Mystic Ink, Publisher of Spiritual, Shamanic, Transcendent Works, and Phantastic Fiction

Marla Miller, moderator, wrote for OC Register magazine before becoming founding editor-in-chief of an OC lifestyle magazine. In 1999, Simon and Schuster published her first book, All American Girls, the authorized biography of the World Cup/Gold Medal winning US Women’s National Soccer Team. Miller’s experience in traditional publishing inspired her to launch MarketingtheMuse Workshop at SBWC. She works with writers on the road to publication.

Rachel Sarah Thurston, is the founder of State of Sparkle, Author Branding, Platform Building, and Book Marketing Coaching for Authors. She has 24 years of experience in event promotion, website design, marketing, accountability coaching, writing, photography, video editing, social media, music/entertainment, and communications. She’s been involved with the SBWC for 22 years and holds a master’s in professional writing from the University of Southern California.

Lida Sideris writes soft-boiled mysteries and was a winner of the Helen McCloy Mystery Writers of America scholarship award. The third installment in her Southern California Mystery series, Murder: Double or Nothing will be released in June by Level Best Books. She’s also wrote The Cookie Eating Fire Dog, a picture book for ages 4-8. She lives in the northern tip of SoCal with her family, rescue dogs and a flock of uppity chickens. She teaches “Be Your Own Best Publicist” at SBWC with Melinda Palacio.

Lisa Angle, earned a master’s degree in computer-based education from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Her self-published historical novel, Whiskey and Old Stogies, landed on the long list for the 2021 MARK TWAIN Book Awards for Humor and Satire. She likes to combine her writing skill and tech knowledge in helping writers complete their writing projects and build their author platforms. She offers developmental editing for novels and memoirs as well as helping writers expand their online presence with websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and video.

Melinda Palacio is an award-winning poet, author, and speaker. She’s the current Poet Laureate of Santa Barbara. Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, she holds 2 degrees in Comparative Literature, a BA from the UC Berkeley and an MA from UC Santa Cruz. She’s a 2007 PEN America Emerging Voices Fellow and a 2009 poetry alum of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers. Her latest poetry collection is Bird Forgiveness, 2018. She is a master of author self-promotion.

Rick Shaw is a recently retired technologist, data scientist, and is now a full-time writer and author of two novels he self-published. In addition to writing, editing, designing and mastering the art of the various publication platforms, he makes public appearances promoting his novels. He exemplifies the successful do-it-all-yourself published author. He consults during the week of the conference, helping writers to decide if self-publishing is their best option, and, if so, what is needed to accomplish this.

Podcasts & Audiobooks

Lois Phillips, Yvette Keller, Claudia Dunn, Matthew J. Pallamary

Audiobooks and podcasts are a fast-growing area of publishing. Join this team for an insightful seminar on how to accomplish the goals of getting your book and book promotion into the audible range.

Learn how to collect research, organize it, and develop a coherent narrative. Yvette Keller will introduce 8 successful authors telling research stories with time for Q&A and discussion.

Yvette Keller writes fiction and is a working voice actor.

Caitlin Rother has authored 14 books. Her latest, Death on Ocean Boulevard: Inside the Coronado Mansion Case, which is in development for a TV limited series with Rother as executive producer, explores the mysterious death of 32-year-old Rebecca Zahau, who was found hanging from a second-floor balcony of her multimillionaire boyfriend’s San Diego mansion in 2011. An award-winning investigative journalist, Rother weaves stunning new details into a personal, yet objective, examination of the sensational case, exploring its many layers.

Moderator, Perie Longo, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate, 2007-2009, has published 4 books of poetry, the latest Baggage Claim (2014) and poems in numerous literary journals. This June was her 40th year teaching poetry at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference. She’s thrilled and awed to be still poeting and standing.

Paul Willis, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate 2011-2013 is an emeritus professor of English at Westmont College. His poems, stories, and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, and he’s been featured on Verse Daily and The Writer’s Almanac and nominated five times for a Pushcart Prize. His YA Elizabethan time-travel novel, All in a Garden Green, was released in 2020.

Book Marketing Magic & Authors Roundtable

Brand your books, connect with your ideal readers and make your books stand out in the marketplace. Rachel Sarah Thurston and 5 successful authors who market successfully will share their experience and superpowers.

Rachel Sarah Thurston, is the founder of State of Sparkle, Author Branding, Platform Building, and Book Marketing Coaching for Authors. She has 24 years of experience in event promotion, website design, marketing, accountability coaching, writing, photography, video editing, social media, music/entertainment, and communications. She’s been involved with the SBWC for 22 years and holds a master’s in professional writing from the University of Southern California.

Book Marketing Magic & Authors Roundtable

Brand your books, connect with your ideal readers and make your books stand out in the marketplace. Rachel Sarah Thurston and 5 successful authors who market successfully will share their experience and superpowers.

Rachel Sarah Thurston, is the founder of State of Sparkle, Author Branding, Platform Building, and Book Marketing Coaching for Authors. She has 24 years of experience in event promotion, website design, marketing, accountability coaching, writing, photography, video editing, social media, music/entertainment, and communications. She’s been involved with the SBWC for 22 years and holds a master’s in professional writing from the University of Southern California.

Publishing Options - A Deep Dive

Patricia Marshall, Rick Shaw, Holly Kammier

Three experts cover in depth both hybrid publishing and self-publishing. Learn what is really involved in hybrid publishing, cost, time, and result. Discover more about ala cart services as well as what is really required if you go solo.

Edgar Allan Poe Award–nominated author Paul Levine crafts thrillers where law, history, and moral courage collide. Whether it’s linebacker-turned-lawyer Jake Lassiter roaming Miami courtrooms or Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin battling fascists in Hollywood, Levine delivers suspense with heart and bite. Winner of the John D. MacDonald Fiction Award and nominee for the Edgar, Macavity, International Thriller, Shamus, and James Thurber prizes, his novels appear in 23 languages. A former trial lawyer, Levine wrote twenty episodes of the CBS drama JAG and co-created First Monday starring James Garner and Joe Mantegna. His international bestseller To Speak for the Dead launched the Jake Lassiter series, and Early Grave was named the third-best legal thriller of the 21st Century by BestThrillers.com—just behind Michael Connelly and John Grisham. He also pens the critically acclaimed Solomon vs. Lord legal capers. His newest novel, Midnight Burning, opens the Einstein-Chaplin historical thrillers. A member of Penn State’s Society of Distinguished Alumni and a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law, Levine lives in Santa Barbara, California.

Lorissa Rinehart is an author, cultural producer, and public speaker. Her writing explores women’s history, politics, war, and their points of intersection. Her debut book, First to the Front: The Untold Story of Dickey Chapelle, Trailblazing Female War Correspondent (St. Martin’s Press) has received rave reviews. She’s a TEDx speaker who’s appeared at the National Press Club, Friends of the National World War II Memorial, the Women’s National Press Club, and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation among other prestigious organizations. She’s been featured on numerous podcasts.