Award-nominated Writer, Entrepreneur to Speak at Columbus Fiction Conference

Columbus, OH - Local writer and entrepreneur Gery L. Deer of Jamestown, Ohio will be sharing his expertise with aspiring writers as a panelist during the 24th Annual Context Speculative Fiction Conference in Columbus, August 26-28. At 10AM on Saturday August 27, Deer will host a session on the business of freelance writing and serve on several other discussion panels during the course of the weekend.

Speculative fiction is more commonly known as science fiction and encompasses a wide range of material including manga, anime, science fiction, fantasy, or horror. Context is a convention focused on speculative literary works and related games, comics, television and films. Throughout the weekend, aspiring writers, artists and graphic novelists attend workshops and panel discussions hosted by working authors and related experts.

Gery L. Deer is best known for his self-syndicated editorial series, Deer In Headlines, but also writes for various other regional and national publications. As a professional business writer with GLD Enterprises Commercial Writing, he provides on-demand copywriting and marketing services to business clients and self-publishing authors, providing editorial and promotional services.

"Literary science fiction events like Context are not the Star Trek conventions people might imagine," Deer explained. "Conferences like this are geared more towards aspiring writers of science fiction and fantasy and provide the opportunity to meet and talk with well-known writers, agents and publishers."

Deer will also be attending the conference to promote a new book by a client author. "Images Old and New," by Ohio writer Sarah Seymour-Winfield, is a scholarly book about Christian Mysticism written from the intellectual and spiritual viewpoint of its reclusive author.

According to reviews, the book offers the reader ground-breaking new viewpoints on religious imagery in Judeo Christian canon. Released in May, it has already been chosen as a supplemental textbook for one religion class at the University of Dayton. Science fiction and fantasy authors are making use of the book's unique perspective when developing new storylines based on biblical concepts.

"The publishing industry is changing rapidly, particularly with regard to electronic press, and authors need guidance during the process," says Deer, who has published three books exclusively for the Amazon Kindle eReader. "Those dusty manuscripts in the bottom of your desk drawer may get a new breath of life and our job at the conference is to help the author go from idea to publication."

In addition to his commercial endeavors, Deer serves as the director for the Western Ohio Writers Association and serves on the advisory board of the Fairborn Community Center. He speaks at schools, civic groups, university business schools and literary conferences around the Midwest. In 2010, he was nominated for the Ohio Public Image Network Award in Media and considered for a Pulitzer Prize in journalism for a Xenia Daily Gazette series on mental health services.

Opening ceremonies for Context 24 begin at 7PM on Friday, August 26^th at the Doubletree Hotel, 175 Hutchinson Rd., Columbus. More information is available at www.contextsf.org.

Gery L. Deer will be presenting at the following panel discussions during the conference ...

FRI: 9PM - Wake Up and Smell 2011: Self-Publishing in Today's Market

SAT: 10AM - Freelancing To Fund Your Novel Writing

SAT: 2PM - Agents ... The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

SUN: 11AM - Anthologies are for Beginners Too

Or meet Gery in the dealer room at the GLD Enterprises Commercial Writing booth.

(See our full page advertisement in the conference program.)