Join Travis On July 21

Travis will be hosting his second Becoming An Author workshop on Tuesday, July 21 at the North Aurora Public Library. The workshop will start at 5:30 p.m. and go to 9:00 p.m.

Email me at TravisThrasher@mac.com or contact me through TravisThrasher.com if you're interested in attending. Thanks.

Quotes From First Workshop

The first Becoming An Author workshop on May 2 went very well. Here are a few comments from those attending it:

Cory from Indiana said this:

"I think it could totally be a whole day event and even doubled in price. Travis has really got some good things to talk about. I liked how he related a lot of the principles of publication with his own experiences, such as working with authors and the need of an agent. Travis didn't just stand up and start talking about his experience in writing--he brought it to a personal level for us. I actually liked the small group we had--it made it more personal and not so broad and overbearing. Bottom line: Travis took the beast of an industry and sculpted it to meet our needs and interests."

Aimee from Indiana said this: 

"I enjoyed Becoming An Author workshop much more than the others I have attended for two reasons: this was easygoing, conversational, and friendly. Travis didn't come off as an author who's "been there, done that" and is now kindly offering tips to the little people. Instead, he was easy to relate to and made us feel comfortable. He clearly takes to heart his advice to remain humble and hungry. Secondly, he talked more about the frustrating side of the publishing life. While I had a pretty good idea, most authors don't tend to go into those details when they are speaking to workshop attendees, probably for fear of discouragement. I like to have a full picture, and felt like Travis presented it without saying, "There's no point!".

Two Upcoming Workshops

Here are the dates for my first two Becoming An Author writing workshops:

Saturday, May 2, 2009: 

8:30 a.m. to noon. In the Green Room in the Art and Communication Center at Trinity Christian College (Palos Heights, IL).

Tuesday, July 21, 2009:

5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. At the North Aurora Public Library (North Aurora, IL).

Email me at TravisThrasher@mac.com or contact me through TravisThrasher.com if you're interested in attending. Thanks. 

Questions & Answers About The Workshops

Here are a few questions and answers about my upcoming workshops. 

What is the price? $49

What if I'm a student at Trinity Christian College? The workshop is free. 

Who should attend? Anybody interested in writing and getting published. Topics will include how to finish a work-in-progress, what to do to seek publication, what you need to know about publishers and agents, and how to try and build a writing career. 

Will your books be available to purchase? I'll have all of my novels there to purchase. And my signature will be free (haha). 

What do you hope participants will take away from the workshop? Some tips and tools about writing and publishing. Some writing conferences go for three and four days. I'm trying to compact everything I know in three and a half hours. Hopefully everybody who comes will learn something new and will also be inspired in their own writing.

If you have any other questions or want to participate in either of the upcoming workshops, contact Travis at TravisThrasher@mac.com or through Travisthrasher.com. Thanks for your interest!  

My Bio As Of 2009

In the event that you're checking out my writing workshop and are wondering who is this guy and why is he giving a writing workshop . . . well, here's my updated bio. 

Travis Thrasher has been writing his whole life.

In third grade, his teacher encouraged him in writing. That combined with reading the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis cemented the dream of becoming a writer.

While living in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, Travis completed his first novel in ninth grade. It was also during this time that he discovered an author that would have an immense impact on his writing: Stephen King.

“I had read many books up ‘til then that inspired me in my writing, but It by Stephen King was the first book I read that I wished I had written,” Travis says.

After living in places as diverse as Munich, Germany, and Sydney, Australia, during his youth, Travis moved to the Chicago area during his junior year of high school. That’s where he has remained.

After graduating from Trinity Christian College, Travis landed a job at Tyndale House Publishers as Author Relations Manager. He worked for over a decade in that position, acting as liaison between the publisher and the authors. But writing always came first, and Travis was fortunate to have his first novel published in 2000. It was The Promise Remains, a sweet love story in the vein of Nicholas Sparks.

“I wrote six or seven dark, ambitious novels that went nowhere,” Travis says. “It was only after writing a simple love story about unrequited love that I got my first break.”

Getting that first book published was a dream come true, but Travis always saw himself having multiple books in print.

“I don’t consider myself the most talented novelist, but I do consider myself one of the most driven. I kept writing, wanting to push myself and not become content to stay in a box a publisher made for me.”

Travis’s drive has allowed him to see a variety of books published: from love stories (The Watermark; Three Roads Home) to suspense (Gun Lake; Admission; Blinded) to drama (The Second Thief; Sky Blue) to even adventure (Out of the Devil’s Mouth).

“I tell people that this is not the way to build a career, but I’m thankful that I’ve been able to build mine the way I wanted to. I want to entertain and surprise readers, and to continue to build a readership that will take journeys with me, whether they’re going to 1929 Brazil or current day Geneva, Illinois.”

Travis’s writing journey came full circle with the publication of Isolation. It was no coincidence that this novel was set high on a mountain in North Carolina or that it was compared to Stephen King in a Publishers Weekly review that said “Thrasher demonstrates a considerable talent for the horror genre.” Many in Travis’s writing circle (his agent, his editors, his mother) said the same thing about Isolation: it was his best novel yet.

“When my first book got published, I was excited and proud of it,” Travis says. “But I never saw myself writing only love stories. Horror and supernatural tales are something that I love reading and watching, so it seems natural that I’m comfortable in that genre.”

In the acknowledgements for Isolation, Travis thanks the author who had the most impact on him as a novelist.

“Stephen King writes to tell all these stories in his head, and that’s what I do too. I have fifty stories that are dying to come out now. I look at King as an influence and inspiration—he simply has to write.”

And that’s what Travis has to do: write. His second book for FaithWords is entitled Ghostwriter and will be released in May, 2009. And it’s right down Mr. King’s alley: It’s about a bestselling horror novelist with writer’s block.

“My desire is to explore flawed and broken people,” Travis says. “The box I get to do this in is supernatural suspense. So along with taking journeys with interesting people, I also get to try and scare the reader.”

Agenda For The Workshop

Workshop Agenda (For the May 2 workshop)

8:30 a.m.—Welcome and introductions

8:45 a.m.--“The Book You’ve Always Wanted To Write”—What to write and how to start and finish it.

9:30 a.m.—“Synopses, Submissions, And Other Stuff”—How to write an effective proposal and come up with an effective hook.

10:00 a.m.—“You Need An Agent”—Finding a literary agent

10:30 a.m.—Ten minute break

10:40 a.m.—“Publishing 101”—The things you need to know about the publishing industry and getting published

11:00 a.m.—Q&A time—Taking specific questions from attendees at workshop

Noon—Workshop ends

First Workshop Coming On May 2

Becoming An Author Workshops

Have you ever wanted to start a book?

Wondering how to finish that story you’ve been working on?

Having trouble getting published?

Sign up for a workshop that will help you become an author.

Acclaimed novelist Travis Thrasher will lead an informative and inspiring half-day workshop that will help get you on track to finding publishing success.

Included in this half-day day workshop will be the following:
--How to finish the book you’ve started
--How to write an effective synopsis and proposal
--Finding a literary agent
--The basics of publishing
--Tips of the writing trade

Travis Thrasher is the author of 11 novels. Drawing on his experiences as a full-time writer in addition to his 13 years working with some of the country's best known authors, Travis shares all of these valuable insights and inside information on the publishing industry in a comprehensive workshop for beginning writers.

Let us know if you're interested in attending the next upcoming workshop.