Congratulations to DeAnna Knippling, L.S. Hawker, and M.L. Rowland, who have been selected to be on the faculty of the upcoming Pikes Peak Writers Conference in April 2016! Descriptions of their workshops follow.

How to Build Better Monsters in Fiction: A Psychological Lexicon
Presented by DeAnna Knippling
What makes a monster, a monster? Digging deeper into the psychological basis for why different monsters scare us, and how to build a solid foundation for your monsters in fiction.

How to Produce a Non-Cheesy Book Trailer on the Cheap
Presented by L.S. Hawker
Video gets the most clicks online, and if you’re promoting a book, you want to get as many clicks as possible. Book trailers can be an attention-getting promotional tool if you do them right. My book trailer got almost 30,000 views in a month.

This workshop will give you resources for royalty-free stock footage, music, and graphics to make an arresting video piece that will drive traffic to your website and, more importantly, your order page. You’ll learn how to get low-cost help from college and art school film programs. We’ll discuss the dos and don’ts, view effective trailers and tacky trailers, and brainstorm ideas for your very own video baby.

Building Blocks for Writing More Powerful Fiction
Presented by M.L. Rowland
Writers need to stretch and exercise the right side of their brains just like we all stretch and exercise our bodies in order to stay physically fit and/or grow stronger. “The Cumulative Power of Words” is a warm-up exploring how the cumulative effect of words can create a visceral response. The second activity, “Exercising the Right Side of your Brain,” produces surprising, sometimes funny, sometimes nonsensical, but often amazing results. As the right side of your brain gets into gear, you will be ready to see things through an artistic mind and describe them in new ways. After all, description is imagery. Imagery is description. Using strong mental images in fiction can create powerful descriptions that pack an emotional punch. Strong minds and strong imagery are building blocks your fiction can’t live without!

For more information, visit the Pikes Peak Writers Conference website.