Our 2024 Writers Conference Presenters
Our Moderator and Presenter - Kathy Dunnehoff
Kathy is a National Bestselling women's fiction & romantic comedy novelist
with the ability to bring writing and life together with insight and humor. After more than
three decades of teaching creative writing at the college level, she’s begun a series of
friendly writing guides: Hello, Writer! The first one, published in February 2024, will help
you Plan to Have Your Best Writing Year Ever!
Keynote Presenter - Debra Magpie Earling
Debra is the author of The Lost Journals of Sacajewea (Winner of the 2023 Montana Book Award) and Perma Red. Her numerous recognitions include the Western Writers Association, the American Book Award, and grants
from the National Endowment for the Arts and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial
Foundation. She retired from the University of Montana, where she was named
professor emeritus in 2021. She is published through Milkweed Editions. She is
Bitterroot Salish.
Keir Graff
Keir is the former executive editor of Booklist. He writes fiction for adultswith Linda Joffe Hull under the pen name Linda Keir (The Royal Game) andmiddle-grade mysteries with James Patterson (The Poison Puzzle). He isalso the editor of A Million Acres: Montana Writers Reflect on Land and OpenSpace and the coeditor of Montana Noir. He shares writing advice andreading recommendations in his free monthly newsletter, Graff Paper. https://keirgraff.com/
Leslie Budewitz
Leslie is a three-time Agatha Award winner and the best-selling author of the Spice Shop mysteries, set in Seattle, and Food Lovers’ Village mysteries, set in NW Montana, where she lives. As Alicia
Beckman, she writes moody standalone suspense, including Bitterroot Lake and Blind Faith. Leslie is a past president of Sisters in Crime and former board member of Mystery Writers of America. Find her online at www.LeslieBudewitz.com
Maggie Neal Doherty
Maggie is a writer, opinion columnist, and book critic. As a freelance features writer,her work has appeared in The Guardian, Washington Post, LA Times, Field and Stream, High Country News, Montana Quarterly, and more. She also writes “Facing Main” for the Flathead Beacon and is the book critic for Flathead Living Magazine. She lives in Kalispell with her husband and two children.
Zoe-Aline Howard
Zoe is a literary agent at Howland Literary, and a book publicist at Pine State Publicity, a full-service publicity firm that supports writers and publishers who may seem traditionally peripheral in the larger publishing landscape. She holds a BFA with Distinction and Publishing Certificate from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and has had the privilege to work across publishing with several entities, including independent press Lookout Books.
Joanna MacKenzie
Joanna MacKenzie is a Sr. Agent with Nelson Literary Agency, where she represents authors writing for both the adult and children’s markets across all areas of fiction. She is drawn to vivid, engaging writing and is particularly interested in high-concept thrillers (with a soft spot for speculative and anything that challenges tropes), voicey mysteries, dark academia, stories that straddle genres, and women’s fiction where the personal intersects with the world at large - if any of these are set in the Midwest, all the better. Across the board, she’s looking for works that highlight under-represented voices. Her authors are New York Times bestsellers, Edgar and Anthony Award nominees, and critically acclaimed storytellers. You can learn more about her list at nelsonagency.com
Carl Bond Stevens
Carl is a ‘recovering’CPA. After a twenty-year business career, he earned an MFA in Writing andLiterature from Bennington College. Since then, he has worked extensively in organizational diagnostics, forensic consulting and analytical writing; his client base ranged from small entrepreneurial startups to Fortune 100 multinational firms. He has taught technical and business writing at community colleges in Montana and Alaska. Recently, he has completed two novels.
Danica Winters
Danica is a bestselling author known for her award-winning books that have sold over one million copies, and have earned her bestseller's recognition from Publishers Weekly, Nielson Bookscan, Walmart, and Amazon. Beyond her writing career, Danica wears multiple hats in the literary world: Business Director and Co-Owner of Self-Publishing Services, a women-owned company that focuses on the author's goals at the core of
production; Published Author Network Advisor for the Romance Writers of America; Guide for Pen 2 Paper mentoring aspiring writers; Guide for Paper to Polished, which helps authors refine their manuscripts,ensuring they shine brightly before publication.
When she’s not immersed in the world of words, Danica can be found in the wilds of Montana where she is usually in the woods hiking or on the river fly-fishing. Her personal philosophy is simple: the cup is neither half full nor half empty—she likes hers filled with Titos. Danica is represented by Jill Marsal of the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, LLC. http://www.danicawinters.net/Order Now
Please Check out our products.
Sat & Sun Conference attendance
$190.00
If you are one of the first 12 registered, you can make an appointment with Agent Joanna MacKenzie or Agent Zoe Howard. If you are one of the first 8 registered, you can make an appointment with Editor Keir Graff. Email your choice to Craig at craigtnaylor@gmail.comView more details...QuantityFriday Workshop with Keir Graff
$125.00
Quantity
Sun attendance only
$100.00
Quantity
Sat attendance only
$100.00
Quantity
Full-time Student attendance
$60.00
If you are one of the first 12 registered, you can make an appointment with Agent Joanna MacKenzie or Agent Zoe Howard. If you are one of the first 8 registered, you can make an appointment with Editor Keir Graff. Email your choice to Craig at craigtnaylor@gmail.comView more details...QuantityAuthors of the Flathead Annual Membership
$60.00
Members get:
A.) Access to weekly meetings, including lectures, workshops, open readings, and write-ins.
B.) Early access to our conference.
C.) Access to critique groups.
D.) Free assistance formatting their book for independent publishing.
E.) Invites to get-togethers including a holiday party.
The group is a non-profit. Dues also help pay for operating expenses and support writing in the community by sponsoring writing competitions for students.
Note: You can pay online OR fill out your information (name, email address, address) and pay by cash or check at the next meeting.Quantity
