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Usually I am a wannabe confessor. But today I can say that I am a real RWA#11 attendee who has emerged from her 3rd Romance Writers of America National Conference intact and with unscathed feet.
Confession: I have these amazing super duper silver flip flops that I wore to and from the elevator banks that absolutely saved my feet for the Golden Heart/Rita Ceremony on Friday night.
So now that you all know how I saved my feet, I’d like to share my Conference Confessions for 2011:
1) Juniors Restaurant was much cheaper than the Marriott Marquis so I toddled over there a lot to meet my friends cause I can’t afford $15 glasses of wine. The matzo ball soup was pretty delicious, too.
2) I wasn’t sure I had made the right decision to spend any money going to NYC up until the day before I got on the VAMOOSE bus to drive from DC to NYC (but got to love those initials).
3) As soon as I got on the VAMOOSE bus, I knew I’d made the right decision, and I was super excited!
4) My new virtual friends Wendy Marcus, Vicky Dreiling, Laurie B. London (all debut authors on my Digging Out of Distraction Blog) were as nice in person as they are in virtual life. GIAM, all my other followers on Twitter and Facebook were also super nice, too!
5) My roommate Sharon Wray was amazing and it was super to be her date for the Daphne (hello? She won!) and I felt honored to be her date for the Golden Heart/Rita Ceremony.
6) I loved meeting all the Harlequin Presents/Modern Heat/Medical Romance authors. All of these women are classy, talented and very generous! Hugs to them all for their offers to help me achieve my dreams!! They rocked!
7) Mile high pastrami sandwiches and huge pieces of Cheesecake at Carnegies Deli are fabulous excuses for cheating on a diet.
8) Elevators lead to the most interesting meetings with people.
9) Barbara Vey is the most gracious reader and friend to run into at a conference. Always smiling and always kind.
10) Margie Lawson is as amazing and loving in person as she is in virtual reality.
11) Kieran Kramer is beyond fun to room next to in the Marriott!
12) Sometimes alone time is okay.
13) I loved being Paula Graves and Melanie Dickerson’s pick up girl for the awards they didn’t think they’d get but they did!! Paula is a 2011 published Daphne Winner and Melanie’s DEBUT book is BEST BOOK for 2011 in the Reader’s Choice Award!
14) Times Square is a busy, bustling burst of energy that I long to be in again.
15) All the volunteers and people who made #RWA11 happen deserve medals.
16) GRWA, Southern Magic, and Heart of Dixie rock!!! Wow, what fabulous ladies and companions!
17) I absolutely adore my new bejeweled shoes and can’t wait to wear them again!
18) Sitting at tables with strangers leads to making new friends.
19) Inspiration comes in all sizes and spaces. Thanks to the keynote speakers and to the new writers who believe in their dreams.
20) I’m proud to be an aspiring author who belongs to the romance genre because ROMANCE ROCKS!!
So these are my conference confessions. What are your conference confessions?
by Christine Glover
36 comments
I learned that writers and their dreams are the same in GA as in Kansas, as in CA, etc. I also learned that, despite endless discussion on changes in the writing world & contracts, writers are a great bunch of people.
I can’t believe I never saw you the whole time…where were you girl? I also never saw Margie Lawson!
Oh yeah, HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!!
A huge fireworks display rocked our area last night, can’t wait to see what happens tonight. (g)
Is your flag waving out in front of your house? Just for the record…mine is. Have a great day.
Hi Sandy: I was ALL over that conference! So much fun and the writers were amazing: published and unpublished! I can’t believe I didn’t see you either! I did see Debbie Kaufman briefly. There were a lot of writers there!!
And no, not home yet — still in DC so I am celebrating the 4th with my friends here at their pool. I bet Darling Hubby is just hanging out in Alabama and hasn’t even thought about a flag!
Happy July 4th!
It sounds AMAZING! I cannot wait for our Aussie conf next month
Romance writers published and aspiring are just the nicest bunch of people in the world, aren’t they!?
I’m so glad you had a great time! And thanks again for accepting my award—you’re right, I didn’t really think you’d have to. But I’m thrilled you did!
Paula, I only wish you had been there in person to accept it yourself. But I have to say it was kind of cool being there without all the nervous pressure. I think I had more fun than the finalists!! It was such an incredible honor to be asked by you to pick up the award and you DESERVE IT!! Woot!
Rachel, the writers/authors I met were truly generous and fun! I was blown away by all the Presents authors who gave me their email addresses and offered to answer my questions any time! Wow. And your conference sounds like a blast!!
Thanks for popping in and saying hi. Come back and give us a recap of the Australian Conference.
Christine,
I loved your post and I enjoyed hanging out with you at the conference and especially our trip to Carnegie Deli and our walk through Central Park. I agree with everything you said. It was a wonderful conference. I loved meeting new people (pjpuppymom) and catching up with old friends and mostly getting to know GRW friends better on this trip.I did get to see Barbara Vey a lot and she was fabulous as ever.Now I have a confession – I’m still in New York. We changed hotels (this one is closer to Carnegie Deli). I saw three plays since I’ve been here and I am ready to come home.Happy Fourth to everyone!
Oh Marilyn!! Lucky you. What plays did you see? I didn’t get to see any on this trip and that’s just sad. I love Broadway!! Now I have to come back. Central Park is amazing. :And PJPUPPY was a super flirt
Have fun!!
Wow! Wish I could have made it up there. You really made the place come alive in just a few short paragraphs. Love the idea of the flip flops…
Can’t wait to read more about it on your blog….
Thanks for sharing, Christine!
Tami
Christine,
Nicki and I saw “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” with the star of Harry Potter; I saw “Sister Act” by myself when my husband and daughter were walking around the city; and last night, we all saw “Book of Mormon.” The weather was great in NY all week but yesterday we did have some storms.We had an amazing Italian meal Saturday night (not the first one on the trip) so it was a great week. Can’t wait to get home and write.
Marilyn
I had a FABULOUS time in NY!! Learned so much, met amazing people, ate tongue, pastrami, bagels and lox, brisket and potato pancakes, cheescake and strawberry shakes at Junior’s, and loved the wait staff as much as I did the food!
They were mashed, shoved and teetering on towering stilletos…but I love the shoes more than my feet.
I didn’t save my feet
I had excellent pitches, met interesting people and gained five pounds. All in all I had a GREAT time.
Glad I got to see you there Christine
Have a productive day!
Tamara
Christine,
Thanks for the great peek into your trip. I know it was wonderful. Last year was my 1st and only – so far. Great people!
All of you that went sound like you are still floating!
Welcome home all an Happy 4th!
Hi Tami: I’m so glad I was able to give you a glimpse into the RWA Nationals this year. And the flip flops were pretty and comfy!! Aerosoles… You’ll see them at the M&M this year
I will eventually have my confessions in a post as well! I loved NYC and the entire conference. Did sightseeing for about 4 days before it began and WOW. What a place.
I suppose my main confession is, I didn’t realize how absolutely wonderful New Yorkers are. They get a bad rap down South for often being abrasive and rude. But I was completely impressed with everything and everyone
Elaine
Hi Maxine: I’m so glad you were able to attend Nationals this year. It’s fun, but tiring. I’ll be happy to get home tomorrow and sleep in my own bed
Hi Elaine: I can’t wait to read your blog about your experiences in NYC. I LOVE NYC!! Everyone is honest, open and real there. The service is top notch and the vibe is amazing. You’re right. NYC gets a bad rap and it really doesn’t deserve it at all.
Lucky you that you got to visit beforehand. This is the first time I went to NYC without seeing a show. Sigh. Must plan another trip to the Big Apple!
Hi Tamara: I am so glad I got to see you there as well. I saw this elegant dark haired beauty in a gorgeous green satin dress to die for and lo! It was you!!! Why was I not surprised? You always look amazing.
I’m so glad your conference went well.
See you at M&M!
Oh Marilyn, I wish I’d seen Daniel R in How to Succeed in Business Without Trying. My darling teen might have throttled me tho’! I guess I’ll just have to go back to NYC to catch some shows now
The food in NYC is amazing. Love to eat it and probably shouldn’t!! But you know what? It’s rare to have that kind of abundance and variety in cuisine so why not?
Glad you had a great stay and happy you’re eager to head home to write!!
Wow, you’ve got me excited, Christine. Thanks for the details from you and everyone else. I can almost taste that pastrami. Barbara Vey and Margie Lawson are two of my favorite people. Would have loved to have gone to a Broadway show with Marilyn! Can’t wait till 2013, when Nationals comes to Atlanta.
Happy Fourth, everybody!
Great conference. Also skipped over to Junior’s for more reasonably priced food. The elevators were crazy, but what was amazing was that despite all the aggravation they caused at times, I never saw anyone lose their good nature over it.
Hi Linsey: I’m glad I pumped you up for Nationals. And the Pastrami is great at Carnegies. I can’t wait for 2013 Nationals in Atlanta. Course I’m highly prejudiced cause I love the city and the people I know there!!
Hi Debbie:The elevators were most interesting indeed. But we romance writers just sallied forth and made light of the experience. I loved how we bonded over the way the elevators conspired against us LOL.
Glad you had a great conference and glad I managed to see you once or twice amongst the throngs of people
I agree with Debbie. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood all week. What a marvelous conference. Thanks for the great insight, Christine!
Hi JB: I agree! The conference was topnotch. The keynote speakers were inspirational and insightful. I just loved being part of the big events this year. I also loved being part of my smaller get-togethers, too.
And GRW folks were out in force!
Thanks for the great post, Christine, and the great comments, everybody; it’s the next best thing to being there. Count me in for 2013!
Love your confessions! One of the best parts was meeting online friends in person for the first time. I too managed to save my feet through the magic of Moleskin and heels with no back strap. Much better than last year!!
It was great to see you again!
My confession is: I’m totally green with envy! It sounds like a fabulous time. See y’all at M&M.
Hi Gwen: I remember the bandaids!! So glad all went well foot wise this year.
Hi Carol: M&M is next and I can’t wait!
Hi Pam: I am looking forward to seeing you there!
I’m with Carol – absolutely GREEN with envy! Never been to NY…guess I’ll have to catch it the next time Nationals are there.
Hi Darcy: I hope you get to go to Nationals next year. I might not go,but I thought I wasn’t going this yr. and it happened.
And now we have the Moonlight and Magnolias conference to look forward to!! Woot!
Thanks much for sharing experiences! While they inspire a tinge of jealousy, I’m glad you had a great time. I went to NYC in the ’80s and saw six Broadway shows in four days! Comfortable shoes are a must and at some SF cons, we held Elevator Parties that were sometimes more fun than the scheduled events. Looks like we’ll plan for ’13 too.