11:00 am - 5:00 pm Registration - Location: Hotel Lobby
All Friday Panel Sessions are located in the Riverview Room on the 16th Floor
1:00 pm - 2:15pm Panel One - New Orleans 101 with Heather Graham and Chat with Special Guest
James O. Born
Heather breaks down the weekend events and interviews Special Guest James O. Born.
2:20 pm - 3:30 pm Panel Two - Bright Spots Round Table
Facilitated by Richard Devin
Writers, Readers, Editors, Agents, Publishers, Marketers and Social Media Influencers are invited and encouraged to
attend... and participate in this Bright Spots Round Table - where we’ll share ideas, attempts, successes, failures and
everything in between.
Bright Spots - is a theory where everyone contributes to the conversation and from this exchange of dialogue we glean the
“best practices” of individuals. Successes and failures are discussed in an open, non-judgmental conversation.
In every community, organization, or social group, there are individuals whose exceptional behaviors or practices enable them to get better results than their neighbors with the exact same resources. In doing so they have discovered the path to success for the entire group.
We’ll take the “best” from these conversations and then discuss how to put them into practice as we learn from the failures because - success only comes from what we’ve learned during failure.
3:35 pm - 4:30 pm Panel Three - Louisiana Idol
Readers: Lance Taubold, Rich Devin
Evaluators: Tom Colgan, Meg Ruley
Want to know if our editors and agents are interested in your story idea? Bring two pages, typed and double-spaced. Our
Editor and Agent will read your pages out loud and critique. You can let people know it's yours or you can be anonymous.
4:35 pm - 5:30 pm Panel Four - Parnormal and Sci-Fi Fiction
Moderator: Debbie Richardson
Panelists: Debby Grahl, Dawn Chartier, Greg LInden
Things that go bump in the night...and the science behind it.
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Editor Appointments - Location: 2nd Floor
8:00 pm - 10:00 pm Welcome Party - Sponsored by Rebecca Barrett and Heather Graham - Queen Anne Ballroom
“COME TO THE CIRCUS”
Yum, Yum!! Cheesburgers, hot dogs, fries and more. Remember Candy Apples, Cotton Candy and Milk Shakes?
Tonight is your turn to slip back in time and enjoy being a kid again. Midway games and prizes for everyone.
Costume as a clown, ring master, trapeze artist or any circus performer you prefer...or just come as you are.
8:45 am - 10:00 am Registration - Location: Riverview Room - 16th Floor
8:45 am - 10:00 am Breakfast Buffet Sponsored by TOR with guest Hank Phillippi Ryan - Riverview Room - 16th Floor
All Saturday Panel Sessions are located in the Vieux Carre Room on the 17th Floor
10:15 am - 11:00 am Panel One - Innocent or Guilty - Forensics Role in Writing
Moderator: Heather Graham
Panelists: Lisa Black, Hank Phillippi Ryan
What does CSI really do? Find out!
11:15 am - 12:00 pm Panel Two - Thriller, Suspense and Romance
Moderator: Debbie Richardson:
Panelists: C. F. Francis, Stacy Green, Sheila Sobel
The tingling begins...suspense ...will they or won’t they...oh they did!
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12:00 pm - 2:00 pm Lunch - On your own. Go and look at the sites, shopping or dine in one of the hundreds
of restaurants in the French Quarter. Enjoy!!
2:15 pm - 3:00 pm Panel Three - Real Police Tactics for Writers with James O. Born
Former DEA Agent, undercover SWAT team member, and award winning author, James O. Born brings new info and insight in real police work to help you with your craft.
3:15 pm - 4:00 pm Panel Four - A Peek Behind the Curtain - Talking with an Agent and Editor
Moderator: Lisa Black
Panelists: Meg Rouley and Tom Colgan
Ask questions and get answers from two experienced, publishing aficionados. Gain insight into what agents and editors arelooking for when selecting a book for publishing.
4:15 pm - 5:00 pm Panel Five - Journalistic Experience with Hank Phillippi Ryan
An award winning investigative reporter, with 36 emmys under her belt, Hank relates her background and knowledge intomasterful suspense novels.
8:00 pm - Midnight - Heather Graham's Slush Pile Players Dinner Theater - Queen Anne Ballroom - Mezzanine
Saturday's dinner--Who will win the Game of Plastic Thrones? Costume in your best medieval garb or fantasy
character. Enjoy our view of the Game of Thrones as only the The Slush Pile Players can.
9:00 am - 9:50 am Panel One - Copyright, Plagiarism, Public Domain, Right of Publicity
Moderator: Caitlin Richardson
Panelist: Pam Ebel, Meg Ruley, Tom Colgan, Lance Taubold
Join our panelists to talk about the legalities in the publishing world.
10:00 am - 10:50 am Panel Two - On the Land, in the Sky and On the Water, the Military Role Then and Now
Moderator: Janice Jones
Panelists: Thomas Jones, Debra Parmley
Our panelists share their expertise and knowledge of the military from the past and the present. Glean lots of information for future reference.
11:00 am - 12:30 am Sunday Tea - Sponsored by Harlequin - Riverview Room on the 16th Floor
One of our favorite traditions is the Monteleone Tea which will include: chocolate covered strawberries, scones, tea
cakes, bite-size chicken salad and egg salad sandwiches. There will be a selection of premium hot tea or iced tea.
12:45 pm - 2:30 pm - Book Signing - La Nouvelle West/Bienville/Iberville Rooms on the 2nd Floor