My First RWA!

Last week, I attended my first-ever writing conference, the RWA National conference in New York City.  It was overwhelming and fabulous, and here are the highlights:

1. I met my agent (Sarah LaPolla, The Revision Ninja)!  Well, I’ve already met her, of course, but this was the first time I’ve gotten to meet her in person.  I tried not to squee.  We talked about books and publishing and the pros and cons of happy endings, plus our admiration for Bryan Fuller (and, of course, Lee Pace). 
2. I got to meet some of my favorite authors, including Laura Bickle.  (If you haven’t checked out her Anya Kalinczyk series, you’re missing out.)  Laura introduced me to some of the RWA FF&P crowd, and I decided it’s high time I joined the chapter.   
3. I should have been prepared for the ridiculous number of free books, but I wasn’t.  

I snagged thrity-five books. $356 worth.  The Enabler gamely carried on an entire suitcase full of books to avoid the checked baggage fee.  Bless him.  He really is an enabler.

4.  My roommates were rockstars!  I ended up rooming with my two critique partners, Rachael Herron and Kristin Miller.  They’re both published with Avon, which provided the free USB drives that came in our tote bags.  Those drives were pre-loaded with work by four Avon writers, and my roomies made up half of that list!  Pretty cool.  We had a gerat time.  Every night was like a slumber party, and the RITAs were like prom.  Here we are all dressed up at the awards ceremony:

Me, Rachael Herron, and Kristin Miller at the RITAs

It was a great trip, and I hope I get to attend next year as well.  Maybe by then, I’ll have finished half of those books.