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- Crystal Inn Hotel Deal
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- Good Vibes Grill Food Truck
2026 Guests & Presenters
July 17-18, 2026 Schedule
- The Freebie Table
News Blog
Vendors
Safety Policy
Contact

Registration
- Crystal Inn Hotel Deal
Venue
- Good Vibes Grill Food Truck
2026 Guests & Presenters
July 17-18, 2026 Schedule
- The Freebie Table
News Blog
Vendors
Safety Policy
Contact

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Registration
- Crystal Inn Hotel Deal
Venue
- Good Vibes Grill Food Truck
2026 Guests & Presenters
July 17-18, 2026 Schedule
- The Freebie Table
News Blog
Vendors
Safety Policy
Contact

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2026 Guests & Presenters

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Below is the current list of panelists and presenters for the 2026 Writers Cantina (links added as presenter spotlights go live):

See the 2025 presenter list.

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Write Like a Music Virtuoso

Make your prose sing. Harness rhythm to propel scenes, melody to guide emotion, and dynamics to command attention. Walk away from this presentation knowing how to compose fiction readers don’t just see, but they hear. Increase the sensory experience of your readers and keep them turning pages.

What Your Story Lacks

For those who have put together a story, but feel like it needs a little something more. This is a deeper dive into those more obscure elements of a story that truly make it memorable.

Hook, Line, and Sinker

How to hook your reader from the first page, draw them in without losing them in the middle, and nail the ending of your book.

The Marketing Advice No One Needs

Post on every platform! Run ads! Build a street team! Start a podcast! Much of the advice circulating online is contradictory, unproven, or only works for a small subset of authors. In this presentation, you’ll learn how to cut through the noise and evaluate marketing advice with a clear, practical framework. Discover how to identify strategies that consistently work, avoid common traps that waste authors’ time, and focus your energy on the handful of marketing approaches that truly help books find their audience.

Things I Wish I Knew Beforehand

Join me for an honest presentation that shares the lessons I’ve learned throughout my indie publishing journey. From understanding prices and choosing the right programs to navigating personal mishaps, I’ll share the mistakes I made and the smart choices that helped me along the way.

This is designed to help new and aspiring authors avoid common pitfalls, save time and money, and make informed decisions. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your process, my experiences will offer valuable tips, encouragement, and practical advice to make your publishing journey smoother and more successful.

Nurturing Your Creativity

Hey, I get it. Life is messy. Discouragement, distraction, anxiety, and many other issues can get in the way of writing or any other creative pursuit. Let’s talk about ways to prioritize, nurture, and give your creative side the time and attention it deserves!

Keeping It Real

Lots of talk about sources, and how these days the accuracy of your material culture can make or break a story.

Pitch Review

A panel of editors reviews submitted pitches. What works? What does not? How can you refine your pitch to generate the most success?

Book Series Brilliance

Series appeal to consumers whether we’re talking about movie franchises or books. Come to learn about the different types of series, the appeal of writing in series, and how they benefit your author career and boost your marketing efforts.

How to Make Your Podcast/Media Interview Not Suck

For authors, landing an interview on an established podcast is an opportunity to share your author’s story arc, build your audience, and promote your work, which translates into more book sales … if the podcaster knows what they’re doing. Unfortunately, many don’t.

Learn techniques to keep the interviewer on track, steer the discussion in order to get your message out, and, when necessary, take over the interview without offending the host.

History vs Fantasy: Finding the Balance

Where to draw the lines between fantasy and history and make them work despite anachronism, monsters and magic.

When Can I Break the Rules of Writing?

What are some rules that are generally considered unbreakable? What are some that are more flexible? Do you tend to follow a rigid guideline, or are you more flexible with your writing?

How to Go from Zero to Finished First Draft in 90 Days

Go from idea to finished draft. Break the process into manageable steps. Write forward without overthinking. Walk out of this presentation with a proven system for completing your first novel in just 90 days.

Arms and Armor of the Colonial American Frontier: 1500-1800

A Show-and-Tell discussion of the weapons and armor used on the various frontiers — Spanish, English, and French — during the North American colonial period, matchlocks to flintlocks, and various types of bladed weapons.

For Want of a Spell the Kingdom Was Lost

It’s easy to write about overpowered wizards with spells that nuke cities, warp the world, and have a massive special effects budget in your prose. But what about low-magic worlds, or the use of subtle, invisible magic that can nevertheless cause kingdoms to rise and fall? What are the tricks to making this magic feel… well… like magic on the page?

Genre Blending

Think outside the box, and you can blend genres to create fresh perspective and surprises for the reader. With examples of how it’s been done well and how it’s also not worked out quite right.

How to Use AI Ethically to Give You More Time to Write

In the writing world everyone focuses on the fear of AI replacing authors, but generative text isn’t the only thing it can do. By using AI to assist with things that keep you from writing, you can get more time to write. Things like Marketing, Social Media Management, and high level research can all be taken mostly off of your plate if you use the right tools.

The Art of the Anthology

Anthologies are a powerful way to grow your readership and establish writing credentials. Learn how to craft compelling short fiction, match anthology themes, find places to submit, and create submissions that stand out in a competitive slush pile.

When Politics Takes Over the Narrative

Stories have always reflected the values and struggles of their time — but what happens when the message overwhelms the story? This panel explores how heavy-handed political messaging can disrupt immersion, flatten characters, and turn compelling narratives into lectures. Panelists will discuss the difference between meaningful themes and overt agendas, how readers respond when storytelling becomes didactic, and how authors can explore complex ideas without sacrificing plot, character, or entertainment

Creating Characters

A discussion of the various methods of creating characters to populate your stories. How much backstory does a character actually need? When is just a general impression enough? How important and/or symbolic should character names be? What can you do up front to make characters unique and memorable?

Using Conspiracy Theories in Fiction

What is a conspiracy theory? Why do people believe them? What is the line between conspiracy theories and just kooky ideas? How do we use conspiracy theories to add suspense, tension, and mystery to your story? If we tell you, we might have to kill you…

Slay Your Inner Fraud

Feel like a fake despite your wins? You’re not alone! learn how to tackle that pesky imposter demon with laugh-out-loud insights and practical strategies to shrink self-doubt. No magic wands, just real tools to boost your confidence and stop holding yourself back. Perfect for published or unpublished authors chasing big dreams, this workshop will leave you ready to own your story and shine!

Writing Science Fiction That Will Be Remembered

There are seven million new books every year. How do you write one that people will remember? Join a bestselling Dragon Award finalist as he walks you through the process of writing sci-fi people will remember. It’s not enough to have a good idea, you have to be better than everyone else. This is how you put the wonder back in sci-fi and make people remember your name.

Horror is Bacon - Everything is Better With It

Long before horror was a publishing genre, it was a near-universal emotion and a staple of compelling storytelling. No matter what genre you write, you can add horror as a “seasoning” to all forms of fiction.

Road Map to a Novel

You’ve attended panels on plotting. You’ve plowed through workshops on characterization. You know the genre tropes inside and out. And yet, when you sit down, you still don’t know what to do. You find yourself doomscrolling again, skipping occasionally to stare at the blank document where your fiction should be. You wake up having written 13 pages of the letter ‘d’ because you fell asleep with your hand on the keyboard. Its time to do something different and actually get writing.

The “Road Map to a Novel” presentation is based on an article from the 1945 Writer’s Yearbook. This timeless advice will tell you exactly what steps to take so you can finally hunker down and crank out that amazing novel that’s been brewing in your soul since you were fifteen.

Screenplay Writing for the Novelist and Short Story Writer

Take a deep dive into the art, craft, and business of adapting a novel or short story to a screenplay, including what can constitute a successful adaptation from a prose narrative to the screenplay structure and format. Also, what authors need to know about the business of screenplay writing, navigating a film option agreement, and dealing with agents and producers in both the independent and Hollywood realms of filmmaking.

Crazy Live Map Creation

Sean, a crazy redhead who may or may not have a soul, creates maps.
They might even be interesting maps.
They could also be highly entertaining maps.
Or it could just be him.

An interactive experience.

The 10-Second Hook

A reader decides whether to keep going within seconds of opening a book. In this panel, successful authors will break down what makes an opening paragraph irresistible and share practical techniques for crafting hooks that immediately capture attention and pull readers deeper into the story.

Fix Problems You Didn't See Coming

The hardest problems in your writing are the ones you don’t see coming. This session maps out how learning works, why blind spots are normal, and how to deliberately close the gaps between where you are and where you want to be by targeting principles instead of chasing techniques.

Neck Deep in Darkness

How do you pull yourself out of the darkness after diving deep into it to write disturbing content? How deep should you go and how do you know you’ve gone too far? Let’s discuss the toll it takes on authors when we write about dark and difficult things.

"No $#!+, There We Were"

People who have been “in it” talk about how to write absolute chaos convincingly, but also intelligibly.

Sword & Sorcery

For a full century, this subset of fantasy has been a popular, though too often disrespected, genre. Where did it come from (“Know, O prince…”), and more importantly, where is it now and where is it going?

Writers Block Doesn’t Exist

What if the scariest monster under the writer’s bed isn’t actually a thing? What if treating it like it’s a thing is half the problem? What if knowing that is half the battle?

Aspects of a Healthy Writing Life

Balancing your writing career with personal life can be challenging, but it’s essential for sustained success and well-being. Discover practical tips and strategies to cultivate a healthy, productive writing routine even amidst life’s chaos. From time management to maintaining motivation, we’ll share insights to help you find harmony, stay inspired, and achieve your writing goals without feeling overwhelmed.

Productivity

Techniques to maximize productivity and the best use of time while writing.

Game Writing

What is game writing? What differentiates it from writing novels, short stories, or other types of prose? What should you think about when considering whether to do this kind of work?

How to Suck At Stuff

Worried you might Suck at Stuff? Well, let me tell you something: You do. So do I. Everyone does. And that’s a good thing. What matters is what you do with all that suckage. When something doesn’t click, how do you push through? Say you’ve done the work and it’s still not there. Is there an undiscovered shortcoming? A tiny adjustment needed? Or is it just time for a solid de-stress and perspective-shift? Attendees will leave the class armed with life hacks and hosts of tips for staying balanced and mentally healthy while learning from Sucking at Stuff.

What Authors Always Get Wrong in a Fight

An energetic discussion of the things authors always get wrong in their fight scenes, from people who have actually swung (and sometime caught) a fist.

Ask the Subject Matter Experts

A panel of “experts” talk about the things that drive them crazy when authors get them wrong. (Holli is a nurse, and it drives her bonkers when someone gets jabbed in the neck with a needle/syringe.)

How I Outline a Novel

Successful novelists describe their plotting and outlining process before the first draft begins.

A Study in Mystery

Uncover the truth of this wonderfully modern, strangely formulaic, but eternally popular genre: Mystery. We will trace its origins and motives, expose its impact on English literature, and see how it forever changed the modern world. We will scrutinize the techniques, tropes, types and methods employed in the dastardly deeds, so that we, with clear deduction, can join the rogue gallery of conundrum connoisseurs and weave whodunits with the best of them.

How to Create a Horror RPG Scenario the Sandy Petersen Way

The creator of the Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game gives awesome advice on the collaborative storytelling art of horror roleplaying.

Freelancing in the Modern Publishing World

The world of genre publishing is wild and ever-changing. How can a freelancers, like editors, artists, writers, and sensitivity readers survive? What new opportunities might be opening up, and what old doors might now be closed? Get advice from people who have navigated the challenges and what they’re looking forward to in the future.

Writing Fight Scenes with Martial Arts Principles

An interactive demonstration designed for novelists who want to choreograph conflict more effectively on the page. Drawing on experience in aikido, karate, and competitive fencing, this session explores practical principles of armed and unarmed combat that writers can use to create more engaging and believable fight scenes. Attendees will learn how blocking, balance, distance, timing, weapons, and realism shape physical conflict, and how those elements can translate onto the page.

Lousy Book Covers: Learning From the Worst

Another installment of the worst of indie-published book covers, teaching valuable lessons of cover design by (bad) example.

Writer Dojo Live Recording

The Writer Dojo podcast’s primary purpose is to cut through all the bad advice and help you tell stories that people want to read (and get you paid in the process). This is advice on becoming a Professional Writer from two very knowledgeable Professional Writers. Experience it live!

Heinlein’s Five Rules of Writing

A discussion of Robert Heinlein’s (Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land) famous “Five Rules of Writing.” These pragmatic, practical and practiced directives are for the working author and are the very career-enabling tips that steered a blue collar scribbler to becoming one of the seminal voices of his age. Are they still valid?

Romantasy: Saving Fantasy or Infecting It?

Fantasy’s hottest genre used to be a boys’ club — now women rule the shelves. What happened? In this playful roast, panelists dive into the rise of female authors, the readers fueling the boom, and what it all means for the future of fantasy. Funny, sharp, and maybe a little salty.

AMA (Ask Me Anything) Editor Panel

Editors talk about editing and talk about authors (mostly without naming names). Got questions? We’ve got experts.

Making Readers Care

Mind-bending plot twists, cool magic, exciting action, and worldbuilding to make Tolkien envious all mean nothing if you can’t get your readers to care about it. How do you make your readers care about the story you’re telling? What makes readers emotionally check out of a narrative?

Build Your Own Copy Edit Cheat Sheet

Do commas seem to wander through your manuscript like unsupervised cats? In this practical workshop, learn how to build your own copy-editing cheat sheet. Discover common problem words, punctuation pitfalls, and powerful search tricks that help authors clean up drafts before sending them to an editor, saving time, money, and embarrassment.

Laugh It Up, Fuzzball!

Worried that your funny-bone was surgically removed in your sleep? Concerned that you might never have had one in the first place? How do you add humor to your writing? And what if there’s no Rule of 3 or Comedic Reversal in your first sentences? Well, calm yourself. That’s in the class.

Book Marketing Strategies

A categorical treatment of all the strategies that people have used to get their books into readers’ hands. Pros, cons, tips, and tricks of each method will be explored in rapid-fire fashion. Bring a notebook!

A.I. and the Future of Writing

Will AI replace us all and making old-fashioned novel writing a futile and useless endeavor? Will the Butlerian jihad destroy all the data servers and make all of this unpleasant AI stuff go away? Or will books and writing endure, but transform into something else entirely?