A Journey of Resilience and Persistence - Realm Makers Recap 2025

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Realm Makers Writing Conference for the tenth time, and it was amazing, as always. Even better, this year wasn’t burdened by processing big life changes, family health issues, or stress—it was simply a chance to step back into the joy of writing with so many wonderful and lovely people.

This community is one of my absolute favorites, and they’re a large part of the reason I’m still writing. This year, they really pulled for me again as I pitched Project Nutcracker. While the pitch didn’t go as I hoped—no requests for materials—I did get some excellent tips for moving along the path to where I’d love to see this book go.

I spent a lot of my weekend catching up with friends I only see once a year, meeting new writing friends, volunteering, and welcoming the fun surprises the new changes brought.

The Realm Makers Expo was brand new this year, and I absolutely loved it. Having a huge hall full of all kinds of vendors, books, video games, and all the related things was amazing. And I definitely didn’t get around to seeing half of it. 😅 Since we were at a new space in Grand Rapids for both the conference and the expo, there was a lot of walking involved, which meant it was hard to get around to everything (even though I really, really wanted to. I still definitely spent plenty of money on books. 😂

The conference itself also felt very different this year, but I think that’s partly due to the volunteer hours I put in and the fact I was pitching this year with a fully completed manuscript, after a few years of not seriously pitching. I didn’t end up attending many classes, mostly because I was trying to work in appointments and time to see the expo, but the classes I did attend were phenomenal and helpful. The pre-conference session with Seth Ring and Erin Winters gave me so much good information and material, and I have several ideas for how to incorporate their suggestions into my process (on both the writing and editing fronts). Steve Laube gave us a good look at contract language and what to watch out for.

Lindsay Franklin talked about publishing wildernesses. This is probably the biggest one for me this year, even though I attended less than half of it (because appointments). It’s exactly what I’ve needed this year, as I look at being in this industry for more than 10 years without a book published under my name. It’s discouraging and frustrating and all kinds of things rolled into one—and something I felt so keenly last year I almost quit pursuing publishing altogether. (Side note: I know I’ll never quit writing, because I simply can’t, but publishing has been my dream for many years and for many excellent reasons.) And the little bit of her class I heard resonated with me so deeply, I’m itching for a chance to get to the conference replay videos and hear everything she has to say. And if I’d decided to quit pursuing publication last year, I may not have attended Realm Makers this year and heard Lindsay’s teachings. To me, it’s a confirmation that remaining in this industry is the right call for me.

Then there’s the many, many people I was able to meet and see and hug at the conference, including my tried and true Taylor U. Alum roommates and the group who helped me harden my resolve and hold onto my dreams last year. I met some new industry professionals I want to keep in touch with (shoutout to Sarah Arthur!), and got to chat with several I’ve become friends with over the years, including Sara Ella, Nadine Brandes, and S.D. Grimm. In many ways, it’s the people who keep me coming back to this conference year after year.

The Realm Awards banquet this year was quite different but in the best ways. First, it was absolutely wonderful to have so much space in the room after last year’s need for an overflow room. This also meant I wasn’t too hot in my costume (below), which is my PC from Hogwarts Legacy. Second, the food was delicious (as always). Third, it took place on the very first night of the conference, instead of the second, which definitely lent a different air to the whole thing.And fourth, there were so many fun and wonderful books and stories in the Realm Awards, which seem to grow in categories and entries every year. I even got a really fun surprise when they announced the winners of the Aurora Contest and one of the winning entries was a book I edited! (Meaning three books I edited either won or were finalists!) The surprises I don’t expect are always my favorite, and I couldn’t be more proud of the authors who wrote such wonderful books for going so far with their excellent work.

Overall, the conference was absolutely wonderful but exhausting, as usual. I’m looking forward to what will be new next year, and how many new friends I’ll meet while trying to see all the old ones. Who knows? Maybe I’ll have a book of my own to bring (unlikely, but I’m seeing where this goes!). 😁

And for anyone out there discouraged in their dreams, keep pushing on. If you know that dream is good and necessary and right for you, don’t give up. Hold onto the resilience you need to see it through, even if it’s happening much, much slower than you ever anticipated. 💙