Gay Romance Northwest Meet-Up 2014 and Other Events

In in a little over a week I will be flying to Seattle WA to take part in Gay Romance Northwest Meet-Up 2014 and several other romance writing events.

This is every exciting for me since it will be the first writing con I've attended as a professional author, and boy I am starting out with a bang.

I chose to attend GRNW even though I am an East Coast author because I had heard amazing things about the con from people who attended in 2013. Also because I was/am impressed by how proactive the organizers of the con were in seeking out authors who wrote a wide spectrum of queer romance. Unsurprisingly romance novels about white, cis, gay men and the authors who specialize in them tend to dominate these kinds of events. GRNW though has worked very hard, and I hope been very successful, making sure their events including a wider range of GLBT romance.

So the events themselves, where will I be?:

On September 19th I will be taking part in Queerly Yours: A Celebration of LGBTQ Fiction

7:00pm – University Book Store (University District Location)

Gearing up for the Sept. 20 conference “2014 Gay Romance Northwest Meet-Up” at the Seattle Central Library, GRNW presents a special reading event at the University Book Store with five authors attending the Meet-Up—Rose Christo, E.E. Ottoman, Jordan Castillo Price, Radclyffe, and Rick R. Reed. From coming-of-age stories to paranormal mysteries to contemporary romances, each writer shines a spotlight on LGBTQ lives, loves and relationships, and promotes the theme that there’s Happily Ever After for everyone.

RSVP on Facebook.

I will be reading from my lesbian, trans, paranormal romance novel Selume Proferre. I will also be mingling and chatting with folks after the reading. Selume Proferre will be available for purchase as a gorgeous paperback through the University Book Store.

 On Saturday September 20th the Gay Romance Northwest Meet-Up itself will be held.

1:00pm I will be giving part of the Keynote Address: Write with Pride.

Coming off of the successful June 2014 event “Write with Pride” at Gay City, we’ll be doing a similar format for this year’s keynote where five writers will be sharing letters to their past and future selves. and celebrating looking back and looking forward with love, respect, hope, strength, and pride.

The participating writers are Rose Christo, E.E. Ottoman, Jordan Castillo Price, Radclyffe, and Rick R. Reed.

I will be reading an open letter to my future self about my hopes for my future as an author but also for the future of the genres I write in.

4:00pm I will be on The Evolving LGBTQ Romance Genre Penal. 

Otherwise known as the return of the popular Diversity Panel! This panel explores special topics such as diversity (or lack thereof) in LGBTQ romance, and how the genre is evolving.

Moderator

Nicole Kimberling (Author, Turnskin, Primal Red)

Panelists

• David-Matthew Barnes (Author, The Jetsetters, Swimming to Chicago)
• Rose Christo (Author, Gives Light, The Place Where They Cried)
• Lori L. Lake (Author, Gun Shy, Under the Gun)
• Pearl Love (Author, The Uncertain Customer, ‘Til Darkness Falls)
• E.E. Ottoman (Author, Selume Proferre, The Memory of Blood and Lotuses)

I think this will be a great panel with lots of interesting things to say. The topics we've kicked around so far focus on where the romance industry will be going over the next couple of years with regards to diversity and I think this is a great group ot talk about that.

5:00pm-ish the Gay Romance Northwest Meet-Up Book Festival will start. 

I will have an author's table at the book festival where you can come talk to me, buy a book or pick up some cool free swag. I'm super excited about the swag I ordered and I'll have plenty to give away. I will also be signing books during this time if you are interested.

My books that will be avaliable in paperback form are:
Selume Proferre
Like Fire Through Bone, 
The Memory of Blood and Lotuses, 
Private Dicks: Undercover anthology

Other than these specific events I will be wandering around, attending panels and workshops. Come track me down and say hi. All of the crazy things I talk about online I am more than happy to also talk about in person.

Particularly if you are a author/reader/editor/publisher with an interest in non-binary/trans romance I would love to talk to you. What would you like to see in the future? What are you hopes/fears concerning this tiny subgenre? I am especially interested in talk to you if you are an author/publisher with no prior experience with nonbinary/trans romance but is looking to branch out.

All in all I am definitely looking forward to this trip.