Highlights of the Conference

I wait all year for the RWA National Conference and it's over in a flash. Every year, without fail, I laugh, I cry, I talk myself hoarse, and I come away awed and inspired by the generosity and kindness of the professionals in the romance industry.

The theme to this year's conference, on my own terms: Love is power. Laughter is strength. Put it all together to gain individual and collective knowledge.

2009 HIGHLIGHTS

• My conference was made by dear, dear friend and mentor Amanda McCabe—wonderful writer, funny, hard-working, stylish, meticulous, and above all, very thoughtful. (Ms. Wee and I adore her to pieces!)
  
• Touring DC's monuments with Anna Campbell and Christine Wells
  
• Rooming and chatting after 'lights out' with Amanda McCabe and Andrea Pickens
  
• Meeting both the Smart Bitches in person together
  
• Watching Pam Rosenthal and Joanna Bourne win their RITAs
  
• Congratulating Louisa Cornell on her Royal Ascot and Daphne wins. (Somebody buy her already, for the love of God.)
  
• Being the always marvelous Diane Gaston's date for the Harlequin Party (didn't crash it, nope, nope)
  
• Attending the six-figures workshop and seeing how much Helen Breitwieser and Kristin Nelson adore their 2009 debut authors, Tessa Dare and Courtney Milan, respectively
  
• Being impressed by the posh and bright person that Joanne Grant is
  
• Falling in love with Sherry Thomas, and wisely running away before gushing it all in front of her
  
• Catching up with Deb Marlowe—always cheers me up
  
• Michelle Buonfiglio bowing to my bag
  
• Pitching at a shout at the Harlequin Party and getting a request. In fact, all of my pitches happened at parties and I got requests on all. Perhaps that should be my modus operandi at future conferences
  
• Hugging Romance Novel TV reviewer PJ
  
• Having the fabulous Mary Jo Putney and Victoria Alexander recognize me and say how pleased they're to see me, and having the incomparable Anne Gracie asking various people where she could meet me and being thrilled once she did
  
• Meeting fellow Twitterers in person: Sarah Wendell, Angela James, Jane Litte, Sarah Frantz, Malle Vallik, Kassia Krozser, Dominique Raccah, Don Linn, Pam Spengler-Jaffee, and Barbara Vey
  
• Hugging PJ
  
• Chatting with and raving about Kim Castillo, who's not merely an author's best friend, but a powerhouse in your corner
  
• Watching La Nora kick up her heels at the Harlequin Party. Also seeing Jo Beverley, Stephanie Laurens, Katherine Smith, Jacquie d'Alessandro, Olivia Gates (bellydancing), and Julie Cohen (ooh, can she dance!) let their hair down. (Noticeably missing: Julia Quinn!)
  
• Tearing up over and over during Eloisa James's speech. I've known her through her message board for years, and know of all the individual incidents that have charted her life, but hearing it all put together and realizing her courage and conviction through it all was simply WOW. (I'm even more in love her if that were possible!)
  
• Hand-delivering a note to Julia Quinn from a fan (De Paul professor Eric Selinger's young daughter) and seeing how pleased she was to receive it
  
• "May I take a picture of you?" I asked over and over again. "Of course" and "Sure" said the writers, dropping everything they were doing to pose with smiles at the ready. Graciousness personified.
  
• Meeting the oldest debut author at 76, Pearl Wolf, and buying her book at the Literacy Signing
  
• Watching how fast the International Association for the Study of Popular Romance is gaining in popularity and membership. (Kudos, Sarah Frantz!)
  
• Hugging PJ
  
• Eloisa James Julia Quinn Tea, Beau Monde Soirée, Banditas Bash, Smart Bitches Bootleg, Samhain Extravaganza, and the crown jewel, the Harlequin Party
  
• Anne Stuart as the emcee of the RITA/GH ceremony was the right blend of humor and speechifying. Her various guises were absolutely hilarious
  
• A thumb-drive with conference handouts and Harlequin art
  
• Meeting new-to-me authors
  
• Thriving in the constant hubbub of like-minded individuals
  
• Adult conversations (didn't have to be X-rated for enjoyment)
  
• Not dozing off in the 8:30am workshops
  
• Two boxes of books (oh, yeah!)
  
• Free eBooks by Books on Board
  
• T-Shirt by Quartet Press
  
• Being only a few blocks away from Obama, breathing the very air he was breathing
  
• Meeting up with my cousin for dinner the night before I left DC as the perfect coda to a near perfect conference

2009 BESTS

• Bookmark — Tessa Dare
  
• Excerpt booklet — Tessa Dare & Courtney Milan
  
• Postcard — Sara Lindsey
  
• Pin & Pen — International Association for the Study of Popular Romance
  
• Swag — Harlequin's 60th anniversary cover art goodies
  
• Cookies — Tim Tams by Anna Campbell
  
• Chocolates — Handcrafted by PJ
  
• Snack Goodies — Home-baked by Kim Castillo at the Eloisa James Julia Quinn Tea
  
• Party Outfit — Amanda McCabe at the Beau Monde Soirée
  
• Wardrobe — Every single outfit by Michelle Willingham
  
• Shoes — Silver nothings by Diane Gaston at the Harlequin Party
  
• Purse — Julie Cohen's Mills & Boon book cover from the 1960s
  
• Drink — Lemon drop with lime by Christine Wells
  
• News — Kathryn Caskie's engagement

(Photographs in the next post.)

Stone Age R Us

I'm leaving for the Romance Writers of America National Conference in half an hour. For the next eight days, I will not have access to the Internet, and my phone does not have a data plan. So the only way to get in touch with me is to find me through the hotel's phone system or to call and text to my cell phone or to run into me. I'll be back with gossip, photos, and news.

RWA Schedule & Workshops

RWA has announced the schedule and workshop line-up for its 2009 conference.

The schedule is unchanged from 2008 as are the workshop tracks.

The special guest speakers this year are Donald Maas and Nora Roberts. In The Fire in Fiction, Maas'll talk about the techniques of master contemporary novelists. "Some authors write powerhouse novels every time. What are they doing differently on the page? This workshop will show you how." I always attend the Chat with Nora. Conference doesn't feel real unless I get a pep talk from her and a hug. It's my annual pilgrimage and blessing. Note: Get there early if you want a spot on the floor to rest your backside upon, otherwise expect to not even find a space to lean your back upon as you stand.

Here are a few other workshops that caught my eye...

Craft

15-Minute Synopsis: Jessica Faust and Sharon Page reveal the techniques to quickly build a synopsis that will catch an agent's or editor's eye and sell your book.

Do You Really Know What a Bigger Book Is?: Mary Buckham, Dianna Love, and Lauren McKenna share the nuances of the bigger book. Bring your questions and come prepared for a high-energy workshop on how to expand a good story into a much larger one.

Don't Let The Plot Get In The Way Of Your Story: HMB editors Joanna Grant and Kimberley Young discuss characters, clichés, and cliffhangers, and offer advice on how to avoid the pitfalls of plotting a romance novel.

The EDITS System: Margie Lawson teaches how to dig deep into analyzing passages. This is absolutely a not-to-be-missed workshop. I've attended Margie's online blog-shops, and they've all been winners.

Emotion: The Heart of the Novel: Join Brenda Novak for an in-depth examination of how every aspect of writing relates to heightening reader emotion.

Got High Concept?: Lori Wilde will lead you through the steps to create a high-concept story that will razzle-dazzle publishing insiders.

How to Make the Perfect Pitch (without striking out): Make sure you’re pitching to the right agent/editor, learn to condense your novel down to its essence, understand how to take cues from the agent/editor on whether your approach is working, and survive it all without a major meltdown.

Turning Points: Jennifer Cruise explains how turning points and beats are the key to pacing and plot development. Explore ways to use them to tighten and focus plots and scenes.

Using GMC for Pitches, Query Letter, and Scenes

Publishing

21 Years and Counting: This is of interest to me because Jo Beverley is my personal god.

A Look Inside the Editor's Mind: Harlequin Editor-at-Large Leslie Wainger will cold-read up to 25 synopses and analyze their strengths, weaknesses, chances of being requested, and more.

How to Sell to Harlequin's London Office: Keep up with the beat on Modern Heat, Harlequin Presents, Romance, Historical, Undone (short, sexy historical e-books), and Medical Romance.

It's Not the Hottest Genre, So How Do Debut Historical Romance Authors Get Six-Figure Deals?: I'd attend any seminar by Courtney Milan and Tessa Dare.

Career

The Billionaire Tycoon's Secret Promotional Baby: With three authors, Smart Bitch Sarah and Dear Author Jane to talk about online promotions. It'll be factual, informational, and wildly entertaining.

Honing Your Pitch: Winnie Griggs, Wanda Ottwell, Michelle Grajkowski

On Professionalism and Choosing your own Business Reputation: Laura Bradford and Jennifer Schober offer a commonsense guide on how to publicly comport yourself as a professional author. Come hear their suggestions as to what to do, what not to do, and the career benefits that come from being the kind of author people want to work with.

What Agents Really Want from an Unpublished Writer: How do you capture an agent’s attention, make your query stand out, and entice one to say yes? Literary agent Laurie McLean unveils ancient agent mysteries and tells you how to give these elusive creatures exactly what they want.

Writer's Life

12 Stages of the Writer's Adventure: Creativity coach and author Beth Barany examines ways to increase self-knowledge and write better by learning from the 12 stages of the hero’s journey.

Breathe, Focus, Achive: Stacia D. Kelly, a doctor of holistic health, discusses relaxation techniques and hypnotic suggestions, which will help participants to move past fears and frustrations to connect to their creative muse.

Prioritizing Life, Setting Goals and Time Management: This hands-on workshop by Robert Perini, looks at practical steps to regaining control of your life, tips and techniques for setting priorities, methods for establishing long-and short-range goals, and approaches to managing time.

Research

How to Live in Another Century of Just Sound Like You Did: Lauren Willig offers strategies for acquainting yourself with another century’s sights, people, and politics, and how to create the illusion of a specific time period, while maintaining the balance between historical accuracy and demands of the narrative.

Romanistas, which workshops are you looking forward to attending? Or does your ambition go only as far as the lobby bar?

RWA 2009 Update

Janet Evanovich is going to be the Opening Session Speaker!

"Join us at the Opening Session on Thursday, July 16, with Janet Evanovich, past president of Mystery Writers of America and New York Times best-selling author of the zany Stephanie Plum series. Originally a writer of romance, and hugely supportive of RWA, Janet has funny, serious and deeply inspiring tales to tell."

Strength, Knowledge, Power

And so the excitement starts building yet again...

The 2009 RWA National Conference is at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington D.C. from July 15 through July 18.

The fee is set at $425 for member early registration and $475 for member late registration. Non-member fee is $500 early registration and $550 late registration.

Thursday Keynote Speaker: Linda Howard
Friday Awards Luncheon Speaker: Eloisa James
Librarians’ Day Luncheon Speaker: Stella Cameron
Awards Ceremony Emcee: Anne Stuart