Missing out on Dragon*Con this weekend? Us too. And we’re hoping people will bring us all the great stories and news.We may have an insider lined up, but we’re not saying yet.

If you’re not at Dragon*Con, perhaps you’re in the mood for the  New Jersey Writers Conference hosted by New Jersey Writer’s Society (NJWS) starting next weekend from Saturday, September 12, 2009, to Sunday, September 13, 2009, at the Clarion Hotel in Egg Harbor Township.  This conference is for writers of all stages and experience levels. Tobias Robison, Podiobooks.com author, will be there.

The conference will feature workshops led by industry professionals with a wide variety of backgrounds and expertise.  There will be speakers and panel discussions on the art and business of writing and getting published. 

Art workshops include:

• Angelica Harris speaking on character development
• Eva Feeley discussing single image poetry
• Shobhan Bantwal speaking on using culture in fiction
• Laura Anne Gilman discussing techniques to blend genres
• William Horner discussing the use of effective dialogue
• Erika Kelley speaking on using poetry as therapy
• A. Craig Newman speaking on the art of writing horror stories

Business workshops include:

• William Hudgins discussing the challenges for writing for a living
• Emily Kronenberger discussing women’s roles and activities in blogging
• CJ Henderson to speak on real life experiences of writers
• Jacqueline Herships to discussing ways and means of going beyond the bounds of media
• Tobias Robison speaking on using critiques to strengthen one’s writing

The workshops will culminate on Sunday with “How to Get Happily Published: Understanding the Process” presented by Roger Williams from the Publish or Perish Agency.  Mr. Williams will cover such topics as what is going on inside publishing in these tough economic times, queries and submissions, the editorial process of how manuscripts are selected, and self-publishing.

In addition to the workshops, there will be panel discussion/question and answer sessions.  The conference will also include a Meet the Pros cocktail party, an Open Mic Night, and a bookfair.

See their website for all the details.

Rhonda will also be doing a quick PR-BTR show on September 7th at 6pm with the founder of the convention A. Craig Newman. Set a reminder!