Events
Mr. Suede is headed to all kinds of romance conventions and retreats for the foreseeable future. If you'd like to meet him and hang out, consider tracking him down him at one of the following genre gatherings:
Scheduled appearances:
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31 May - 2 June 2017: Book Expo America (New York, NY)
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26-29 July, 2017: RWA National (Orlando, FL)
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23-25 February 2018: Coastal Magic (Daytona Beach, FL)
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16-19 March 2018: Salon du Livre (Paris, France)
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23-24 March 2018: Duke University (Durham, NC)
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27 - 29 April 2018 - Barbara Vey's Reader Appreciation Weekend (Milwaukee, WI)
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12 - 18 May 2018: Romantic Times (Reno, NV)
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18 - 21 July 2018: RWA National (Denver, CO)
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19-21 October 2018: Shameless Book Con (Orlando, FL)
Details & descriptions:
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Coastal Magic: Coastal Magic is a super casual, urban fantasy and paranormal romance focused convention in Daytona Beach, FL. With panels designed to start interesting discussion, and meet & greets with fun themes, we’ve got something for every fan. You can expect reader, blogger, and author shenanigans, and lots of “supernatural” inspired activities. Saturday’s charity book sale and signing is open to convention attendees, and FREE to the public. Come take a bite out of the beach! Coastal Magic hits Daytona Beach, Florida 22-25 Feb 2018. Onsite Presence:Cinema Craptastique, Flash Fiction, parties, panels |
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Salon du Livre
is a popular, festive and friendly event ideal for
families, the book fair is a fascinating affair for the
numerous visitors who come to discover and buy books,
enjoy surprise meetings with authors and explore other
cultures. Salon du Livre offers a 360° program, demanding and diverse, that invites big names of today's literary landscape and highlights tomorrow's authors and actors. Many innovative and spectacular new events supporting the program throughout the different stages. When/Where: Porte de Versailles - Pavillon 1 - Paris, France from 16-19 March 2018 |
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"Queer Romance Goes Mainstream" at
Duke University, part of
their "UNSUITABLE"
speaker series. Recently, authors of genre romance featuring gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual protagonists have risen to the top of mainstream romance lists in contemporary, historical, paranormal and other categories. What part did authors, readers and publishing houses play in bringing this about? Join us for a public conversation with romance author Damon Suede. (Durham, NC) on 23-24 March 2018 Co-sponsors include Duke’s Forum for Scholars and Publics, African & African American Studies, History Department, Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies, Religious Studies, Kenan Institute for Ethics, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, #Artstigators, and the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute. |
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Barbara Vey's Reader Appreciation Weekend
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Join us for year SEVEN as we welcome 50+ authors to Wisconsin for an
afternoon luncheon filled with fun, gift bags full of
books and door prizes. We will also be raffling off
wonderful donations and many baskets filled with books
and other items. Not only will you enjoy lunch at an
author table, but this event includes a book signing
with the 40
additional best selling, award winning and debut authors
attending. (27 - 29 April 2018) The Saturday book signing is only open to attendees. This annual luncheon was a dream of Barbara Vey and has become an international event, not to be missed! Proceeds from this event will benefit Sojourner Family Peace Center of Milwaukee, an organization that offers a safe environment for women and children affected by domestic violence. |
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Romantic Times: A fantabulous fan-focused romance gathering that has become one of my annual must-attends. Its 2018 iteration hits Reno! The RT Book Lovers Convention is the premier romance convention for authors, readers and industry professionals. They have an astonishing array of writer and reader events that last almost a solid week. Some business gets done and it's a schmooze-palooza, but the real fun and focus is spending time with passionate genre devotees. (n.b. RT and its editorial staff are incredibly LGBT-romance-friendly) 12 - 18 May 2018.
The RT folks have been
incredibly welcoming and enthusiastic. In 2018, I'll be
hosting
several events:
RT2018
looks to be another unforgettable genre event with LGBT
romance playing a big part in the shenanigans. Many of
our community's best authors will be making a splash in a
big way. |
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RWA National is the big kahuna for professional
authors of romance fiction. The 2018 iteration hits
Denver and looks to be the biggest yet. The RWA
Conference is the place where career-focused
romance writers meet, mingle, and get down to the
business of being an author. RWA2018 Conference
highlights include the “Readers for Life” Literacy
Autographing; the Keynote speech; hearing from great
speakers; book signings; and the Awards Ceremony. Join more than 2,300 published and aspiring romance writers, editors, agents, and other industry professionals. The Annual Conference is a four-day event filled with educational workshops, career enhancement, and community involvement. At the conference, career-focused romance writers can anticipate: Education and information, Networking with fellow writers, Interaction with editors, agents, publishers, booksellers, and other romance publishing industry professionals. The 2018 RWA Conference will be held at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel in Denver, Colorado, July 18–21. |
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Shameless Book Conn is an epic get-together hosted by Shameless Book Club in Orlando, Florida for romance book readers, authors, and fangirls to meet their favorite authors.. Over 120 authors are set to meet and sign!!
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Invitations:
Do you have an upcoming genre event you'd like Damon to attend? Do you have panels or workshops for which he'd be a good fit? Drop him a line with the relevant details and he'll do whatever he can to get his behonkus there.
Workshop options:
Damon has been teaching for a bunch of years on a wacky variety of topics and will happily opine about most things. You can check out his class schedule here. Some of the genre-writing subjects he's talked about for in conventions and gatherings past include:
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CHARACTER: Giving your story a cast that dazzles. Fresh character-building techniques that go beyond trivia, backstory, and stereotypes that’ll flesh out an entire book. Archetypes, tropes, and functions of genre characters; casting your story with unforgettable personalities. Character as the simplest way to plot your story and identify your hook.
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PLOT: A plotting class even pantsers love… Even when a happy ending is certain, a great plot keeps your writing fresh while amplifying your voice. Learn how to craft a sure-fire structure and launch your story. We’ll go beyond the bullet points. Rather hammering one “true” blueprint, we’ll break down major story models from Aristotle to Netflix, identify their seven shared points, and help you develop your own narrative strategy.
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BRANDING: the cornerstone of any promo and marketing plans. identifying, honing, and crafting an author brand and platform that gets the job done… wielding your brand effectively to build a career for long range goals.
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PRESENCE: embodying your brand in a public setting, online and in person. Developing a coherent marketing platform and strategizing public appearances to cultivate your unique audience. Navigating the professional arena and building your A-gang.
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DIALOGUE: screen/stage tricks for "unforgettable" convos, active and character-driven conversations, pacing and rhythm, establishing distinct voices for your fictional people, using dialogue to build character and advance plot.
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COMEDY: the mechanics of humor, comedy archetypes, and comic plotting...along with a bag of tricks for adding levity and sparkle to any scene by unlocking the power of laughter. Using wit, schtick, and tricksters to deepen subtext and raise stakes within your story.
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INTIMACY: making love scenes memorable, use of slang, rhythm and logic, working out the mechanics of intercourse form sweet to raunchy, keeping sex in character, balancing kink and vanilla, gauging and manipulating heat levels for meet (and master) expectations.
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SCENE & SEQUEL: Explaining and exploring Dwight Swain's analysis of popular fiction. Whether you call it “scene and sequel” or “action and reaction,” this basic storytelling pattern allows you to pace your plot, escalate your action, and find your story’s heat and tone. These old-school genre tools let you manage any story’s natural flow for a book readers can't put down.
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TROPES: Uses and abuses of form and formula in genre stories. Narrative patterns and recurring structures specific to certain subgenres. Trope history and evolution. Navigating the border between cliché and archetype.
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PITCHING & HOOKS: the importance of a ‘free prize’ in every book, using a high concept premise to anchor a project before and during the writing process…boiling a project into a logline that closes the sale.
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VOICE: identifying and developing your unique authorial style for maximum impact. Strengthening distinctive elements (tone, pace, language, tropes, humor) that set your writing apart from the herd.
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WORLDBUILDING: for fantasy, paranormal, sci-fi and contemporary all books deserve a fully-fleshed world, prioritizing details for single title and series; language, laws, and meaningful specifics that make stories feel real.
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POWERS & TOOLS: Hocus pocus with focus...and science that can stand scrutiny. Adapting or inventing occult traditions and/or technology that drive a narrative and support character development. (cf degree in Religion/Philosophy and 20 years lecturing on magick, tech, and mythology).
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MYTHOLOGY & FOLKLORE & ESOTERICA: presentations on religion, ritual, legends, and all manner of cultural belief systems off the beaten path.
Invitations:
Would you like Damon to present to your group, chapter or an upcoming genre event? His rates are reasonable and his NYC location keeps travel costs surprisingly inexpensive. Drop him a line with the relevant details and he'll do whatever he can to get his behonkus there.
