This has been an incredibly crazy week for me. Allow me to explain:

Monday
I finally finished my current manuscript, Deflowered, a twist on Beauty and the Beast, after taking a couple wrong turns and rewriting the ending three times. When I sent out an email to my brainstorming group saying it was done, I had tears in my eyes.

Tuesday
My phone rang at 9:30 or so, and I thought it was the roofing company that was coming to work on my house the next day. It wasn't. A lovely woman from the Romance Writers of America® called to let me know that the manuscript I'd entered, Camp Awakening, was a 2013 Golden Heart® finalist in the Young Adult category.

I started to cry on the phone. I couldn't conjugate verbs. I mean, I entered, but I didn't expect to be a finalist. For those of you not affiliated with RWA, the Golden Heart is kind of like the Oscars for unpublished romance manuscripts.

I don't remember much else from the conversation except the overwhelming urge to scream, throw up and jump for joy simultaneously.

As soon as I hung up the phone I called my main motivator and BFF, Michelle Rowen, but all I could do was sob. I think she thought I might have been in some sort of diabetic situation until I said, "They called."

Then we both freaked out.

Wednesday
Still in a daze, I received approximately a gazillion emails while roofers worked on my house and cause my internet connection to be spotty at best. Somehow this does not take the smile off my face.

Thursday
Even without the whole being a finalist thing, I knew this was going to be an awesome week because I had tickets to see The Price is Right LIVE -- a stage show that brings the PiR experience to, you guessed it, the stage.

Four of us went. I was the only one who put my name into the draw to be a contestant and was rewarded with my very own price-tag shaped name tag. I still have it!

Despite crossing my fingers, toes, eyes and bra straps, my name wasn't called. But that was okay, I was still a 2013 Golden Heart finalist!

What's next?
Let's see. Lose ten pounds. Find just the right outfit to wear for the awards ceremony, which takes place at the RWA National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia on July 20. And maybe, just maybe, get some more writing done!

Labels: adventures, contests, goals, RWA, writing

My apologies if you aren't a romance writer or still feel mopey because you weren't able to attend the Romance Writers of America National Conference in New York City this year. You can always go next year and use some of these tips!

Even people at National don't get as excited about raffles as I do
I've been known to be a bit... enthusiastic about winning raffles. When I hear my name or number called, I know I'm going to burn about 500 calories. We're talking a celebration worthy of a Prize Is Right run, people. So there I was, all jittery as I stared at my ticket numbers during the YARWA event, where they had so many prizes I knew I just had to win something.

I swear, they called about a bazillion numbers. My seatmates were watching me carefully. Cecily, a gal I just met at National, won some Jennifer Echols novels, which made me envious. Then Michelle Rowen won a fantabulous loot bag. Roberta, another TRW chapter mate, won something, too!

Things weren't looking good for me. I overheard Maureen McGowan tell her agent to keep his eye on me. I thought it might have been about how awesome my latest manuscript was, but she was warning him about the Bonnie Win Dance.

I watched, heart racing, as others picked up really cool prizes such as autographed books, t-shirts, gift cards... even "big girl rejection" panties. Numbers were called. Small shouts of joy and mild whoops echoed in the lounge. Some numbers had to be redrawn because people had left.

But I was there, waiting.

Then something wondrous happened. The prize offerings moved on to author critiques, and Leah Hultenschmidt, Senior Editor at Sourcebooks, leaned over and handed me her tickets. Michelle did too!

It was like playing bingo with too many cards. My eyes scanned the numbers as quickly as I could while it seemed that they were being called out more quickly than before. (They were, actually, the board wanted to expedite things.)

Then one of Leah's numbers came up!

I squealed. I whooped. I shot up out of my seat and did the best Bonnie Win Dance I could do despite my sore feet. Unfortunately most of the agents and editors had snuck out of the room so they couldn't witness it. (I made sure to track down Leah and thank her the next day.) But everyone there knew I won -- and was excited about winning a prize!

Now back to my fantabulous win. I didn't win just any critique -- I won a critique from Eileen Cook! WHOO HOOO! So excited!

Amazingly enough, I met some more people after that.

And there I was, thinking it had been a brilliant night before the raffle draws started! Many thanks to the YARWA board, the awesome people who donated prizes, my chapter mates who brought along their agents and editors, and everyone I met and have yet to meet!

Labels: adventures, contests, RWA

More people recognize me when I'm smiling
It's the freakiest thing. All I have to do is squint at my phone and my own chapter mates will pass me by without realizing who I am. But as soon as I smile at one person, five more appear.

The first timer ribbons and speaker ribbons colours look the same to me
I told a few speakers on Tuesday that they should really attend the First Timer's Orientation Session, including Winnie Griggs, the fabulous author running the session. Colour me embarrassed. She was very appreciative of me recommending the session, though!

Stay out of the pitch appointment bull pen as long as you can
This is what messed me up at my first National -- hanging out with so many nervous, stressed-out writers made me jumpier than a Cirque de Soleil member. This time I checked in 15 minutes prior and kept smiling, which, of course, led to me connecting with a lot of great people and took my mind off my nerves.

It's National, not Nationals
I have to thank Ali Cunliffe for correcting me on this one early in the week. I had no idea I'd been saying it wrong. Of course, that's the least embarrassing wrong thing I've said this week. ;)

Read nametags
Oh. Mah. Gawd. At least five times I ended up chatting up some "first timer" people who definitely have been here many times before. I thank everyone for being so nice to the girl from Toronto.

Don't hug people in a dark ballroom unless they hug you first
This kind of goes along with reading nametags. Even if you think you know them, you may not. 'Nuff said.

Taking breaks works
During my first National (in San Francisco) I attended every workshop I could and went out for lunches and dinners and drinks, oh my! This time around, I took time out for quiet times and I'm having a way better time.

The Marriot Marquis Times Square details:

The elevators
Even though I watched a video of how the elevators work at the hotel, it's still a surreal experience not having buttons to push while you zoom up 30 floors in a glass-enclosed bubble. These pods of terror triggered a lot of fears and created some new ones for me. Playing elevator bingo by checking off the letter of each elevator I took helped a little for a day or two, but not much. Le sigh. I'll get over it one day.

The room's toilets
You might describe them as "the flush heard 'round the world". And I thought the elevators were scary!

Well, that's all I have to say for now. I've got to get myself all prettied up for the awards as we cheer on Eve Silver, who's up for the RITA in the Paranormal category. Go Eve, go!

Labels: adventures, RWA

The gods are testing me in extremely entertaining ways.

Now this all might be happening because I've taken on way too many things at once. I'm working full time hours on site this month, which truly limits the amount of time I can pretend I'm a cat and curl up in a sunbeam.

And then there are the two night classes I'm taking, which interest and scare me at the same time when I swing from "I don't have a clue" to "Oh, that's what that means" on the learning parallelogram.

And in one of my classes there is a student who has absolutely no sense of humour. A true personification of a lemon. I shall call him Sir Yellow, yet pronounce the Sir "sour" for effect. Seriously, it's been decades since I've had a classmate so tightly wound -- and the inner cheerleader in me wants me to make him laugh, just to see if he snaps into itty bitty pieces like the Terminator when he's exposed to liquid nitrogen.

And I'm coordinating my chapter's contest, with the help of a lovely gaggle of category coordinators. We're a week away from deadline and things are getting kind of frantic as the last-minute questions about eligibility and the rules come flying in.

So yes, the writing is kind of on the back burner with the current WIP on simmer as I whip my to-do list into shape and prepare for a restful June.

Well, restful until RWA Nationals at the end of the month!

Eek! What am I gonna wear?

Labels: adventures, RWA, writing

I opened a document from a client today that bled on screen.

Seriously. Someone was doing the "track changes" dance to an extended remix that wouldn't end. Luckily the original words weren't mine, so I didn't feel sorry for the little darlings that didn't make it to the next round.

But then I started thinking, what if the tracked changes gremlins could talk? What secrets would they share? Would they have opinions on what was changed and what was left alone? Would they experience edit envy and want to make those changes themselves?

Here's what my track changes creature looks like. And yes, she's a gargoyle, not a gremlin.



You should see how she reacts to dangling modifiers. Scary.

Yeah, I've been working on revisions, can you tell?

And speaking of working on revisions and scary things, I'm attending a writing conference on my own this month. Solo. Just me, my laptop and a room full of friends I haven't met yet.

I'll be at the Lone Star Conference put on by the Northwest Houston chapter of Romance Writers of America on October 16!

I'm very excited because Randy Ingermanson will be running a workshop on the Snowflake Method of book plotting (which will make my brain explode, I'm sure) plus there are three great agents taking pitches (Christine Wittholn, Naomi Hackenberg and Amy Boggs) and lots of other stuff I'm too excited to remember.

Now what I do have to remember is to not get nervous, meet some awesome people and learn a whole bunch.

Are you going? Maybe we can sit together at lunch!

Labels: adventures, RWA, writing

Waving hello to all the attendees headed to RWA National. Le sigh. Couldn't make it down there this year, but plan on attending in 2011.

Before I joined the Romance Writers of America, I had no idea about how authors got other authors to give quotes about a novel, let alone paid much attention to the ones that appeared on the cover or on the inside front and back pages.

A conversation with Michelle Rowen got me thinking about what happens to the cover quotes that publishers would never use. You know, the ones like:

"Couldn't put this book down -- it was covered in crazy glue."

"Stuff happened. Then it ended."

"I loved it, okay? Now put the gun down."

"Everyone died. Kidding!"

"This got printed?"

"I loved it. Oh, hang on, I think that was the other ARC I read."

"If this makes it to the NYT list, I'll eat my socks."

Of course, we'll never know if any of these really ever happened, but it's fun to imagine. ;)

My WIP is at a standstill while I allow the rewrite to simmer and I work through the TBR pile.

How about you? Read any fantabulous books lately?

Labels: fun, ideas, RWA

There I was, planning to write a blog post that didn't involve contests, but then fate stepped in and changed everything.

The results are in!

My novel, Megan Delaney: Mystic Misfit, took second place in the Connecticut RWA's The Write Stuff Contest! Whoo hoo! Many thanks to the judges and everyone involved in this contest. You da best!

And, just when I the chocolate fountain warmed up, I found out that...

My other novel, Camp Awakening, took FIRST PLACE in the Chicago-North RWA's Fire & Ice Contest! I truly wasn't expecting this. When I entered, my novel and I weren't getting along. In fact, my main character was convinced that I was ruining her life, having her appear in this book.

I'm happy to say that she's delightfully miserable at the moment. And promises to hang around until the bitter end. ;)

It's a terrific feeling when people think your "baby" is as cute as you do. Now I just have to make sure I don't drive people crazy with baby photos and tales of her adventures so far.

Labels: goals, RWA, writing

I squeezed out 9,000 words for the novel this week. It was like taking on the world's largest zit, only less messy.

Seriously. Normally a word count like this would take months, especially now that I'm in Draft 2 mode. You know, the version where I need to let readers know where my characters are and what they might be thinking instead of just saying:

"Hey."
"Hey."
"Too bad about that thing."
"It's all right. I can deal."
And then they all died.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. One previously blocked by my refusal to open a vein and hold it over the keyboard. By not going there, to that place where bad things happen to characters. And to writers.

SQUEE BREAK
My lovely novel, Camp Awakening, is a finalist in the Wisconsin RWA's Fabulous Five Contest! I totally didn't expect it (this is the second contest this novel has been a finalist for) and I'm verra, verra excited. Yes, I love contests, especially when it works in my favour. The feedback from the first-round judges was truly helpful (and I'm not just saying that, really).

The contest organizers even sent me this awesome button to put on my blog:


Isn't it purdy? Now I have to figure out how to get it in my sidebar somehow. Maybe my resident cabana boy can help me.

Have an awesome week!

Labels: contests, ideas, RWA, writing

Yes, I spend way too much time and money entering writing contests, but I can't help myself. And this one I entered last year. You know, before I promised myself I wouldn't enter any more until the current WIP was done. And before I caved and entered another contest. Or two. ;)

Here's the scoop:

CTRWA would like the announce the finalists in The Write Stuff Contest!

FINALISTS, THE WRITE STUFF 2010

YOUNG ADULT:
Megan Delaney: Mystic Misfit by Bonnie Staring
Diary of a Teenage Superhero by Sharron Houdek
The Pact by Constance Gillam

SQUEE! News like this always seems to arrive right when it's needed the most. And I really appreciate it. I've been lucky to have contest judges who "get" my voice, and I've also been lucky enough to have some contest judges who totally Simon Cowelled my work (in other contests).

That's what getting feedback is all about. Sometimes they love it, sometimes they truly don't. And that's okay. As Nora Roberts says, "Everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if they're wrong."

Now if only I can keep my eyes, fingers and toes crossed until the winners are announced in mid-to-late April...

Labels: contests, goals, RWA, writing

Everyone has a reason for not getting stuff done. Some even have a long list they drag around with them, just to keep track of the many obstacles in their path. I too have been known to toss out the odd comment or loop post, claiming to be too busy, double-parked or without the cabana boys necessary to accomplish a certain task.

Then I heard a very powerful sentence. It was while I was listening to a workshop CD from the RWA 2009 National Conference. (Or it could have been 2008, I'm not sure.)

And no, I can't remember who was speaking or the name of the workshop. That would be too clever of me. ;)

When one critique partner on the panel started talking about why she wasn't getting things done, the other woman stopped her and said:

"You're not special."

Talk about harsh! I had to rewind it, just to make sure I heard it correctly.

"You're not special."

Then the woman went on to explain that, as writers, we all have the same issues: getting words on a page, dealing with revisions, handling rejections, coming up with new ideas, etc. And that doesn't even cover the other stuff, such as family, friends, pets, any medical conditions, etc.

The fact is, we're all special, but not so much so that any one of us should have it any easier than the next person. ;)

Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it... until I start whining about my next excuse. ;)

Labels: goals, RWA, writing

Okay, I have to admit that I really wasn't looking forward to today. For the past two weeks I've been working on site for a client (meaning no naps or pajama-wearing during business hours) and doing a lot of freelance projects evenings and weekends. And some beta-reading and contest-entry judging. Mucho biz-ay.

So part of me was sorely tempted to not attend my RWA chapter's meeting today. I mean, I could have slept in, caught up my coupon clipping and had some quality time with DH and the evil kitten. But I had to go; it felt like I hadn't been there in ages.

And I'm so glad I went. C.J. Lyons did a great workshop on getting to the bones of your story and mapping out the pivotal points to bring up the emotional volume of a novel. Okay, I'm totally paraphrasing, but it made some things really click for me.

Of course, I also jumped at the opportunity to be a guinea pig and got the entire room to help me get a basic plot for my next WIP done. Thanks everyone! Now I just have to hold off on that one until I get the current WIP complete. Ah, the lure of a shiny new idea is too tempting...

It was also great to see other crazy people, er, I mean writers. People who get how frustrating things can be, people who understand how writing can be awesome and the exact opposite at the exact same time. I felt refreshed, encouraged and, perhaps after taking a wee nap, ready to tackle the next batch of pages on the current novel.

And I couldn't have gotten that from staying at home with the coupons. ;)

Labels: blahs, fun, ideas, RWA, writing

In case you weren't aware, I love contests. Not just the "win a car with a box top from your Rice Krispies package" kind of contests (though I enter those ones, too). My ongoing love/hate relationship is with novel-writing contests, namely because sometimes I love them, and sometimes I don't. ;)

A good friend of mine (cough, Michelle, cough) had the audacity to suggest that I should spend more time writing than entering writing contests. I mean, really. Be productive with my time? But entering contests is productive! I get my hopes up, dashed, strengthened, beaten to a pulp and then raised again. Sometimes all in the same day.

If only exercising could be this much fun!

And it's the close calls that hurt the most. Like one contest this year where my manuscript came in fourth place in the first round, but only the top three went onto the finals. Sob!

Oh, put those tissues away, because, like a good romance novel, this post has a happy ending. ;)

My novel, MEGAN DELANEY: MYSTIC MISFIT, took FIRST PLACE in Young Adult category of the Toronto Romance Writer's Golden Opportunity Contest!

First place! Can you believe it? Megan and I are both thrilled with the news and plan on celebrating this win with some time plotting out the next book in the series (which will be written some time next year, if all goes well).

And this totally makes up for all the times when this novel didn't even come close to winning. At least all the judges I've had have given me some great feedback.

Enough about me. In case you're writing a Young Adult novel and are into entering contests, Mary Kole at Andrea Brown Agency is running a query contest!

Here's the link: http://kidlit.com/kidlit-contest

Labels: adventures, contests, goals, RWA

Okay, so I may have mentioned that I like to enter contests on occasion, even though the odds of winning (especially in novel-writing contests) can be slim to none. I even promised myself this year that I would limit myself to five contests. Five!

And it appears that number three is my lucky number. WHOO HOOOOOOOOOO!

Picked up right from the announcement (I took out the other categories so people wouldn't have to scroll forever, even though a bunch of awesome authors are finalists):

Toronto Romance Writers
Finalists for the 21st Annual Original Golden Opportunity Contest - 2009

Young Adult
Final Round Judge: Anne Heltzel, Penguin, Razorbill
ADVENTURES OF A TEENAGE TRUTHSEER Cat Schield
MEGAN DELANEY: MYSTIC MISFIT Bonnie Staring*
SUGAR HIGH Bethany Cunningham Gabbert

* TRW member

I'm up against some pretty fierce competition, both of the other finalists have won awards in other RWA contests. And that makes me feel excited and nervous at the same time. How will poor Megan compare? OMG, the pressure!

It's all good. This is the kind of awesome, fantabulous news I needed to get me out of a rather long bout of "itallsucksitis." Well, this sure helped me get all cheerful and full of sparkly goodness!

This novel has been through many, many changes -- and it appears that it's back on the right track again. ;) Now I can get over it and focus on the current WIP, which needs some care and attention due to my mad dash to another city for a weekend BBQ.

It's been a highly social weekend for me with two parties, visiting a girlfriend and her 70-pound "puppy" and trying to get some paying work done.

Now I just have to distract myself until they announce the Golden Opportunity winners in late September. Ack!

Labels: contests, RWA, writing

Now I realize there are a gazillion writers out there who can pump out 30 pages in a single day if they really put there minds to it, but for me, a 30-page week is fantabulous.

The end is nigh. Well, of course, now that I'm almost there, I completely forgot about a pivotal scene that must be added to tie up one major loose end that can't be left dangling or it may get caught up on something and strangle the possibility of a series. Yeah, and I'm working on my run-on sentences too.

And to help make my summer even more fun, I'm helping out in my RWA Chapter's contest. It's pretty darn cool seeing all that happens behind the scenes: the voodoo rituals, cover-model auditions and martini-tasting parties. Sheesh! It's hard to imagine how we find the time to tabulate the results. ;)

I'm hoping this will keep me too busy to enter more writing contests. Oh, you don't know how tempting it is for me when I see all the "deadline extended" calls for more entries. Funny how our chapter's contest didn't have to do that. In fact, we got more this year than last year. So much for the economy making people limit their entries (or maybe they just entered ours...).

Okay, I'll stop bragging now. It's not like I had anything to do with it -- I was too busy taping a game show and putting my thoughts on paper for my tell-all account of the Canadian game show industry.

Is that the phone ringing with offers already? Or is Grandma calling again?

Subject change alert! For some reason, I ended up seeing The Hangover. As some of you may not realize, I find it hard to watch comedies simply because a lot of them, in my opinion, totally suck. Or I could just be jealous because I didn't write them. ;)

So when The Proposal ended up being sold out, Michelle and I had to choose between Terminator: Salvation (which she had seen already) and The Hangover (which Michelle wanted to see in the first place). Funny how that worked out... hmm.

Michelle let me choose, so I went with the one I expected to be completely horrid. Besides, she really wanted to see it anyway.

And you know something? I found it to be... hilarious! I laughed out loud numerous times. It was so unexpected, I even forgot to finish my popcorn. The Hangover had some moments that could be improved upon (and covered up), but overall, I enjoyed it.

Plus, when I got home from the movie theater, I sat down and wrote eight more pages in the WIP.

Now if that isn't the sign of a good movie, I don't know what is. LOL

How about you? What are your fave summer movies so far? (No spoilers please!)

Labels: adventures, fun, goals, RWA, writing

This has been a very exciting day for me for two reasons.

The Golden Heart
For those of you not writing romance novels, the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart novel writing contest is like the pinnacle for all of us unpublished people. To be nominated is an honour and to receive your non-finalling score sheet is an excruciating experience sometimes.

So when I spotted the envelope with a Texas return address, I wondered if I should just stick it in a drawer or let the cat play with it. Not that I haven't done well with previous entries; I mean, I haven't finalled or anything like that, but there's the odd lowball score that makes me kind of cranky.

And, with the way I've been feeling about the current WIP that I'm revising -- which is also the one I entered into the Golden Heart -- I was afraid to know what five anonymous judges thought.

Turns out they liked it. Even with the way it was before (but that's probably because they only saw the first two chapters and not the rotten ending). With a 39/45, my entry was in the top quarter! Squee!

This is also the highest GH score I've received to date, so I'm verra, verra happy.

Qubit
Remember that science game show I did a written test for earlier this week? Well... I qualified to move on to the next round: the videotaped audition.

Can you freaking believe it? Not only did I pass the test, they think I did well enough to try me out on camera! And we all know how shy I am when it comes to being on TV. LOL

Oh. Mah. Gawd. Never in a million years would I have guessed that I had science smarts. The weird thing was how confident I felt after completing the written test, which involved answering 50 questions about, you guessed it, scientific stuff.

There was one question that I did not understand at all. I'm hoping there won't be any like that for the next audition, but odds are they're gonna ask me that one again with the cameras rolling. ;)

So if everyone could send happy science thoughts my way, I'd really appreciate it!

Maybe I should go see the Star Trek movie to help beef up mah brainz.

Labels: adventures, goals, RWA, writing

OMG - I let post 600 go by without starting up the chocolate fountain or holding a parade! There must be something wrong with me. I'm in serious celebratory decline.

But I have discovered something: if you ignore a work in progress long enough, it will creep up behind you and smack you over the head until you put your hands on the keyboard and start working on it again.

Hopefully the bruises will fade before my next public appearance. ;)

The reason for the head-banging, I think, is because I've been listening to a bunch of awesome workshops I have on CD from the Romance Writers of America National Conference. Yeah, Frisco baby, I'm reliving it without the balmy weather and tight elevator situations.




And all of these awesome authors, who have so openly shared their knowledge, have led me to a conclusion Michelle has been trying to tell me since I tried to write a murder mystery in which no one died: writing by the seat of your pants equals a lot of revisions.

I know this, but it just hadn't really sunk in yet. Then I thought about the last two novels I'd completed by pantsing. Sure, they're fabulous and all, but it took quite a bit of reworking and revising to make them as fresh and tasty as they are now.

Besides, when I get a book contract and have to write another novel in, say, six months, I won't have time for the additional five years of revisions. Gulp. My editor would actually expect the novel to, uh, be delivered on time. And actually work. Or at least be close to working.

So this "plotting and outlining" thing might be useful. Well, in order to stop the muse from getting all cranky and destroying the furniture, I used my time to write out (longhand) the outline for my current work in progress. Yes, the one I started during National Novel Writing Month -- where plots and outlines are verboten.

Sorry, just had to use that word.

The cool thing is that, even though there's an outline now, it's still flexible enough to let the pantster in me do a little bit of... pantsing. So I should be done this novel in... um, let me get back to you on that. I think the phone's ringing.

Labels: ideas, RWA, writing

I've unpacked. Done the laundry. Found room for the shoes and ultra-affordable clothing I purchased. And that's about it.

No, I lie. Most of my day was spent going through emails, piles of paper and to-do lists from days of yore (otherwise known as July), when a nagging thought kept tapping at the back corner of my consciousness:

Shoulda done more of that networking stuff at Nationals.

Sure, I hung out with cool writers (introduced to me by Michelle and Laurie), was dragged to shake hands with editors (thanks to Amy, Wylie and Christine) and met a few agents (thanks to an online booking form and Michelle again), but I still feel that I could have done a bit more of that reaching-out thing...

Only it makes me feel like treading in dangerous waters...


Thanks must go to Erica Ridley for sharing this fabulous San Francisco photo with me. And she says some folks were swimming despite this oh-so-gentle warning.

Where was I? Oh yes, swimming with the networking sharks. Perhaps I should have participated more in all the loops I lurk on. Maybe I should have simply blurted out a "how are ya" when I recognized a name on someone's chest.

Ugh. Coulda. Shoulda. Woulda. And I thought my self-doubt was limited to my writing. ;)

So, starting as soon as I don my water wings, I plan on dipping into the pond, or lake or whatever that body of social networking is. If you've been following this blog for a while, you know how much Facebook terrifies me, so I'm gonna start small. Or medium in some cases.

And someday soon I will get my San Fran photos off the camera. LOL

Labels: goals, ideas, RWA

Ask me what day it is, and I think it's Monday. Ask me what time, and it's time for bed.

RWA Nationals was a mind-blowing, overwhelming, incredible and totally amazing experience. I'm so glad I bit the bullet and did it. To all the fabulous people I met, it was a definite pleasure. To all the people I didn't have a chance to properly meet, maybe we can next year or online or in a chat loop or something.

Man, there are a lot of crazy people out there. And I'm proud to be part of them. ;)

Rumor has it that the book signings were crazy and, thanks to a number of hangovers due to the Harlequin party, some workshops weren't attended as heavily as others so the opportunity to pick the brains of agents, editors and other awesome people was there. In spades.

I particularly enjoyed the "10 Things We Love About YA" workshop. It's given me an even stronger belief that I'm on the right track with my own efforts. And I was this close to doing a drive-by pitch to Jennifer Jackson at the end of the workshop when my self-confidence ran off to the Goody Room and left me stranded.

Sigh. Next time I'll do that whole "carpe diem" thing, I promise.

Dinner before the Golden Hearts and Ritas was a truly fabulous affair, as I shared an overcrowded table with authors Megan Crane, Liza Palmer, Kate Perry, Michelle Rowen, Samhain editor Laurie Rauch and, get this, agent Jim McCarthy of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

It was a total schmoozefest people. Okay, maybe not total since I'm friends with Michelle and Laurie, but did I mention the other gloriously cool people at the table whom I don't normally hang with? In a classy restaurant no less?

Did I mention that I was sitting on Jim's lap the whole time?

Well, it was a small table.

So there I was, living the RWA dream of chatting it up, making witty remarks, totally looking like a true media-whoring professional (some call it "networking")...

...when I realized that I left my wallet in the hotel room as the check arrived at the table.

:::add crickets chirping here:::

I know, I know. Not only do I wear my RWA name tag outside of the hotel so the homeless and Walgreens cashiers know my name, I also can't be relied upon to pay my own way in uber-classy establishments where items like "beef cheeks" are on the menu.

Yeah, I don't know what part of the cow they're referring to either.

While Jim mumbled something about unique architecture and turned away (very politely, I might add), Michelle took pity on the unagented, unpublished one and rescued me with her mighty Visa card. It's all you really need -- especially if someone else gets the bill in the mail. ;)

We then had to race back to the hotel and arrive late (gasp!) at the awards ceremony, which meant we had to stumble over well-dressed people in the dark. My apologies to anyone I stepped on, tripped over or grabbed -- I also hope it was as good for you as it was for me.

Again, I was the one with the name tag on.

There's much, much more to discuss, but I needs my sleeps...

Labels: adventures, RWA

Any day that starts out with danishes has got to be a good one.

The Romance Divas dinner last night was tasty, loud and insane! We were all squished in together so I feel know some of those fabulous ladies on an intimate basis. Pun fully intended. Thanks ladies!

Back to the Friday happenings:

The hotel has Diet Coke again, thank the heavens. Today was biz-ay and I needed all the caffeinification I could get.

Feeling I was ready to get hardcore with the workshops, I attended one on self-promotion led by none other than the ever-so-awesome Kelley St. John. Did you know that she gives away trips to the destinations her books are based in? How cool is that? And a Canadian reader won her contest last year? And can you believe it wasn't me? ;)

Have no fear, dear friends. My contest-winning karma has finally arrived in San Francisco, and my name was drawn for a prize (a copy of Kelley's To Catch A Cheat)! And, if you don't know me, I should explain that I tend to get verra verra excited when I win something. Think Showcase Showdown on The Price Is Right and you're getting close.

So I squealed, jumped up, raced to the front and caused a flurry of fabulousness. Then I asked Kelley to sign the book, making it out to "Bonnie the Screamer." And she did. Gladly.

Later, when I was telling Michelle about my experience, she gently reminded me that all the workshops are being taped. So my screams of delight will become legend, I'm sure. Or not.

Just remember to turn down the volume when they do the first prize draws when you're listening to that particular workshop.

Oh, and I had my agent appointment today...no agents were harmed in the pitching of my novel. Plus, I was able to contain all bodily fluids during my allotted time. Thanks must go to Laurie for helping me keep my pitch under three hours, Wylie and Christine for listening to it and not running away, and Amy for being the last friendly face I saw before stepping into the hallway of destiny.

Okay, maybe I'm being a little dramatic. But for me, this was a big deal. It's a lot easier writing up a query letter, hitting the send button and getting a "sorry, try again" in your inbox. That's because email has no tone. And it's way more comfortable facing rejection while in the comfort of my own home.

But at RWA, you've got to bring it, put it out there and get an immediate reaction.

This is when having a vivid imagination does not come in handy because writers are really good at expecting the worst. Like an agent laughing hysterically (in a bad way) or shrieking "Nooooo!" before calling security.

Luckily, my efforts paid off and the agent requested a partial. Yeah me!

And no, I did not squeal like a game show contestant during the appointment. So double yeah me!

Oh, we got even more books at lunch, and then I swung by some book signings to pick up a few hundred more. I'm now considering wearing all my clothes on the flight home to make more room in my suitcases. ;)

While all the workshops I've attended have been great, I'm finding the how-to-find-an-agent ones are getting a little repetitive. It could be that they're all on the same topic. ;)

Jane Porter won me over with her workshop on writing in first person by helping alleviate my fears of limiting myself by writing in first person. (Did that make sense? Maybe I need another Diet Coke.) Anyhow, I took tons of notes and can now take over the world. Starting next week.

Like a true rebel, I joined a gaggle of romance writers and crashed the Harlequin party, which wasn't that hard since all we had to do was walk in. LOL

After a scan of the crowded dance floor, the glittering gowns and sea of fabulous women and token suit-wearing men, I bailed. Without name tags, I was as lost as an Eskimo in the desert.

Will tomorrow be the day that puts this RWA-newbie over the edge? Stay tuned.

Labels: adventures, RWA, writing

The hotel gift shop is out of Diet Coke and I can't bring myself to even approach the bottle in the room's mini bar. I think with taxes and the restocking fee it would come to about $585. Sigh.

Oh. Mah. Gawd. My brain has exploded about eleven times so far and I haven't even left the hotel to attend the Romance Divas dinner (thanks to Laurie for forcing me to sign up!).

The opening session this morning was musical, so you know that makes me happy -- especially when keynote speaker Theresa Behenna made us all sing "We Write the Books" to the tune of Barry Manilow's "I Write the Songs." I think that's the closest I'm gonna get to a karaoke bar.

Don't tell anyone, but I totally skipped the AGM to get to the Blaze booksigning.

I'm starting to recognize people, which is very fortunate so I don't have to wander aimlessly alone. Now we wander in packs. There are so many people from TRW here that it kind of feels like a chapter meeting -- only with about 1950 more people and unsweetened iced tea.

Victoria Alexander won over the crowd at lunch over and over again. Somehow she made this whole experience seem normal. ;) The best part was when she spoke about the unfortunate possibility of being struck down by a trolley car immediately after her speech and how we'd all approach it. "The historical writers would have it happen in 1888, the contemporary writers would have the hero step in to rescue me, the paranormal authors would somehow bend space or time to get me out of there and the erotic romance writers...well that's best left between me and the erotic romance writers."

I'm paraphrasing, but hopefully it comes through in my translation.

Seeing that I'm a PRO member, I attended the PRO Retreat. Chocolate and cabana boys were not involved. But Linda Howard made up for it with a delightful speech about just going for it no matter what. Karin Tabke must also be mentioned, because when she spoke, she made such a connection with all of us that it brought tears to my eyes.

She's totally been here in PROdom, waiting for the call. She mentioned sending out a manuscript that no agent or editor should ever be allowed to see, and I knew she could feel our pain (desperation) and hope (gut-clenching desire) to finally get good news...someday.

Ooh, then we met the agents! Laurie McLean, Barbara Poelle, Laura Bradford, Nathan Branford and Jennifer Schober are now all close personal friends of mine so I can go hang out in the whirlpool with them for the rest of the week.

Okay, maybe not, but it was nice to hear what the agents had to say about submissions, sales, clients, do's and dont's, etc. I'll admit, there were some uncomfortable moments when some people asked questions that made the agents go "huh" or, to quote Laurie McLean, made them say, "next question." Ouch.

There were 12 prizes to be given away and I didn't win any of them. Can you believe it? Next time I'll throw in 200 business cards (gotta love Vista Print) to tip the odds in my favor. I don't think anyone will notice, do you?

Now I need to get ready for dinner. If I can swing it, I'll give you an update tomorrow. When they have Diet Coke.

I guess I could always walk over to Rite-Aid...sigh...

Labels: adventures, RWA, writing