There is always a lot of organization and planning behind any writing conference, and this weekend’s conference is no exception. A committed voluntary Board has secured elite presenters for this Saturday’s conference in Sherwood Park, Alberta.
From initial concept to title and theme, to the booking of a venue, and finding presenters and then promotion, there is a lot of time spent creating the event.
Any writer, or author, is welcome to gain valuable information, and network.
What inspired you to write your first book? I wasn’t in a good place with my stepmom at the time and I sat down and just started writing a story where the stepmom and dad split up and the daughter has to take care of everything while the dad is off to work. Somewhere it changed into this tomboy finds love book.
How did you come up with the title? Football was such a “big theme” of the book, that it only seemed fitting for it to be part of the title. So I sat down with the family and actually watched football, then the title just came to me- “Touchdown Interruption.” The name just fits perfectly as the characters’ lives are interrupted by different things.
Is this your first book? How many books have you written (published or unpublished)? “Touchdown Interruption” is my first book. I also have two out in a series called “Innocence” and “Revealed” that are published. So currently 3 completed but many still in different draft stages.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? In my Legend series there seems to be a message of never really being able to know someone. The main character finds her world turned upside down when she leaves home for the first time and learns she has been lied to for years by her own parents.
How much of the book is realistic? “Touchdown Interruption” is very realistic, in a lot of what happens in it can happen in real life. The Legend series…not so much, but that is because it involves Vampires, Banshees and other mythical creatures.
Are your characters based on someone you know, or events in your own life? So far none of the books I have published are based on my reality in anyway. That being said I have a friend who passed away about two years ago and I am wanting to make a story with her as the main character.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book? No I don’t think I would change anything in “Revealed.” I’m sure if I were to go back and read through it, I would find something but at the moment there is nothing I would change.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers? Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the book and don’t forget to write a review! Lol. I really appreciate the readers and hope they enjoyed what I write because I want my stories to be shared and to bring some joy to their lives.
What is your favorite part/chapter of your book/project? There is a part in “Revealed” where Olivia (Main character’s best friend and Morrigan) rips out a boy’s soul. I just think that would be so cool to see as she puts her hand through a guy’s chest and pulls out a filmy silver Spector and is able to put it back.
What is your favorite theme/genre to write? I don’t really have a favorite. I try to through different themes/genres into one book so hopefully there is a little bit of everything for everyone.
Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? What is it? I never say never. In fact I have a couple of books in the works that involve very taboo subjects that people only whisper about behind closed doors.
What book are you reading now? I am currently reading “Roots” by Alex Haley. It has been on my To Read list for years and I have finally decided to get working on that list.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? R.K. Ryals author of “The Story of Awkward.” Joelle Charbonneau she wrote “The Testing” series. Aileen Erin who wrote the “Alpha Girl” series. There are many more but those are in the top 5
Do you see writing as a career? I know a lot of people view it as a hobby, and I can understand that, but I do view it as a career. A career should be something that you are passionate about, driven to do and at the end of the day makes you want to wake up and do it all over again. That is my career ideal. To me that is a writer.
Where do you see yourself in ten years? In ten years I hope to see at least one book on a best seller’s list somewhere. I don’t need a big publishing deal or anything, I just want validation that my books are being read by people who are enjoying them.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? Research, and fighting writer’s block. I am researching WWII for a historical fiction and finding exactly what I am wanting drives me insane because I keep finding other articles that drives me off on tangents. Then with writer’s block, I’ll have all these different scenes I want to write, but can’t figure out how to tie them together so they flow well.
Have you ever hated something you wrote? One of the projects I’m “working” on. The working title is “Forbidden Fruit” and is one of those taboo subjects I mentioned earlier. I hate it because it hits close to home, but at the same time love it for that reason. I am also afraid of what could happen when it comes together.
What book do you wish you had written? So many come to mind! I would have to say “It” by Stephen King. So wonderful, so scary, so perfect!
What is your best marketing tip? I don’t have one. I use social media religiously and I’m still not sure if it is working or I am just a bad writer. lol
What genre is your next project? What is it about? My next project is a Historical Fiction, unless I finish the third installment in the Legend series first. Then it will be Romance/Paranormal/Fantasy. “The Price of War” is about Ilse Von Adler is just a regular teenager from Potsdam, Germany. Her mother and father have one goal for her and that is to find and marry a respectable German man so she can fulfill her duty to Germany. Wanting to please her parents, she goes in search of the type of men every girl wants…a handsome soldier. She meets her prince charming at a party, but doesn’t see him again and is forced to be courted by her mother’s choice, Geoge Lehrer. A primary school teacher with bad habits. During their courtship she realizes how repugnant he truly is and turns him into the Gestapo, where she meets Heinrich Herrmann, her soldier from the party, again. When Heinrich kills Geoge in front of her for his crimes, she decides something must be done. Not for Geoge, but for those Heinrich and others kill for no reason. With her motto, “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer,” she begins to fight back in the only way she knows how. The book follows her through her adventures of striking up a courtship while living through World War II, and hiding precious secrets from everyone to save lives. Will she survive the war or pay the ultimate price? Find out in December of 2015!
Bio: My name is Courtney M. Wendleton; I am 25 years old and live in Ocean View, Hawaii. I was born and raised in the northwest corner of Missouri. I love to read, write and play video games. With my small obsession to write, I have an even bigger obsession with names. I can sit for hours coming up with names for my characters and not know it. I also love to travel and have lived in four different states, including Alaska.
Living in Alaska was a whole new experience, I almost died due to health problems that had risen during my time there. Since then I have moved back to Missouri and lastly Hawaii, where I am content to stay for a while.
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