Every year RWA has a conference and this week there are some 2000 romance writers in Florida celebrating RWA's 30th anniversary. There are workshops and networking opportunities and a high energy and support that you don't get / see in other industries. It's the reason I get to say that I vacation with Nora Roberts! (hehe - I know she's missing me now, right? lol)
Tonight is the wrap-up of the conference and they do so with an award ceremony, recognizing excellence in writing. Published writers can win a Rita and non-published writers can win a Golden Heart. It's the academy awards of romance writers and it's a big deal!
Gabrielle Luthy was my roommate two years ago at the San Francisco conference. She's a very unique and fascinating person and I consider her a friend. She's up for a Golden Heart tonight. So, while life got in the way of me being there in person, I'm cheering her on and wishing her the best tonight. Gabrielle, here's hoping you walk away with the award in your category! Good luck!
Oh, and Nora, I'll see you next year - count on it! ;o)
Showing posts with label RWA Conference. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RWA Conference. Show all posts
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Miscellaneous
I know it's been a while since my last post and I have no excuse. I think of things I think will be fun to post about but apparently my follow-through is . . . lacking.
Anyway, I've been having some weird dreams lately. Like the one where I walked in my front door in time to see someone coming in my back door, uninvited, no less. I started screaming hysterically and my viscious, killer-attack lab, jumped into my arms. It must be true about acquiring super-human strength when adrenylin hits because, under normal circumstances, I can't lift my dog, much less hold him in my arms (he weighs 90+ pounds and I have no upper body strength). Meanwhile, the would-be burglar ran up to me and apologized because he'd meant to have my house cleaned out before I returned home, then he promptly ran into my bedroom. I followed him (still screaming) and carrying Max. Apparently I was going to throw Max at him if I came back upon him. I opened the closet door (who knows how since my hands were full) and woke up.
Another dream had to do with Dancing with the Stars. I had the dream Monday night so it was before the final show where the winner was announced. They were at the part where they let the third place person go and announced the top two dancers. I was backstage listening when they announced a shocking twist and announced that I was in the top two! And it was a huge shock because I hadn't danced before but apparently there was a "call-in" vote (like a write in vote but with the phone) and enough of the viewers "called me in" so that they had no choice but to place me in the top two. (It was very overwhelming and unexpected and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that phoned me in. :o) ) The last thing of the dream I remember is hoping I could live up to the expectations when I did the last competitive dance of the season.
Speaking of DWTS, I'm glad Nicole won - she deserved it. And let me just say here that it pisses me off that everyone is saying she had an advantage because she's a dancer. Um, Evan was a dancer too - he just did it on skates!!! I don't think either had an advantage over the other - possibly over some of the other celebrities, but not each other. Oh, and her free style? Did she go the safe route and dance 'her' style? No, she continued outside her comfort zone and she rocked it. Like I said, I'm glad she won, she deserved it!
Moving on . . . I'm thinking of taking a class this summer. It's been a long time since I've taken a class over the summer but I haven't completed a course since last spring (had to withdraw last fall when I went to Arkansas and didn't register this semester because I'd just gotten home when classes started). I'm thinking about taking Astronomy. It starts in a week and a half and runs through the first week of August. Since that conflicts with the RWA conference, I sent the instructor an email asking if it would be a problem if I missed the week of the conference. He responded back effectively saying no and signed his name. It was the first I'd even paid attention to his name. He signed "Dr. Talent". Can I seriously take a class from someone named Dr. Talent? I'm thinking no.
And on the subject of the conference, I'm really torn. We were supposed to be on a vacation freeze through July so I had to get special permission to take the week off. They were reluctant to give me an answer but I forced one from them in January, at which time I made arrangements for my dogs. I want to go because it's the 30th anniversary and I think it'll be good but at the same time, I'm not motivated to go. Meanwhile my bosses still think I will be out that week.
Anyway, that's some of the stuff that's been going on here. How are things with you?
Anyway, I've been having some weird dreams lately. Like the one where I walked in my front door in time to see someone coming in my back door, uninvited, no less. I started screaming hysterically and my viscious, killer-attack lab, jumped into my arms. It must be true about acquiring super-human strength when adrenylin hits because, under normal circumstances, I can't lift my dog, much less hold him in my arms (he weighs 90+ pounds and I have no upper body strength). Meanwhile, the would-be burglar ran up to me and apologized because he'd meant to have my house cleaned out before I returned home, then he promptly ran into my bedroom. I followed him (still screaming) and carrying Max. Apparently I was going to throw Max at him if I came back upon him. I opened the closet door (who knows how since my hands were full) and woke up.
Another dream had to do with Dancing with the Stars. I had the dream Monday night so it was before the final show where the winner was announced. They were at the part where they let the third place person go and announced the top two dancers. I was backstage listening when they announced a shocking twist and announced that I was in the top two! And it was a huge shock because I hadn't danced before but apparently there was a "call-in" vote (like a write in vote but with the phone) and enough of the viewers "called me in" so that they had no choice but to place me in the top two. (It was very overwhelming and unexpected and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that phoned me in. :o) ) The last thing of the dream I remember is hoping I could live up to the expectations when I did the last competitive dance of the season.
Speaking of DWTS, I'm glad Nicole won - she deserved it. And let me just say here that it pisses me off that everyone is saying she had an advantage because she's a dancer. Um, Evan was a dancer too - he just did it on skates!!! I don't think either had an advantage over the other - possibly over some of the other celebrities, but not each other. Oh, and her free style? Did she go the safe route and dance 'her' style? No, she continued outside her comfort zone and she rocked it. Like I said, I'm glad she won, she deserved it!
Moving on . . . I'm thinking of taking a class this summer. It's been a long time since I've taken a class over the summer but I haven't completed a course since last spring (had to withdraw last fall when I went to Arkansas and didn't register this semester because I'd just gotten home when classes started). I'm thinking about taking Astronomy. It starts in a week and a half and runs through the first week of August. Since that conflicts with the RWA conference, I sent the instructor an email asking if it would be a problem if I missed the week of the conference. He responded back effectively saying no and signed his name. It was the first I'd even paid attention to his name. He signed "Dr. Talent". Can I seriously take a class from someone named Dr. Talent? I'm thinking no.
And on the subject of the conference, I'm really torn. We were supposed to be on a vacation freeze through July so I had to get special permission to take the week off. They were reluctant to give me an answer but I forced one from them in January, at which time I made arrangements for my dogs. I want to go because it's the 30th anniversary and I think it'll be good but at the same time, I'm not motivated to go. Meanwhile my bosses still think I will be out that week.
Anyway, that's some of the stuff that's been going on here. How are things with you?
Monday, August 04, 2008
Conference
Well, I got back last evening from conference and I was exhausted. I'm finally getting my energy back this evening. And in a good news/bad news kind of thing, I also get tomorrow off to further recuperate - Tropical Storm Edouard is expected to pass over us tomorrow so the site has closed for tomorrow.
Anyway, I'm going to try to get as much as I can about conference in this post, pictures and additional details may follow in future posts though. I'll start by saying that after Atlanta, I posted a list of things I'd learned in Atlanta and I just have to say that, when you have the same roommate, some of the things continue to hold true. That's all I'm saying.
Okay, so, I left home Saturday morning, dropped the dogs off at the kennel and headed towards the airport. When I got to the parking lot to leave my car, I was told that valet parking was all that was available. They said it was the same price as me parking the car so I said fine. Wasn't crazy about leaving my keys with someone who knew I was going to be gone eight days (I had to tell them that). I wrote down my mileage (and thanked God that I'd told my neighbor that no matter what he was told - I was NOT moving last week!) and got on the bus to the airport.
You know how you send your purse through the x-ray machine? Well, any time they run it through several times, it's not a good thing. I have a metal nail file I'd forgotten to take out (remembered on the return trip though - yes they let me keep it, which surprised me) that has a sharp point to it. When they asked me what I had in my purse with a sharp point, I told them my nail file. They picked it up with two fingers (well a finger and a thumb) and carried it over to this table where they proceeded to wipe it down so they could test it for bomb components residue (I asked). When the test came up negative (big surprise there HA! although I freaked a little when the alarm on the machine went off - obviously indicating an all clear), they gingerly (two fingered again) unzipped the area I told them held the offending nail file, made a visual and then released me to go - file intact.
Caught my flight and sat next to a man who told me a story of how the last time he went home (he lives in Washington but was working in Houston), his neighbor died in his arms. I didn't know what to say to that, but of course he didn't wait for one, and instead told me - in great detail - how it all happened. Now, I won't bore you all with the details but I just want to say that, in the end, his neighbor is alive and well but apparently has medical issues.
I made it to SF and caught the shuttle bus to the B&B I stayed at the first part of the week. It's a very nice B&B and gave me a visual and lots of info on how a B&B can work. Considering one of my stories is set in a B&B, I consider that a good thing - a very good thing.
Gabrielle arrived later that evening and she and her friend, Tamara, drove me around SF, including the Golden Gate Bridge (GGB). I whipped out my camera to get a night time shot of the GGB, only to get a great shot of the back of Gabrielle's head. I'm good with a camera like that. When I tried to get a second shot of the bridge, the battery was dead. *sigh* We drove around some more and then headed back to the B&B.
I should point out that the B&B had four guests rooms and only two bathrooms. That first night there and the next morning proved to be interesting in the way of getting to actually use the bathrooms. Kind of comical in the way of doors opening and closing and peeking out to see if it was "free".
That night I had a bizarre dream that involved my co-workers and bad people. In the dream I was standing across the street from my house with the bad man chasing me. My neighbor's garage door and front door were open so I thought if I called out to him, he could save me from the bad man. Well, you know how when you try to scream out in a dream but nothing will come out? That wasn't really a problem in my dream. I mean, it was a little choked out but it was still a pretty darn loud scream of "MARTIN, HELP!!!!" I woke up with a start, then realizing that I'd actually screamed out loud, I froze, waiting to see if I'd woken Gabrielle up. I sat there for a couple of minutes and she didn't move or show any signs of having heard me. Then I realized, while she might be a heavy sleeper, the other guests of the B&B might not be so I strained to hear any activity in the rest of the house. Nothing. No one was coming to save me from the bad guys. Which, since I wasn't really in jeopardy, was okay - I'm glad I didn't wake anyone. On the other hand, what if I had really been in trouble? I would've been so screwed - and not in a good way. Just saying.
Anyway, the next morning we got up to a wonderful breakfast and headed out to see the sights. We went into town and got a week-long bus pass, which pretty much covered all methods of transportation in SF. We took a trolley down to Fisherman's Wharf and spent the afternoon (along with a good amount of money) walking around there. The camera ran out of space before long and I started deleting shots that I couldn't really tell what they were. (Seeing what I have left, I may have deleted the wrong ones. *sigh*) Oh, and we saw the Naked Cowboy. He was on one side of the street, while on the other, someone was preaching the hell, fire and brimstone speech. It was kind of interesting.
We caught a couple of buses and made our way back towards the B&B, but not before stopping by a little coffee shop around the corner, where we discovered they had internet and food. The quiche looked good to me so I had them give me one to go because I wasn't hungry at that moment. (I ended up giving it to the host at the B&B before we left because, well, turns out there isn't a microwave at the B&B, not to mention, I was never hungry in the evening when it would have been convenient to eat it. It looked really good though.)
We didn't have any issues with the bathroom that night - or the next morning for that matter. One lady and a couple had checked out but another couple and another lady had checked in. The next morning I went upstairs to take my shower and came across the new lady. I just said hello in passing on the way to the bathroom but on the way out, she stopped me. Turns out she was there for the conference as well. A nice lady from Canada. She has some sightseeing she wanted to do and it worked out well because Gabrielle was wanting to take a break from all the walking, plus she wanted to do some writing. However, the three of us took a bus to town and Heather Ann (the other guest) and I deposited Gabrielle at Borders while we went on the Victorian Homes tour. (Very nice tour, by the way. We saw the house where Mrs. Doubtfire was filmed. It was interesting to find out that all the house scenes were filmed inside that house - with the exception of the kitchen scenes, and only because the kitchen wasn't big enough to fit the camera equipment inside it and the owner wasn't willing to let their walls be knocked down. They were, however, willing to let farm animals be brought in for the party scene!) I whipped out my camera to show a picture of the Naked Cowboy to Heather Ann only to discover that my camera battery was dead - again. I purchased a disposable camera at that point and gave up on my digital for the remainder of the trip.
Afterwards, Heather Ann and I collected Gabrielle and had lunch at Lori's Diner. We left there and took a bus to Coit Tower and then worked our way down through a quaint little neighborhood and saw the wild parrots flying overhead.
The next day, Gabrielle was on a roll and wanted to do some more writing to Heather Ann and I headed out. We went first to Haight and Asbury. We spent some time there and got hit up for money and asked to sign a petition to help the homeless.
From there we went to Golden Gate Park where we walked around for what seemed like forever (we later looked at the map and discovered we hadn't seen one quarter of the park!) and ended up at the Conservatory. We walked around there for a while and then caught a bus to the GGB (by the way, if you need directions in SF, just open a city map and people will come to you and offer directions). Having been told we could catch a bus on the other side, we walked across the GGB, only to find that no one seemed to know anything about where we might catch that bus on the other side. Several calls and many attempts to stop taxis later, we found the bus and rode into Sausalito. We walked around the town (cute town, by the way) and then caught the ferry back.
We made our way back to the B&B where we all agreed we were exhausted. But, I wanted a margarita so Gabrielle went online and located a place that sounded good for a margarita. So we walked the 20 miles uphill (both ways) to the margarita place, only to discover that they didn't have the strawberry margarita I wanted - so I had water instead. Yeah, I know, how do you go from a margarita to water, I don't know - but it isn't the first time that's happened. We still had a good time though.
Wednesday we (Gabrielle and I - Heather Ann stayed at the B&B for the duration) checked out of the B&B and headed over to the hotel - first thing. And by first thing, I mean around 9:30 a.m. Unfortunately our room wasn't ready until almost 3:00 p.m. Ugh!
Anyway, once we finally got in our room, we got ready for the Literacy Signing. (You know, I'm wondering now if we did something I can't remember because we were actually late to the signing.) By this point, our third roommate, Linda Carol, had joined us. I had a plan. . . you see, I was the official stalker of the conference this year.
I headed straight over to Amanda Ashby and introduced myself as her official stalker (she'd actually known about it for months - I was just making it official at the signing). She offered me a Tim Tam and well, despite what I'd previously heard, they are the best chocolate I've ever had. Let me just say, if I hadn't already committed to stalking her, that would have done it. OMG they're so good.
I was working the signing so I hung around to the end. I don't want to bad mouth anyone but um, the clean up was handled completely differently this year and it wasn't the most organized thing I've ever seen. This may have been my last year to volunteer for that.
That was followed up by the RWAOnline Chapter party, where I beelined for (and therefore ate more) Tim Tams.
Thursday morning, Linda Carol and I took a bus up to Twin Peaks. We got back just in time for the luncheon. You know, I had never read Victoria Alexander, but I will now! OMG that woman is hysterical. A few days later I ran across someone trying to find the goody room. It sounded like a good idea to check it out again so I offered to walk with her there. I hadn't realized who it was at the time but it was Victoria Alexander. Very nice lady.
Anyway, Thursday I either did workshops or book signings - maybe both, I'd have to check. That evening, I went to the Diva Dinner. It was a lot of fun. Met a lot of fun, interesting people. :)
Friday was filled with workshops and book signings. That evening I went to a party hosted by a Houston writer. Had a lot of fun.
Saturday was more workshops and book signings - plus, I finally got my margarita! The awards ceremony was fun, followed by dessert and a visit to the bar (no drink for me though) before I went to bed to get a couple of hours sleep before I had to get up to catch the shuttle bus back to the airport (left at 4:25 a.m. - and the lines at the airport were surprising LONG! at that hour).
Went to pick up my babies before I headed home, where I promptly became a couch potato, until about an hour ago, when I started this post. :)
I took today off and, as I said, get tomorrow off as well. All in all, a good conference. :)
Anyway, I'm going to try to get as much as I can about conference in this post, pictures and additional details may follow in future posts though. I'll start by saying that after Atlanta, I posted a list of things I'd learned in Atlanta and I just have to say that, when you have the same roommate, some of the things continue to hold true. That's all I'm saying.
Okay, so, I left home Saturday morning, dropped the dogs off at the kennel and headed towards the airport. When I got to the parking lot to leave my car, I was told that valet parking was all that was available. They said it was the same price as me parking the car so I said fine. Wasn't crazy about leaving my keys with someone who knew I was going to be gone eight days (I had to tell them that). I wrote down my mileage (and thanked God that I'd told my neighbor that no matter what he was told - I was NOT moving last week!) and got on the bus to the airport.
You know how you send your purse through the x-ray machine? Well, any time they run it through several times, it's not a good thing. I have a metal nail file I'd forgotten to take out (remembered on the return trip though - yes they let me keep it, which surprised me) that has a sharp point to it. When they asked me what I had in my purse with a sharp point, I told them my nail file. They picked it up with two fingers (well a finger and a thumb) and carried it over to this table where they proceeded to wipe it down so they could test it for bomb components residue (I asked). When the test came up negative (big surprise there HA! although I freaked a little when the alarm on the machine went off - obviously indicating an all clear), they gingerly (two fingered again) unzipped the area I told them held the offending nail file, made a visual and then released me to go - file intact.
Caught my flight and sat next to a man who told me a story of how the last time he went home (he lives in Washington but was working in Houston), his neighbor died in his arms. I didn't know what to say to that, but of course he didn't wait for one, and instead told me - in great detail - how it all happened. Now, I won't bore you all with the details but I just want to say that, in the end, his neighbor is alive and well but apparently has medical issues.
I made it to SF and caught the shuttle bus to the B&B I stayed at the first part of the week. It's a very nice B&B and gave me a visual and lots of info on how a B&B can work. Considering one of my stories is set in a B&B, I consider that a good thing - a very good thing.
Gabrielle arrived later that evening and she and her friend, Tamara, drove me around SF, including the Golden Gate Bridge (GGB). I whipped out my camera to get a night time shot of the GGB, only to get a great shot of the back of Gabrielle's head. I'm good with a camera like that. When I tried to get a second shot of the bridge, the battery was dead. *sigh* We drove around some more and then headed back to the B&B.
I should point out that the B&B had four guests rooms and only two bathrooms. That first night there and the next morning proved to be interesting in the way of getting to actually use the bathrooms. Kind of comical in the way of doors opening and closing and peeking out to see if it was "free".
That night I had a bizarre dream that involved my co-workers and bad people. In the dream I was standing across the street from my house with the bad man chasing me. My neighbor's garage door and front door were open so I thought if I called out to him, he could save me from the bad man. Well, you know how when you try to scream out in a dream but nothing will come out? That wasn't really a problem in my dream. I mean, it was a little choked out but it was still a pretty darn loud scream of "MARTIN, HELP!!!!" I woke up with a start, then realizing that I'd actually screamed out loud, I froze, waiting to see if I'd woken Gabrielle up. I sat there for a couple of minutes and she didn't move or show any signs of having heard me. Then I realized, while she might be a heavy sleeper, the other guests of the B&B might not be so I strained to hear any activity in the rest of the house. Nothing. No one was coming to save me from the bad guys. Which, since I wasn't really in jeopardy, was okay - I'm glad I didn't wake anyone. On the other hand, what if I had really been in trouble? I would've been so screwed - and not in a good way. Just saying.
Anyway, the next morning we got up to a wonderful breakfast and headed out to see the sights. We went into town and got a week-long bus pass, which pretty much covered all methods of transportation in SF. We took a trolley down to Fisherman's Wharf and spent the afternoon (along with a good amount of money) walking around there. The camera ran out of space before long and I started deleting shots that I couldn't really tell what they were. (Seeing what I have left, I may have deleted the wrong ones. *sigh*) Oh, and we saw the Naked Cowboy. He was on one side of the street, while on the other, someone was preaching the hell, fire and brimstone speech. It was kind of interesting.
We caught a couple of buses and made our way back towards the B&B, but not before stopping by a little coffee shop around the corner, where we discovered they had internet and food. The quiche looked good to me so I had them give me one to go because I wasn't hungry at that moment. (I ended up giving it to the host at the B&B before we left because, well, turns out there isn't a microwave at the B&B, not to mention, I was never hungry in the evening when it would have been convenient to eat it. It looked really good though.)
We didn't have any issues with the bathroom that night - or the next morning for that matter. One lady and a couple had checked out but another couple and another lady had checked in. The next morning I went upstairs to take my shower and came across the new lady. I just said hello in passing on the way to the bathroom but on the way out, she stopped me. Turns out she was there for the conference as well. A nice lady from Canada. She has some sightseeing she wanted to do and it worked out well because Gabrielle was wanting to take a break from all the walking, plus she wanted to do some writing. However, the three of us took a bus to town and Heather Ann (the other guest) and I deposited Gabrielle at Borders while we went on the Victorian Homes tour. (Very nice tour, by the way. We saw the house where Mrs. Doubtfire was filmed. It was interesting to find out that all the house scenes were filmed inside that house - with the exception of the kitchen scenes, and only because the kitchen wasn't big enough to fit the camera equipment inside it and the owner wasn't willing to let their walls be knocked down. They were, however, willing to let farm animals be brought in for the party scene!) I whipped out my camera to show a picture of the Naked Cowboy to Heather Ann only to discover that my camera battery was dead - again. I purchased a disposable camera at that point and gave up on my digital for the remainder of the trip.
Afterwards, Heather Ann and I collected Gabrielle and had lunch at Lori's Diner. We left there and took a bus to Coit Tower and then worked our way down through a quaint little neighborhood and saw the wild parrots flying overhead.
The next day, Gabrielle was on a roll and wanted to do some more writing to Heather Ann and I headed out. We went first to Haight and Asbury. We spent some time there and got hit up for money and asked to sign a petition to help the homeless.
From there we went to Golden Gate Park where we walked around for what seemed like forever (we later looked at the map and discovered we hadn't seen one quarter of the park!) and ended up at the Conservatory. We walked around there for a while and then caught a bus to the GGB (by the way, if you need directions in SF, just open a city map and people will come to you and offer directions). Having been told we could catch a bus on the other side, we walked across the GGB, only to find that no one seemed to know anything about where we might catch that bus on the other side. Several calls and many attempts to stop taxis later, we found the bus and rode into Sausalito. We walked around the town (cute town, by the way) and then caught the ferry back.
We made our way back to the B&B where we all agreed we were exhausted. But, I wanted a margarita so Gabrielle went online and located a place that sounded good for a margarita. So we walked the 20 miles uphill (both ways) to the margarita place, only to discover that they didn't have the strawberry margarita I wanted - so I had water instead. Yeah, I know, how do you go from a margarita to water, I don't know - but it isn't the first time that's happened. We still had a good time though.
Wednesday we (Gabrielle and I - Heather Ann stayed at the B&B for the duration) checked out of the B&B and headed over to the hotel - first thing. And by first thing, I mean around 9:30 a.m. Unfortunately our room wasn't ready until almost 3:00 p.m. Ugh!
Anyway, once we finally got in our room, we got ready for the Literacy Signing. (You know, I'm wondering now if we did something I can't remember because we were actually late to the signing.) By this point, our third roommate, Linda Carol, had joined us. I had a plan. . . you see, I was the official stalker of the conference this year.
I headed straight over to Amanda Ashby and introduced myself as her official stalker (she'd actually known about it for months - I was just making it official at the signing). She offered me a Tim Tam and well, despite what I'd previously heard, they are the best chocolate I've ever had. Let me just say, if I hadn't already committed to stalking her, that would have done it. OMG they're so good.
I was working the signing so I hung around to the end. I don't want to bad mouth anyone but um, the clean up was handled completely differently this year and it wasn't the most organized thing I've ever seen. This may have been my last year to volunteer for that.
That was followed up by the RWAOnline Chapter party, where I beelined for (and therefore ate more) Tim Tams.
Thursday morning, Linda Carol and I took a bus up to Twin Peaks. We got back just in time for the luncheon. You know, I had never read Victoria Alexander, but I will now! OMG that woman is hysterical. A few days later I ran across someone trying to find the goody room. It sounded like a good idea to check it out again so I offered to walk with her there. I hadn't realized who it was at the time but it was Victoria Alexander. Very nice lady.
Anyway, Thursday I either did workshops or book signings - maybe both, I'd have to check. That evening, I went to the Diva Dinner. It was a lot of fun. Met a lot of fun, interesting people. :)
Friday was filled with workshops and book signings. That evening I went to a party hosted by a Houston writer. Had a lot of fun.
Saturday was more workshops and book signings - plus, I finally got my margarita! The awards ceremony was fun, followed by dessert and a visit to the bar (no drink for me though) before I went to bed to get a couple of hours sleep before I had to get up to catch the shuttle bus back to the airport (left at 4:25 a.m. - and the lines at the airport were surprising LONG! at that hour).
Went to pick up my babies before I headed home, where I promptly became a couch potato, until about an hour ago, when I started this post. :)
I took today off and, as I said, get tomorrow off as well. All in all, a good conference. :)
Friday, July 25, 2008
Countdown
In less than 24 hours I should be in San Francisco. I. Can't. Wait.
I've been spending today doing laundry and packing. I was going to get my hair cut and my eyebrows waxed but given how that's gone for me recently, maybe not. :)
I have a fear that I'm going to forget something terribly important. Like, right now, I keep thinking about packing my toothpaste. I bought a special one to take with me. By the time I'm done with this post, I guarantee I will have forgotten about packing it.
Now I'm thinking about my cell phone charger. Something else that definitely needs to go and I hope I don't forget.
Something else just came to mind and I've already forgotten what it was. Hopefully it will come back to me at some point.
A friend loaned (but said I could have if I liked it) me her luggage to take with me (unfortunate incident with the zipper on mine at Christmas). It's not quite as big as mine but I'm flying Southwest and I can check two pieces of luggage and carry on two pieces of luggage and you know what - I am. By the way, is it tacky that it doesn't all match (hers all matches and mine all matches - it's just that I'm bringing one of mine to compensate for all I'm bringing)?
The dogs have all been blissfully calm today - hardly gone out at all, which is a bit troublesome for me.
Anyway, I've printed out my boarding pass (20 minutes after I could and I ended up with number 51!!!), B&B reservation confirmation, shuttle bus confirmations, workshop schedules and the corresponding workshop printouts (for those I think I'd like to attend), phone lists - I think that's it for printing.
I'm taking my backlog (assuming I pack them) of People magazines to read on the plane so that I can, uh, pass them on to my friend when I'm done. :)
I'm (assuming it will fit in something I'm taking) packing one of those little thingies (technical name here) that you load things on, strap it down and wheel it around as if it's light as a feather (for hauling books to the post office for shipping).
Now, tell me, what am I forgetting to do and/or pack?
Oh, I remember something I was going to ask...I have a digital camera but it's not one that has a stick with it. It only holds so many pictures, period - and it's not going to be enough, I guarantee you. Should I take it and/or get disposables when I arrive?
I've been spending today doing laundry and packing. I was going to get my hair cut and my eyebrows waxed but given how that's gone for me recently, maybe not. :)
I have a fear that I'm going to forget something terribly important. Like, right now, I keep thinking about packing my toothpaste. I bought a special one to take with me. By the time I'm done with this post, I guarantee I will have forgotten about packing it.
Now I'm thinking about my cell phone charger. Something else that definitely needs to go and I hope I don't forget.
Something else just came to mind and I've already forgotten what it was. Hopefully it will come back to me at some point.
A friend loaned (but said I could have if I liked it) me her luggage to take with me (unfortunate incident with the zipper on mine at Christmas). It's not quite as big as mine but I'm flying Southwest and I can check two pieces of luggage and carry on two pieces of luggage and you know what - I am. By the way, is it tacky that it doesn't all match (hers all matches and mine all matches - it's just that I'm bringing one of mine to compensate for all I'm bringing)?
The dogs have all been blissfully calm today - hardly gone out at all, which is a bit troublesome for me.
Anyway, I've printed out my boarding pass (20 minutes after I could and I ended up with number 51!!!), B&B reservation confirmation, shuttle bus confirmations, workshop schedules and the corresponding workshop printouts (for those I think I'd like to attend), phone lists - I think that's it for printing.
I'm taking my backlog (assuming I pack them) of People magazines to read on the plane so that I can, uh, pass them on to my friend when I'm done. :)
I'm (assuming it will fit in something I'm taking) packing one of those little thingies (technical name here) that you load things on, strap it down and wheel it around as if it's light as a feather (for hauling books to the post office for shipping).
Now, tell me, what am I forgetting to do and/or pack?
Oh, I remember something I was going to ask...I have a digital camera but it's not one that has a stick with it. It only holds so many pictures, period - and it's not going to be enough, I guarantee you. Should I take it and/or get disposables when I arrive?
Friday, April 04, 2008
Spotlight on...Laura Drewry
I first met Laura Drewry in Reno in 2005. It was at the Moonlight Madness event at RWA's National Conference. I was working the booth for my local chapter and Laura was hanging out with another writer, Jessica Trapp. Dawn Temple (whose book is now out but she'd just found out she'd sold right before the conference) was trying to take a picture with me and I didn't want my picture taken. Well, she put her arm around me and put her cheek up to mine and said something about what the photo would represent. This was about the time Laura was walking up and she overheard the comment. Let's just say the look on her face was priceless. I burst out laughing and the picture was snapped, and then I officially met Laura. I don't think she remembers it - and that's okay - but that's when I officially became a Laura Drewry stalker-fan. And I can't wait to stalk her again in San Francisco this summer. :-)
Laura's latest book, The Devil's Daughter, is out this week. I have my copy already and can't wait to sit down and read it. I've loved her previous books and know I will love this one too.
Anyway, I did a little "interview" (online style) with her, and here it is below.
Laura's latest book, The Devil's Daughter, is out this week. I have my copy already and can't wait to sit down and read it. I've loved her previous books and know I will love this one too.
Anyway, I did a little "interview" (online style) with her, and here it is below.
Tell us about your story.
The Devil’s Daughter will do whatever it takes to win her freedom, even if it means claiming the soul of sexy Jed Caine. There’s no question he wants her, but he wants more than just her body; he wants her heart, too, and he’ll settle for nothing less. His stubborn ways and gentle touches are too much – even for the devil’s own daughter. She was sent to steal his soul, yet there he is. . .capturing her heart.
How is she ever going to explain this to her father??
What's a typical day like for you?
Once I get the little darlings off to school, I take my breakfast and coffee up to my office and spend a little time reading emails, catching up on computer stuff and, yes, okay, playing a few rounds of Spider Solitaire or Mah Jong. But I try to make sure I’m down to work by 9:30, and then I do whatever I need to be doing. Sometimes it’s researching, sometimes it’s working on my newsletter, and sometimes –though not nearly often enough – I actually write! LOL I go until about 2:30 when I have to go get the little darlings and once I do that, the rest of my day is usually shot, so I try to get as much done as I possibly can before they get home. Sometimes I can get more done after supper, but by the time we get through that and any homework they might have, my brain is pretty frazzled.
How long have you been writing? How many books did you write before you sold?
I’ve always been scribbling in some form or another, but I didn’t make the conscious decision that I wanted to write novels until about ten or eleven years ago. I was 8 months pregnant with Darling #2 and we’d just moved hundreds of miles away from our families, so it seemed like a good time to start. LOL I had written 3 complete novels before I sold one. The first two were (are) total crap, but each a great learning experience in its own way. The third one sold to Hilary Sares at Kensington in September ’04.
What is the best part of writing for you?
My favourite parts are writing the beginning and the end. The beginning, because . . .well. . .because it’s a new beginning. Everything is fresh and anything is possible at that point. I love writing the ending because I’ve been waiting so long to see my characters finally reach their happily ever after and I finally get to write it. Of course, having said that, I hate writing the ending because I know it’s the end and I have to wave those characters goodbye. It’s like saying goodbye to a good friend.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
LOL Every book, to date, has been written completely by the seat of my pants. I enjoy the not-knowing, the adventure, and the excitement of discovering who my characters are page by page. However. . . after this last book I just handed in to my editor, I now know that I need to try a different track. I will never be one of those people who is able to plot everything, scene for scene, but I spend so much time rewriting, editing, rewriting, editing and rewriting some more that I could probably write 3 plotted books in the time it takes me to write 1 by the seat of my pants. So I am making a concerted effort to find a way to plot my next book that won’t be too restrictive.
What was it like getting "the call"? Who was the first person you told?
Oooh, I love “call” stories. LOL My call came on September 7 2004. I’d just dropped the older 2 at school and then met a friend for coffee. When I got home, I had a voice mail and an email from Hilary Sares. Saying I was stunned is like saying the ocean is deep. Once I was able to pick my jaw up off the floor, I set my 4-year old up in front of the TV with a snack and shook like the proverbial leaf while I called Hilary back. To be honest, I don’t actually remember most of the conversation. It was more like a dream than anything else. But the moment I hung up from that call, I called my husband who was out of town. Got his voice mail.
Called each one of my 3 sisters. Got voice mail EVERY TIME.
Called my friend Wendy who gave me the shove to write way back when. Yup, you guessed it – voice mail.
I thought I’d go crazy!
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
If you want to write, and I mean *really* want to write, then do it. Don’t go at it half-heartedly and don’t think for one second it’s going to be a cake-walk, because it’s not. If you want to write, then write. Literally and figuratively, just write. Sit your butt in your chair and write. Do it any way that works for you, whether that means starting at page 1 and writing straight thru to page 400 or if it means writing the middle of the book first. It doesn’t matter. Just write it. Don’t let yourself get caught up in all the stuff that happens online. Yes, in today’s world, you really should be part of it, but it’s too easy to get distracted with online groups and the latest scandal rocking the writing world.
If you want to write, and I mean *really* want to write, then do it. Write. Study your favourite authors, take classes if you can, and learn as much as you can. And while you’re doing this, write. And then write some more. The only way to get better is to practice, and there’s no other way to practice than to just write.
Where do you get your story ideas? What inspires you?
People inspire me. If you sit down in the middle of a park or a mall or something and just watch, it’s amazing what you see. That man’s trying not to yell into his cell phone; that lady’s laughing at something her friend just said; the couple over there looks like they’re breaking up; and that girl over there is crying.
Why? Who are they? What has happened up to this point in their lives to get them to this place?
There’s such a range of emotions all around us every day, from the lowest of the low to the height of happiness, and as we all know, you have to experience the lowest of the low to truly appreciate the heights of happiness, so how do people get from the low to the high, and what roadblocks do they have to get around before they get there?
How much of a role did contests play in your quest for publication?
Funny you should ask. I entered two stories in the Laurie contest in the spring of ’04 and placed 2nd and 3rd behind my friend Teresa Bodwell, who won. One of the final round judges was Hilary Sares, who had just bought the book Teresa won with, so that gave me a little head way. Hilary asked to see the complete of my 2nd place finish and the rest, as they say, is history.
What do you wish you'd known before you reached where you are now - and would it have made a difference in the steps you've taken to get there?
Oooh, boy. LOL I started to answer this question, then stopped and deleted what I’d written. The truth is, I have stumbled my way through this, taking wrong turns and detours and somehow finding my way back to where I was supposed to be. But even if I’d known everything about everything beforehand, I still would have taken the same path because that’s how I learn. You can tell me anything you like, but I need to experience it myself in order to relate it to my work, and I think a lot of writers are similar. Just because Plan A worked for you, doesn’t mean it’s going to work for me, or her or him. We each have our own path and I can’t imagine taking any different steps than I already have. I’m sure that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. J
What do you do when you're not writing?
I watch House on Tuesday nights. LOL Other than that, I’m just your typical wife/mother. I take the kids to their soccer and baseball practices and games, and I seem to spend a lot of time doing laundry. J I used to scrap book a lot because my sister was a Creative Memories rep, but it’s very time consuming, so I don’t do it nearly as much as I should. The kids and I like to take road trips and walk around the golf courses looking for eagles and discarded or forgotten golf balls. And, of course, I love to read. I’m usually months and months behind on that, though. My TBR pile is a little staggering. J
What's coming up next for you?
The Devil’s Daughter was just released this week, and the sequel, Dancing with the Devil, is scheduled for release in December, so I’ll have a bit of work to do on that one before it’s really finished. Besides that, my agent has a few proposals out for me and I’m working on a few more. Most of the proposals are historical westerns, but one is a contemporary and another is non-fiction, so we’ll see what happens with that.
The Devil's Daughter is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Visit Laura at her website. Thanks for stopping by Laura! :)
Friday, July 13, 2007
Lucy does Dallas
I'm noticing a bit of a theme - everyone is titling their posts " (name here) does Dallas", so why not me too? (And no - before you ask - if everyone else was jumping off a bridge, I wouldn't do that too. . . I don't think... ;o) )
Anyway, my stay in Dallas was a short one, not being registered and all so I'm already home. I had a lot of fun though and even have pictures this year to prove it! (I may have mentioned that I've depended on the kindness of others in years past and never saw the pictures so I made sure to take matters into my own hands this year.)
I arrived Wednesday afternoon after driving in from Houston (the drive made longer by a serious accident in Houston and my inability to navigate downtown Dallas streets, but that's a whole other story). I had called my roommate a couple of times from the road and she indicated that she was out and about in the hotel but that check-in should be a breeze for me, as she'd added my name to the reservation (it was a breeze, by the way). So I arrived and checked in, went to the room, dropped my stuff off and immediately went in search of water.
On my way up to the room, someone got on the elevator with a take-out box and someone else on the elevator asked her where she'd gotten it and she said there was food on the second floor. So when I went out in search of water, I went to the second floor first. Which is where I ran into the person I always see first at the conferences - Pamela Hathaway. She told me that Mel, Maria and The Pam were at the bar, so off I went.
Mel was walking away from the table so I went up and said hello to her. Turns out she wasn't feeling great so she was going for some water and then heading back to the room (she told me the water was on the first floor). We said our good-byes and I headed over to talk to Maria. We visited for a few minutes when Louisa showed up and the three of us visited.
Then I went over to say hello to The Pam and her first words were "How's Harley? That's what I want to know!" Gotta love a woman (man, person - anyone) who loves animals like that. I told her I had pictures on my camera that I'd show her later. We visited for 20 or 30 minutes and I headed out for the water that I'd originally left my room for, which I now knew was on the first floor (thanks Mel!).
I get my water and decide that I'll just scope out the hotel and find out where the signing was going to be later that evening. I go down one more level and see a line formed outside of this one room. One quick look confirmed that it was a line forming for the literacy signing - only two hours before the event officially started!
After a moment or two of thought, I decided to join the line - after I went up to my room to get the new Julia Quinn book I'd brought for signing (I figure I can read it while I wait too!). So I head back to my room (which, for the record, was as far away from the elevator as the hotel could get it). I grab the book and leave the water, thinking I don't want to bother with carrying two things around (doing mental eye roll here). I head back to the elevator and decide, you know, I DO want to have my water with me after all - it's a long wait before the doors open. I go back to the room, grab the water and head back out again. I'm almost to the elevator again when I remember that I want my camera, so back I go to the room. I head out once more and realize, I must've put the book down because I only have the water and camera. It only took one more visit to the room before I was good to go.
The line that had been coming straight out from the ballroom doors was now up against the wall. It hadn't grown much while I was gone but I wasn't as close as you might think, for being there an hour and a half early. Everyone around me had stacks of books for signing - 90% of which were Sherilyn Kenyon books. I didn't get a lot of reading done because everyone was visiting. I met some really neat people in line (which I have each year that I've waited in lines) and it was kind of fun.
The crowds started coming more regularly and they roped off the area so that the line would go in a maze sort of thing (if you know what I mean) and the hotel staff was working furiously to keep up with the incoming crowd. Below is a picture (what I could get of it) of the line that was already in place an hour before the event started.
Anyway, my stay in Dallas was a short one, not being registered and all so I'm already home. I had a lot of fun though and even have pictures this year to prove it! (I may have mentioned that I've depended on the kindness of others in years past and never saw the pictures so I made sure to take matters into my own hands this year.)
I arrived Wednesday afternoon after driving in from Houston (the drive made longer by a serious accident in Houston and my inability to navigate downtown Dallas streets, but that's a whole other story). I had called my roommate a couple of times from the road and she indicated that she was out and about in the hotel but that check-in should be a breeze for me, as she'd added my name to the reservation (it was a breeze, by the way). So I arrived and checked in, went to the room, dropped my stuff off and immediately went in search of water.
On my way up to the room, someone got on the elevator with a take-out box and someone else on the elevator asked her where she'd gotten it and she said there was food on the second floor. So when I went out in search of water, I went to the second floor first. Which is where I ran into the person I always see first at the conferences - Pamela Hathaway. She told me that Mel, Maria and The Pam were at the bar, so off I went.
Mel was walking away from the table so I went up and said hello to her. Turns out she wasn't feeling great so she was going for some water and then heading back to the room (she told me the water was on the first floor). We said our good-byes and I headed over to talk to Maria. We visited for a few minutes when Louisa showed up and the three of us visited.
Then I went over to say hello to The Pam and her first words were "How's Harley? That's what I want to know!" Gotta love a woman (man, person - anyone) who loves animals like that. I told her I had pictures on my camera that I'd show her later. We visited for 20 or 30 minutes and I headed out for the water that I'd originally left my room for, which I now knew was on the first floor (thanks Mel!).
I get my water and decide that I'll just scope out the hotel and find out where the signing was going to be later that evening. I go down one more level and see a line formed outside of this one room. One quick look confirmed that it was a line forming for the literacy signing - only two hours before the event officially started!
After a moment or two of thought, I decided to join the line - after I went up to my room to get the new Julia Quinn book I'd brought for signing (I figure I can read it while I wait too!). So I head back to my room (which, for the record, was as far away from the elevator as the hotel could get it). I grab the book and leave the water, thinking I don't want to bother with carrying two things around (doing mental eye roll here). I head back to the elevator and decide, you know, I DO want to have my water with me after all - it's a long wait before the doors open. I go back to the room, grab the water and head back out again. I'm almost to the elevator again when I remember that I want my camera, so back I go to the room. I head out once more and realize, I must've put the book down because I only have the water and camera. It only took one more visit to the room before I was good to go.
The line that had been coming straight out from the ballroom doors was now up against the wall. It hadn't grown much while I was gone but I wasn't as close as you might think, for being there an hour and a half early. Everyone around me had stacks of books for signing - 90% of which were Sherilyn Kenyon books. I didn't get a lot of reading done because everyone was visiting. I met some really neat people in line (which I have each year that I've waited in lines) and it was kind of fun.
The crowds started coming more regularly and they roped off the area so that the line would go in a maze sort of thing (if you know what I mean) and the hotel staff was working furiously to keep up with the incoming crowd. Below is a picture (what I could get of it) of the line that was already in place an hour before the event started.
The event started a few minutes late because some of the authors were late but all-in-all, it was all good. More details to come tomorrow. . .
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