I leave on Thursday morning for the RWA National Convention in San Francisco, and I am looking forward to the whole experience so much more than I expected.
You see, originally, I didn’t plan to go this year. I attended my first national conference last year in Dallas, and while I reveled in every minute of it, I didn’t feel I could justify the expenditure or time away from my family again this year. Realistically, I thought my next conference would not be until 2012, when it’s being held in my hometown (San Diego).
But then, life happened (as it is wont to do). First, my dear friends Darcy Burke and Courtney Milan both finaled in the Golden Heart. I thought, “Well, maybe I can make it for the award ceremony. San Francisco’s not that far from here. I could get up and back in one day.”
A few weeks later, I sold BEHIND THE RED DOOR to Kensington, and suddenly, I wasn’t thinking about just attending the GH/RITA ceremony. Because, darn it, last year I saw and envied all those folks with their “First Sale” ribbons and, and I knew this would be the only year I’d be eligible to wear one of those myself. So, I bit the financial bullet (though I decided to stay with a friend of the family rather than at the hotel to ease the monetary burden) and signed up.
That all seems like a very long time ago now, and now the conference has snuck right up on me. And as much as I’m looking forward to wearing that “First Sale” ribbon and attending workshops, I’m even more excited about getting together with my friends in the writing community. Some of them I met in person for the first time last year, and some I’ll be meeting for the first time this year, including:
- Ann Aguirre
- Courtney Milan
- Darcy Burke
- Erica Ridley
- Ericka Scott
- India Carolina
- Karen Erickson
- Lacey Kaye
- Leigh Dennis (Lady Leigh)
- Lenora Bell
- Sara Lindsay
- Shelli Stevens
- Tessa Dare
So, hey, if your name’s not on that list and you’re going to be at the conference, give me a holla and we’ll figure out how to make connections. The absolute BEST part of National is the people, and that means you!
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