The Romantic Times Magazine conference was as awesome as always, maybe especially since I had the chance to be creative right off the bat and make a hat with a lot of readers, I wore it the entire conference.
Okay, not the entire conference. I did take it off for the awards ceremony.
Avon (at William and Morrow) took me under their wing since Harper doesn’t have a presence at RT, and they let me tag along during their big bookgive-away after the awards ceremony. I had the chance to sit next to Jeaniene Frost, always a treat! And there were cupcakes! I didn’t get one, but they looked delish!
The panels through the week were fab, but I think what the readers wait for the most is the mass author signing that takes place on Saturday. Over 400 authors in rows, just waiting for you to sign your books! This time, thanks to the alphabet, I was sitting next to Charlaine Harris. Yay! Again, a wonderful treat.
Thank you, RT, for the fabulous five days of readers and writers being able to connect. I relish the chance.
Thank you, RT, for me being recognized in the elevator–every single time. That never happens, and it made me feel like I was a success.
Thank you, RT, for the chance for my publisher to drop a ton of money and resources into five or six large rooms so I and my readers had a chance to play, to make me accessible and a real person–not just this year, but for many years in the past.
Thank you to the hotel staff who helped Guy track down the cab who drove off with my bag and made up a non-menu plate of cheese and fruit because it sounded like a good idea to them.
Thank you, Anderson Books, who ran the mass author signing. I’m sorry you were overwhelmed. RT is a monster, growing and changing, evolving every year to address new formats and tracks.
Thank you, RT, for allowing Independent Authors into the mass author signing this year, giving them their own forum so the big dogs among them were not lost amid the chaos, but allowed to shine as an example of what other Independent Authors can strive for.
Thank you, RT, for the organization behind the entire week so my freebies didn’t get lost and I could give them away.
Thank you, RT, for the career achievement award. You have no idea. I can never convey how much it means to me to be recognized for having contributed so greatly to a genre that I love. . Well . . . maybe you do. You validate authors’s careers every single month.
