RWA Conference, Digested
Fabulous Jennie Lucas and me after the RITA ceremonyThe RWA Conference in Dallas was glorious, as all RWA conferences are. Now that almost two weeks have passed since I arrived home, the stories and news are coming out of the woodwork. On Tuesday of this week, the incomparable Trish Milburn got The Call! Penguin Putnam is contracting her for two YA books. This followed fast on the heels of both her Golden Heart win and her action-packed year as PRO Liaison.
Just today, I heard the news that another '06 Packer friend of mine, Trish Cerrone, has also sold! But her offer came
at conference from the acquiring editor who apparently gushed over her work. She described it as being surreal and stunning and said she stared a lot and told the editor, "I love you". *g* I'm sure I would too! But she didn't spread the news until she secured an agent, the agent negotiated the deal, Trish accepted, etc. Two weeks! I could never hold it in that long. She deserves sainthood!
I have heard stories of deals being brokered, contracts offered, anthologies plotted and volunteers recruited at conference. Actually, I was recruited. I offered to serve as RWA Bylaws Committee Chair for the coming year. I served on the Bylaws Committee this year, so I know (sort of) what it entails. But it's a little terrifying to think they are entrusting this to me. I'm sure all will be well - really! Now I simply have to recruit some people to serve on my Committee (heh, heh, heh).
I also made sure to mail off my requested partials last week. Hopefully they will be among the first that hit the editor's and agent's desks. While their eyes are fresh, they will be delighted and request more material. With glee, they will realize that
I am the author they have been looking for. Ah, conference. Always good for refueling my dreams.
So what was the best take-home from the RWA conference for you?Labels: Conference, industry news, RWA
24-Hour Party People
It will not be surprising (given my penchant for discussing cows and strudel) that I am not really a
party person. Except, that is, when I am at the
RWA National conference. At conference, we all get to be someone else. Our public persona for a magical few days. I did that last week and had a fabulous time.
In the picture above, I was heading out to
The Golden Network's annual Dessert Reception. There, I had the great pleasure of watching as my dear friends
Jennie Lucas and
Deb Marlowe were
booted out - which is an honor! That is what we do to previous Golden Heart finalists once they are published. Believe me, I look forward to the boot!
And here I am dressed for the RITA/Golden Heart awards ceremony. It's rather like the Oscars, in that everyone dresses to the nines and there are teleprompters and larger-than-life pictures flashed on huge screens. Last year, it was thrilling to see my own image flashed on the screen. This year, I got an even bigger thrill:
My dear friend Deb Marlowe won the Golden Heart in Short Historical! It was an incredibly wonderful time for all of us who know and love Deb. I hope not to qualify for the Golden Heart next year. But if I do still qualify, I can only hope to have as joyous a time as Deb had. Congratulations to all the finalists and winners!
Does anyone have conference highs or lows to share? A great story? A triumph? Do tell!Labels: Conference, RWA
Conference Woes and Wows
As always, the
RWA National conference was a fantastic ride! This year, it was extraordinary because I was a
Golden Heart finalist in the Novel With Strong Romantic Elements category. Alas, I was not the winner. But attending conference as a finalist was so much fun.
I was privileged to meet many of my 2006 GH finalist contemporaries. We named ourselves the '06 Packers (pun intended) and hope to some day be as acclaimed as the
Wet Noodle Posse.
They got a mention from
Susan Elizabeth Phillips when she made her acceptance speech for the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award (which was
very well-deserved, I must say). We wouldn't mind recognition like that (either the mention
or the Lifetime Achievement Award).
Many of the '06 Packers have already sold their GH finalist manuscripts. Once more alas, mine has not yet sold. However, I got a request for the full manuscript of
CrossTalk. I am to send it to Ann Leslie Tuttle, who is now acquiring for
Harlequin Next. Yeah for me!
There were a record number of members attending the conference in Atlanta from my home chapter,
Heart of Carolina Romance Writers. Many returned with requests for partials and fulls from editors and agents alike. A couple of chapter members got to meet with their agents for the very first time. All around, a most rewarding conference!
Of course, the highlight of any conference for me is seeing my critique group, the Hip and Edgy. CP
Regan Black signed at the RWA Literacy For Life booksigning for the very first time. It was exciting for all of us! My other CPs,
Tracy Leigh Brown and Kimberly Justen, put up with mad diva antics from both me and Regan. We may have been a little high on conference, but we certainly had a good time! And, by the way, our heads deflated enough to fit back into the vehicles taking us home, so no worries.
Now, off to finish making
CrossTalk the next great Next novel. Wish me luck!
Labels: Conference
Life After Conference
Well, I'm a little slow, but finally posting conference news and after-conference news. The conference was
wonderful in every way. Buzz phrase for me and my roomies: "Reno is magic!" We all kind of dreaded it being there, but everything about it was great. We had a high-roller suite which was huge and well-appointed. Food at the hotel was very good and cheap. Great coffee place in the lobby. Overall, we were tremendously spoiled and will, no doubt, be disappointed in future when we compare other venues to the
Reno Hilton.
Better yet, many good things happened to us all! My dear friend Debra won the Royal Ascot contest, sponsored by
The Beau Monde. This is a very tough contest and the competition is fierce. Hurray, Debbie! My friend
Sabrina Jeffries won a National Readers Choice award and a bunch of other stuff. She was much-touted by her editor at the Spotlight on
Pocket session, where everyone got to hear how fabulous she is and how everyone loves her. Also at the Pocket session, my friend
Liz Carlyle was raved about by her editor. Nice to be surrounded by such greatness in my everyday life. Really.
For me, the highlight was getting to chat at length to Kathryn Lye, with whom I've been working on submissions for Harlequin's Next line. I have to say, Kathryn is a wonderful person and someone I enjoy talking with a great deal. I also met with the senior editor for the line, Tara Gavin, who was very gracious and easy-going. I went to the Next signing in the
Harlequin suite and picked up six of the first-issue titles. I cannot say enough good things about Rexanne Becnel's 'Old Boyfriends'. I also got the book that mine was so similar to they couldn't buy it, 'Taking Back Mary Ellen Black'. The book was very good and, superficially, had many similarities to mine. However, I found the heroine and hero to be a bit too young and the heroine to be too unsure of herself for my taste. But overall a great story. I only wish they had found a marketing angle to definitively differentiate my story from hers!
My agent appointment was rather disappointing, but it was one I picked up at the last minute and had not anticipated. Also, it was on Saturday afternoon. By then, we were all exhausted and ready not to be 'on' even one minute longer.
When I returned, exhausted, at midnight on Sunday, my dear husband had separated my employment package into piles. I spent until 1:30 Monday morning filling them out and reported for said new job at 8:30. I look kind of stoned in my employee i.d. photo. Small wonder. Now that I've been at the new paying gig for three weeks, I've decided I love it and it's the best thing that could ever have happened to me.
Enough for now. Must dash off and write some more, so I'll have something new to submit!
Labels: Conference
Conference High
I'm curently prepping for the ginormous
RWA annual conference in Reno, NV. I've never been to Reno, but hear it's the armpit of the universe. I'm willing to give it a shot. Hey, they have a
Trader Joe's there, which gives it one up on the Southeast.
The annual conference is my favorite thing in the world. What could be better than being surrounded by 2000 like-minded writers at every stage of their careers? Everyone from Nora Roberts to lowly unpublished peons like, well, me will be there. My friend
Liz Bemis is a Golden Heart finalist this year, as is my dear friend Jenna Ness. There are also three finalists in my chapter,
Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, so I have many people to cheer for.
I'll be busy pitching to Tara Gavin, Sr. Editor for Harlequin's NEXT line and hopefully meeting at some point with Kathryn Lye (my future editor). I've also volunteered for way too many things, so I'll be busy, busy, busy. Wish me luck with all this writing busyness. Hopefully, even better things will come from this conference than from the fabulous one in Dallas last year.
Best of luck to everyone who is heading to conference!
Labels: Conference
