I was thrilled when I got to the part in Chaney’s article that read:

“NOT ALL INDIE AUTHOR AWARDS SUCK

There are also tons of free awards with no entry cost, such as the awards being handed out in conventions like Utopia and Penned Con.  These don’t cost a thing. There’s no entry fee, no costs to use the award if you win. Awards like these encourage peer review, networking, and connection — all crucial to your success as an author.”

SCORE!!! That’s one award I’ve actually WON––Penned Con: Best Cover 2015, along with a Reader’s Choice Award 2015 from a different venue. However, did it have the intended goal according to Chaney:

“Remember, at the end of the day, we're here to sell books. Awards can be a nice bonus, but their reward must be meaningful and they have to actually help you.”

Winning both of these awards was great, but did they make me more money? Perhaps. Honestly, I’m not sure, as any spike in numbers could have been contributed to sales or ads my publisher had running at the same time. For me, I was just so humbled to have even been nominated, and grateful that my work had received even the slightest amount of recognition, because that’s what it’s all about, right? Getting your stuff out there and recognized.

As for the Best Cover award, I can’t even take credit for that, lol. That was all the work of my fantastic cover designer, Regina Wamba. She was who I thanked when I told the crowd at Penned Con, “Thanks for liking what I loved.” At that same convention, however, I was also nominated for Author of the Year (Fantasy, Dystopian, Mystery) which I graciously lost to the amazing Denise Grover Swank. I was simply blessed for even being in the same category with her, Amy A. Bartol, and JD Nelson to mention a few, which brings us right back to the peer review, networking, and connection that Chaney pin-pointed.

For me, that connection with authors, readers, and bloggers is what it’s all about! Does it make me happy when I look at my award sitting on my shelf, of course, but what makes me even happier is knowing I’ll get to see the smiling faces of my friends and fans at my next event. Maybe I’ll get another nomination, maybe not, regardless, it’s all about putting myself out there, connecting, and making it count!

[See my full event schedule HERE]

[Read Chaney's full article HERE]

The Witches of BlackBrook

Winner: Best Cover Penned Con 2015

Winner: 2015 Readers Choice Award

Penned Con 2015 Recap

Oh my goodness...where do I start!?! Penned Con 2015 was, as expected, EPIC! Thank you so much to Rick and Amy Miles who truly know what it means to cater to the masses! You always do such a stellar job!

I saw old friends and made a ton of new ones, and I can't wait to go back next year!

This community is full of creative, kindhearted individuals, and I'm so proud to be a part of it. Hanging out with all the wonderful people who attended, readers and authors alike, was an absolute pleasure! The kindness they showed me when I won the award for Best Cover was humbling. I felt so blessed and was genuinely grateful. Thank you to everyone who voted, and a special thank you to my amazing cover artist, Regina Wamba! You are magic!

Another highlight was being offered a contract with Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Literary Management. Italia Gandolfo is not only an amazing agent but also an amazing woman, and I can't wait to see what the future holds!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll leave you with these!

Until next year...

My table!

My view from the gym. (Gateway Arch)

Had to do a little shopping!

#madlove for Amy Bartol!

Me and the amazing Sarah J. Pepper!

Chanda Hahn and G.P. Ching chilling at the bar!

 

My lovely agent, Italia Gandolfo!

Me and the beautiful Mary Ting and Stacey Rourke!

My girls...Sarah J. Pepper and Amy Daws! Love these chicks!

Love this pic of me and Italia!

Eeeekk!!! My award for BEST COVER!

Sarah and I sharing our award winning moment!

 Such hijinks going on here! Lol! So much fun!

(Amy Daws, Sarah J. Pepper, Me, and A.M Hargrove)

The always stunning Trisha Leigh! 

 

So happy to see Amber Lynn Natusch and Trisha Leigh again! 

The ever amazing Amy A. Bartol!

Chanda Hahn is an absolute joy and my Starbucks buddy!

(I swear our taxi driver almost hit someone!)

The lovely Kristina Circelli!

I have such #madlove for these ladies!

(L.P. Dover and Sarah J. Pepper)

Samantha Davis is so beautiful, inside and out!

Best Cover Crew!! Love these peeps!

(Stacey Rourke, Kristina Circelli, Eric Asher, and Julie Cassar)

Penned Con Awards

 

I'm so thrilled to announce that The Witches of BlackBrook has been nominated for Best Cover, and I've also been nominated for Author of the Year (Fantasy) at the upcoming Penned Con event in St. Louis, MO.

To say I'm excited is a massive understatement!! I'm just so happy to have been named alongside some truly amazing authors. (AotY- Amy Bartol, Denise Grover Swank, JD Nelson, Wendy Owens; Cover - Eric Asher, Kristina Circelli, Julie Cassar, and Stacey Rourke.) I'm truly humbled!

If you haven't had a chance to read any of my 13 works as of yet, I hope that you'll pick up The Witches of BlackBrook and check it out. (Reviews are greatly appreciated!)

I would also be so blessed if you'd consider casting your vote for me HERE! 

Thank you so much for all your support!!

xoxo

~ Tish

FREE Penned Con Tickets

**FREE Penned Con 2015 2-Day event tickets**

If you're like me, you've already started packing for Penned Con and are now just waiting for July to roll around!!

Well, I have a surprise for you!! I have four, yes FOUR,

FREE tickets that will get you access to the 2-day book signing, guest speakers, panels and workshops.

All I need for you to do is enter the giveaway below and cross your fingers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'll notify the winners by May 31st to give you plenty of time to plan.

These tickets are a GIFT and cannot be transferred or exchanged for any monetary value.

Please note: Entrance to the Masquerade Ball, Teen Day (23rd) and Brunch with Authors is NOT included in this. Please visit the website HERE for more ticket information.

Penned Con Recap

To say Penned Con was a positive event for me, is somewhat of an understatement. I had such a great time meeting new authors and of course, YOU, the readers!!!

For a quick recap, I've compiled a brief synopsis of what I learn at Penned Con:

1.) I'm a huge fan of cool ass people and I had the pleasure of meeting a TON of them.

2.) I was so thankful to the authors who allowed me into their bubbles and were genuine and gracious! There are those moments where you want to make new connections but are never sure how you'll be received, and thankfully, every one of the ladies with whom I connected with were true gems!

3.) To all the readers who came to see me and the new fans and friends I made...THANK YOU doesn't seem like enough. I never imagined that I'd actually sell out of any books or meet so many people with whom I'd truly have a connection with. I'm so humbled by your support! 

4.) Last but not least, it's now a proven fact that Amy and Rick Miles have their shit together! I am so grateful to have been a part of this amazing event that raised over $11k for Action for Autism, and I can't wait to return next year! And yes... I already have my table! ;)

Hope to see you back in St. Louis, July 23-25, 2015!

Upcoming Events

I'm so excited to announce my upcoming events schedule. I'm only attending three over the next eight months, so if you are close to any of these, PLEASE come see me!
I'd love to meet you!

Penned Con St. Louis, MO

September 12 - 14, 2014

Authors & Readers Con, Phoenix, AZ

October 16 - 19, 2014

Coastal Magic Convention, Daytona Beach, FL

February 5 - 8, 2015

Also, if you'd like to preorder my books for any of the above events,

simply use the form below, so I'll have just want you want!

I hope to see many of you this upcoming year!

Did I mention, I LOVE meeting new people? And fair warning... I'm a hugger! xoxo