Live Author Chat
Live Author Chats
Join the livestream to hang out during the Live Author Chats.
Saturday, October 23, 2021
4:00pm to 6:00pm PT
Live Author Chats – Hosted by Scott Ryan and Anastasia Washington
Part afterparty, part networking, and part authors doing whatever the heck they want, this fun interactive event presents authors and literary folks in fast-paced chats with hosts Scott Ryan and Anastasia Washington. Some authors may do readings, some may take audience questions, some may make recipes, or do a performance. One thing we know for sure, there will be a lot of surprises. Plus, the winner of the Book Bundle Giveaway will be announced, along with the Owlcrate and Amazon gift card winners.
Host: Scott Ryan, Television historian, managing editor of The Blue Rose Magazine, co-founder of Fayetteville Mafia Press and author of Moonlighting: An Oral History, thirtysomething at thirty: an oral history, and The Last Days of Letterman.
Host: Anastasia Washington, Actress, comedian, filmmaker, director and podcast host. Produced and starred in her One Woman Show, 50 Shades of Mixed: Confessions of Your Ethnically Ambiguous Best Friend.
4:10pm PT
Helene Wecker, award-winning author of The Golem and Jinni and The Hidden Palace, applauded for masterfully blending urban fantasy with folklore, romance, horror, and mythology in a multi-layered novel builds a small clay golem live on camera while she talks about the golem myth and how it relates to our own human over ambitions and insecurities.
4:20pm PT
Steven Joseph, author, attorney, negotiator, speaker, fully cured overweight person, and multiple times Boston and NYC Marathon runner, talks about the importance of being effectively cranky and provides some previews of his second book on Effective Crankiness, to be coming out next year.
4:30pm PT
Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield, internationally exhibited and published artist and author who lives and works from a home and studio on Oregon’s shore of The Columbia River, reads from her book, Babe in the Woods: Self Portrait, and demonstrate how to trim a wick from a kerosene lamp and maintain this light so you can read and write without electronic illumination.
4:40pm PT
Dames Handsome, teacher, father and author of The Fairy Knights children’s book series talks about how books can help children explore, have fun, and level up.
4:4:50pm PT
Mikki Hernandez, actress, voiceover artist, and writer selected for American Express xiFundwomen’s#100 for100 Founders of Change grant program. She will discuss culture and new perspectives in the 21st century.
5:00pm PT
Hari D. Sharma, civil and geo-environmental engineering expert turned author passionate about environmental preservation and improving the quality of human life, reads from his new book, Climate Change and Leadership Shaping Civilizations, and talks about our history as seen through the eyes of iconic monuments and statues.
5:10pm PT
Patrick Oliver, literary arts and education consultant, publishing expert, editor and author of five books which include On My Own: Vision Board Guidebook for Young People (2021), talks about how to build your vision board and make your dreams come true.
5:20pm PT
A.G. Billig, multifaceted creator, published author, and agent of inner transformation, reads from her book, I Choose Love: A Journey from Fear to Love, and gives actionable steps for tuning into the frequency of love and living your best life.
5:30pm PT
Amy M. Le, author of the Snow trilogy, founder of Quill Hawk Publishing, and co-founder of The Heart Community Collection, an online cooperative bookstore for the CHD community. Passionate about food, which heavily laces her trilogy, she reads from her books and rolls spring rolls.
5:40pm PT
Al Pessin, award-winning journalist, playwright, and author of the Task Force Epsilon thriller series, takes you inside the Pentagon to the event that inspired him to create the hero at the center of his books, and the missions he takes on.
Schedule (Pacific Time)
New for Fall 2021 – Check out the Pitching Room.
A place for authors to pitch their manuscript in an interactive virtual setting that brings the reading, writing and literary communities together.
- Authors, submit your pitches.
- Agents, register to view pitches.
- BookFesters, check out the pitches and see what authors are presenting to the literary world.
| Pacific Time | Saturday, Oct 23 – Day 1: For Readers |
| 9:00 AM | Welcome Message from The BookFest Founder Desireé Duffy |
| 9:15 AM | Opening Keynote – Lori H. Schwartz |
| 9:30 AM | Poetry Reading by Debbie Monteggia |
| 10:00 AM | A Conversation with Mark K. Shriver – Being an Author and Being of Service |
| 11:00 AM | Kid Lit: Culture, Character and Creativity |
| Noon | Who Put the Bomp in Your Favorite Romance Novel? |
| 1:00 PM | Thrills, Chills and Red Herrings – Things that Make You Go “Ooo” (And Want to Read More) |
| 2:00 PM | The Fantasist’s Forge and Mythologist’s Muse |
| 3:00 PM | A Conversation with Helene Wecker – Blending Fantasy, Mythology, Romance and Horror |
| 4:00 PM | Live Author Chats: |
| 4:10 PM | – Helene Wecker |
| 4:20 PM | – Steven Joseph |
| 4:30 PM | – Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield |
| 4:40 PM | – Dames Handsome |
| 4:50 PM | – Mikki Hernandez |
| 5:00 PM | – Hari D. Sharma |
| 5:10 PM | – Patrick Oliver |
| 5:20 PM | – A.G. Billig |
| 5:30 PM | – Amy M. Le |
| 5:40 PM | – Al Pessin |
| 6:00 PM | END |
| Sunday, Oct 24 – Day 2: For Writers | |
| 8:30 AM | Welcome Back Message from The BookFest Founder Desireé Duffy |
| 8:35 AM | Keynote by Kristie Anne Mah – From Sluggish to Published: Letting Go of What is Holding You Back |
| 9:00 AM | Conversation with Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein – Dreaming a World where Everyone Experiences the Wonders of the Universe |
| 10:00 AM | Books Out of Africa: Bookish World Tour Panel |
| 11:00 AM | Alternative Ways to Publish: Hybrid, Self-Publishing and More |
| Noon | Do You Have the Write Stuff? A Frank Discussion about Being an Author Today |
| 1:00 PM | Conversation with Lisa Morton – Thirty Years of Fear |
| 2:00 PM | Critiki-Bar: Page One Manuscript Critiques (An agent and an author walk into a bar…) |
| 4:00 PM | Brave New Writer at The BookFest Adventure |
| 6:00 PM | END |