Some Virtual #CMCon21 Updates!

Hello, lovely readers!! I’ve got some updates to share!!

In case you’ve missed it — we have finalized our Featured Author listing for #CMCon21! Huge thanks go to all of the authors willing to try this strange new thing with all of us this year. Here is a handy dandy listing of our lineup — be sure to check out the Featured Author tab of this website for more about each author and links to their websites. ❤

---

You all know that our 2021 event weekend will be virtual. What you may not know is that we’ll be doing monthly panel discussions with Featured Authors to get everyone used to how the process will work! You’ll have an opportunity to send in questions ahead of time, and the authors will get to as many of them as possible. I’ll have the final dates and participating author listings for you soon, but here are the topics planned for each month…

• August: TROPES – Which of the “tried and true” plot tools do our authors love to write, and love to read? Which are YOUR favorites?
• September: LABOR DAY – Authors discuss how their own previous careers or “day jobs” have influenced their writing, and also talk about the jobs they’ve given their story’s characters.
• October: VILLAINS – Of course we’ll be chatting all things villain in the lead up to Halloween!
• November: HOLIDAY STORIES – Discussion about the popularity of holiday stories (all holidays, not just end-of-the-year festivities), and recommendations of some of our favorites.
• December: CRAFTING – Writing is definitely a craft, but our authors are multi-talented!! Check out some of the other fun things they can create! Complete with tips & tricks for making them yourself!
• January: STARTING NEW – Authors start off the new year by revealing what they’ve got coming up brand new. New stories, new series, personal resolutions, etc.

---

A few tips to having a smooth and easy virtual event with us:

• Create a FREE profile on the Zoom platform. (https://zoom.us/ – or the Zoom site in your country.) Sign into Zoom for any online events you find interesting – including our monthly #CMCChats.
• Test your ability to access and participate in the Facebook Rooms feature and “Be Live” Facebook app. Will have more info about any Coastal Magic Rooms activities and Be Live chats as they are finalized.
• Make sure you’re familiar with how to manage the audio and video on your device or computer. For most of us, it’s a standard setting that doesn’t need to be adjusted. Test it out, though, to be sure.

We’ll also be showcasing some of our Featured Authors in the monthly CMCon newsletter! Usually the first offering of each year goes out in July, but I’m running a bit behind this year. That means we’ll get two newsletters in August, AND none of you has missed any of them yet! If you want to be sure to get exclusive sneak peeks and access to newsletter only contests/giveaways – click HERE to subscribe!