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May 4 - 5, 2012
Virginia Beach Resort Hotel and Conference Center
Virginia Beach, VA
| Editor Bios |
Pat Van Wie
Senior Editor
Bell Bridge Books |
Author, editor, and writing teacher, Pat Van Wie, has been immersed in the publishing world for over twenty years. As an author, she’s published eleven novels for three major publishers, including: Ballantine, Bantam, and Harlequin. Her last three books were hardcover suspense novels released under the pseudonym Patricia Lewin. In 2010 Pat crossed to the other side of publishing when she took a position as senior editor for Bell Bridge Books to build their mystery and suspense list. However, she reads and acquires for all the genres BBB publishes. In particular, she enjoys all forms of fantasy, from urban to sword and sorcery, and the great YA books surfacing in the market. Pat has taught writing workshops and classes in various formats and lengths around the country and is currently teaching creative writing at Collin Community College in Frisco, Texas. |
Melissa Singer
Senior Editor
Tor/Forge Books |
Melissa Ann Singer is a Senior Editor at Tor/Forge Books, where she has worked for more than 25 years. She began her career in publishing at the ripe old age of 19, as an assistant in the science fiction and fantasy department at Berkley Books, and survived at least three corporate mergers before moving to Tor, where she began as the horror editor (and also edited a series of nonfiction books on parenting). In the years since, Melissa has edited just about every category of genre fiction there is, from sf & f to western, from woman-and-child-in-jeopardy to disaster thrillers, from historical fiction to police procedurals. A number of her books have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and other bestseller lists. From time to time, she buys urban fantasy/horror/paranormal short fiction for tor.com. Melissa is a 3rd-generation native of New York City, where she is currently raising a teenage daughter. In her wild youth she studied theatrical fencing and stage combat and from her mid-20s to her mid-30s could periodically be seen slinging steel in Central Park, often while very oddly dressed. |
Amanda Barnett
Senior Editor
The Wild Rose Press |
Amanda Barnett, senior editor of the Faery Rose line at The Wild Rose Press since 2007, has worked in the publishing industry since 2000. She loves to read, edit, and when she finds an author that takes her away she is quick to snap them up. An avid animal lover, Amanda resides in the south with her daughter and a menagerie of furry babies.
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Victoria Curran
Senior Editor
Harlequin |
A former journalist, Victoria Curran has been an editor for Harlequin’s Superromance series of books for eight and a half years, with another couple of years spent copy editing the publisher’s Gold Eagle action adventure books. Today she is Senior Editor of Gold Eagle, as well as the company’s most recent line of romances, Harlequin Heartwarming. Victoria is actively acquiring emotional, contemporary romances grounded in realism—ones that readers can feel comfortable sharing with their daughters or granddaughters. |
| Agent Bios |
Chelsea Gilmore
Maria Carvainis Agency |
Chelsea started her publishing career at Oxford University Press, in the higher education group. After spending three years immersed in textbooks, Chelsea was given a wonderful opportunity to work on the fiction list at Avalon Books. At Avalon she specialized in family-friendly romances, mysteries, and westerns for the library market. After spending some time at Avalon, Chelsea decided to switch to the other side of the desk, and accepted a fabulous offer from Maria Carvainis to be a literary agent with Maria Carvainis Agency, Inc., where she started in January of 2010. She is mainly interested in fiction, including middle grade and YA, romances (both contemporary and historical, with a soft spot for Regencies), commercial fiction (including mysteries and thrillers), literary fiction, and many things in between! She does not handle children’s picture books or science fiction. Chelsea is passionate about the written word, and is happy to look at stories featuring strong, well-developed characters and great
writing.
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Marie Lamba
Associate Agent
Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency |
Marie Lamba (www.marielamba.com) is author of the young adult novels What I Meant… (Random House), Over My Head and Drawn. Her work appears in the short story anthology Liar Liar (Mendacity Press), the anthology Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering (Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing), and her articles appear in more than 100 publications including national magazines such as Writer’s Digest, Garden Design and RWR. She has worked as an editor, an award-winning public relations writer, and a book publicist, has taught classes on novel writing and on author promotion, and belongs to the Romance Writers of America, and The Liars Club.
As an agent, Marie is currently looking for young adult and middle grade fiction, along with general and women’s fiction and some memoir. Books that are moving and/or hilarious are especially welcome. She is NOT interested in picture books, science fiction or high fantasy (though she is open to paranormal elements), category romance (though romantic elements are welcomed), non-fiction, or in books that feature graphic violence.
Some recently favorite titles on her shelf include Searching for Caleb by Anne Tyler, Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, Paper Towns by John Green, The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffeneger, Twenties Girl by Sophia Kinsella, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Shug by Jenny Han, and Doing It by Melvin Burgess. She also admits to watching many many chick flicks.
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Karen Solem
Spencerhill Associates |
Karen Solem represents a broad range of commercial fiction, and though a number of her clients have become New York Times bestsellers she still takes a lot of pleasure in discovering and working with new talent. Karen brings an editorial background as well as a business background to assist her clients. Prior to becoming an agent Karen had 25 years of corporate publishing experience as an editor, editor-in-chief and publisher.
She counts herself among the lucky people who knew early on what they wanted to do. She always wanted to own a bookstore, and loved reading, discovering new writers, and being transported by what she read; the natural choice was publishing. In 1980 she joined Simon & Schuster as editor-in-chief of Silhouette books. She developed Silhouette from four books a month to a division that released more than 24 titles a month, and those writers went on to huge successes; authors such as Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, Barbara Delinsky and Debbie Macomber are just a few of many who got their start at Silhouette.
In 1990, to broaden her publishing background she moved to Harper Paperbacks, then an imprint of Harper Collins, as Editorial Director and Associate Publisher. After five years, Karen left corporate publishing to be a literary agent, where she enjoys not having to walk that line between publisher/employer and author. Being the author’s advocate exclusively is rewarding and a pleasure. She was previously associated with Writers House where she worked for nearly six years.
Karen is specifically looking for literary and commercial fiction, primarily for the adult market. She would love to see a richly detailed historical novel, a multicultural novel, or a big sprawling family saga. |
Christine Witthohn
Book Cents Literary Agency |
Before pursuing her passion for books, Christine studied biology, chemistry and nursing. A hopeless overachiever, she shocked everyone when she decided to tackle a career in publishing instead of medicine, and dedicated all her time and efforts to becoming a 'super literary agent' and networking goddess.
In 2006, after researching the industry, the market, and the craft for more than four years, as well as establishing an impressive contact list of industry professionals, Christine opened Book Cents Literary Agency. She loves a great story, but more importantly wants to be the one to sell it!
"There is nothing more exciting than helping writers turn their words into books."
Christine represents both published and unpublished authors. She is currently accepting queries for specific areas of fiction and non-fiction. |
Questions? Email vrw.conference.chair@gmail.com
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Updated May 1, 2012
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