Personal Connections by Guest Blogger, Renee Knowles

Welcome to our Wednesday guest blogger, and my fellow Siren author, Renee Knowles. Renee and I were newbies together. And, boy, am I glad. Her warmth and intelligence on our author loop was helpful and inspiring to me. Not to mention she guided me through an editing snafu I was clueless about.
Renee’s first e-novel with Siren Publishing, Going Topless, will be in print soon, and has earned three 5-Star reviews. Currently, she has a new erotic romance contemporary series called, Pleasure, Inc., contracted with Siren and a regency historical contracted with the Wild Rose Press.
Kinda impressive, isn’t it?!
Okay, I stole this bio from her website. But, why re-invent the writing wheel?
Renee lives in Northern Colorado with her husband and a view of the Rocky Mountains out of her window. (How cool is that?) Renee has traveled all over the world, living in both Europe and Asia. She has also visited Amsterdam twice, the setting for her debut book, Going Topless. Her favorite place to travel to is Italy, and her dream is to own a vacation home there.

Personal Connections by Renee Knowles

I just returned from a fabulous writer’s conference. Aren’t conferences the best? The entire weekend was rejuvenating, fun, and full of great information. I totally enjoy these events. Everybody seems to "get" you there. There’s so much positive energy in the room, and everyone loves to talk about my favorite subject: writing. Although, by the time you’re done, you are tired, have sore feet, and are mentally exhausted. Then it’s time to unwind and take a day or two for yourself.
One thing I found interesting is all the talk from agents and editors at this conference was about personal connections and networking. They were touting the benefits of meeting someone and making that real connection. According to one agent, the majority of her clients came through networking. And to all the agents and editors, this made a difference when it came to taking on projects. Of course, our writing is always the main priority and what will sell us in the end. But finding a way to get noticed is important as well.
This was great news for me as I was teaching a workshop on networking, and after all that editor talk about it, my class was full. Coming from a small business background, I’ve always been a fan of connecting. I’ve met some of my best friends and best business partners this way.
I do think this is a subject writers need to consider. Networking is key to getting your foot in the door. This can be at a writer’s conference, or at your local bookstore, or even at the dry cleaner’s. Everywhere you go there is potential to meet a reader, a bookstore manager, or just a new friend.
I often hear from writers, when I teach my networking class, that they might be shy or just not comfortable in crowds. That is true of a lot of us, I think. As writers, we tend to want to sit home in our sweats and write. (I know I do!) But, forcing ourselves out of our comfort zone actually helps us to renew our writing energy. It gives us a new purpose, and a new zing to our prose.
I know I certainly met some great new friends at this conference, as well as a possible professional connection. So, I guess it’s time to get back to writing. If I don’t have anything to submit, I guess it won’t matter how much I network. But at least now, I’m going back to my writing with a renewed frame of mind and a newfound energy.

Hugs to all,
Renee

http://www.reneeknowles.com

Sensual, Sassy and Slightly Sinful
Going Topless--"A must read."--5 Flags--Euro-Reviews Siren Publishing
Guilty Pleasures--coming summer 08 Siren Publishing
Courting Trouble--Regency Historical--coming soon! Wild Rose Press

p.s. Happy Aries Birthday to Mai, Lexie and Anitra