Conference Time Frenzy with Joy K. Massenburge

This week's blog is about conference attendance and some ways to feel at ease. The guest host is Author and narrator, Joy K. Massenburge, she's never met a stranger and you feel comfortable right away after meeting her. Thank you Joy for stopping by the blog!

Thank you, Stacy, for allowing me to share my conference experiences on your blog. 

Uncontrolled excitement? Temporary madness? A violent mental or emotional agitation?












If you started experiencing any of the above symptoms at the onset of September, you may be suffering from conference time frenzy. You’re not alone. I remember my first conference. My favorite author, Francine Rivers would be in attendance, receiving the Lifetime Achievement award. I was crazy excited just to be there. I went by myself and agreed to room with a complete stranger I’d met on the first-timer’s loop.

The second time I attended, I experienced the temporary madness. I had a completed manuscript to pitch. I researched one-sheets, proposal, hooks… months before the conference. Still, I didn’t know what I should say. What I would say once I faced the editor or agent. Mental and emotional agitation barely described my anguish.

The third time, Joy K. Massenburge joined her writing family for fun and fellowship. Did I pitch? Sure, first asked the agent or editor how their time at the conference was going. What they were looking to gain from the conference? Because they are family too. Then I gave them the hook and let them read the blurb printed on my one-sheet, only after they ask me to. But that was a small part of my experience. I focused on enjoying my time with fellow writers.

See, Joy K. Massenburge loves people. I find things about them to pay a genuine compliment. If I can tell they are shy, I bring the conversation to them. When the stress lines leave their face, I am happy. When they are lively, I like to direct even more attention their way. I collect business cards from fellow writers to follow their careers on social media to cheer them on. So many relationships I have gained. Oh, the late nights and meals with friends. I could go on and on.
I love learning the craft. Who better to teach me the art of writing romance than the authors I read. Authors I fan-girl.

I guess I said all that to say, just be yourself. Ask yourself what you want to take away from the conference. I’ve learned to prepare, knowing God’s plans for me will come to pass no matter what.
I might as well keep my sanity.


About Joy:

Joy crafts the love stories of pastors and their kids. She was born the sixth child of a pastor. She married a football player turned pastor…they raised pastor’s kids; a son and two daughters.  As a pastor’s wife, she found her voice speaking at marriage and women’s conferences and retreats throughout Texas. She recently added narrator to her professional portfolio when she debuted as the narrator of Michelle Stimpson’s MAMA B: A Time to Speak, audible book. She serves as American Christian Fiction Writers Dallas/Fort Worth Ready Writer’s (ACFW DFW) chapter’s Chaplain. She resides in Arp, Texas, where you can find her curled up on her back porch with a good book, playing with her grandchildren, or filling her five-acre country home, shared with a donkey and a dog, with fifty-plus people for a Blue Bell ice cream party.

 An excerpt from her latest book, A Cry for Independence (available on Amazon):A Cry for Independence

Some cry wolf, Tammie Morris cries independence after another failed relationship. Can her son's father, Q, come back into her life and convince her reuniting their family under God is the freedom her heart seeks.  

Comments

  1. Hi Joy, I so enjoyed A Cry for Independence and the cover is gorgeous, too. I can't wait to meet you in person at Conference. And Stacy, thanks for hosting Joy. It's fun to read her tips. Looking forward to meeting you as well. Blessings both.

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    1. Conference is going to be great now!!! I'm so glad you enjoyed the book.

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  2. Joy is aptly named. Whether in her presence, on the phone, or online, Joy exudes happiness however she touches you. I'm so excited God placed me in her path! Have fun for those of us unable to attend the ACFW conference with you.

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  3. Thank you pretty girl!!! I look forward to many more years with you and the chance to attend together.

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  4. Great to meet you both at ACFW2018. J. Nell Brown

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