“That [idea] would make a great book/movie!”

At 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 24, 2024, I’ll participate in a panel titled “Inspiration to Motivation: Shifting a Notion into Motion” at the 2024 Amelia Island Book Festival in Fernandina Beach, Florida. The panel, moderated by contemporary women’s fiction author of The Knot series Donna Overly, will offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creative process.

Panelists include: women’s adventure novel author Kristine Ochu; Florida Writers Royal Palm Gold Award winner of an unpublished manuscript Jane Buyers; legal thriller series writer and lawyer James Bruner; and me, author of an award-winning memoir, two suspense novels, and an upcoming thriller based on true events. Kristine, Jane, James and I will shed light on how we turn our ideas into narratives and discuss the challenges of turning an initial concept into a finished manuscript ready for publication. We’ll talk about how we stay motivated and disciplined as we work to complete our manuscripts, will answer questions from the audience, and will offer practical tips and advice to aspiring writers. Afterward, many of us will be available to talk with festival attendees and will have signed copies of our books available for purchase.

I enjoy talking about writing and the books that I’ve written and am working on, but I’m somewhat of an introvert—or maybe an introvert “with learned extrovert behavior.” I spend a lot of time alone, writing, but I also enjoy spending time with others, especially readers and other writers. I love “talking books” with those that I think of as “my people”—people who love to escape into a story and are curious about the craft of writing. Learn about panel participants here: donnaleeoverly.com, kristineochu.com, juliamcdermottbooks.com, idealsatwork.org (Jane Buyers), and thebikecop.com (James Bruner) and sign up to attend the panel here. Trust me, it’s a great idea to do so!