RWA 2010 Recap PART ONE

Hello to all my friends out in the blogosphere!

I know it's been a while but as I've said before, if you really want to keep up with me, you can find me on Twitter.

It's been a busy time since I last blogged. This whole last week I was in Florida attending my very first RWA Conference. I've been to RT several times but never really gave a thought to to attending this conference which I now know was a mistake.

I'd first like to thank all the staff at RWA who worked their asses off to put this together after the flood at the Opryland Hotel. They did an awesome job.

But really? Mother fucking Florida in the middle of mother fucking July? It was like the Devil's armpit there. I told several people that God had abandoned us. No way He could live there and He was punishing us. Still, as long as you stayed inside the hotel, all was well. But DAMN! It didn't even cool off at night.

That being said, everything came together amazingly.

My CP Tricia and I decided to attend this year because our other CP Viola Estrella was nominated for her first (and in no way last) RITA award. Unfortunately, she didn't win but still, it was a landmark nomination because it was the very first e-book to be nominated. A fact that I think RWA grossly undervalued. In my opinion, there should have been more fanfare. But whatever. Her name and her book will be remembered for that.

The thing that made me most happy though, is that I got to see La Nora. Of course, in true Monica fashion, I spit on her. Yeah. I have a tendency to spit sometimes when I talk and that was one of those times.

Awesome.

Nora gave a GREAT keynote speech. She talked about what it took to be a writer. My favorite quote and one that I'm going to get made into T-shirts was 'Ride the Hard.' My mind went to oh so many bad yet delicious places! If you get a chance to get a copy of this speech, do it. I was so inspired. Tricia and I came home determined to ride our hards all the way to New York. I'm working on putting a synopsis and querying agents.

And writing. Most of all writing.

I also met some AWESOME people. Of course there was Jessa Slade and Delilah Marvelle. These lovely ladies are kindness personified and my best night was sitting at the pool with them as well as Vi and Trish and talking shop. Career planning, publishing, the future of our industry. It was one of the best conversations. Ever.

I got a shitload of books. Like ten times more than RT. I swear, when I see books, my brain shuts down and goes into MUST HAVE mode. I grabbed everything I could. I have gotten more books in the past three months than I can read this year. But I'm going to try. Really hard. Though I will have to fit reading in around my writing and not the other way around.

I saw Nalini Singh. We had a room on the same floor and I swear she thought I was stalking her. I wasn't. This time.

I also think I freaked out Carolyn Jewel. I follow her on Twitter and when you read someone's tweets it's like you know them. So when I met her at RomCon I kind of approached her like I knew her. I didn't. But she was so sweet and lovely that when I saw her again at RWA we were BFFs. (Not really. At least not anywhere but in my own mind.) As such, I talked to her as though we were best gal pals. She humored me. But I saw the glint of "this bitch is crazy" in her eyes but I promise her I'm not going to be hiding in her bushes. I'm in CO, she's in CA. At least until RT next year.

KIDDING!!!

I was happy to get an ARC of her book though. It was like a stroke of luck because they were all gone and then one got returned and I snatched that shit up.

But the real highlight of my trip was sitting next to Donald 'Mother Fucking' Maass at the RITA awards. Another thing for which I need to thank Delilah and Jessa. Oh, and he's hot. I'd never seen a picture of him but wow. He was not what I had expected. And I did take Keri Stevens's advice not to lick him and thereby commit career suicide.

Random bits:

-Lisa Kleypas is gorgeous in person.

-Teresa Medeiros is funny as hell.

-Cynthia Eden continues to be the sweetest person on the planet and she told me she loves me. The feeling is mutual.

Okay. That's it for this installment. Next time more about the week and why RWA is better than RT. If you're a writer.