Lexi’s RWA National Conference Experience in Brief

RWA Literacy signing raises over $50,000 (Photo: RWA)

This is a blast! I can’t believe how much fun I’m having here at the RWA National Conference. Literally hundreds of romance writers to talk to, old friends I’m catching up with, and lots of new writing friends I’m connecting with. It is non-stop energy, exciting and exhausting.
 

So I’m going to hit some of the side notes because, well, I’m sure others have hit the main events on facebook, twitter, and all the other networks :-}

Before the conference started, I had lunch in High Velocity here in the hotel. Through chatting with our waiter Kamal, I warned him that 2,000 of us would be descending upon the hotel in the next couple days. His response? “Oh, I’m looking forward to it. I was here in 2006 and looking forward to this.” Now, that set a great tone for the days ahead as far as I was concerned.

Then I watched as a specialist covered the elevator doors with romance novels. That made waiting for an elevator a whole lot more interesting.

My Wonderful Editor

People started to trickle in. Drinks in the bar and dinners out with fellow authors became the norm. Authors from Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Wisconsin, all friends, shared time and advice. More stopped by and said hello and shared their great news. It was also fun to spend time with Dawn Kunda, a fellow blogger on Happily Ever After Thoughts.

One highlight has been the time spent with my wonderful editor who is a lot of fun and very informative. We chatted about future story ideas and the latest in the industry.

I also joined the Passionate Ink chapter for their party. Very educational as the speaker talked about BDSM. Some of the information I knew, other information I didn’t, and I’m glad I had a chance to learn more about this erotic arena from a person who lives the lifestyle. I have also met two more Ellora’s Cave authors. It was so nice to put faces with email names :-)

I enjoyed being the moderator for my friend Laurie Schnebly-Campbell’s great workshop on Description and Dialogue.  She gave me some good ideas, but then again she always does.

At the RWA National General meeting, it was announced that not only would indie published books be allowed in all RITA Award categories, but RWA added another category, this one for Erotic Romance! Whoohoo! Hmm, maybe I should enter next year. What do you think?

That’s RWA so far, but I may have more to share after I get home.

Always

Lexi

Summer is Conference Time!

For many people, summer is a time for vacations, but for romance writers, it is often a time to go to conferences and reader conventions. My first trip this summer will be to the Romance Writers of America National Conference in Atlanta. I have gone to a few RWA National conferences in the past, but this will be my first time attending as a published author and I’m beyond excited!

At first, I didn’t think morphing from writer to author would mean much of a difference at the National Conference, but I was clued into the change when the editor and agent appointments were announced as open. Last time, I remember panicking because the electricity was out at my house and I had to drive to a coffee shop to sign up for my appointments. This year when the announcement was made, I was shocked to realize that I didn’t have to do anything. I have a great agent and a wonderful editor, so this year I won’t be hanging out in the appointment waiting area, unless I’m there to support a friend :-) 

The next reality hit me when I received an invitation to a cocktail party being thrown by my literary agent. Huh? Really? You want me to come? OMG. I couldn’t believe it! I think I responded positively within two minutes. No, I definitely didn’t play that one cool at all. I was just so excited to be invited. But it didn’t stop there. Nope, my lovely editor then asked me if I would be attending a certain party because she wanted us to meet there and check our schedules for the next few days so we could get together. As it turned out, I was attending that party (for erotic authors) and I looked forward to catching up with her there. Yes, I was a bit more professional with that one, but barely :-}

But in addition to all of that, What I look forward to the most about going this year is that I will have the chance to catch up with all my writing friends, and I’m not leaving that to chance at all. I haven’t seen some of them in four years while with others it’s only been two. I’m actually setting up times to meet. I have to. With over 2,000 people attending, I could go the whole four days without ever seeing someone if I didn’t set up a meet time and place before even getting on the plane to go.

Of course, there are also all the workshops, the book signings, the awards ceremonies, and the impromptu gatherings in the bar or coffee shop. I know I am going to be exhausted when I get back, but I don’t care. To be around that many writers is like being high on life. I know I won’t come down to earth for at least a month.

Now the tough part, deciding what to wear :-}

Always,

Lexi

You Live Where?

You Live Where? This was a question I received many times while at the National RWA Conference, so I thought I should take the opportunity on the Happily Ever After Thoughts blog to explain exactly where here is. 

Here is St. Croix, an island in the Caribbean that is one of the three U.S. Virgin Islands.  Yes, I am still in the United States :-) The other two major islands that make up this territory are St. Thomas (a regular stop on Caribbean cruises) and St. John (which is predominantly a nature reserve donated by Rockefeller).

St. Croix is what I call a “livable” island.  It has some tourism including cruise ships (though only 3 or 4 a week in winter) and vacation hotels and condos. It also has an oil refinery, a Rum factory, the University of the Virgin Islands and many government offices which make up the major employers.

Of course, the best part about St. Croix is the weather and the beach :-) The temperatures are between 80 and 90 degrees year-round with lovely tropical breezes and the sunsets over the aqua blue Caribbean waters cannot be beat!

Do I actually get any writing done here?  Yes, I do. But it is much more fun to be sipping a cocktail on the beach with a good romance book in hand. The only thing missing from this paradise is a few writing friends to share it with :-)

Enjoy the photos of here.

Alexis