Most of you know about the Romance Writers of America and the Romance Writers of Australia, but did you know there is a romance writers organisation in England too? It's called the Romance Novelists Association.
This year, is the 50th anniversary of the RNA and their annual conference was held in the gorgeous surroundings of the Old Royal Naval College. This is the same Greenwich as in G.M.T. (Greenwich Mean Time) and you can see the clock at the nearby Greenwich Observatory. It's also home to the National Maritime Museum - a must for all you historical fans.Illustrious surroundings for us all to talk about our favourite thing - romance novels! And, a wonderful opportunity to meet up with old friends, many of whom you'll recognise from their visits to the Lair!
This was my first visit to an RNA conference and, being a Bandita, you know I couldn't resist taking along a familiar companion (thanks, Becke!). The pesky Golden Rooster was otherwise occupied, but his little English cousin was available.Naturally, he soon lost his shyness and managed to charm all the women there! (Seen right with RNA buddy Gemma)
Here he is with the fantabulous Brit Pack - Julie Cohen, Anna Louise Lucia, Brigid Coady and moi.He managed to nestle in between Lair favourite, Kate Walker and her husband Steven Wade.
Chatting up the delightful Nicola Cornick.Posing with the fabulous Janet Mullany (Miranda Neville managed to escape the picture-taking!)
Snuggling up to lovely Mills & Boon editor, Lucy Gilmour.And, the coup de grace, he even managed to convince the wonderful Katie Fforde to have her picture taken with him. (notice Joanna Trollope sneaking into the background on the left!)
Clearly, the young chook had a ball. (I did too *g*)
The only problem is my little feathered friend doesn't have a name!
Over to the Bandita Buddies!
Can you come up with a suitable name for him?I will send a prize package to the person who comes up with the best name - The RNA 50th anniversary conference bag containing a Janice Lynn Medical Romance "The Doctor's Meant-to-be Marriage", a pen, a mini bar of Greene & Black's chocolate, a selection of bookmarks - including a much-sought-after Romance Bandits bookmark signed by me - a heart-shaped photo-frame ornament and a pair of golden rooster ear-rings.
Hey - Did I get the GR? Woohoo - he can help me pack for Orlando!
ReplyDeleteHow about Hatch for the Brit cousin - sounds like a hero's name. Can't wait to see the other suggestions.
How about Cockatrice?
ReplyDeleteI think in honour of the location, and a certain rainbow which appeared in a certain delicate area, he should be called Nelson. (After the *ahem* column.)
ReplyDeleteHi Anna,
ReplyDeleteSo glad you had a great time at your first RNA conference. Maybe we could call him Fowling.
Earl Gray?? Tim Tam?? Bisquit? My uncle had a farm and all the names I called the rooster there aren't repeatable on a public forum he was mean.
ReplyDeleteWe could call him doodle as in cock a doodle do.
Well done Donna make him work but I would be careful letting him pack for you, you never know what you might find in your bag when you get to Orlando LOL.
ReplyDeleteAnna
I love the photos and sounds like an awesome time and a great place to have a conference whoo hoo.
A name for the GR's cousin this is going to be good how about Logan I am not very good with names LOL
Have Fun
Helen
Hi Anna!
ReplyDeleteI like Hatch and Nelson!
Royal Nugget? Little Prince? Rogue Rooster? Lord Greenwich?
Coq au Vin and Royal Pecker probably aren't suitable names. ;)
Congrats on the big pollo, Donna!
Cheers! Jen
Anna, wonderful post. I'm so glad you had a fun time at RNA. But really, did you have to let Janet hold him? I will never hear the end of this from her.
ReplyDeleteI do like Nelson. Or Tim, short for Tim Tam.
Royal Pecker!! LMAO! Oh, PinkPeony, that was priceless.
ReplyDeleteI think like Jane. Fowler was the first thing that popped into my head.
Wow on the conference. Thanks for sharing your experience with us! :)
Thanks for the post and the pics, Anna.
ReplyDeleteI like all the names given here, especially Dianna's Earl Grey (one of my fave teas) and Pink's Royal Nugget. Great suggestions.
Bwahahahaha at Pink's RP suggested name!! Really, that one takes the the top slot. ;)
Since he was caught red-handed snuggling with all the women, how about Red the Rogue or Red for short? Still like the other afore-mentioned names.
Hey Anna! Looks like you had a great time there along with the little rooster.
ReplyDeleteRoyal Pecker hehehe, I like this, too, Pink! Maybe we could call him "Peck" for short?
What better name for a British rooster than Chanticleer after Chaucer's famous tale-telling fowl whose quick thinking let him escape to crow another day? If Chanticleer seems a bit formal, you could always call him Chanty or Chant or even CC.
ReplyDeleteHi Anna -
ReplyDeleteThe RNA conference sounds like a wonderful event, especially seen through your eyes. I have no idea on rooster names, but do like the ones suggested like Hatch. That's got a nice ring to it. Great photos, too.
I was also going to recommend Nelson, named for the Admiral and being this guy's debut took place at Greenwich.
ReplyDeleteAnna! How great that you're showing the GR the world! I'll bet he was thrilled to chat up some lovelies on the other side of the pond. :)
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of crossing the pond, however, we're so excited you're here! Can't wait to see you in Orlando!
Oh Anna, he's adorable. I think Dianna's got two great ones -- Earl Grey and Tim Tam. I second those!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see you in Orlando!
Thanks, Anna, for sharing your pictures and recap of RNA! I wish I was independently wealthy to attend RNA, RWA (US), and RWA (Australia). The Banditas have submitted some great names but I am partial to Nelson!
ReplyDeleteGreetings from hot, hot, hot Orlando! I'm sneaking onto the internet to see all your suggestions.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on winning the pesky bird, Donna.
Hatch is a great name - perfect for a hero ... and my little feathered friend.
LOL Minna - like cockatrice - he certainly cosied up to the women in a trice!
ReplyDeleteHi Julie *waving*. Missing you, babe!
ReplyDeleteROFL ... what Julie is talking about is that we went to dinner in a local tavern and there was a large picture of Nelson and his men above the fireplace. At one point in the evening, the setting sun sent a beam of light across the room and hit a certain part of the painting ... a certain part of Nelson to be precise.
Naturally, a room full of romance writers was quick to spot this glowing area!
Love your suggestion.
It was fun, Jane - hope we catch up with you when RWA is in NY next year. Ooh - I like Fowling.
ReplyDeleteLOL I think the GR is very much the grumpy bird.
ReplyDeleteDoodle would fit his English cousin nicely.
Logan is a great name - makes me think of Logan's Run and this little bird certainly had a good run for his money at the conference.
ReplyDeleteHi Jen!! You know the Banditas and appropriate are rarely in the same sentence *g*. Royal Pecker LOL!!
ReplyDeleteI like Royal Nugget.
Welcome back, Christie - hope your cruise was fun.
ReplyDeleteActually, I think the bird accosted Janet and she blushed and accepted his cooing *g*. Of course, she was the one who kept talking about the cock she was holding.
Hi Gillian - looking forward to cheering for you soon!
ReplyDeleteFowler is a great name, I agree.
Morning Deb - yes, Earl Grey is a great name ... though as you all know, I can't stand the tea (sorry, Dianna and Louisa!)
ReplyDeleteRed the Rogue is a perfect description for the way he behaved.
*snork* Peck LOL. Like it, Suz!
ReplyDeleteOoh Janga - love the literary mention! What an honour to be on the same blog as Chaucer!
ReplyDeleteChanticleer indeed - I like Chanty or Chant (I have a cat called CC - but that is short for Charleston in Carolina *g*).
*waving* Hi Dianna - can't wait to see you soon!
ReplyDeleteWe'll get you over to our neck of the woods some day!
Hi Hellion! I think you'll like Nelson even more after the tale of why Julie called him that *g*
ReplyDeleteHi Susan - I just saw your fabulous Money, Honey in a great display in the local Barnes and Noble. So proud of you!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing you soon too!
Hi Kirsten - he certainly chomped down on the chocolate delights at the buffet (I didn't, of course *g*) so maybe he should be Tim Tam.
ReplyDeleteSee you soon!
Hey Kim - you never know - one of these days you just might get that opportunity to check out one of these conferences or at the very least a fab book signing. We look forward to seeing you there.
ReplyDeleteI'll try to get back on later and catch up with the comments. In the meantime, I'm off to the pool to catch up on some work (hey, reading is part of my job, right?!)
ReplyDeleteJust got back from a lovely breakfast with Anna and Fo (aren't I the lucky one? *g*) and had to see what names you all have come up with!
ReplyDeleteLOL on the Royal Pecker, Pink!
I'll have to stop by later and see if I can come up with any good name suggestions. For now, I'm off to write a page or two :-)
How about Prince Charles although I think this one is better looking :)
ReplyDeleteIt was great to meet you at the RNA Conference, Anna, and I'm glad you had such a good time! It was a lot of fun. Thoroughly enjoyed snuggling up to the gorgeous little rooster as well. I'm loving all the name suggestions!
ReplyDeleteAnna, check out Cockatrice on wikipedia. I thought it would fit... I recently saw this documentary about birds and dinosaurs and how some scientists had managed to make scales and dinosaur-like teeth grow on chickens (not adult ones, obviously) by activating some dormant genes. Birds really ARE dinosaurs with feathers.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockatrice
Maarit Hurmerinta: Jäätelökesä (ice cream summer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z346Ox001IM
Jurassic Park- main theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CcroleiuF0&feature=related
I think Cuddles would be a good name, because it looks so cuddley. Although I do like Susan's name of Royal Pecker!
ReplyDeleteHi, Anna. The RNA conference sounds great. I've love to have gone. By U.S. standards it's pretty old!
ReplyDeleteLove the Brit Rooster and the names the Buddies have come up with.
How about Henry or Andrew? Very British names.
I like Pinky Bandito.
ReplyDeleteHey VA!
ReplyDeleteNo FAIR that you get to attend TWO FABULOUS conferences. (Aunty pouts) Thanx BUNCHES for the great pics and recap.
I'm LOVING these names for the GRs lil Brit cousin! It's going to be hard to pick one. Hatch is cute... LOVE Fowling, and Nelson... perhaps Nelson Fowling? Nelson Hatch? Doodle fits the little guy and or course I am ROFLMAO at Royal Pecker! Pink, you deserve a special award for that one!
I'll check back later (when I take a break from pouting about having to stay home) to see what other clever names have been suggested.
AC
OOPS! Donna, forgot to say congrats on the GR but Helen is correct. Do NOT let him help pack your luggage! I shudder to think what you'll be wearing in Orlando if you do!
ReplyDeleteAC
Hi Anna
ReplyDeleteI think 'Rory' is a good name for a British rooster. I dub thee Sir Rory of the rooster realm. :)
I really enjoyed the pictures of the RNA. Looks like you had a lovely time.
Suggested names:
ReplyDeleteCrow
Cockerel
Coxcomb
Cockney
Cocky
Cockade
Pat Cochran
It was a lovely breakfast spent with two of my favourite people! Hope the writing went well, Beth!
ReplyDeleteThe little rooster is definitely better looking than HRH - and we won't even discuss his horsey wife, catslady *g*
ReplyDeleteIt was great to meet you too, Nicola - hopefully we'll get to have that drink next time!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check out that reference when I get home, Minna - sounds fascinating.
ReplyDeleteMy little feathered friend certainly did his share of cuddling, Virginia! Good choice!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome to come with me next time, Jo! You'd have loved Greenwich - historic, yet with a bohemian side too.
ReplyDeleteHenry and Andrew are very English names - those these days I think Henry has been replaced by Harry *g*.
This from the lady who flew to NZ?! You know you're welcome any time AC. You just have to tear yourself away from Ireland *g*.
ReplyDeleteOh goodness, Gigi - dubbing him Sir Rory will go to his head! He'll be unbearable at the next conference *g*. I've always liked the name Rory - perfect for a hero.
ReplyDeleteLOL about cockney and cockade, Pat. Excellent choices.
ReplyDeleteI found these, too (scary looking dino rooster):
ReplyDeletehttp://thedragonstales.blogspot.com/2009/08/horner-got-to-him-canuck-to-make.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1026340/Jurassic-Park-comes-true-How-scientists-bringing-dinosaurs-life-help-humble-chicken.html
Gah, I'm not really good with names. From all those pictures, the little feathered one seems to be quite a ladies rooster, all I can come up with is Casanova or James(Bond, T. Kirk)...*SHRUG* Wait, England, you say? Hmmm...Roger? *grin* :)
ReplyDeleteYou're really on the ball today, Minna! Will check that out too!
ReplyDeletePissenlit! ROFL! Roger! Hope it was a jolly Roger you were thinking of!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the fun today - will choose a winner when I get back to England on the 3rd
ReplyDelete