Monday, August 2, 2010
Why I L.O.V.E RWA Nationals
There are many things to love about attending the RWA National Conference every summer. But today, I’m going to focus on my top four.
L – Laughter – Rarely do I laugh as much as I do at Nationals. Whether it’s the “say anything” style of Anne Stuart during a workshop or the wonderful wit in the award speeches, laughter rules at this conference. My favorite part is when we sit around and just hang out. Be it in the bar or the lobby or in the hotel room, you never know what someone is going to say (Monkey Balls anyone?) or do (a little bra flash is always fun).
[caption id="attachment_1946" align="alignleft" width="218" caption="Scapegoat & 2nd Chance"]
[/caption]O – Open Arms – The entire first day of conference is basically one hug after another. There’s the hugs in the middle when someone gets a request or maybe doesn’t get a request. Then there are the kind we don’t like so much – the hugs goodbye. Even Hellie would like these hugs, they are the fuel that keep us all going during what is always one of the most draining weeks of the year.
V – Victory – There is always a victory at Conference. Whether it’s winning a RITA, getting a request, or conquering the fear just long enough to walk into that hotel. More than 2000 women (and a few good men) stood up last week to declare, “I am a writer of Romance.” We stood proud and we stood together, and it was an honor to be a part of it.
E – Energy – There is a buzz in the air at any writing conference, but the current surrounding Nationals is best described as a tsunami of sheer joy. There are waves of enthusiasm you can’t help but catch a ride on, and it’s no wonder the end result is an exhaustion that takes days from which to recover.
[caption id="attachment_1945" align="alignleft" width="241" caption="2nd Chance, Scapegoat, Maggie Robinson, Tiffany Clare, Sara Lindsey, JK Koi"]
[/caption]I don’t know what my life would be like today if I hadn’t stumbled across the Eloisa James bulletin board four years ago, fell in with a group of amazing women, and caught the bug of wanting to be a published Romance author, but I prefer not to think about it. The way I see it, I was meant to be here. We were all meant to be here. And I cannot wait for the day we are all sitting around in a shadowy bar in some high-falutin’ hotel, downing rum and laughing our pirate asses off.
Thank you to all the amazing people I celebrated with, laughed with, and learned from in Orlando this year. I raise my tankard to you and say, “Look out New York, here we come.”
[caption id="attachment_1957" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="The Twins"]
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53 comments:
I want copies of those pics! High res pics!
Laughter...yeah. So much I conversation and laughter I woke up every morning with a hoarse voice. How did Stephanie and Mary not end up in that picture? ;-) I'd add loopiness as an 'L' word. Longer you're there, the loopier you get.
Open Arms...even folks you don't know well!
Victory...Shoulda got a picture of Kristan Higgins dancing in the fountain Saturday night with her RITA.
Energy...I might paint this one exhaustion. But that could just be the after effects!
Terri and her connections made this conference for me... Sure, I had a few but this year? Just better and better. I have already looked at next year's hotel and find myself thinking about how fun New York will be.
As long as it isn't as insanely hot and humid!
Everyone looks fabulous.... I've copied the pics.
S - for stunning!
You Americans certainly know how to do things in style!
I was looking particularly at the shoes, after all the discussion. Everyone seems to be wearing sandals .... no glass slippers anywhere!
Delighted the business end went well Terri. :D
How many men did you spot?
YAY Pictures, I love pictures. I still have to take mine off my camera. I don't have that many but at least I have some this year! It was great meeting so many more people this year! And connecting names to faces... twitter names to faces, too!!! LOL
You guys look fabulous! Romance writers are some of the most gorgeous women in the world. Maybe it's their gorgeous hearts and generous spirits.....
I'm sad I couldn't go. I really want to go next year. We'll see how the year plays out.... :)
I'm glad you guys had fun. I loved the NJ RWA. Nothing makes me feel as inspired as seeing/hanging with all those like-minded ladies.
Great blog! I'm not sure about the hugs, but I was somewhat huggy at the small conference I went to, though I'm still discerning. I ran over Kim Castillo to hug Leslie Langtry/The Assassin. Kim still doesn't let me live it down. Very upset she didn't get the first hug.
L: living la vida loca--aren't all writers crazy? You think this would be the L, though I'm sure you laugh the whole time you're being crazy.
O: opportunity! Opportunity to pitch, opportunity to support, opportunity to network, opportunity to learn...the whole thing is an opportunity...
V: vice--you guys always report back with the naughtiest stories! There was the year Manda was petting that PILLOW and now this year Terri was flashing the bar--and that's only the stories we know about. Never mind what you guys keep hidden!
E: eagerness. This is the place where even the NYT bestsellers are having squealing fan girl moments and freaking out their favorite authors with their eagerness to meet them. Eager to meet people, eager to learn, eager to soak in the whole experience...
By the way, I don't know if we're supposed to come up with our own LOVE's, but I think Terri took all the best words anyway. Though I'd have to agree with 2nd's use of exhaustion, even though it's not a positive word, which is why Terri went with energy.
I do enjoy conferences--once I can conquer my nerves--it is nice to meet other people who don't think you're nuts if you say you hear voices in your head.
Chance - We need to exchange pictures. I know you have a bunch I didn't get. And I meant to mention Kristin standing in the fountain. LOL! Winning your second RITA would be definite motivation to jump into the fountain, even in that gorgeous black dress.
I'm just happy I didn't drive you crazy until you wanted to throw me out the window. :)
Q - Thank you for the compliments! There were lots of amazing shoes, and for some reason, mine blended in when caught in pictures. LOL! Not sure what happened there.
There was one man up for one of the Golden Heart awards, which are for the unpublished writers, and there was one at the awards dinner I attended on Friday night. I saw several husbands who were just along for the trip, but at least half a dozen men wearing name badges like the rest of us. They are a small contingency, but hopefully a growing one.
I'd love to see what pics you got, Tiff. And I should point out that Tiff's dress was gorgeous and you can't see nearly enough of it in that photo up there. It had all this material that wrapped around in the back and flowed beautifully. Tiff was very much the Belle of this Ball. She was always flitting about with this agent or that editor. Everytime I saw her she was smiling from ear to ear.
Marn - I do hope you can make it next year. It's easier because you can drive up, right? NJ RWA was my first real conference and it was great to break in at the smaller event, but it's very similar to the big one. They really know how to put on a conference and other than driving in NJ, it was a great experience. LOL!
Wow, I think you captured the whole thing so beautifully. It's the next best thing to actually being there! The pics are wonderful -- I feel like I "know" a lot of the folks just from interacting with them in the "comment box". LOL
Thanks for sharing. It really is a lot of inspiration in one place. :)
Of course Hellie shows me up. *sigh* LOL! I left the end open so anyone could take this in any direction they wanted. Can't believe I didn't think of Opportunity. There are so many opportunities at this thing. Everything from trying new salad dressing (I did that!) to meeting industry professionals (I did that!) to chatting up authors like Lisa Kleypas (I did that!) and treating yourself to amazing food like a melt-in-your-mouth fillet mignon (did that too!).
I saw Disney World for the first time, drank my first chocolate martini, and put on a bit of a costume for the first time in many years. LOL! You never know what new experience you're going to have at Nationals, or who you're going to meet.
And that eagerness thing? Brenda Novak was on my shuttle to the airport and I thought it was interesting that talking to some ladies she commented that she got her picture taken with Nora Roberts and that was going to be a nice keepsake.
Donna - Next year! You ARE going to be there and fingers crossed we'll have a first (or more) sale to celebrate!
Now that I've set off your supersticious "don't jinx it" nerve. LOL! I do have to admit Chance and Hellie are right, the exhaustion is like nothing I experience with anything else. I'm still recovering. Wearing my glasses and chugged my coffee already. (I don't actually drink coffee every day. Don't tell anyone.)
Terri, no wonder you're exhausted -- those are some awesome "firsts" on that list! And that's not even counting all the other stuff your brain was absorbing.
*scribbles doctor's note* Here, take the rest of the week off. :)
LOL about setting off my "don't jinx it" nerve -- you know me too well. I hope I have something to celebrate next year -- this morning I woke up feeling like it's farther and farther away. Which means I need to do some actual WRITING today!
Thank you so much for the note, Donna, I'm taking it to my boss right now!
Write, write, write - Always the best medicine.
Guess my note worked! If only ALL my writing was that effective! LOL
I actually have to leave for a bit. They're refurbishing the place next to mine and they're using some kind of varnish on the cabinets that's making me woozy. So before I get even loopier, I'm gonna go roam around in the fresh air!
Definitely get some fresh air! It seems the exhaustion is still set in and it's going to be very quiet around here today. Which is fine since I'm still digging out from under the mess on my desk.
No fresh are for me for a while.
Awww, you make me want to cry. What a L.O.V.E.ly post! And so very true.
On a side note (kind of) anyone up for a writing challenge? 8k by Sunday? http://newkidonthewritersblock.blogspot.com/2010/08/are-you-in.html You can also tweet your daily count at #8kb4s
Let me know if you're in. And, uh, Terri, I'm doing 8k revisions. It's a great push to get those requests in. ;)
You guys looked great in all those pictures! So pretty and happy and all smiley. Precious, really.
I like writing challenges, but I haven't been on much of a flow of writing lately. I want to say I'm in but in reality, I know I will just swim in circles. LOL
Q - There were some awesome shoes. Not mine, but some awesome shoes. Sabrina had on these green shoes that were seriously sexy. Tiffany's were a red that were luscious and Sara's had great big sparklies on hers...
But you're right, next year...a close up shoe shot.
I'm still dragging serious ass exhaustion. Not helping I keep waking up with massive sinus congestion. Ah, home sweet home and getting used to my native molds and mildews all over again!
A challenge, huh? Well, if it was next week, I'd say yes. But not this week. My house still looks like a cyclone blew through it, I've yet to pack a single thing, and my brain is still on vacation. My plan is to attack the house this weekend, get rid of all the stuff that is going to charity, and then maybe getting some books and non-essentials in boxes.
That way I can attack the revision on Monday and get some serious work done on them next week. I have to have focus and that's not going to happen with this mess around me.
I'll check out the link though and maybe join in a later challenge.
Sin - Is "precious" a compliment? LOL! I'm never sure from you. Everyone looked great and there were some really fancy dresses Saturday night. Anne Stuart made sure everyone knew Roxanne St. Clair was not wearing Spanx, so we'd all boo her for looking that good without assistance. LOL!
BTW, the exhaustion doesn't just wait to knock you about after the conference. By Thursday I had people asking me what panels I'd gone to and I couldn't remember...
But that could be just me...
Great pic! I had a fab time (when I conquered my nerves) :)
Everyone looked so awesome, and was SO nice! It made me want to cry with joy to know I had such great friends even though I was "meeting" them for only the first time.
Can't wait until we can do it again!
Sin, I say give it a try. If you don't make it, you don't make it, but maybe you'll be a few words ahead of where you already are. *grins*
And, Terri, I am sure we'll be running the challenge next week too. But we'll probably up it to 10K. :)
By the way, y'all look fab! Why aren't there any pics of Terri? Hmmmmm
Uhm...no pics of me came out. No idea why.
Lalalalalala....
Renee - That site looks great. How have I missed that before now?! Man, who designed that? I want that person to design for me!!!
First on my "revision to-do" list is adding the 5K to the erotic romance short. So I'll tackle that next week and then aim for another 5K on the full-length. Broken down like that, it's not so bad.
Must bookmark that site...
Kris! You had the "deer in the headlights" look for the first few days and I was worried about you. But you got into the gist of things and looked much better by Saturday. Ready to sleep, but much better. LOL!
It's so great to go to these things and have real people to put with the virtual people. I was introduced to Beverly Kendall and this voice in my head kept saying, "Why do I know her?" And then she pulled out a bookmarker and I realized, "The Season!"
Sometimes it takes a minute...
Chance - You're right, the exhaustion sets in way before you leave, you just have the buzz to keep you moving. Mostly. The only reason I can remember the workshops I attended is because I went to so few. I think there were only four I sat through this year.
By the way, y’all look fab! Why aren’t there any pics of Terri? Hmmmmm
Terri and Chance feature together on the Vixens site, posted by JK Coi. They are standing with a pool as backdrop and look like true pirates *grin*
I was expecting the Kraken or at least a dolphin to nose into the pic!
Even so they are both very lovely.
ARGH! I thought I was doing so well by NOT posting one of me. LOL! And then Kris goes and ruins everything. I'll warn you all now, I look high in every picture, but I was totally sober, if a bit tired.
*makes note to OPEN EYES*
Thanks again, Q, you are great for me ego.
Great blog and great pics, Terri. It seems to me that the buzz on the 2010 conference, both during and post-conference, has been even more positive than usual. I have loved experiencing it vicariously.
And, Ter, I saw you not only in JK's pics over at the Vixens but also in PJ's five-album Facebook posts. It's such fun to see people and recognize them and to have faces to put with other names now. The conference laughter and energy don't end with those of you who attended. All of your enthusiasm and energy are infectious, and those of us who follow your blogs and tweets and emails end up renewed and inspired as well. So a big thank you for sharing.
Q, the Romance Dishes had a shoe contest yesterday with lots of shoe closeups, including Tiff's red shoes. You should check it out. http://www.theromancedish.com/
Thanks, Janga. I can't wait until my pics include ones of you. :) (Yes, that was a heavy hint...lol)
PJ has that super-duper camera and she is a fiend with it. I'd be snapping left and right with that one too. And I see that PJ hit a lot more parties than I did. Those Romance Dish girls really stayed busy!
Great blog, Bo'sun!
I agree about the energy-it was definitely palpable. My conference was bookended by flight delays, but everything in the middle was great! I learned a lot and got home eager to dive back into my WIP.
Although, I started today running out of my critique group when I got a call that my mom was taken to the hospital-she's fine now and home resting. So, I'm sorry if this isn't coherent-I'm more tired from 3 hrs in the ER than I was after 5 days at the conference.
Di
Geez, Di, how could I forget to throw you in here? You'll have to send me a copy of that pic of the two of us. I hope it came out better than the others I have of me. LOL!
My flight out was delayed two hours because of the storm and I thought of you. Happy to hear your mom is okay now, but sorry for the scare. That's never a good thing and I totally understand the travails of the ER.
It was great to meet you and I'm sorry we didn't get more time to hang out.
Hey, great picture Terri! Actually all of you look wonderful, like you were having an awesome time.
Good luck on those revisions, Terri. So who did you get requests from?
Q, the Romance Dishes had a shoe contest yesterday with lots of shoe closeups, including Tiff’s red shoes. You should check it out. http://www.theromancedish.com/
Thanks Janga
That is fascinating. I had no idea which shoes matched which lady, except for Tiff. I think she must be wearing them in Terri's pic as well, though the dress worn for the contest is different with red trim.
As a scientist I know that things glow red when they get very hot.
Very appropriate don't you think! :wink:
Q - "Red", "Hot", and "Tiff" are three words that definitely go together. :)
Renee - I got a request from Ellora's Cave for my short erotic romance (from more than two years ago) and Christine Witthohn of Book Cents Lit Agency requested the full novel. I was still writing the pitch (from scratch) at 12:30 the night before and was on the brink of tears. Finally came up with something, added the last line one minute before I had to line up, and was relieved to have her say, "Great pitch" as soon as I was done.
I so wanted to say, "You have no idea..." LOL!
Okay, I caved and added a pick of Chance and I that I actually like. I still can't believe our dresses were so similar. LOL! We didn't even plan that!
Yeah, that is strange... They aren't the same dress at all...but put them next to each other and it's uncanny how similiar they looked!
But yours was shorter which was good, because you have better looking legs!
And yes, you do look relaxed and having fun in that one! And I have chipmunk cheeks!
Great blog, Terri! You've captured what I LOVE about RWA National brilliantly!
I have oodles of photos at my facebook page. You can friend me at facebook.com/pj.ausdenmore to take a look. There's a great pic of the fabulous Tiff on RITA night...including the red hot shoes!
We did hit a lot of parties this year, Terri. We were lucky enough to score invites to the Avon and Harlequin publisher parties. Verrrry nice!
I wish I had seen Kristan go into the fountain. I would have loved getting a few photos of that. Alas, by that time I was up in the room, laughing hysterically with my roomies about sexy Russian Gynocologists. (you had to be there) lol!
You do NOT have chipmunk cheeks!
PJ - I've had fun following your albums. Like the second day of the conference, Hellie emailed and said she'd already seen me on your Facebook. I couldn't believe they were already up there! And she said, "You look hot," which was funny since that pic was AFTER we'd showered and cooled off. LOL!
Look at you all connected and partying with the big wigs. There were about eight people there taking pics of Kristin in the fountain. That must have been close to one in the morning. Still not sure how I was still awake at that point.
Well, look at you divas! I don't see chipmunk cheeks anywhere.
I saw Tiff's shoes yesterday and they are HOT! I've never wanted a pair of red shoes before. Now I do.
I wore my sexy red shoes last year. LOL! Went with the 1940's looking brown pair this year, but no one took pictures of them. :(
Ahhh, the red shoes with that adorable dress. Were those cherries?
Yep, those were cherries. I actually had to think for a while to remember what I wore last year. LOL! I'll have to find a reason to wear that one again in NY.
My feet were underdressed from the blisters, but my flip-flops had jet beads on them...and my oldest daughter has stolen them! I want them back for next year. ;) It was so great meeting everyone. See you next year!
Did I miss the pic of your hat, Terri? At first I thought you were wearing it in the last pic, then I realized it was the fountain. D'oh!
Sigh...I didn't get a pic of Ter in her hat. I swear, I am a total boob.
Hey, Maggie! I loved meeting you and I can't wait to see you again next year when you'll have what, you're 20th book in the stores? LOL!
Donna - Can you believe we forgot to take pics of the hat? We talked about it. We missed a ton of photo opportunities. *sigh* I've always sucked at remembering to take pics. Sad thing is, I had my camera with me at all times.
You guys are too funny. Those are my red hot shoes. I had to have them when I saw them (the clutch too) They were the first pair of red shoes I ever bought, and they are silk (now doesn't that sound fancy). LOL
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