Three friends from my Eugene writing group trekked east with me this weekend for some western flavor at a Women Writing the West conference at the Eagle Crest Resort near Redmond, Oregon.
The highlight for me was meeting my editor Erin Turner. Erin, shown with me at right, is the Editorial Director of TwoDot Books, the Globe Pequot imprint for A Place of Her Own and for my next book as well, The Shifting Winds.
Here we are after the Saturday lunch in front of a Pendleton blanket displayed for the evening’s raffle.
It was great meeting Erin face to face and having a chance to sit down and talk with her about the upcoming book and just to chat. She’s a wonderful editor. I feel like a very lucky writer.
At the book signing Saturday evening I had the pleasure of sitting next to Molly Gloss, keynote speaker for the conference, bestselling author of Falling from Horses.
Molly’s many awards include the Oregon Book Award, Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award, and the PEN West Fiction Prize. Molly also wrote Jump-Off Creek, The Dazzle of Day, Wild Life, and The Hearts of Horses.
My friends and I rented a condo at the resort for the weekend, a lovely place nestled among the tall junipers, a bit apart from the conference center, so quiet only the delightful twitter of birds surrounded us. We each had a room of our own in the two-story building. We decided we could live there if we took a notion. At right is a glimpse inside.
And at the front door of our condo, below, my good friends and fellow travelers show a little attitude at the end of an intense weekend of workshops, networking, bookselling, and fun. From left to right: Elizabeth King, Lynn Ash, and Carol Brownson.
We are ready to head west again for home, inspired to do great things with our next big writing projects.
Janet,
It was inspiring to attend the WWW Conference. What a fabulous gathering of women writers, and what a well-run conference it was. It was supportive in every way. I encourage other women writer’s who are curious about it to check out the conference in Santa Fe next year, even if you don’t write about the West, specifically. Thank you for letting me know about it, Janet, and I had so much fun with you, Carol and Lynn.
I’m so glad you went to the conference, Elizabeth. It was a wonderful, inspiring time, and a lot of fun too, wasn’t it? Thank you for driving us over the mountains from Eugene to Redmond and back.
Will be exciting to see you again after I get my new hip.
Take care, Wilma. Missed you at the writers meeting. Lots of writerly news.
What a great looking cadre of women writers!
I’ll say!