RT14

     One word to describe the Romantic Times Conference in New Orleans--Overwhelming. Yes, I did go to the orientation for newcomers, but it didn't help me cope with the long lines or the crush at all. For some reason I thought I'd run into FaceBook friends and writers I knew simply by reading name tags--impossible. Not to say I didn't make new friends and meet interesting people because I did. So sorry I never found Jane Lange and Cassandra Carr but did get to talk to Farrah Rochon whom I've known for some time as we both do football romances.
     My pithy observations on the conference: Cover models are thinner and older than on their covers (camera adds twenty pounds and I suspect some air-brushing goes on with them as well as female models), but all were very nice gentlemen who helped elderly writers up on the stage and appeared at every big event doing whatever was asked of them such as handing out Mardi Gras beads at the Pub Crawl which I did not attend.  At the end of that exhausting day, I merely crawled back to my room three blocks away hauling immense bags of free and heavy books and watched an NCIS rerun while trying to decide which new book to read.
     Writers are also older than they appear in their cover shots.  That's because we never get a new photo taken and remain frozen in time. But, all were very approachable and many were good speakers. Though I don't in any way think of him as a romance writer, Lee Childs excelled as an especially good speaker.  The awards ceremony was incredibly long, but I did enjoy hearing the short back stories of so many of the authors. Those who stayed until the end were rewarded with another bag of books.  That and winning a giant basket of erotica caused me to skip the last of the big parties and limp back to my room once more helped on my way by a new friend, blogger Jenna Perlin, who helped me lug my loot. We went out for hamburgers, talked, and I gave her one of my books and one from the gift box.. Actually more my kind of evening than a big soiree.
     I confess I did one thing I swore never to do again--I pitched at the Pitchapalooza where like speed dating you got three minutes with an agent or editor. Having just attended a workshop on writing Regency novels ( yes, people were there in costumes) and learning that genre was not dead after all, I pitched to three editors and one agent.  All gave me cards and expressed interest in my Longleigh Chronicles and even in the contemporaries I have in print. What a pleasant surprise. Now, I must force myself to submit.  So far I've only followed up with the agent.
    A high point for me: a woman sat next to me on the bus to Mardi Gras World for a huge event and told me she'd read all my books.  I doled out some signed postcards, the only thing I had with me for promotion since I didn't want to drag foam footballs to a party.  The low point: another attendee said people only do that to get swag.  Oh well, I got to enjoy the glow of being recognized for about twelve hours before having my party balloon pricked. Nearly everyone I met was very pleasant with the sole exception of a wannabe writer (guess I should say pre-published) who seemed pissed that I had ten spicy romances in print while she hadn't sold her inspirational novel yet.  I later saw her, sour expression in place, at Pitchapalooza and gathered it did not go well for her.
     Would I go again?  Not without a room in the conference hotel and a wheeled cart to haul books, but I would recommend it to others.  Next year's venue is in Dallas.  Not too far away, but I haven't quite recovered from this one yet.

Retreat

In May, I attended my first writers' retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Being one of the lucky ones who has ample time to write, I did not go there to create but rather to smooze with publishers, editors, and my fellow writers. Besides, I also got to visit my daughter, mother and two sisters on the trip and still use it as a tax write-off. How great is that!

While the information on query writing, synopses, etc. was a little elementary for me, I did enjoy the murder mystery evening used to point out how carefully mysteries must be plotted, the side trip to Biltmore Houses to explore the world of the super-rich, and the great dessert trays (the last a little too much). Gained five pounds on this trip. Best of all, I loved meeting the publishers and editors I've known only by the names on their e-mails. I came away with a request for a partial, an e-reader won in a raffle, and many new friends.

I followed the retreat with a visit to the Randolph Writers group who gave me a lovely welcome and listened avidly to my "Adventures in E-publishing" talk. Since I was in the area, I contacted several groups to see if they might want a free lecture. These wonderful folks were the only takers. I'd like to think the others missed out on a fine opportunity. Didn't mind if they don't want me to speak, but a "No Thanks" note would have been nice in several cases. Ah well, that's the way it goes in the life of a writer. The Randolph Writers invited me back. I'll try to get there after my historical novel comes out in January and give them a new lecture, "Writing the Historial Novel-Pitfalls and Pleasures".

Meanwhile, back to polishing the draft of Kicks for a Sinner, soon to be sent off to my editor. I admit I'd rather be writing than retreating most days, but it did provide a refreshing break, and I wrote the last few chapters of Kicks in my mind on the long journey.

Why Attend?

I've just returned from attending the NOLA Stars Conference in Shreveport. I go nearly every year to this small, friendly gathering with great craft lectures and best of all, a nice array of agents and editors who will take pitches. With two books out and another contracted, I believe I know my craft, but you can always learn more. This year's best hint - when hyping your romance novel to a mostly all male group mention one thing that interests them in your book like tractors or airplanes, and you will get some sales. I guess I should challenge them to check my football research in Goals for a Sinner and Wish for a Sinner. And I will next time. Since several men have read the first book, including my wonderful son-in-law, I know I got facts right and also have been complimented on that.

But mostly, I go to pitch my latest work, ever hopeful of finding an agent. Although I possess the gift of gab as my mother always says, I have as much trouble as anyone pitching to an agent. I do get the clammy hands, the sick stomach, and worst of all, if I lose my thread, I babble. This year, my first pitch to a fresh and friendly young agent went beautifully. I presented a humorous Regency series I have been working on, The Longleigh Chronicles. Feeling very confident of my pitching skills afterward, I made the big mistake of pitching a complicated reincarnation story in the afternoon. Lost in my own words and babbling, the agent finally cut me off very kindly. She said just to send her the book as an e-mail attachment. I apologized for my rambling, and she pointed out that often great pitches did not yield great books, but even poor pitches sometimes resulted in good submissions. Bless her! I truly don't know if either one of these fine agents will take me on as a client. Most likely not. The odds are not high in this business. But, every year, I go pitching again because you have to keep trying.

Besides, I won a big raffle basket of books and got an unexpected trophy for my two books with e-publishers. I also had a nice lunch and met lots of interesting people, well worth the four hour drive and the modest registration fee. So check out the smaller writers' conferences near you and give them a try.