While I pretty much loved every minute of my weekend at the Authors After Dark conference, I especially enjoyed being able to interact with readers at the panels.  The panels were done Q&A style making them as reader focused as they could be. Not only did the readers come up with great questions that got me to thinking, listening to the other authors on the panels gave me great insight into this career that I love so much.

I did both the witch panel and the demon panel, although the demon panel and shapeshifter panel got combined due to some time constraints, which made it even better. (I do shapeshifters too! *g*)

The one thing I tried to do at each panel was listen carefully. As a writer I want more than anything to know what readers think, feel and want. While I write the stories that are born within me, I become a better writer by listening to reader feedback about what they love and don’t love. Very much in the way that I learn something new from my editors each time we edit a book.

So i’d like to thank the readers that take the time to write to authors with their feedback as well as the ones who attend the conferences and talk about their favorite books with as much enthusiasm as we writers write them.

After the last panel, I had a couple of readers approach me to make sure they had my information so that when my shapeshifters come out next year they can be sure to get them. Yes, i’m excited that they want to buy my books but i’m more excited that the native american legend they were born from intrigued them like it did me. It’s just a cool feeling.

I will definitely be at AAD next year and I hope to see a lot of you there as well.

Happy Thursday,

Eliza