Heroes and Villains breaks down both your antagonist and protagonist by a series of easy to understand categories ranging from likeability to strengths and weaknesses to baggage and stakes.

After examining both hero and villain types, the classes will study how you can combine different heroes and villains to create the type of conflict your story requires.

About the instructor:

J. Scott Savage is the award-winning author of 22 published novels, including The Lost Wonderland Diaries and Secrets of the Looking Glass, the Far World series, the Case File 13 series (Harper Collins), and the Mysteries of Cove series. Newest titles include Graysen Foxx and the Treasure of Principal Redbeard (March 2023, Shadow Mountain), Graysen Foxx and the curse of the Illuminerdy (January 2024, Shadow Mountain), and The Quantum Interstellar Sports League (September 2024, Penguin Workshop).

Scott has been a teacher and presenter at writing conferences for adults and youth, and has developed Common Core-aligned projects for elementary school writing curricula. He has presented at more than 4000 schools across the country, inspiring students to read, write, embrace their own creativity, and change the world. He is represented by Michael Bourret of Dystal, Goderich, and Bourret.

Scott lives in Utah with his wife of 35 years, Jennifer. He has four amazing children, and nine perfect grandchildren. He enjoys reading, watching movies, camping, traveling, and spending time with his family.

Building a believable world is vital to any story we write. Choices we make will influence and sometimes define the way a plot unfolds. This class will focus on the key elements of any world that is built.

About the Instructor:

Jennifer Nielsen loves dark chocolate, adores her two grandkids, and enjoys any day in the mountains. She also writes books.

Readers don’t just read for great stories, but for great characters. Learn how to make your characters jump off the page so that readers will love to spend time with them. Develop your characters to go hand-in-hand with your conflict, genre, and plot so that readers will want to spend time with them and return to your stories again and again.

About the instructor:

Janci Patterson writes young adult science fiction and fantasy, romantic comedy, and epic fantasy. She has co-authored many books, including the sixth book in the Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarian series and the Skyward Flight collection with Brandon Sanderson. Janci and Brandon will be continuing the Skyward universe with a new co-authored trilogy, debuting in 2025. As a hybrid author, Janci has published forty books both independently and traditionally. She lives in Orem, Utah with her husband, two children, and her energetic border collie.

One of the most daunting things about writing a novel is the pre-writing phase. Whether one works via the pantser method or needs a complete outline, there is a lot of initial work to be done before a writer is ready to write the first chapter.

How does one take a germ of an idea and shape the characters, setting, scenes, and larger set pieces into a form that will make a complete novel? In this workshop we will create and organize the essential elements of a story complete with writing exercises to form the bones of a satisfying novel.”

About the instructor:

Michael Carr is a literary agent with a background in editing and writing who represents writers in a variety of genres, with a special emphasis on historical fiction, mystery and suspense, and science fiction and fantasy. Michael works carefully with clients to produce the cleanest, most professional manuscripts and enjoys teaching at workshops and conferences to help develop emerging writers. He speaks Brazilian Portuguese and Swahili, and before joining Veritas had professions as diverse as programming simulators for nuclear submarines and owning an inn in Vermont.

If you’re wondering if it’s possible to be a full-time author in traditional publishing, the answer is yes! Come learn what habits to cultivate, how to take your writing to the next level, and how to become a master of your genre.

About the instructor:

Tricia Levenseller is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of several romantasies, including The Shadows Between Us and Daughter of the Pirate King. Her books have been translated into twenty languages and counting. She lives in Utah with her bossy dog, Rosy, where she writes full time. When she’s not writing or reading, Tricia enjoys putting together jigsaw puzzles, playing video games, and finding tasty restaurants to frequent.

With a small student-teacher ratio, this fabulous workshop is one of our most popular. And this year we are expanding our staple categories to include picture books, non-fiction, and short stories. You will get to share the first ten pages of your current manuscript with an author/editor instructor who is an expert in your genre, as well as the other members of your group. Sign up and get to know others who write in your genre and get constructive, personalized feedback!

As part of the workshop, you will be expected to review and make notes on the pages of each group member prior to attending. Then, during the workshop, you will meet with your assigned group and receive specific feedback on those pages from your instructor and group.

Nobody writes a perfect first draft. In this class, we’ll learn how to take that draft and wrestle it into the story you set out to write. Using Erin’s revision checklist, we’ll discuss macro editing to make sure your novel’s big picture is working, and then move all the way down to the line-editing that will make each sentence sing. We’ll tighten characters, layer in themes, check plot points, freshen dialogue and make sure that all-important voice never wavers.

About the Instructor:

Erin Stewart is an award-winning author of realistic fiction for teens. Her most recent novel, THE WORDS WE KEEP, received the Schneider Family Book Award from the American Library Association for its portrayal of living with anxiety. Her third young adult novel, EVERY BORROWED BEAT, hit shelves in 2025 along with her middle-grade debut, THE FORGOTTEN MAGIC OF ZOEY TURNER. Erin is a heart failure survivor, mother of three and firm believer that Hot Tamales should be a recognized food group.

After your first draft is complete, it’s time to go back to the beginning – not just to see if your story begins in the right place, but to see if the beginning is doing everything it can for your story. We’ll analyze twenty-one beginnings to novels and narrative nonfiction, looking for things a beginning can do and how different writers do them. A great beginning may not do them all, but it will do more than hook the reader and launch the story. It will resonate through the story, all the way to the end. Before that, it can help sell your book. (If there’s a way for participants to submit beginnings in advance, we’ll analyze some.)

About the instructor:

David Rodeback lives in American Fork, Utah. He is the husband of one, the father of four, and the uncle of eighteen. He writes mostly contemporary realistic fiction and has self-published two book-length collections of short fiction.

So you have a thought or an idea that you think would make an amazing inspirational book. But, you don’t know where to start. Join me as I walk you through my process, from idea to post-publication. I’ll share how to define your voice, your audience, and your idea. I’ll show you a method of outlining your book and share tips to help you write your message in the most clear and engaging way.

About the instructor:

Michelle Wilson is an author, speaker, and podcaster who lives in the Northwest. She’s published 5 inspirational nonfiction books and a picture book. She has been rejected more times than not. But she has the prefect chocolate chip cookie recipe, which makes everything okay.

Your story is one-of-a-kind—let’s show the world why! In this hands-on workshop, we’re diving into the exciting world of indie publishing. Discover how to build an unforgettable author brand, stand out in a sea of stories, and connect with readers who can’t wait for your next book. We’ll cover the basics of self-publishing, share savvy marketing tips, and give you the confidence to shine. Perfect for new to intermediate authors, this session is all about unlocking your indie potential and making sure your story gets the spotlight it deserves.

About the instructor:

Cassie Mae. Author. Nerd. Hufflepuff. Cassie Mae is a fan of chocolate, writes romance, and reads horror. She has been published by Random House and owns an editing company, CookieLynn Publishing Services. She’s been writing, editing, and just barely keeping her head above water since 2012. She loves hugs, talking forever about Harry Potter, and any fuzzy animal.

In a three step workshop, Clarissa, Adam & Kaylee will teach the perfect pitch, take live pitches from the audience and end with a Q&A (to nail that perfect pitch at home)

Co-navigate Carpe Vitam Press’s growing slush piles. We’ll outline a Perfect Pitch (a link will be displayed for class members to submit their pitch anonymously).

In our best Bob Barker voice we’ll read submitted pitches and give real-time feedback on what did and didn’t work. We’ll be tossing out prizes for participation. Each author will leave with confidence in both their pitch and themselves.

*Each participant will be given the opportunity to skip the slush pile and submit directly to Carpe Vitam Press for consideration

About the instructors:

Clarissa, Adam & Kaylee are acquisition editors for Carpe Vitam Press. They navigate the dreaded slush pile searching for that Perfect Pitch.

Adam Berg is a real human boy and not a figment of his dog’s imagination. He started his career in sketch comedy, spent six years writing and acting for Studio C, and now works for JK Studios. He’s the author of bestselling novel Rainbringer and spends most of his time cuddling his dog or biting his boyfriend. Sometimes vice versa.

Clarissa Kae is the founder of Carpe Vitam Press. She’s a former contributor for Equus and editor for Writer’s Digest. She’s the author of award winning Once And Future Wife and her Victorian Fairy Retellings, A Dark Beauty and Cinders Like Glass.
She and her family live in the agriculture belly of California with a farm of horses, alpacas, dogs, and chickens (where Adam regularly comes to visit).

Kaylee Baldwin’s love of all things books and reading led her to graduate from Arizona State University with a degree in English. Since then, she has gained experience through editing over 100 manuscripts in many different genres and has continued her education through conferences and online classes. In 2023, she joined Carpe Vitam Press’s acquisition team looking for her next story to lose herself in.