RWA: My Story

So, I got back from RWA, jet lagged and exhausted, and jumped in with both feet to a big, giant, rush project.  I am finally surfacing this morning and looking forward to a weekend of extreme vegetation, laundry, unpacking, and reading.  Honestly, I've enjoyed reading a few of the reports online when work craziness permitted, but it seems as if I went to a different convention since I didn't see anybody in the online crowd except Wendy the Super Librarian who I very much enjoyed meeting at Nora Roberts' cocktail party on Saturday night. 

So, why was I traveling so far off the beaten path?  It has something to do with a project I'm working on for AAR that I'm not ready to talk about yet.  But it was cool.  And fun.  And I hope readers are really going to enjoy these...things when I start breaking them soon.  I also hung with my Washington Romance Writers friends whenever I had a free moment, including a fantabulous dinner on Thursday night down on the water.

I hit three parties on Friday night - Ballantine, St. Martin's, and the Harlequin - but missed going to the Berkley do because cabs aren't all that available in San Francisco and geographically it just wouldn't have been possible.  The Ballantine party, BTW, was held in the most beautiful venue called The Water Bar smack dab next to the Oakland Bridge.  Simply breathtaking.  Add in waterside conversation with Sherry Thomas and Shana Abe and you've got yourself a winner right there.  At the St. Martin's party, Lisa Kleypas made certain I got to meet fabulous editor Jennifer Enderlin, someone I've always longed to talk to.  I discovered, not surprisingly,  that she is just as funny and off-the-charts brilliant as you'd expect from the editor of Welcome to Temptation.

I also had a few breakfasts and lunches with authors that helped to make my trip even more special.  They know who they are.

And the shopping!  Oh, the shopping!  I think we've got some pretty fabulous shopping here, but everything in San Francisco is so concentrated just steps away from the hotel that it's almost sensory overload.  I saw many, many (many, many) Nordstrom bags at the conference.  (Hey, it was Anniversary Sale.)  Then, of course, there was the biggest mondo-est Apple Store of my dreams.  For a long-time Mac geek, it was a powerful sight.

I stayed an extra day and did a San Francisco tour, including a harbor cruise.  Since it was my first time in the city, I was fascinated with all the sights and sounds (including the California Sea Lions at Fisherman's Wharf) of this amazing place. 

So, I'm back.  I had a fabulous time.  And I can't wait to share with readers...what I've got to share.  Stay tuned. 

tags: sandy  

links: digg this    del.icio.us    technorati