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Sunday, October 4
 

9:00am CDT

On the Same Page: The Author-Agent Partnership
Sunday October 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Room E-F
Exploring the author/agent relationship and what to look for in an agent.
Speakers
avatar for Sydney Applegate
avatar for Kelly Dyksterhouse

Kelly Dyksterhouse

Kelly Dyksterhouse is a literary agent with The Tobias Literary Agency.

She represents picture books, middle grade and young adult, both fiction and nonfiction, as well as graphic novels. She also represents illustrators.

For middle grade, she loves books with ensemble casts, books about good kids making bad decisions and then having to get themselves out of it, quests and hijinks, spooky stories and mysteries, and historical novels that feel relevant. For YA, Kelly is looking for much of... Read More →
avatar for Brooke Mondor

Brooke Mondor

Brooke Mondor is a literary agent with Miller Bowers Griffin Literary Management. She previously interned at Folio Literary Management. While she primarily represents non-fiction writers, she is excited to build her adult fiction list.

In fiction, Brooke is particularly intereste... Read More →
avatar for Dana Swift

Dana Swift

Dana started making up fantasy worlds when she was eleven years old and hasn’t stopped since. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned degrees in English and Advertising. Dana currently lives in Austin with her husband and her two dogs whose... Read More →
avatar for Haley Warrington

Haley Warrington

Haley Warrington is a iterary agent with The Booker Albert Literary Agency.

Haley is a fan of all things romance—bring the heat or leave it at the door. She’s also interested in representing Adult or New Adult fiction. Some of her favorite novels include The Match by Sara... Read More →
avatar for Madeline Warthan
Sunday October 4, 2026 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Room E-F
  Panel

10:00am CDT

Queerly Beloved: LGBTQIA+ Romance
Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Room E-F
Why does queer romance matter?  Does every queer romance need to address homophobia? How do you balance queer joy with queer reality? How do you avoid sterotypes?  Who is "allowed" to write queer stories? What are the trends with queer romance in the industry? 
Speakers
avatar for Nikki Carrero

Nikki Carrero

Nikki is a literary agent with The Rights Factory and has a background in education and in publishing.

Her love for the written word began when her grandmother brought her to the bookstore as a kid to pick out new books. She's currently looking for adult or young adult fiction in the following genres: mystery, thriller, romance, romantic suspense, magical realism, women’s... Read More →
avatar for Christine Goss

Christine Goss

Christine Goss is a literary agent with FinePrint Literary Management.

She graduated from Lake Forest College with a BA in communications. Formerly a sales representative, her skills pair well with her love of reading and story development. As an author herself, the craft of writing is very important to her when she looks at manuscripts... Read More →
avatar for Madelyn Knecht
avatar for Eva Scalzo

Eva Scalzo

Eva Scalzo is the Agency Director and Senior Literary Agent at Speilburg Literary. A lifelong romance reader—ever since discovering Sweet Valley High in the fifth grade—she proudly inherited her grandmother’s collection of vintage Harlequins and never looked back.

She gravitates toward voice-driven YA and romance with heart, humor, and hope—stories where falling in love leads to self-discovery. She loves high-concept premises, lush and escapist settings, sharp banter, and joyful tones that embrace emotional depth. Eva actively... Read More →
Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00am - 10:50am CDT
Room E-F
  Panel

11:00am CDT

Truth Be Told: Memoir And Creative Nonfiction
Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Room E-F
Explore how writers shape lived experience, memory, and research into compelling narratives. Panelists will discuss finding the heart of a true story, balancing honesty with craft, handling gaps or conflicting memories, and turning real events into meaningful memoir and creative nonfiction.
Speakers
avatar for Michael Carr

Michael Carr

Michael Carr is a literary agent with the Veritas Literary Agency.

With a strong background in editing and writing, Michael enjoys teaching at workshops and conferences to help develop emerging writers. He is fluent in Spanish and speaks conversational French. Before joining Veritas, Michael had professions as diverse as programming simulators... Read More →
avatar for Harry Hall

Harry Hall

Harry Hall spent 11 years traveling the country, researching an obscure group of a handful of women athletic pioneers who, 150 years ago, made their own rules and set standards that even today, seem impossible. Although around only a few years, the pedestriennes contributed to the... Read More →
avatar for Christina Lopez

Christina Lopez

Christina Lopez is an editor with St.Martin's Press, where she started as an intern. 

She's passionate about giving a voice to writers of underrepresented backgrounds, with interests in adult and YA commercial fiction, women’s fiction, historical fiction, romance/rom-com, speculative fiction/ magical realism, and some non-fiction focused on pop culture and... Read More →
avatar for Carrie Turner
Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am CDT
Room E-F
  Panel

1:40pm CDT

Own The Process: Building a Career in Self-Publishing
Sunday October 4, 2026 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT
Room E-F
Panelists will discuss producing a professional book, finding readers, managing the business side of authorship, and creating a sustainable path that fits each writer’s goals.
Speakers
avatar for Russell C Connor

Russell C Connor

Russell C. Connor has been writing horror since the age of five. His short fiction has appeared in such publications as Black Petals Magazine, Alien Skin, Burial Day, Sanitarium, Beware the Dark, and the Stupefying Stories Showcase, as well as the anthologies Roadkill: Tex... Read More →
avatar for Kay Goodnight
avatar for ChristaCarol Jones
avatar for Matthew Rollins
Sunday October 4, 2026 1:40pm - 2:30pm CDT
Room E-F
  Panel

2:40pm CDT

The Young and the Restless: Exploring the Heart of Young Adult Fiction
Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT
Room E-F
What makes young adult fiction resonate with teen readers? From authentic voice and emotional immediacy to identity, relationships, and the uncertainty of becoming, panelists will discuss writing young protagonists with depth, balancing universal themes with distinctly teen experiences, and creating stories that honor who young people are while imagining who they might become.
Speakers
avatar for Olivia Emerick

Olivia Emerick

Olivia Emerick is a literary agent with the Metamorphosis Literary Agency.

A Boston College graduate with a background in English and Classics, Olivia has always had her nose in a book. With her experience in the literary and theatrical spaces, she values collaboration, communication, and human stories. She is passionate about advancing authors... Read More →
avatar for Sean Fletcher

Sean Fletcher

Sean Fletcher is the award-winning, bestselling author of a number of fantasy series, such as the Savage Wilds, My Dearest Monster, Legacy of Dragons, Heir of Dragons, and more, in addition to forthcoming books whose characters will not give him a moment's peace until they get their turn in the spotlight. When not making up highly-enjoyable lies and putting them down on paper, he's often doing something most people find masochistic, like cyclin... Read More →
avatar for Anna Lindsey
avatar for Dana Swift

Dana Swift

Dana started making up fantasy worlds when she was eleven years old and hasn’t stopped since. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned degrees in English and Advertising. Dana currently lives in Austin with her husband and her two dogs whose... Read More →
Sunday October 4, 2026 2:40pm - 3:30pm CDT
Room E-F
  Panel

3:40pm CDT

✅ Let's Chat: An Overview & Celebration of DFWCON 2026!
Sunday October 4, 2026 3:40pm - 4:30pm CDT
Room E-F
Whoo, it's been a long, exciting weekend at DFWCon 2026! So let's celebrate and debrief. This class is a community open forum discussion of what attendees learned at DFWCon, what marketing and craft tactics they plan on implementing, and overall the biggest take-aways and celebrations of the art of writing. Consider it a nice wrap-up catch all, where you can ask Dana Swift any last questions about querying, submission, book deals, marketing after release, etc. All the while she'll be celebrating attendees and the lessons you learned. This might just be the best way to learn about a class or two you missed so have your notebooks ready.

Is this your first writers conference? Classes with a ✅ in the title like this one are especially good for newcomers.


Speakers
avatar for Dana Swift

Dana Swift

Dana started making up fantasy worlds when she was eleven years old and hasn’t stopped since. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned degrees in English and Advertising. Dana currently lives in Austin with her husband and her two dogs whose... Read More →
Sunday October 4, 2026 3:40pm - 4:30pm CDT
Room E-F
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