OCLS Writers Conference
Make 2018 the year you finish and publish a novel. The OCLS Writers Conference will provide the tools and knowledge you need to reach your writing and publishing goals this year. Authors and publishing professionals will teach workshops on both craft and business topics.
This conference is free to the public, but registration is required for all attendees.
Registration is full, but you can place yourself on the waitlist. If registered attendees cancel their registration, we will move those on the waitlist to registration and notify the affected parties via email. Due to room capacity restrictions, walk-ins will not be permitted.
Schedule of Events
| 9:30 a.m. | ||
|---|---|---|
| • | Introduction & Check-In | |
| 10 a.m. | ||
|---|---|---|
| • | From Research to Representation: How to Get a Great Agent, presented by Jose Iriarte & Elle Ire | |
| • | Juggling Pen Names, presented by Kiernan Kelly | |
| • | Blurred Genre Boundaries: Writing Comedy and Tragedy, presented by Nicole Oquendo | |
| • | Free Headshots, provided by the Dorothy Lumley Melrose Center for Technology, Innovation and Creativity | |
| 11 a.m. | ||
|---|---|---|
| • | Plot like a Pro, presented by Vivi Barnes, Christina Farley, Lucienne Diver, Amy Christine Parker, and Racquel Henry | |
| • | Demystifying Publishing Contracts, presented by literary agent Saritza Hernandez | |
| • | A Prose Writer's Guide to Learning from Poetry, presented by Kirsten Holt | |
| • | Free Headshots, provided by the Dorothy Lumley Melrose Center for Technology, Innovation and Creativity | |
| 12 p.m. | ||
|---|---|---|
| • | A Systematic Approach to Book Editing, presented by Kristen Stieffel | |
| • | Firearms in Fiction, presented by Kristin Durfee | |
| • | Imagery in Fiction, presented by Heather Startup | |
| 1 p.m. | ||
|---|---|---|
| • | Culture and Character, presented by Chudney Thomas | |
| • | 10 Personal Branding Secrets for Writers, presented by Erik Deckers | |
| • | Avoiding Publishing Scams, presented by Matt Peters | |
| 2 p.m. | ||
|---|---|---|
| • | Query Kombat, presented by Larissa Hardesty & JC Welker | |
| • | It’s Showtime! Show, Don’t Tell, presented by Janice Hardy | |
| • | Productivity Planning for Writers, presented by Leslie Salas | |
| 3 p.m. | ||
|---|---|---|
| • | Marketing Panel, presented by Jim Clark, Katherine Parker, Chudney Thomas, Heather Startup | |
| • | Creating your World, presented by L.E. Perez, Racquel Henry, Valerie Willis | |
| 4 p.m. | ||
|---|---|---|
| • | Book Signing featuring Conference Faculty | |
Note on Lunch: Lunch is not provided, but you are welcome to go to lunch at any point during the conference. A list of suggested restaurants will be provided.
Free Headshots
Photography instructors from the Dorothy Lumley Melrose Center for Technology, Innovation and Creativity will be providing free digital headshots to attendees between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. in the Melrose Center photography studio on the 2nd floor. Attendees will be accommodated on a first come, first served basis. Signup will begin at 9:50 a.m.
You must bring a USB flash drive to store your photos. Do not wear a solid black or white shirt. Please be photo-ready when you arrive to the studio; there will be no space for grooming at the studio.
Conference Faculty (Subject to Change)
James “Jim” Clark is a member of the University of Central Florida History Department. He hold a doctorate in Florida history from the University of Florida. He is the author of nine books and the editor of three books.
Erik Deckers is a professional ghost writer and co-author of four books on social media marketing. He was the Spring 2016 writer-in-residence at the Jack Kerouac House.
Lucienne Diver is a literary agent with The Knight Agency and author of adult and young adult fiction including Faultlines and the Vamped and Latter-Day Olympians series.
Christina Farley is the author of the bestselling Gilded series and The Princess & the Page. She is a certified teacher holding a master’s degree in education and has taught writing workshops worldwide.
Larissa Hardesty is a Young Adult author of speculative fiction. Kiss Me, Kill You released June 2017 from Entangled. She lives in Central Florida with her husband and three children.
Kristin Durfee has been a writer since a very young age. She is currently working on several projects for both adults and young adults. She is a member of the Florida Writers Association.
Kirsten Holt received her Poetry MFA from UCF 2013. Her chapbook, Overwintered, is available from Yellowjacket Press. Recent work can be found in Orion magazine. Kirsten teaches at Valencia College.
Saritza Hernandez is the Sr. Literary Agent at the Corvisiero Literary Agency and known as the first literary agent to represent authors in the digital publishing landscape.
Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of The Healing Wars trilogy (The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfall, and the bestselling Understanding Show, Don't Tell (And Really Getting It)).
José Pablo Iriarte is a Cuban-American writer, high school teacher, and father of two. His fiction can be found in magazines such as Lightspeed, Strange Horizons, Fireside Fiction, and others.
Kiernan's books of gay romance envelop diverse themes. To date, she has over eighty titles in print and ebook. Kiernan also writes YA GLBT fiction as Dakota Chase.
Amy Christine Parker, is the author of Gated, Astray, and most recently, Smash and Grab, all with Random House Children’s. She writes full-time from her home near Tampa, Florida.
Katherine J. Parker earned her MFA at Full Sail University, is the Marketing Manager of Beating Windward Press, and, in her free time, is chipping away at her first epic fantasy manuscript.
Nicole Oquendo is the author of multiple chapbooks and full-length works, and edits for a diverse range of clients and literary presses.
Matt Peters launched Beating Windward Press in 2011. He has published more than 20 fiction and non-fiction titles from emerging authors and his own work has been published in multiple outlets.
L.E. (Laura) finds inspiration for her stories in the world around her. She enjoys passing along the things she’s learned as an indie author. Her mantra: Strong Women, Strong Stories.
Leslie Salas edited the anthology Other Orlandos. She teaches writing at Full Sail University and serves as the graphic nonfiction / poetry comics editor for Sweet.
Heather Startup earned her MFA from Queens University of Charlotte. Her work has appeared in several online publications. A transcriptionist by day, she also moonlights in copywriting and editing.
Chudney Thomas was born in the US and raised in the Caribbean. She’s been an avid reader from the age of three and writes because she loves it.
Kristen Stieffel is a writer and freelance editor specializing in speculative fiction and is associate editor of Havok magazine. Her fantasy novel Alara’s Call debuted in September 2017.
Valerie Willis, the Accidental Guru, is a Fantasy Romance author who uses a blend of myth, folklore, history to add a paranormal flair. Also, instructor with Writer’s Atelier.
JC Welker’s debut novel The Wishing Heart won first place in the 2016 YARWA Rosemary Awards.