What makes these people so friendly? Is it their cats? Or are writers, by nature, a more congenial bunch? As a writer myself, I'm going to say it's the cats. But, that's just a guess. The best way to research this is to find someone without a pet, hook them up with a rescue cat, and then see if they enjoy an increase in the quality and quantity of friendships. Okay, that's not so scientific, but at the end of the day … one more happy cat. Now back to the conference … in addition to the warm greetings, the conference offered a host of great seminars. New writers were enlightened to the advantages and disadvantages of P.O.D vs. Indie Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing. An agent and a publisher manned and womanned the microphones, updating attendees regarding their expectations in queries & submissions while answering a plethora of questions ranging from book buyers' needs to the publisher's perspective. Panels of editors and professional insiders assembled for a variety of pet-oriented publications, again fielding a healthy litter of questions with a wealth of answers. Full registration earned goers a one-on-one with one of these professionals. My favorite seminar? Author Amy Shojai's inspirational talk on publishing to Amazon via Kindle. She had more information and hands-on experience than could fit in the time allotted, so the discussion spilled out into the break time. All in all, friendly, informative, and inexpensive as conferences go.

Full disclosure, I'm a writer and cat lover.

-- Click here to see Books by Ross Anthony, Author --