Latest Guest Updates: Welcome John Connolly, Kathryn Fox, and John Birmingham
We may have been quiet here at GenreCon central, but we’re kinda like a duck: the more serene we appear above the surface, the more furiously we’re working behind the scenes.
There’s plenty of exciting stuff to be announced in coming weeks, but we wanted to make special mention of the fact that we’ll be putting out the open call for writers, agents, and publishers interested in being part of the GenreCon program in early June. We know there’s plenty of people who have been champing at the bit to get involved the program this year – in fact, the emails started about a week after last year’s conference ended – so keep an eye out for our next update for details about volunteering to be part of the 2013 workshop and panel program.
If you haven’t yet booked your ticket for GenreCon, we’re going to take this opportunity to remind you that weekend passes are available at the discounted rate of $250 up until July 31. There are also discounted room rates available at Rydges South Bank, the home of our After Hours program during the GenreCon Weekend.
Guest Update
We’re pleased to introduce three authors who will be guests at this year’s conference this year. All three are veritable powerhouses in the field of genre fiction, both nationally and internationally, and we honestly cannot wait until October when we can start picking their brains. GenreCon officially welcomes our second international guest, John Connolly, and two great Australian writers, Kathryn Fox and John Birmingham.
International Guest: John Connolly
John Connolly is best known as the creator of detective Charlie Parker, who was introduced in Every Dead Thing (1999), and has appeared in eleven books since — most recently The Wrath of Angels (2012). Connolly is the author of two standalone novels, Bad Men (2003) and The Book of Lost Things (2006), and a collection of short stories, Nocturnes (2004). His first children’s novel, The Gates, was published in 2009, followed by a sequel, Hell’s Bells, in 2011. The third Samuel Johnson novel, The Creeps, will be published in autumn 2013, as will Conquest, a fantasy novel for teens co-written by Connolly and his partner, Jennifer Ridyard. Connolly is also the co-editor (with Declan Burke) of Books to Die For (2012), a collection of essays from the world’s top crime writers.
A native of Dublin, he divides his time between there and Portland, Maine, the setting of many of his novels.
Author Guest: Kathryn Fox
Dr Kathryn Fox is the award winning, internationally claimed author of six thrillers. Her books are published in over 30 countries, in over a dozen languages. Kathryn began her writing career as Cleo’s doctor columnist, and trained as a medical journalist with Australian Doctor while working in General Practice. During this time she became a Fellow of the RACGP and developed a special interest in forensic medicine.
Her work has been featured in major magazines, and newspapers, and she has appeared on numerous television and radio shows, in Australia and internationally. Her fifth novel, Death Mask, garnered attention in the sports pages because of its focus on footballers, head injuries and sexual assaults, finally making her sports-obsessed-family proud. Her 6th book, Cold Grave, was released in July 2012.
Author Guest: John Birmingham
John Birmingham is the author of the cult classic He Died With a Felafel in His Hand, the award-winning history Leviathan, and the World War trilogy. Between writing books he contributes to a wide range of newspapers and magazines on a diverse range of topics.
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GenreCon 2013 is Go!
For those of you who missed last year’s show, here’s the official pitch: the AWM GenreCon is a three-day conference for Australian writers and professionals working within the fields of romance, mystery, science fiction, crime, fantasy, horror, thrillers, and more. One part party, one part celebration, one part professional development – GenreCon is the place to be if you’re an aspiring or established writer with a penchant for the types of fiction that get relegated to their own corner of the bookstore.
This year’s conference will kick off on October 11th at the State Library of Queensland and feature a mixture of workshops, presentations, panel discussions, and pitching that made our inaugural event a success. More importantly, we’re now open for registrations and offering a special early-bird deal to those who get in fast.
GenreCon 2013 Welcomes Chuck Wendig and Anita Heiss
We’re pleased to announce our first two guests for the 2013 GenreCon – Chuck Wendig and Anita Heiss.
Chuck Wendig is the author of the published novels: Blackbirds, Mockingbird, Double Dead, Bait Dog, and Dinocalypse Now. He’s contributed over two million words to the game industry, and was the developer of the popular Hunter: The Vigil game line (White Wolf Game Studios / CCP). He was a frequent contributor to The Escapist, writing about games and pop culture. Much of his writing advice has been collected in various writing- and storytelling-related e-books.
Dr Anita Heiss is the author of non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial women’s fiction, poetry, social commentary and travel articles. She is a regular guest at writers’ festivals and travels internationally performing her work and lecturing on Indigenous literature. She is an Indigenous Literacy Day Ambassador and a proud member of the Wiradjuri nation of central New South Wales.
Of course, we’re not done – not by a long shot. Stay tuned for additional guest announcement in the coming weeks.
Early-Bird Registrations Available Now
We’ve now opened registration for this year’s GenreCon and we’re offering weekend passes at the special Early Bird rate of $190 to the first 50 registrations. Prices will rise to $250 or more once these first fifty tickets are gone and last year they sold out fast.
You can register now at our online registration portal or get more information about our registration prices and ticketed events.
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Welcome to our Australian Guests
Early Bird Registrations Sold Out
GenreCon has officially sold-out of early bird registrations, which means tickets have now risen to full price. We’re also pleased to welcome aboard the Romance Writers of Australia on board as the first of our community partners, and recommend RWA keep an eye out for our advertisement in the upcoming issue of Hearts Talk for a special GenreCon registration offer. We look forward to rolling out news of future community partners in the coming weeks.
Welcome to our Australian Guests
We’ve been adding their details to the site since we first announced GenreCon, but as we launch into the first of many updates about the convention we wanted to take the chance to officially welcome some of the talented Australian writers who will be attending as our guests.
Anna Campbell
Queenslander ANNA CAMPBELL has written seven historical romances for HarperCollins Australia and her work is published internationally, including in the United States, Germany, Russia, Turkey and Japan. Anna has won numerous awards for her sweeping, emotional stories set in the first quarter of the 19th century. These awards include Romantic Times Reviewers Choice, the Booksellers Best, the Golden Quill (twice), the Heart of Excellence, the Aspen Gold (twice) and the Australian Romance Readers Association’s most popular historical romance (four times). She has twice been nominated for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA Award and twice for Australia’s Romantic Book of the Year. The Australian Romance Readers Association voted Anna their favorite Australian romance author of 2009, 2010 and 2011. In 2012, Anna launches an exciting new publishing venture with her first series “Sons of Sin”, beginning with Seven Nights in a Rogue’s Bed in October 2012. Anna lives on the Sunshine Coast and writes full-time.
Daniel O’Malley
Daniel O’Malley graduated from Michigan State University and earned a Master’s Degree in medieval history from Ohio State University. He then returned to his childhood home, Australia. He now works for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, writing press releases for government investigations of plane crashes and runaway boats. His first book, The Rook, is a thriller published by Little, Brown.
Hélène Young
Hélène Young is a contemporary suspense author and lives near a beach just north of Cairns. When she’s not writing, she flies Dash 8 aircraft around regional Australia. Her stories are set in the top end of Australia – a wild and wonderful, larger-than-life environment just begging to be showcased in novels filled with intrigue.
Kim Wilkins
Kim Wilkins is the Brisbane-based author of more than 20 published novels, including the international bestseller Wildflower Hill (writing as Kimberley Freeman). She teaches writing at The University of Queensland.
P.M. Newton
P.M. Newton spent thirteen years in the New South Wales Police Force, working as a detective, before resigning to write about music in Mali and study Buddhism in India. Her first novel, The Old School, was published in 2010 and shortlisted for the Indie Award for Debut Fiction, the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction, and was joint winner of the Asher Literary Award.
Want to know who else you may bump into at the convention? There’s an updated list of Attending Members included on our website.
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Registrations Open for GenreCon 2012
The Australian Writer’s Marketplace is pleased to announce the launch of the first annual GenreCon, a convention for professional and aspiring writers of romance, mystery, science fiction, crime, fantasy, horror, thrillers, and more. One part party, one part professional development: GenreCon is the place to be if you’re an aspiring or established writer with a penchant for the types of fiction that get relegated to their own corner of the bookstore. Featuring international guests Joe Abercrombie (Author, The First Law Trilogy, Best Served Cold, The Heroes), Sarah Wendell (co-founder, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books), and Ginger Clark (Literary Agent, Curtis Brown), with more guests being announced in the coming weeks. GenreCon is the place to be if you want to:
- Educate yourself on the publishing industry
- Learn what it takes to become a successful genre author
- Build a network of writers who are passionate about genre fiction
- Meet editors, agents, publishers, and other genre publishing professionals
- Celebrate the rich contribution genre fiction has made to Australia’s literary landscape
The 2012 GenreCon will be held November 2-4, 2012 at the Rydges Hotel, Parramatta, NSW. Registrations are open now, with the special Early Bird ticket price of $190 available to the first 50 registrations. To register, visit us online at genrecon.com.au
Special Guests
We’re pleased to introduce you to this years international guests: Joe Abercrombie, Sarah Wendell, and Ginger Clark.
Joe Abercrombie
Joe Abercrombie was born in Lancaster, studied psychology at the University of Manchester, and spent ten years working as a film editor before his first book, The Blade Itself, was published in 2006. The First Law trilogy, a modern take on epic fantasy, is now available in more than twenty languages. His latest book, The Heroes, made no. 3 on the Times Hardcover Bestseller list. He lives in Bath with his wife and children and writes full time. Find him online at www.joeabercrombie.com.
Sarah Wendell
By day Sarah Wendell is mild mannered and heavily caffeinated. By evening she dons her cranky costume, consumes yet more caffeine, and becomes Smart Bitch Sarah of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. The site specializes in reviewing romance novels, examining the history and future of the genre, and bemoaning the enormous prevalence of bodacious pectorals adorning male cover models. Sarah is the co-founder of Smart Bitches, and the author of the book Everything I Know About Love, I Learned from Romance Novels and the co-author of Beyond Heaving Bosoms: the Smart Bitches’ Guide to Romance Novels, published in April 2009 by Touchstone Fireside.
Ginger Clark
Ginger Clark has been a literary agent with Curtis Brown LTD (New York) since 2005. She represents science fiction, fantasy, horror, and young adult and middle grade fiction. In addition to representing her own clients, she also represents British Commonwealth rights for the agency’s children’s list. She attends the Bologna and Frankfurt Book Fairs every year. She sits on the Rights Committee of the Book Industry Study Group, and is a member of the Contracts Committee of the AAR. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and lives in Brooklyn with her husband.
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