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Laurel Burgess

@laurelaburgess

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Author of Attack of the Gummy Worms 🐛

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My Professional Writing students are the best ever. Change my mind. I arrived this morning, last first day, to a stream of cards from current and former students. Whoever did this, thank you! Such an unexpected surprise! You brought me to tears. Thank you to Jordyn Fortuna, Contessa Hussong Wells, Arianna Blakeley, Autumn Kennedy, Alyssa Grant, Ellie Tiemens, Kipp Miller, Rianna van Stempvoort, Laurel Burgess, and Jared Salomon for the kind notes. So encouraging! #retiring #beststudentsever #professionalwriting #tayloruniversity #tayloru

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This summer I had the privilege of serving as staff at Taylor University Professional Writers Conference for the third time. I very much enjoyed hanging out with my Pro Write friends, learning from the sessions, meeting writers, helping as staff, and being at Taylor again.
#writingconferences #writingconference #writersconferences #writersconference #conferences #conference #writing #writers #tayloruniversityprofessionalwritersconference #tayloruniversity #taylor #University #professionalwritersconference #professionalwriters #professionalwriter #taylorpwrconference #professional

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Autographed book haul from authors I got to meet and learn from during this year’s professional writer’s conference at Taylor University. I may or may not have gone over budget. 💰🤫

🪱 Attack of the Gummy Worms by @laurelaburgess
⚔️ An Alliance of Ash and Jade by @a.j.skelly
💋 Kiss & Tell by @a.j.skelly
☕️ The Regulars of Amanda Lexie by @authorjjhanna
🌾 Brave by @mesuandrews
🎻 A Study of Shattered Spells by @josiahdegraaf

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I had a great time speaking about fantasy worldbuilding at the Taylor Professional Writers Conference this weekend! It was so cool to be a part of this event again, and I look forward to going back next year!

My presentation was about the phenomenon known as “Worldbuilder’s Disease”: when you get so caught up in the fun of worldbuilding that you forget to actually write your novel. If you want to learn more, I’ll be turning the session into a post on my blog (link in bio).

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What a great conference! It was so fun to connect with writers, teach marketing and suspense techniques, and learn from wonderful teachers like PeggySue Wells and Steven James! Thank you @taylorpwrconference for another lovely time! It’s always good to come back.

Thank you to everyone who picked up copies of #theregularsofamandalexie through the conference bookstore! I hope you love it!

#writingconferences #travelingspeaker #writershelpingwriters #authorsofig

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That’s a wrap on the @columbusbookfestival 💕

I had a total BLAST at the festival this year and totally sold out of all my Honor Anthology copies and every single copy of Suspended in the Stars I brought!!!!

Beside that, I gave away everything I had about my books - series bookmarks, bookmarks and cards about my Dragons in Space Substack serial, and even all the business cards I could find in my purse 🤣

Talk about an incredible turnout! But also just a really well-run event! The festival staff was so attentive and the atmosphere was just amazing! I hope to come back next year with more (and new) books!

PLUS a huge shout out to my dear friend @lunasluckymoon for not only letting me stay with her but also coming and helping at my table and having my “pitch” down 😆 Be on the lookout for HER dark fantasy book coming this September!!! 🖤

#columbusbookfestival2026 #columbusbookfestival

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✨🏆FANART CONTEST WINNERS🏆✨

Whew!! This was so hard to choose!! Thank you all so much for participating in this contest! It’s been so fun seeing all of your incredible talent!!!

✨Winners, I will contact you either today or over the weekend about your prizes!✨

All entries were judged as unbiasedly as we could manage, and were based on: creativity, effort, understanding of my stories, and quality. Which…proved challenging with so many amazing entries 😅❤️

🏆 A special congratulations to our grand-prize winner, @adiasomi.reed_rite with her and her brother’s Lego stop motion video! We selected this as our grand-prize winner because of the incredible effort and time that must have gone into it, in combination with the cleverness of the crossover, the understanding of my stories and characters, the Easter eggs, and the all-around talent it took to pull something like that off (I mean, they even animated their mouths!! 😮). It also cracked me up to the point of tears 🤣

Thank you again to everyone who submitted!!! This has been so incredibly special and fun thanks to all of you🥹💙

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A week out from Realm Makers, and finally assembling thoughts and photos (woefully few, so if you got any with me, do send! I’m usually enjoying too much to think of pictures, haha)

God always makes sure Realm Makers is exactly what I need it to be each year, and for that I am beyond grateful. Because He knows what I need far better than I.
Last year, I was desperate for something amazing, something to fulfill me, and I was met with gentleness, and peace, and the rest I so desperately needed.
This year, I have been given such encouragement, such invigoration for creativity, and I can’t wait to take that with me as I dive into edits again.

It was the people this year, as it always is, with laughter-filled dinners, deeply personal and masterfully craft-filled late night talks, and quiet morning chats over coffee. It was the high of being there as three friends took home awards, and watching their books sell out, and the quiet moments of just being together, behind vendor tables, in corners, and on balconies. I am ever filled with awe and gratefulness by the utter acceptance I receive every year. Realm Makers has always been a place where I felt like I belonged; this year I felt wanted, too.

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My favorite part of the year ❤️

I absolutely could not wait to be back at RM this year, and it did my tired heart a lot of good. Meeting up with friends, running through the rain, late night games, aquarium visits, new books, and great sessions left me with wonderful memories to take home.

Highlights:
- The zoo with @22htbr!
- The Creativity Glitch Session
- Finally meeting my dear friend, @daisyhenkleauthor!
- Hanging out with the Author crew! It was so good to see @ariel.writer.choate and @juliamaedunt again! And so awesome to hang out with @22htbr, @alliejoandersen, @kitrosefoster.author, @acwilliams.author, @colinhorstauthor, and @holliswakefield.author!!
- Meeting @nova_mcbee_author, @candace_kade_author, @krissidallas, and @cassie.greutman in person!!
- The Realm Awards
- Aquarium breaks
- Seeing @decarlsonauthor again!
- Getting a copy of @melodyfaithcreates’s book!!
- Watching the rain hit the ceiling
- Late night light shows
- Hanging out with @faithbehrens and @samanthatypes
- Seeing @a.j.skelly and the @quill.and.flame.publishers crew again
- @laurelaburgess and the Q&F library
- Meeting @avalonwolfstone
- Getting stuck on the 5th floor repeatedly

Honestly, so much about RM was amazing. It’s wonderful to be part of a community that is so supportive and to see that in person is always such a joy.

Thanks for another amazing conference, Realm Makers!! I can’t wait to see everyone again next time! ❤️

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Realm Makers '26 🤍📚

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It’s been a hot minute since I’ve done an author roundup and no doubt I’ve forgotten some folks I should have featured but oh well. We do what we can. 😉

For something wildly different (but also wildly fun!) we have ATTACK OF THE GUMMY WORMS by Laurel Burgess. This adorable novelette released last week and I suspect will be a hoot to read!

“His mind is a prison. Her world is an illusion.” And BOOM! Sara K. Anderson has completed her epic Mind Hunters duology with FRAYED.

I hear ARC readers are falling all over themselves with Dalton and Emily Bequette’s ASHFALL, the second book in the Flameheart Chronicles. I have this book on my kindle to read this summer and I’m excited to see what’s next! Releases next month and preorders open now!

And lastly, look at this GORGEOUS cover of AGAIN BEHOLD THE STARS by Jessie Latimer. This amazing debut is already making waves with a Kirkus star review, and available for preorder (releases in August).

Again, my apologies to any bookish friends if I missed a release or cover reveal! My brain has been like scrambled eggs for days now. 🤣

Art by me, wet cyanotype

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A commission I did last year for @laurelaburgess of her character Jennie. She's obsessed with the main lead, who's... not as into her 😅 I loved working on this project! The characters and concept were really fun and unique. I thought she would be the perfect post for Valentine's Day, too ❤️

#artistoninstagram #commissionart #bookillustration #digitalillustration #characterdesign

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