Conference update

So, I think I've recovered from the conference craziness (finally). I was on the huge planning committee for it, designed the brochures and the website for it, got the main guest for it, and hosted the main guest for it. Between delayed/late flight pickups, hotel back and forth runs, coffee runs, medication runs, workshops, and lunches and dinners, I wore myself out. But it was all worth it. Illustrator, David Small and his author wife, Sarah Stewart, were the perfect keynote guests and I had a great time hosting them. We also brought in author Kirby Larson and editor Alexandra Penfold (from Simon and Schuster)and they were awesome too. I didn't get to attend as many sessions as I had hoped to but I still felt like it was the best conference EVER and that even the professionals attending learned a lot. But it was some of the end of the day bonding that was the best. A bunch of illustrators went out to dinner with David one night and had a great time learning from such a great artist. Here are some pictures...

I was able to coerce author Brandon Mull to come give the luncheon speech. He did a GREAT job and everyone was impressed. Here he is with illustrator, Will Terry, at our lunch table.


Here is the editor, Alexandra Penfold, during her keynote. She was a young, friendly, refreshing addition to the conference and shared great information with the attendees. I was also able to spend a day with her and 15 other professionals in the industry doing critiques. But most fun was the dinner afterward spent with friends and the editor and her husband who came with her to Utah so he could ski.


Here are Sarah and David signing some of the millions of books people bought during the conference.


Here are Sarah and I in our hats before dinner one night...she had to have a picture. She is a wonderful person and I'm so glad she came with David. I had a great time hosting them.


Here are David and I at the dinner with the illustrators.