Saturday, August 12, 2017

#RealmMakers2017


SO REALM MAKERS HAPPENED. And peeps, IT WAS AWESOME.

If you don't know what Realm Makers is, here's a brief definition by yours truly:

Complete and utter awesomesauce.

...Oh, sorry. I guess that wasn't coherent enough. *shrugs* 😉

Realm Makers is a Thursday-through-Saturday writing conference, tailored for writers of speculative Christian fiction. What is speculative Christian fiction, you ask? Christian fantasy and sci-fi. Think C.S. Lewis and Tolkien. 🙂 (Or Liv K. Fisher. Ya know, I mean, if you want. 😉)

I questioned whether or not to do a Realm Makers wrap-up post, but then I decided that Realm Makers is just way too awesome, I met way too many awesome people, and simply... why not? So here it is. Be jealous. I'll consider it a crime if you don't attend this conference sometime in the near future. 😉

{Source.}

FIRST AWESOME THING:
MY ROOMMATES

Tracey, Lisa, me, and Brianna, all locked and loaded for the Nerf War.
{Image stolen from Brianna.}

My roommates are seriously the best, guys! I'm so thankful I got to know and spend time with them! 💙

I bunked with Tracey (from Adventure Awaits), Brianna (from StoryPort), and Lisa (from Lisa Pickle).

Tracey is such a sweetheart, both online and in person! AND SHE GOT TO PITCH HER SLEEPING BEAUTY RETELLING AT REALM MAKERS, GUYS. *cheers* I can't wait to see the day The Brightest Thread hits the shelves!

Lisa is a terrific human being, and so much fun to talk to! She's so sweet and friendly, and such a joy to be around! 💜 Fun fact: Lisa, Tracey, and I are all INFJs!

Brianna is so knowledgeable and kind, and a great walking buddy! We walked pretty much everywhere together, whether it be to breakfast at eight in the morning or to our hotel room at two AM. 😄

Tracey as Emma Swan, me as a Halayda-inspired fairy,
Lisa as Arwen, and Brianna as a medieval peasant.
{Photo stolen from Brianna, yet again. 😉}

SECOND AWESOME THING:
JILL WILLIAMSON

The full crew from the Teen Track!
(Minus Brad (a.k.a. Casey Oswald), who was taking the picture.) 🙂
{Photo from Jill Williamson.}

We got to meet Jill Williamson, guys!!!! She's one of the Go Teen Writers bloggers, and she knows SO MUCH about her craft. She's so wonderful and selfless and all-inclusive! Jill = life goals.

THIRD AWESOME THING:
MEETING FELLOW BLOGGERS / G.T.W. MEMBERS

I got to meet more teen authors and GTWers! Jonathan Trout, Audrey Caylin, Keturah Lamb, Mary Horton, Hann Remraf, and several others. 😁

Me and Keturah!
{Photo credit to Keturah.}

FOURTH AWESOME THING:
MEETING ALL THE AUTHORS


I don't even know where to start, so get ready for a picture dump. 😁

Kara Swanson, Bethany A. Jennings, and me. Kara and Bethany are both such talented writers, and are both kind, courageous, and inspiring young women! 💗
{Photo credit to Kara.}

DEANNA FUGETT!!!! This woman is seriously wonderful. 💜 I'm certain that it'll be no time at all before her novel Ending Fear is a New York Times bestseller (it's an Amazon bestseller, already!) and is turned into a movie!

Brianna and I met Laura VAB! If you ever have the chance to meet Laura and talk to her... GO DO SO. She's such an amazing person, inside and out!
{Photo stolen from Brianna.}

Brianna, Audrey, and me with TED DEKKER. *is still starstruck*
{Photo from Brianna.}

Another picture with Ted Dekker! Thanks to Brianna for taking all my book signing pictures. 😄

I MET MARY WEBER, FOLKS. This woman is such an inspiration!

Carla Hoch! She gave a class Thursday night on how to fight properly! She even taught us how to break people's arms...

...which may or may not have been a good thing. 😜

I met Catherine Jones Payne, too! Her novel Breakwater looks like such a fantastic read, and I loved listening to her on the agents/editors and self-pub panel!

FIFTH AWESOME THING:
BOOK HAUL


I GOT SO MANY BOOKS SIGNED, Y'ALL. And I got to buy so many books, too! *madly throws confetti*

Replication: the Jason Experiment by Jill Williamson. Jill was so kind as to provide all the Teen Track members with free copies! Which was totally awesome, and had she not surprised us all with that, I totally would've bought it at the bookstore later, anyway. 😄

Threadbare by Bethany A. Jennings. I'm SO excited to read this! I adored Dragon Lyric and Bethany's faerie story I beta-read, so I can't wait to dive into yet another one of her stories!

Breakwater by Catherine Jones Payne! This was one of the many books on my list of fifty-one books I can't wait to read, and I'm so excited to finally dive into it! 🐬

Secrets Kept by J.L. Mbewe. This book's opening line... Gaah! I can't wait to read this!

Illusionary by Desiree Williams. I L-O-V-E-D Sun & Moon, so
I absolutely cannot wait to get a start on this beauty!

Kitsune-Tsuki by Laura VanArendonk Baugh.
KITSUNES. SHAPESHIFTERS. FOXES. Need I say more?

SIXTH AWESOME THING:
LEARNING

I learned SSSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much from Realm Makers! Like, seriously. SO, SO MUCH. Expect a trillion blog posts full of all the things I learned. 😁

~

Realm Makers was such an inspiring and uplifting experience. And basically the best weekend ever. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. 💖

Are you going to #RealmMakers2018?
(Answer: yes.)

❤,


22 comments:

  1. AAAAHHHH!!!!! THIS IS ALL SO AMAZING. I'm loving all the Realm Makers posts! I'm living it via everyone's recaps. Tehe.

    BUT ALL THE PEOPLE YOU GOT TO MEET. That is soooo fun you got to bunk with Tracey, Lisa, and Brianna! AND MEET ALL THOSE AUTHORS. I mean, YOU GOT TO MEET JILL WILLIAMSON. *fangirl attack* SO. AMAZING.

    Also, your fairy costume is ADORABLE. You are so pretty!

    I'm so happy you had such a wonderful time. And I very much look forward to posts about all the things you've learned! :D

    I really, really, REALLY want to go to the next Realm Makers. But it'll just depend on how close it is. If it's across the country I don't know if I can swing it. So...we'll see! *crosses fingers*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aaww, thank you, Christine!! <3

      You should totally go to Realm Makers someday! The rumor on the street is that it'll be around Missouri next year. Hopefully that's somewhere close to you! :)

      Delete
  2. REALM MAKERSSS. It looks like I'll be the last one to post about it. XD But eeek, your post is making me feel everything alllll over again! That was one of the best weekends I've ever had...and I already miss everyone. <3

    It was so awesome meeting you (you're the sweetest <3) and and all my other amazing friends. I JUST LOVED RM SO MUCH. Ahhhhh!

    (And can I just say that I love that picture of you "breaking" Carla's arm? XD) (And yes, Laura VAB is fab. ;))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eeeep, I LOVED MEETING YOU AND GETTING TO SPEND TIME WITH YOU, MARY. YOU ARE SUCH A SWEETHEART. <3 ALSO, YOUR HAIR. Can I just say that I LOVE your hair? :D

      Thank you so much!!

      And hee hee, I do, too. ;)

      Thanks for commenting, Mary!

      Delete
  3. GAH THIS LOOKS LIKE SO. MUCH. FUN!! I have to say, I'm a bit jealous...XD I'm definitely thinking about going next year!! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'Twas fun! YOU SIMPLY MUST GO. <3

      Thanks for commenting, Madeline!

      Delete
  4. That's awesome :). I must confess I didn't really know what realm makers was until now, but it sounds great!
    Looks like you had a fantastic time ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did, thank you! :D

      I really hope you can make it to RM, sometime soon! <3

      Delete
  5. WHOOO!!! LOVE THE PHOTOS, LOVE THE BOOKS, LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS AHH!!! CONGRATS, LIV! And congrats on meeting Ted Dekker- he is one my favorite authors ever. :)
    SO glad God blessed y'all with such a great time. :D
    -Ang | thepeculiarmessenger.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. THANK YOU, ANGELA!!

      I really hope you can meet Ted Dekker one day! And GO TO REALM MAKERRRSS!!!!

      Delete
  6. You are a wonderful person, Liv! Loved the recap!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aaww, thank you so much, Deanna!! *hugs*

      I so loved meeting and getting to spend time with you!! <3

      Delete
  7. AHHH YOUR RECAP IS AWESOME, LIV! I'm glad you decided to write it! All of these RM posts are making me feel so nostalgic... :')

    Being roomies with you was so fun! Thanks again! And aww, thanks for the shoutout too! <3

    Okay, I had to literally laugh out loud at your second picture with Carla! XD I wish I'd thought of snagging a photo with her too. She was hilarious and so very helpful.

    Hope we both make it to RM again next year!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, NOSTALGIA. *wishes she could relive RM*

      I loved being roommates with you, and just getting to hang out together! <3

      LOL, Carla suggested that one. I was like, "Why not"? XD

      I hope we can see each other at Realm Makers soon, again, too!! <3

      Delete
  8. I love your pictures.
    I'd like so say I'm definitely coming next year, but international travel and all that makes it hard. Add to that the general uncertainty of life, and I can't make commitments yet. Maybe when we know location and keynote speaker.

    In competion to Realm Makers, I'm considering the only Christian writers conference in Australia. It's convenient (only three hours and I have family nearby), and I know one of the organizers is part of the Realm Makers Consortium. But it's almost too soon and half the attraction of Realm Makers is the number of friends I'll be meeting. I don't know any Australian writers. (Not quite true, but I'm meeting the ones I do know at a homeschool conference earlier the same month.) Maybe that's a reason to go though. Local connections could be a good idea.
    And now this has turned into a rambling post of me talking to myself. Sorry

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I really do hope you can make it to Realm Makers, someday! <3 I'm so glad you've found a conference near you, though!

      Thanks for commenting! And no worries! :)

      Delete
  9. This is such a great recap!! :D It was wonderful to meet you, and I hope you enjoy Threadbare! :D Hope to see you again at another RM in the future!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Eeep, I loved meeting you, Bethany!! And thanks; I'm sure that I will! :D

      I hope to see you soon, again, too! <3

      Thanks for commenting!

      Delete
  10. Yaaassss!

    LOVED THIS POST!

    GREAT PICTURES! AND I LOVED HOW YOU SAID GREAT THINGS ABOUT EVERYONE (like almost everyone ... at least everyone you had a picture with xD). SOMEDAY I'LL MAKE IT TO RM. NEXT YEAR? EH... WHO KNOWS? BUT SOMEDAY ANYWAY!

    also ted dekker though ... just ... I'm a bit star-struck as well here. My favorite author, see. After reading about three or so RM post a day or two ago I went to sleep and dreamed I was there and met him too... so yeah. I have been to RM too - in my dreams xD

    lisa
    thisinkwell.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! :D

      Yes, GO TO REALM MAKERS. GO, GO, GO! IT'S WONDERFUL. <3

      LOL, I'm still dreaming about Ted Dekker, too! I hope you can meet him IRL, one day! :)

      Thanks for commenting, Lisa!

      Delete

HELLO, FRIEND! Whether you're new to the Dragoner's realm or a Dragon-friend faithfully returning, I'M SO EXCITED TO HAVE YOU HERE. *hugs and gives you cookies*

I always make a point to respond to comments, although my replies might be a little late in the coming (thanks to that pesky li'l thing called Life™). *winks*

But again, I'm thrilled to have you here -- and commenting! All I ask is that you keep your comments clean, respectful of others, and free of spam. Comments that do not follow these guidelines will be deleted.

Feel free to drop a link to your blog; I'll be sure to stop by! <3