Final Thoughts - RWA

I'm home. I'm back in my routine and have had the last five days to sort through another whirlwind trip to RWA.

Each time I've gone to the conference the night before I leave, as I finish packing for the trip, I'm always swamped with anxiety. Why am I going? Does anyone REALLY care that I'm there? Will anyone remember me? True story, just ask GG.

As has been discussed on many other blogs and forums in the past, there are both pros and cons to attending this national conference for romance writers. However, at the end of the day, for a person who does not intend to write a book, like myself, one has to decide why they would use their vacation time, money and make all that effort into going to this (or any other) conference.

More and more each year it becomes about seeing friends. Each time I've gone I've met more readers and made more friends in the romance reading world, with a few authors too. This year was no exception.

Five years ago this week (August 4, 2005) I began this little blog. If you would have told me then that I would attend an RWA conference, let alone three of them now, or that I would be making the friends I have and meeting up with a blogging group several times a year, I would NEVER have believed it. Yet here I am... Surreal doesn't even begin to cover it.

So, final impressions and thoughts of Orlando?

Sultry, swamping heat

Sherry Thomas asking me to talk to a lady at her table at the Literacy Signing about how fantastic HIS AT NIGHT is. Who knew people came to shop at the literacy signing?

Some of the most amazing FMPs I've ever seen on women of all sizes and ages.

Kristie(j)'s laugh. Especially when she's making reading lists for SL Wendy.

Chicken, chicken and more...chicken.

LB Gregg in her writing sweater, propped up in bed, munching fruit, hunched over her laptop and muttering, "But what's it about????"

Women--authors, readers, bloggers all gathered at the Cabana Bar talking about books and men.

Women shaking hands and introducing themselves.

Everything you have ever heard about how nice author Jill Shalvis is? So true! Such a nice, nice lady. She's the one person I kept running into everywhere at the conference and then on the plane coming home.

Photo booth on the Boardwalk.

SL Wendy's blue dress for the RITA dinner.

Sharing anecdotes and book commentary with Aztec Lady at RITAs and weeping together at some of the acceptance speeches.

Dancing with LB at the Harlequin party. We'll always have Orlando, and DC, and San Francisco...

Drinks in the Swan Lobby and almost every other watering hole on the property.

RWA Florida 2010 - Part Deux

Such an original blog post title. There are probably 900 other posts of the same name. I'm sitting in my room contemplating what to wear to the RITAs, I brought something, but suddenly I don't want to wear it. Call me contrary. It's okay.

Aztec Lady, Super Librarian Wendy, KristieJ, and I will be together with some others AL has gathered into the group. LB Gregg is having dinner with some other authors (K.A. Mitchell for one) and then joining us later.

It's been another fun, but exhausting conference. Every time I think I'm pacing myself better than the previous year I realize what a lie I'm telling myself. I did however really well with books this year. I bought at the Literacy signing, it's for charity after all, and was very restrained at the publisher signings. I had 3 boxes of books the first year. Last year I mailed two boxes. This year only one and am taking a few more home in my suitcase. I'm pretty happy about my restraint.

I was fortunate enough to get to the Grand Central Publishing signing early enough to get an ARC of MY IMMORTAL ASSASSIN by Carolyn Jewel. I'm over the moon with excitement.

It's late as hell and I'm procrastinating doing the girl thing for the party tonight. More when I get home. SL Wendy and I have an early flight tomorrow.

P.S. No review, spell check or grammar check of this post. I hope it makes cents, sents sense.

RWA Florida 2010

I've come to the conclusion that like any kid at a theme park I go into sensory overload each year at RWA. My brain simply cannot take it all in. I thought it might be better this year what with this being the third time I've attended the conference. Not so. I'm still a little bit star struck.

Highlights include:

1. Awesome conversation in the lobby with Sherry Thomas about one of my fave books so far this year, Sherry's HIS AT NIGHT.

2. Seeing Carolyn Jewel who has a kickin' and sassy new hairstyle. Love it. She's always so nice to me and for some reason around her I'm geeky and slightly demented. It's embarrassing. I'm a fan of several romance authors but around her I act like an idiot. Oi!

3. Meeting Ann Aguirre, Carrie Lofty and Aztec Lady outside The Fountain and catching up. Ann looks fabulous too. Love the blonde highlights in her fab red hair.

4. Speaking to Karen Rose at the Literacy event last night and asking her to sign the book to "Nath" and watching Ms. Rose's head pop up and say, "Nath? Was she at RT? That Nath?" When I answered in the affirmative Ms. Rose proceeded to tell me how she spent a lovely time with Nath at the toaster bar at RT. Way to go Nathie!

5. Nora Roberts' keynote speech was absolutely wonderful. Hopefully you caught some of the tweeted quotes. My personal favorite is "people will always be people and assholes will always be assholes."

LB Gregg (Lisabea at Nose in a Book) and I are rooming together again. Always fun times with her. We are also spending lots of time with Kristie(j) of Ramblings on Romance, Aztec Lady, AnimeJune of Gossamer Obsessions and SL Wendy.

Wendy and Kristie have had some pictures up on their blogs. How, I don't know because its taken be two days to work this post in and it's now 2:30 AM here and I'm exhausted!

F-L-O-R-I-D-A

I can't believe it's here already! RWA is next week. I'll be flying out on Monday and have a very busy weekend in real life, so I guess this is my last post until I'm in Florida. I was able to get a couple of posts up last year even though we had major connection issues in our basement room in DC and I was going 100 miles an hour trying to do everything and see everyone.

Why fix, what ain't broken?

This my third year going to this conference. I'm as excited as I was the first year. While it's always exciting to see the authors and attend some of the great panels RWA has, I really, really, really love connecting with all my blogger buddies.

My posts are linked to my twitter account. I may tweet, but I get distracted so often by the new and the shiny my tweets are usually very random. I'm @Rosemont1217.

Last Call...

Last chance to let me know what author you'd go see if you were at RWA. You never know. Come the first week in August you might get a surprise in the mail.

Give it to me straight...

Normally in the final months leading up to the RWA conference, I look at my RWA cheat sheet where I list authors that my blogger pals like and for whom I might try to get a signed book by that author. Well that has been a bit of a bust this year since I haven't been around bloglandia all that much the past six months.

So here it is. Just drop in and comment and tell me. If you could get a signed book by just one author, who would it be? You never know. You might get a surprise in the mail when I return from RWA.

If you're curious. Here's the list of authors attending the conference this year.

Thoughts on RWA

More economic issues going on here at home with my work and GG's work. It got me reconsidering about spending the money to go to RWA.

"Rosie," I thought, "you are being selfish taking this trip, maybe you should cancel while you still can."

Then something happened. A good something.

I've really enjoyed Jennifer Crusie's books over the years and I was thrilled to meet her last year at RWA. Anyway, a couple of mornings ago I read on her blog that she's getting an award at one of the luncheons at RWA this year. Call me crazy, but I was smack dab in the middle of reading WILD RIDE (not my favorite Crusie or Crusie/Mayer btw) and I told GG it made me happy to see her get recognized for her work promoting the industry, and mentoring other writers.

GG recalled (who knew he paid attention to these things) that I'd also read CINDERELLA DEAL recently and really liked it. Well stop the presses, but, you know all things considered, I figured it was a sign.

Right?

I mean for me to read the Crusie blog at the same time I was reading the book and thinking what I was thinking( about RWA) AND GG remembering about the other Crusie book I'd liked so much. Wouldn't any rational thinking person think all that was a sign?

"Rosie," I thought, again, "you know you really want to go to RWA anyway, and now you have a sign, so quit dithering already, you know you're going."

You would think the way I go on that we were down to our last slice of bread and the electricity was going to be shut off. GG, stalwart guy that he is, just sighs and goes about his business and was probably wondering why I was rhapsodizing about Jennifer Crusie getting an award. But then again, he didn't know how hard I was looking for some divine intervention.

Let's just keep those thoughts of mine between us, shall we?

Drum Roll Please...

It's official. Yesterday I got my RWA registration confirmation. I'm going. For all my SoCal Blogger buddies who said to me, "Oh, you're going... You know you are!" All I can say is, you were right, I was wrong.

Now go write that down because I hate owning my flaws and faults.