Today I get to do some virtual traveling. You can "see" me on David Ewen’s Blog Talk Radio program, Today’s Author. David interviews a different writer every Monday evening. I’ll be his guest tonight at 9 pm.  Listen in live tonight.

Today you can read my Mother’s Day essay in the form of a guest entry on The Stiletto Gang blog.

Tomorrow I get to visit a Borders store I haven’t been to before. It’s the one at the Gateway Center in Bowie, MD. It should be easy to reach for my Maryland friends, at the northernmost end of Mitchellville Road, just west of the Route 50/Route 301 interchange at exit 13. For those of you addicted to Mapquest, the address is 4420 Mitchellville Road. I’ll be there signing my novels from noon to 2 pm, so please do stop by and say hi. And remember that a mystery novel signed by the author makes a great Mother’s Day gift.

I like to point you to a good read now and again, and today I get to make up for a recent oversight.

When I told you that Elizabeth Zelvin had the most creative hat at Malice Domestic I didn’t mean to imply that this was the only reason to know her name.  Elizabeth is also the author of an exceptional first novel called "Death Will Get You Sober." Writing an alcoholic character and making it believable is a serious challenge. However, being a psychotherapist who treats alcohol-related problems, Zelvin is more than up to the task.

More importantly, the accurate portrayal of drinking problems does not interfere with or overshadow a great story, other well drawn characters and a truly unique voice. I don’t recommend mystery novels every day, but I sure recommend this one.

It’s hard to turn down anything that’s free, and that includes a free web site, which is one reason you’ll find me at AuthorsDen - http://www.authorsden.com/austinscamacho. It is surely the largest and most vibrant free online community of authors and readers. They tell me the site is visited by more than 1.4 million readers every month. I have listed my bio, my books and some writing there. I also post to my AuthorsDen blog frequently. I think readers discover new authors there, because it is a chance to interact, get personal and then buy an author’s work.

At the Maryland Writers Conference I had the chance to speak to a lot of writers who were starting out, and a few who are well established. That is always fun but I must admit that sometimes a very enthusiastic person will approach to tell me their every exciting story and what comes rushing out is less than clear. At one point yesterday I found myself tempted to tell one aspiring author, "It sounds like English, but I can’t understand a word you’re saying."

As always, the Maryland Writers Association Conference was a blast. Everything went smoothly, from Friday night’s banquet and editor’s panel to the mixer at the closing. The fact that my lovely wife Denise was the conference coordinator was merely a coincidence, of course.

My session on plot development was a rousing success, and the panel I was on about marketing books went over very well and was a lot of fun to boot. Tom Monteleone gave an inspiring keynote speech and all the writers present answered as many questions at the networking times as we did during our sessions.

It was also the first opportunity for anyone to see my latest book, a nonfiction title for authors entitled "Successfully Marketing your Fiction in the 21st Century."  Creating buzz and strong sales with a novel is more difficult than selling a nonfiction book. Without an obvious target market or news hook, new fiction can get lost in the sea of novels published every year, no matter how well written it may be. That’s the challenge, and I hope my book offers a solution. It’s a step-by-step guide, jam-packed with proven tips and strategies to make any good novel a sales success. I signed several copies yesterday and got the book off to a good start. It’s up on Amazon.com already, but they haven’t posted any of the supporting info yet. Still, if you can’t wait for more details you can order a copy right now.

This weekend I’ll make my annual trek to

Linthicum Heights

,

MD

for the Maryland Writers’ Association 20th Anniversary Conference.  It’s a great opportunity for writers to hone their craft in sessions led by established authors, instructors, and experts, plus agents and editors will be available for individual critique sessions.  Keynote speaker Tom Monteleone is a four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award who has published thirty-six books and more than 100 short stories, is the editor of seven anthologies, and has written for the stage and television.   He is just one of nearly two dozen talented authors presenting.

It will be a busy time for me.  Tonight they’ll host an anniversary dinner and I’ll be moderating an editor’s panel.  Tomorrow I’ll join other authors on a marketing panel and give a solo presentation on the basics of plot.  If you’re a writer, or ever wanted to be, you should join us at the

Conference

Center

of the Maritime Institute of Technology,

in

Linthicum Heights

,

MD

You know how I love to share reader feedback. This week I’d like to introduce you to Betty Hyland.

Betty is a fine author in her own right, writing as Carol O’Rourke. I met her when I spoke to the Writers of Chantilly not long ago. She took home a copy of The Troubleshooter and was kind enough to share her opinion on Amazon.com. Even her review shows her writing talents, and I am proud to make it the featured review on my web site.