Pikes Peak Writers Conference 2026: Full Schedule

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The 2026 Pikes Peak Writers Conference is in the books!
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8:30am MDT

Make It Make Sense: Logic, Logical Fallacies and Character Motivations

Friday April 17, 2026 8:30am - 9:30am MDT

Academy

Get into the head of your evil mastermind villain and use logic to help shape your protagonist's arc. We’ll learn the basic structure of an argument, the difference between validity and soundness, and why it matters to build believable characters with motivations we don’t second guess. I’ll introduce several logical fallacies---ways people make illogical arguments sound good---so that your characters can act illogically in a believable way and justify bad (perhaps valid, but unsound) choices or manipulate others.

Faculty

Taryn Skipper

Author/artist Taryn Skipper’s publications include her science fiction novel for young adults, Between Tungsten and Gold (Sept. 2025, Splinter Press), picture and activity books for children, short stories and poetry in anthologies, cover art, and a decade of commissioned portraits and paintings. She enjoys presenting and volunteering at writing events and conferences and sits on the Storymakers G... Read More →

Friday April 17, 2026 8:30am - 9:30am MDT
Academy

Craft of Writing

Moderator Jodi Anderson

2:00pm MDT

Read & Critique Session 4

Friday April 17, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm MDT

Fremont

Historical/Horror/Western

Faculty

Reavis Z. Wortham

Keynote

NYT Bestselling author, Reavis Z. Wortham, is the recipient of many awards, including two Spur Awards from the Western Writers Association, and six Will Rogers Medallions. Kirkus Reviews listed his first novel in the historical Red River series, The Rock Hole, as one of their Top... Read More →

Agents & Editors

Casey Cowan

Roan & Weatherford Publishing Associates

Casey Cowan began his career in graphic design, shaping projects across a wide range of industries for nearly two decades before finding his niche and co-founding Roan & Weatherford Publishing Associates in 2013. Under his leadership, the company has grown into a successful, award-winning... Read More →

Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong

Literary Agent, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency

Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong is a literary agent at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency with
nearly a decade of industry experience. A life-long lover of books, Cathie enjoys
vivid memories of the exact moment she unlocked the secret code behind the
letters that, when combined, form words. Sinc... Read More →

Friday April 17, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm MDT
Fremont

Business of Writing

Moderator Chris Mandeville, Jodi Anderson

4:45pm MDT

Beyond the Bedroom: Using Physical and Emotional Intimacy to Create Authentic Character Relationships

Friday April 17, 2026 4:45pm - 5:45pm MDT

El Paso

Creating authentic character relationships is essential in every genre—whether you're crafting a swoon-worthy romance, developing a fierce rivalry, or building a deep friendship. In this workshop, we'll explore how to layer both physical and emotional intimacy from first glance to Happily Ever After. You'll leave with a clear guide for developing believable relationships that resonate with readers and intensify the emotional engagement of your story.

Faculty

Dawn Alexander

Dawn Alexander Books

Dawn Alexander is a developmental editor and story coach who collaborates with both emerging writers and accomplished authors to strengthen their stories and refine their voices. Her clients have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists, as well as the Amazon... Read More →

Friday April 17, 2026 4:45pm - 5:45pm MDT
El Paso

Craft of Writing

Moderator Jodi Anderson

8:30am MDT

♪ ♫ Do You Want to Kill a Snowman? ♪ ♫

Saturday April 18, 2026 8:30am - 9:30am MDT

Douglas

We don’t buy the book because the protagonist is a twenty-something drop-out who no one believes in. We buy it because we want to see the monster! What makes a great monster? Its strengths and weaknesses–in other words, how to kill it!

Faculty

Sam Knight

Author/Publisher, Knight Writing Press

Sam Knight is the owner/publisher of Knight Writing Press and author of six children’s books, four novels, and over 80 short stories, including three co-authored with Kevin J. Anderson. Though he has written in many cool worlds, such as Planet of the Apes, Wayward Pines, and... Read More →

Saturday April 18, 2026 8:30am - 9:30am MDT
Douglas

Craft of Writing

Moderator Jodi Anderson

11:00am MDT

Book Clubs for Writers: Why and How

Saturday April 18, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT

Pikes Peak/Royal Gorge

Not every reader is a writer, but every writer benefits from reading. Book clubs are a fabulous way to reap the benefits of reading, studying and discussing books with readers. We'll talk about how this will improve your writing, even if you never discuss your own book or genre. We will dive into lessons taken from a few successful book clubs lasting over a decade: the mechanics of a successful group, different styles and formats for book clubs, what keeps them thriving, and what they have in common. You'll leave with a good idea of what kind of book club might work best for you, how you can expect it to improve your writing, how to set one up, and how to keep it alive after the novelty wears off.

Faculty

Taryn Skipper

Saturday April 18, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm MDT
Pikes Peak/Royal Gorge

Writing Tools

Moderator Jodi Anderson

2:00pm MDT

Back Cover Copy That Sells

Saturday April 18, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm MDT

El Paso

Write your back cover copy using the plug-and-play elements that hook readers like character, conflict, stakes, tropes and even psychology. We’ll dig into best-selling blurbs to see what makes them work and you'll leave with a template to follow for future blurbs.

Faculty

Jessica Snyder

Jessica Snyder is a romance editor, author coach, and digital nomad traveling the US with her giant dog, Arrow. She's a Gallup Strengths enthusiast who loves kickass heroines, tropes flipped on their heads, rotisserie chicken, and getting stamps in her passport.

Saturday April 18, 2026 2:00pm - 3:00pm MDT
El Paso

Craft of Writing

Moderator Jodi Anderson
Audience Beginner

4:45pm MDT

Inventing a New Author You

Saturday April 18, 2026 4:45pm - 5:45pm MDT

Pikes Peak/Royal Gorge

Things aren’t rolling along quite the way you’d like in your career? In this workshop, I’ll offer practical tips on identifying your goals, evaluating how your current brand meets those goals, and steps to take for launching a new brand. We’ll discuss everything from re-branding within the same pen name to modernizing your catalog’s packaging to launching an entirely separate pen name.

Faculty

Pippa Grant

Keynote

Pippa Grant wanted to write books, so she did.Before she became a USA Today and #1 Amazon bestselling romantic comedy author, she was a young military spouse who got into writing as self-therapy. That happened around the time she discovered reading romance novels, and the two eventually... Read More →

Saturday April 18, 2026 4:45pm - 5:45pm MDT
Pikes Peak/Royal Gorge

Business of Writing

Moderator Jodi Anderson

11:30am MDT

The Six Foundational Elements of Romance Fiction

Sunday April 19, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm MDT

El Paso

This course teaches romance fiction from a structural standpoint. You’ll learn about goal, motivation, and conflict, which are the cornerstones of fiction writing. But then we dive deeper to cover character arcs, flaws and stakes, which are vital in character-driven stories like romance. You’ll understand how each element hinges on the others to build the infrastructure of your story, and you’ll gain the confidence to utilize these elements to improve your own books. Recommended prework is to watch the 2010 film The Proposal, starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. It's not required, but that's the film we'll use for a deep analysis at the end of the presentation.

Faculty

Jessica Snyder

Sunday April 19, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm MDT
El Paso

Craft of Writing

Moderator Jodi Anderson

8:30am MDT

2:00pm MDT

4:45pm MDT

8:30am MDT

11:00am MDT

2:00pm MDT

4:45pm MDT

11:30am MDT

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