As all of you know, the Romance Bandits have just returned home from the RWA Conference in San Francisco. As the week wore on, we tended to scatter more and to have less opportunity to discuss things with each other, so we're having a round table blog and sharing it with all of you. We also realize not everyone went to San Francisco and the world kept turning while we were gone, so we also want to hear from those of you who had other things to do last week. So please read down and comment appropriately. Some of us are answering to kick us off.What was your favorite thing about the conference?
Suz: This year it was a myriad of things. For the first time I got to go out sight seeing because a group of Texas friends and I flew in early and had planned tours. Then getting to see all the Bandits!! That was by far one of the best things for me. What our readers don't realize is how much we chat off the blog with each other. Getting to be with almost everyone, (we truly missed Christie), was the icing on the cake! Speaking of cake...the Bandit Bash party was another of my favorite things this year!! Watching my CP Jo Davis sign her debute book at the NAL free signing...her very FIRST signing. And who was her first fan? Jennifer Y!! 
Tawny: Just one thing? There are so many things that I loved this year. The Blaze signing was fabulous, the Lit signing was amazing. I loved the Bandita Bash, even though I only caught the tail end of it and the Harlequin Party was fabulous. I think the time with my editor was one of the best things, right next to hanging out with incredible friends. Thats the one sad thing about conference, it always reminds me of how far away Beth lives... and thanks to my cat, she won't move to California :-(
Oh, and cheering on our Banditas! KJ for winning the Daphne, Nancy for HM in the Daphne, KJ, Anna and of course our own Susan as she won the Golden Heart! I'm still hoarse from all the cheering!
AC: Oh absolutely, Joanie! Hanging with our Banditas and our Bandita Buddies! It was such a thrill to hear everyone cheer when I was "booted out" at the TGN ceremony. Almost as much fun as cheering on the other Banditas at all the awards ceremonies! Meeting My Editor, My Publicist, and My Publisher was also a very big thrill and riding in a limo to go out to dinner with them and the other authors in our publishing house was also a huge thrill!What was your favorite thing outside the conference?
Beth: My favorite thing outside of conference was hanging out at Tawny's house Sunday night with Tawny and Harlequin Intrigue author Kathleen Long. We relaxed, had a few margaritas and enjoyed a delicious dinner Tawny's husband prepared *g* Then, on Monday, Tawny and I spent the day plotting our stories and working on our goals :-)
Suz: My first limo ride with Dan, the very cute limo driver, the Foxes (my Texas girls) and tasting wine up in Sonoma! I even found a wine at Sebastiani that I brought back to TX. (oh wait...it's still got some in the bottle...hmmm)
AC: Getting to play tour guide a couple of times. On Thursday night, I took my Sourcebooks sister Marie Force and two of her chapter mates to Chinatown for dinner. We went to my fave hole-in-the-wall place and I wasn't sure they'd be game. You walk in through the kitchen and up three flights of narrow stairs. The waitresses are so surly they make the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld look congenial and heaven help you if you ask for a fork! But the three of them LOVED it. Plus we'd no sooner sat down than in walked two of the Writers At Play gals, Stacey Kayne and Carla Capshaw! Carla's sister used to live in San Francisco which is how she knew about the place!
Then on Friday, I got to take our Bandit Buddy and Writers Revenge Bo'sun Terrio over to Pier 39. I'm sure I told her waaay more than she ever wanted to know about Coit Tower (designed to resemble a fire hose nozzle), seal lions (which have external ears while seals do not), and the Bay (Alcatraz is from the Spanish word for pelican and Angel Island was once called Ellis Island of the West) than she ever wanted to know! I had a GREAT TIME even if we didn't wait the 1 1/2 hours to ride the cable car.
Beth: I had a few 'duh' moments but I blame them on the fact that by Saturday I was pretty much brain dead *g* And did I mention Tawny left me stranded at the Oakland airport? :-)
AC: Well..... there was that lil incident at the Bandita Bash where I was wielding my crop and in walked my editor and another woman whom she promptly introduced to me as publisher and CEO of Sourcebooks, Dominique Raccah. Yes, I'm afraid I met my publisher for the very first time with my riding crop in hand. Oh well, she was bound to find out about Aunty sooner or later.
Suz: Well, I did get SEP to sign her double book release with No Body's Baby But Mine, for me. It's my favorite and we laughed about the delivery scene in the book. And Ms. Garwood wasn't at the conference, so she's safe from me for another year.
Tawny: I met so many of the Blaze authors who I've been reading and loving for years at the Blaze dinner. I felt like a total fan girl and kept telling myself to be grateful I was sitting in a corner. Thats about all that kept me from running from person to person to gush and ask for autographs.
Joan: I've been fortunate enough to get to know many of my author idols. I almost missed Susan Grant who has been such a supporter of my Roman boys. Then Sherrilyn of course, always encouraging. I did run into Gena Showalter on the elevator and had a fan girl moment. I had just finished the first two books of her Lords of the Underworld series...FABULOUS...and just had to tell her how brilliant she was!
AC: I had a "fan girl" moment in the elevator with Patricia Potter. She admired all the bling on my badge and I told her I'd trade them all for one of her "girls" (silver Rita nominee badges). Basically, I gushed like an idiot, and she was very gracious.For our published authors, did you have any encounters with fans? What was that like?
AC: I absolutely LOVED all the people I didn't know congratulating me on my first sale ribbon! Also, during the Lit signing, I was standing in the crowd around our own Christine and Tawny when I heard a small voice ask, "Excuse me, are you Loucinda McGary?" Since only my mother when she was angry and the IRS ever called me that, I had to curb the urge to say, "Who wants to know?" Instead, I said, "Yes, I am." And I turned around to see Jennifer Y! As Tawny said, she IS awesome!
Now that you're back in your Ordinary World, what's next for you?
Beth: First I'm working on my revisions for my next Supers (Dillon's story which still doesn't have a title *g*) and I'm anxious to dig into a new story for Supers that Tawny and I plotted. Then it's back to my third Supers and hopefully I'll get more done on my YA as well. Oh, and since it's only two more weeks until school starts, I need to round up my kids and do some back-to-school shopping :-)
Suz: First getting out my requested proposal (three chapters and a synopsis) to the agent who requested it. Then hammering out pages on the Western Historical Erotica, since I have a request on the full manuscript when it's finished. :) (whoohoo!!) OH and yeah, working extra shifts to pay on my overheated credit card.
AC: Discussing "next steps" with my editor, and preparing for LAUNCH DAY! Only 52 more days to go!
If you didn't go to San Francisco, what was the high point of your summer so far?
Nancy: I did go to San Francisco, but I'll answer this set of questions just to start things off. A highlight for us was going to the NC Outer Banks and seeing The Lost Colony, the nation's longest-running outdoor drama, and taking the backstge tour. And no, the NC Dept. of Travel and Tourism isn't sponsoring this blog. *g*
Was there a low point to your summer?
Nancy: Not really. We almost had a low point when a thunderstorm fried the answering machine and knocked out the phones, but since it did not fry the computer, which was on at the time, we consider ourselves pretty lucky. Yes, I know to turn off the computer. I would've, if I'd known the storm was so close.
Did you do any fabulous shopping, for anything from books to furniture?
Nancy: Fabulous? No. But I did buy some "cute little tops that don't tuck in" (paraphrasing here), on orders from Caren Crane, who worries about my geeky fondness for polo shirts.
So those are our kickoff answers. What about you? Post a comment and let us know.
Oh, yeah. The bird, seen here contemplating robbing Donna's famous corset purse, made it to San Francisco (photo by Caren Crane). Stronger counter-measures will be implemented next year.
Blog photos from RWA by Caren, Kirsten, and Tawny.
47 comments:
Ladies, it's a joy to know you all had such a marvelous time. I expected nothing less! :)
I found some excellent on-line classes and spent a last bit of summer fun with my girls and husband. We visited a Ripley's Believe It or Not museum, and a Butterfly sanctuary, and ate way too much funnel cake and popcorn. We all head back to school and work next week.
Well done Gillian
Fantastic post Ladies I really have been enjoying the photos and hearing all about SF I know I am repeating myself but I would truly have loved to have been there with you all.
As it is winter here in Australia which is my favourite time of the year I have read lots of wonderful books (keep them coming Ladies 52 days till the next one I really want to read AC!!) I was lucky enough to pick up Beth's book Not Without Her Family yesterday at the local Big W store and it was the last one on the shelf I will be reading that soon.
I have taken the grandchildren to Featherdale Wildlife Park where they played with kangaroos patted koalas fed birds and had a fantastic time.
Ladies get those proposals in good luck to everyone in contests and keep having fun you Guys are the best.
Have Fun
Helen
YAY Gillian ;-) Congrats on the GR snagging.
I love the sound of the butterfly sanctuary. We had a butterfly house nearby at one time, but sadly it closed before my youngest was born. She'd have loved it.
Helen, I can't wait to hear what you think of Beth's book! And I'm waiting impatiently for AC's too :-D Gotta love the Bandits & BB's, there is never a lack of good books to read here LOL. I do wish you'd been able to be at conference, too. Maybe next year?
Lucky you, Gillian. I love to take on-line or TV courses. I took a Women's Psychology course that way that was fascinating and gave me the idea for my first book.
Congrats on the rooster.
Helen, you must be a really fast reader. You seem to go through the books quickly. Hope we writers can keep up with you LOL!
Gillian, what's funnel cake. Is that like a bundt cake?
Forgot to say that my favorite part of the RWA Conference was hanging with the Banditas and meeting some of the Bandita Buddies. You all are such smart, funny, talented women I feel very privileged to know you and be your friend.
What a great post - and a lot of fun was had by all, huh ;). My week wasn't that exciting. I've lost track of time, but I believe I took a final that Friday, and then pretended to do work for the upcoming editor's mtg - and also did my best to imitate a vegetable. It was nice.
Oh, man, what a week! And how wonderful to relive the memories with that wonderful post, Nancy.
By the way, GL, congratulations on the GR!
Some highlights for me? Seeing all the people I only ever get to talk to via cyberspace. Meeting Liz Carlyle! Having breakfast with Joanna Bourne. Finding Macy's! Meeting the Golden Rooster - man, what a chook! Seeing my Banditas and Buddies! Hearing that my books were discussed in workshops as something people should pay attention to (seriously cool!). The wedding cake at the bash - Suz, you did a really great job of putting that together for the Aussie chicks, thank you! Meeting Louisa Cornell! Watching the fog flow in over the Golden Gate while I drank a margarita in the bar on the top floor. Oh, man, I could go on! You all know that everything was a highlight, don't you? I'm only stopping because I could go on forever!
I've had a pretty boring summer. Staying home more means saving money. I haven't been clothes shopping for a while and I've also cut back on movies and other forms of entertainment. Can't believe I missed out on all the fun in San Francisco.
Gillain, sweetie, we were so sorry you weren't at conference! Since you have the GR today, you MUST have him tell you all about it. He REALLY got around.
And that picture with Donna's corset purse? He wasn't contemplating robbing it, if you know what I mean. *g* Naughty chook!
Jo, do we need to talk about Fair Food again? Actually, the NC State Fair is coming up in October, so I should have even more pictures. I intended to do a post on it last fall (with pictures I took at the Fair) but forgot. Maybe I'll do a preview this month. *g*
Funnel cakes are sometimes called "elephant ears". They are the ones where they take a funnel and pour cake batter into hot oil. You get an enormous, twisted, fried hunk of dough that they then lavish with powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar or any number of other insane toppings. It's a favorite of many people. One is usually enough to share among four people. Really.
Y'all, Foanna isn't kidding about being happy to find Macy's. She looked smashing at conference and she gave all the credit to Macy's. Hey Fo, maybe you can petition them to bring a store to your area! *eg*
Limecello, I'm jealous of your semi-vegetative, post-exam state. I'm am VERY slow to recover from jet lag, so I have been out of it most of this week. I'm off to work out now. *sigh* Not feeling revved up for it, either. After, I get to rush home, shower and head out to a local RWA chapter meeting - where I'm one of the presenters. Oy.
Joan, I totally can't believe you didn't mention your trip to Garlic World. Are you holding out on everyone?!
Thanks, Caren. It always gives a person warm fuzzies to know they were missed...:)
So people actually share funnel cakes, hummmm? Interesting. I thought that's why elastic waist pants existed. ;) And as anyone eating the funnel cake knows, you have to wear light colors when you eat them, because the powdered sugar ends up everywhere!
Tawny, the butterflies were amazing. My girls just stood still and let them land, and my husband took like a million pictures. It was a good day.
GR is earning his keep today. I'm in a mad cleaning rush before work starts back next week. So which one of you bought him the French maid's outfit he keeps waving around??? (He works great in a pinch as a feather duster, BTW.)
ROFLMAO at Gillian's uses for the GR! Way to go, Gillian!! And you were TERRIBLY missed at the conference!
What a great rundown on Conference Highlights, ladies. Meeting all of you was absolutely the highlight of my conference. And I tried to get a photo with as many of you as possible.
Yes, FoAnna did look smashing, didn't she? Meeting her and having lunch with her was definitely the HUGE highlight of my conference. That and those magnificent Cadbury's treats from her and Anna S.! Speaking of elastic waistbands!
I loved seeing the GR at the party, the little devil was standing guard over that fabulous cake when I saw him.
I met so many of my favorite authors and tried really hard not to gush. And met and spent time with one of my idols, Diane Gaston!!
I also got to meet my CP from Arizona for the very first time - Sherry Leddington, who won the first chapter in the Avon FanLit event. Meeting several of the Avon FanLitters was also a highlight!! We've come a long way together.
And meeting the Pixie Chicks (that's the name of our 2008 Golden Heart class.) What a great bunch of ladies!
And now I am putting the finishing touches on all of the requests I got so I can send them out. Then I will spend the next couple of months listening to my CP crack the whip at me on a daily basis until I finish The Raven's Heart!!
Sounds like you ladies had a bash! Love the wielding your crop story.
I actually took the week off because I had planned to go, but it was just to much in the end.
But... I did put the time to good use, finished up the book I was writing. AND I hit refresh like every two minutes Rita/GH night to see who the winners were!
Oh ladies, heading back to work this week was such a buzz-kill!! I had way too much fun in San Francisco! I loved meeting everyone, being loud and inappropriate in public places, and picking up tips and tidbits at the workshops. I also loved being able to name drop about my fellow Banditas -- oh yeah, I'd say -- Tawny the Fabulous Blaze Author? I know her. All those signing authors? Know 'em. Buddies of mine.
Ha! :-)
But of course the BEST PART was squealing and crying like an infant when my fantastic and uber-talented critique partner won the Golden Heart. Nothing beat that. Nothing!!
It sounds like a fantastic time! And AC on the good side, your publisher will always remember you---I would certainly not forget a whip-wielding Bandita. LOL.
And like Tiff, I kept refreshing the page to see who the winners were.
Morning everyone! Anna, you were more than welcome on the wedding cake. No way could I let you and Christine HATE wedding cake. It's one of the reasons I attend weddings....okay...there is the whole beautiful bride, hunky groom swearing love forever thing...geesh romance!
Kirsten, wasn't it just super fabulous to see tiny little Susan up there at the podium...and here her very first shout out was to the Bandits? (If I ever get my pics downloaded I'll have to slip them into a blog...coz I did get some of her!)
LOL on the GR and the corset, Caren. Seems to me that chook saw lots of the sights in SF...some of them with Bandits included.
Caren, YES, let's talk unhealthy, greasy, WONDERFUL-tasting food fair again!
Funnel cake sounds like churros, Mexican fried pastry. Yummmy, just up my alley. The arteries are hardening just by my thinking of it.
Gillian, I adore funnel cake! Was the butterfly sanctuary one of those places where you can go in and let them land on you? I've always wanted to do that.
Congrats on nabbing the GR!
Helen, we would've loved to have you there, too. The zoo trip sounds great. I used to have a stuffed koala and am not sure what happened to him. I hear they're not actually so very sweet, but it seems as if some of them must be if they're in a petting zoo.
I think you'll enjoy Beth's book. I did. Thanks for the good wishes. We can all use favorable karma!
Tawny, speaking of AC, it isn't long now, is it, until her book comes out?
BTW, AC, don't you have an upcoming blog appearance to share with our friends? Have you set that up yet?
Jo, how do you take a TV course? That sounds intriguing.
Limecello, I hope your final went well and the meeting will, too. Sometimes vegetable is a comfortable state of mind.
Anna C., you didn't tell us about hearing your books referenced in workshops. Way cool! Your long, hard slog to publication is really paying off, isn't it? BTW, didn't you say you'd totally cleaned out Macy's? And weren't they cute little tops that don't tuck in? *g*
Caren, great explanation of funnel cake. Reading it reminded me that funnel cakes are similar to beignets in their preparation and service, just not in their shapes. No wonder I ate so many beignets in New Orleans.
As we say in the South, if you can eat it, we can fry it! Though I do draw the line at fried Milky Way bars, which I hear are popular at the State Fair. I mean, why tinker with perfection?
Jane, I think we're all cutting back in one way or another. I did my shopping on sale, and I haven't been buying as many books. People aren't driving as much. I suspect the main reason airplanes are so full is that the flights have been cut back, not that so many people are traveling. We would've loved to have you in San Francisco and will hope to see you at another conference.
Gillian, work that bird!
Hello ladies, it sounds like you guys had a fantastic time. I would have loved to have been there. As it is I have stayed home all summer doing work in the yard and such. Yes I do love it outside, so I don't mind the work as much.
Louisa, I'm glad you had such a great conference. We enjoyed seeing you, too. Get those subs out!
Tiffany, AC had an actual crop at the bandit bash. I seem to remember hearing "don't make me use this." *g* I'm sorry you couldn't make the conference, but a week off is always great.
Kirsten, I agree that seeing Susan win the GH was a huge moment. I loved your dress for the event, by the way! A highlight for me (which Blogger wiped out of the post for some reason) was going to that food court (Westfield Center?) wih you for lunch. There was so much great stuff that choosing was hard.
Elyssa, I think AC's editor may actually have seen her with the crop. I'm not sure since I sort of floated from room to room a lot of the time, and it was crowded.
Suz, the cake truly was fabulous! Next time, let's do breakfast for real. (For everyone else, Suz and I were to have breakfast but got our wires crossed as to where. She tried to call me twice, but I didn't hear the cell in all the noise and had not, of course, had the forethought to bring the bandita phone list with me, so I couldn't call her. Aagh! However, we did both get to eat. Just not together.)
Virginia, the dh loves yard work. If I had a green thumb, as opposed to a brown one, so would I. Sounds as if you had a fun week.
Jo--churros? Something else fried for me to check out? *g* (Note to self: get back to the gym on Monday!)
I love meeting new folks, so I did a photoblog "Shoe Revue," which gave me a great excuse to talk to people. But that activity, and the fact that I really liked all four of the women I roomed with, meant I didn't make a big effort to organize meet ups with acquaintances. Heck, I barely saw the other Noodlers, except for my roomie Priscilla. In an ideal world, conference would last three weeks, because it would take that long to see all the people you want to see. I guess that's why people go to more than one conference a year! But I did get to meet a lot of Banditas, and Jennifer Yates at the signing, which was exciting.
I get such a kick out of seeing the GR in photos!
I really enjoyed reading today's blog. It is great to hear all about your favorite moments, and some of the embarrassing moments. But can you guess what really caught my attention? Joan falling asleep in the hotel lobby while the Brazilian Soccer team was there. Joan, Joan, Joan, when there are hotties in the area, you just can't fall asleep!
Esri, sounds as if you had a great conference. Congratulations on your first literacy signing. I look forward to reading the book. And I loved that tunic you had on!
Buffie, I didn't even see the Brazilian soccer guys. Wrong place, wrong time, I guess. Too bad for me!
Very, very cool summation. Loved the different points of view.
That GR is one licentuous bird. He seems to be leering at the pink corset and imagining goodness-knows-what, and somehow I don't think, stealing is foremost in his mind.
Nancy, I did indeed buy cute little tops that don't tuck in! What was hilarious was that apparently people were complaining that Macy's had run out of trousers in a size that shall not be mentioned (that's not a joke, that's true - I went back and the lady who had served me told me!). They were all on their way to Oz in my new suitcase! Yeah, the workshop thing was a slightly surreal moment, I have to say.
Hey, Caren, thanks for the wrap on my new clothes. Seriously it was such fun getting a whole new wardrobe together like that!
Pam, so glad the Cadbury's is welcome. You SHOULD have had a great conference with all those prizes you won! And wasn't it fantastic to see Susan get the GH? Yay, you, Smoov!
Isn't the picture with the GR and the corset a classic?
Oh, limecello, did memorizing your Blue Book send you into a comatose state? Or do you leave that fun stuff to your articles editors? :-)
Gillian, I brought my daughter to a butterfly sanctuary this summer and she nearly keeled over with joy. Pure bliss for a 5 year old!
Helen, I was in love with our Aussie friends before, but even more so now that I can hear their voices in my mind. My favorite expletive of the conference -- Denise Rosetti saying "Oh Bugger!"
Suz, our Golden Heart winner was WAAAAAYY too poised and composed up there, doncha think? I would have been a blubbering, crazed fool, with no idea what to say. And gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous, don't you think?
Nancy, I loved having lunch together too and talking SF! Did you ever get around to reading Dune?
Hey, I threw in a picture from the GH night, just for fun. I still can't believe Louisa picked me out of the crowd when I don't look too much like my avatar these day -- meeting the beautiful doglady was definitely a highlight for me! :-)
I had a fabulous time in San Francisco. So much fun hanging with the Banditas and the BBs. Jennifer Y even appeared on the guided tour I was taking on Tuesday. Too fun!
As usual though, I felt like I had two seconds to talk to any one person. Very, very busy week. During the Sunday afterward, I got to spend some time visiting Napa Valley, Muir Woods and Muir Beach with Superromance author Terry McLaughlin.
Tawny
I have your two books here to read as well and I am really looking forward to them as well.
Jo
I am not sure that I read so fast it is just that I love reading so much that as soon as I finish one I start another unfortunatley the day job takes up too much time LOL
Nancy
Koalas have big claws you can't hold them but they sit in small tree branches so as you can pat then and these ones are very used to people they just chew on their gum leaves while you pat them
Kirsten
A few years back Toyota did a big add campaign and that was the ending of all the adds "Oh Bugger" my sister even had a T Shirt with that across the front
I am glad everyone enjoyed our chocolates I had a cadbury family block last night with crunchie through it I am sure you would love these Joan LOL.
Have Fun
Helen
Keira, how was your conference? You did a great job coping with being in Bandita Central.
Anna C., my theory is, if it fits and you need it, buy as many as possible. I do this with shoes because of my impossible feet. I'm sure Macy's would love to have you come back! As for the photo of the GR with Donna's purse--I really don't care for the way he's looking at it. We may be glad Caren documented it.
No, Kirsten, I have not yet read Dune, which requires analytical thinking. I'm running short on time, too. At least I read pretty fast once I get going. I'm going to GRW next weekend (anyone planning to be there?), so I can read in the hotel.
And I did write down the Sherri Tepper (Grass, for the curious) and I will read it 'cause I don't want you haunting me. *g*
Trish, I really think that lunch Saturday was the first time I'd seen you since the bash. You looked great onstage, by the way. Very elegant. And congrats on your 4 stars from RT!
Helen, thanks for the koala info. I do like the way they look.
I'm having Bandita withdrawal pains! Wish we were all still together *g*
Helen, thank you so much for picking up a copy of NWHF. I hope you like the story :-)
I'd definitely consider moving to the West Coast to be closer to Tawny. Not only is she the greatest critique partner, but she makes a mean margarita ;-) Although her cat would probably never forgive me if I show up at her house again (I'm allergic to cats and Tawny made her poor kitty stay outside all day.)
One is usually enough to share among four people.
Ya'll share in NC? Really?
Huh?
Ummmmm...yeah, GARLIC WORLD!
Ok, here's the deal. My CP's and I made reservations for a Monteray/Carmel tour on Monday. We THOUGHT it was going to be 7 hours...instead it was 11....
With Larry the bus driver who TALKED every single moment....
Any hoo....we were 7 hours into it. I was tired, the sky was overcast and Jeanne had just called me to come down for drinks and I was 110 miles away! The Banditas were in town and I was missing it! Wah!
So, nothing to do then to go with it. Then Larry the bus driver enthusiastically announces he has a "SURPRISE" for us....and rolls into Garlic World in Gilroy, CA.
Garlic. Everywhere. Garlic candy, garlic wine, garlic garlic. The busload of people fair leapt out to go to "Garlic World". 4 more hours...on a bus....with tons of garlic!
I sent a beady eyed warning to my roommates DARING them to bring garlic into our hotel room.
I sent a frantic message to Bandita central (Jeanne's phone).
"Jeanne, this is JT. I'm in tour bus hell. We just stopped at GARLIC WORLD. Send the GR ASAP"
Ackkkkk
Oh, now Buffie. You see the team wasn't IN the lobby when I feel asleep.
I just woke up surrounded by them....bouncing balls.
Joan, honey, I wouldn't touch that line with a ten foot pole!!
And I must say that when Susan Smoov Seyfarth won the Golden Heart I screamed myself hoarse!! My roommate and I were sitting behind her and the other Banditas and the look on Susan's face was just priceless. And such class and elegance on the podium! Of course I expected nothing less from a Bandita!!
Kirsten, it was the beautiful eyes and that wonderful smile. I knew you in an instant and it was so exciting to meet you at last.
I happened to be in a number of workshops when our own La Campbell's CLAIMING THE COURTESAN was mentioned by editors, agents and authors as (and these terms come straight from my notes!) "intense" "the ultimate alpha male" "cutting edge" "unique" "the kind of hero and story readers are looking for" Well, gee, we knew that all along!
Is Keira not the cutest thing?? She was everywhere and I had so much fun talking to her! She is an absolute doll!
Thanks a lot, Joan! Now I will be having nightmares about being trapped in Garlic World with no way out! EEEEEEEEK!!!!
I don't know why everyone is talking about Nancy's clothing. She looked beautiful at the Daphnes!
Beth, I'm allergic to cats, too. This is sometimes a trial to my friends who have them.
Joan, I share. In general. Not desserts, though. I told the dh when we got married, I'd share anything with him, just not dessert. BTW, funnel cake counts as dessert. :-) So does sugar cake from the Moravian bakery at Old Salem. It's yellow cake with a crumbly, melted brown sugar topping. Fabulous!
Garlic world sounds like a nightmare. Ick! I don't think tours should include unscheduled surprises. People have timetables and plans.
Louisa, I almost touched that line, but I deleted it. Wouldn't want Joan to sic the gladiators on me. *g*
Thanks for the kind words about my dress. A "black" memo seemed to have gone out to the banditas that night, purely by coincidence.
I do have a tendency to go around in polo shirts and jeans when I'm not working. And to tuck them in if I need to feel a little tidier. It's comfortable attire, but not exactly au courant. I'm looking forward to DragonCon, where I can, every day, wear what the dh refers to as "appropriately decorated t-shirts," take only the sneakers on my feet for shoes, and pack in my carry-on bag alone. That's my favorite weekend to kick back and just drift to whatever interests me, which is usually more than I can manage to see.
Joan, honey, I wouldn't touch that line with a ten foot pole!!
LOL, I knew as soon as the words "left" my fingers it didn't sound right.
But boy, that goalie....
:-)
BTW, I think I'm the ONLY Bandita who didn't get to meet you, Louisa!
Humph.
Hola, Banditas! I have been gone from the blog for so long now, what with the conference & now my husband's family in town. I got home from San Fran & within hours took charge of my two nieces. I proceeded to run Cousin Camp (my two girls plus my two nieces) with an iron fist for the next four days. I'm just now peeling myself off the floor, looking around & wondering where I am. :-)
But if we're talking conference highlights, I'm just like most of you. It was meeting the banditas in person (soooo lovely & charming & funny), and the bandita buddies (also lovely & charming & funny), & strangely, like Nancy, I also loved that mall food court. Kirsten will back me up on this--it was a wonderland of tasty treats & became my happy place. I kinda miss it.
And then, of course, there was taking home the Golden Heart. Louisa said I looked shocked & I totally was. Kirsten was shrieking (something along the lines of "I told you! Didn't I tell you??") & Christine & Fo were jumping up & there was a lot of hugging & stuff & I was just blinking & thinking, "Wait, what now?"
I'm so glad you all think (or are at least polite enough to say) that I was poised & relatively well-groomed up there at the podium because I have very little recollection of what I might have said. I do recall giving the banditas a shout out & feeling the room practically explode, which was AWESOME. I may have said kind (and totally true) things about my CP Kirsten & my long suffering husband. But it was a relief to hear from people later on that I didn't actually curse. I tend to do that under pressure. Or when surprised. And I was definitely feeling some of both up there. :-)
So thank you banditas & our buddies--it was a fantastic conference because of you. Mmmmmwah!
Should we tell Susan about the blue language that just slipped out? Nah!! Let her remain in her happy place. Man, I never knew a little lady could SAY such things. (VBEG)
Joan, I am completely miffed that I did not meet you!! It appears I will have to arrange a Bandita Line Up to make sure I meet and have photo opps with ALL of the Banditas!
LOL, Louisa...
It sounds like you hung out more in the room with the wine punch....good choice!
I, however was in the other room close to this addicting veggie dip.
And Susan...really, I don't think anybody else noticed that Kristen Higgins stole your thank you to your husband.....Really.
:-)
I'm getting here very late and I'm about to fall over so let me say first off, meeting the Banditas was awesome! Second, thanks SO MUCH to AC for showing me around. And I LOVED all your great information. I'd have missed so much without you!
This was my first conference, my first time flying so far, my first time for so many things. I've been so busy recovering physically, I haven't begun to process everything else. I did get to tell SEP that I want to be her when I grow up, and was lucky enough to have lunch with great authors like Laura Lee Guhrke, Julia Quinn, Susan K. Law, Sabrina Jeffries, and Candice Hern. How do you top something like that?!
Can't wait for DC where I'll be more awake and have my conference legs under me. :)
PS: Loved getting to scream for all those up for awards and congrats to Susan (who may be one of the funniest people I met all week!).
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