RWA 2017 - The Good, The Great, & the Awesome - A Recap Full of Writing Tips!

Saying there was a lot to absorb from my week at RWA is like saying I use the word kiss a lot in my books (58 times in newest manuscript!). I took pages of notes, and want to share some hot tips with you. Because that is what romance writers do - we share and lift each other up in a way that surpasses every other genre. WE LOVE ROMANCE! (yeah, I came back pretty pumped - can you tell?)

My life's not glamorous. AT ALL. I write in a tiny office under a blanket. Except for the fun that occurs at RWA. Which I am going to crow about to let aspiring writers know that it is possible. Seven years ago, RWA was at the same hotel. I watched a literary agency host a dinner for all their clients and wished desperately that could be me.

Well, it was this year. Back at the same restaurant - and I got attend BookEnds Literary cocktail party. With my talented chapter mate Mona Shroff who just got signed by them, so double the reason to celebrate! 

What made it super glamorous? Going from there to hop on a shuttle to the Four Seasons (which got lost in the seamy backside of Disney) and the Avon party for all their authors. We're talking oodles of champagne. A cheeseboard to die for (watch the video! Watching the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom & Epcot simultaneously from the 17th floor terrace. But BEST of all - it was the chance to personally connect. To chat and network and laugh and knit together into a sisterhood of writers. That is priceless.

Then it was time to get on to the business of learning things. Handy tips gleaned:

Promo:

• Do Instagram stories - they get a much higher view ratio. 3-4 panes, 3-4/week. 
• Add a newsletter sign-up link to your email signature block
• Try Buffer instead of HootSuite
• Try Periscope for live Twitter

Personal Connections:

• Make 'em. Get out of your comfort zone  and just do it. 
• I met with both my editor and my agent, and had conversations that were more productive and deeper than anything we'd done over email in the past year.
• LOVED the PAN keynote speaker, Faith Salie, so I made a point of stopping her in the hallway to compliment her speech. She was warm and we chatted for a while before she took down my name to use in a future episode of Wait Wait on NPR. NEVER miss the chance to connect!

Craft Tips:

• The 3 things that make a great book: compelling characters, conflict, and emotional triggers. A story about fascinating characters who pursue a worthy goal or face terrible consequences with sympathetic motivation (this is Virginia Kantra's description, and it is TERRIFIC!)
• 5 points to building emotion: 1) Relatability, points of connectivity, 2) find your purpose, 3) proving yourself, 4) learning to trust, 5) self acceptance. Also, the story is the battlefield where characters defeat the demons of their backstory. A tip of the hat to Kristan Higgins & Sonali Dev for this advice.
• If you take out the dialogue tags in a scene, can you tell who is talking? If not, you haven't made their personality strong enough. Great advice from HelenKay Dimon!
• Rather than writing down all the notes, I'll just tell you to go read Story Genius by Lisa Cron for a very different way of looking a plotting a book. It'll jiggle some things loose for you, I promise!

Epcot

• I really wanted to register some epic Fitbit steps from running around this park, but it was a record breaking heat index day, so I was strategic instead and only hit 18,500. Sadness. 
• Food & Drink - the chocolate brioche in France was - honestly - the best I've ever had. The rim of black ant salt on my margarita in Mexico - actual ground up ants - did not add any flavor...but I'm sure contributed to the $14.75 price.
• Take the extra day - wherever the conference ends up being. Do the sights. I won a massage from my awesome publisher and spent the 2nd half of Saturday being rubbed down and then drinking a mai tai by the pool. As a result, I came back only feeling half-dead for a change. #worthit

RT Convention 2017 - Wrap Up & What You Get Out of a Conference

Let's face it - conferences are expensive. Nobody is disputing that - even before you count in the bar bill :) So are they really worth it? What actually happens in that marathon of panels and parties? Hopefully my wrap up of last week's Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Atlanta will give you some insight (spoiler - I love conferences, so I'm going to try and convince you they are awesome!).

Reader Parties - there are a lot. You will usually get some sort of snack and drink and swag. The truly awesome authors give books (raises hand and waves). I did a Beach Blanket Bingo party with probably 20 other authors (tip - we all shared swag. So when you get home, you can empty the bag and decide what to #1click). My bag was filled with a reader-a-holic bracelet, nail polish, 2 books, notepad, candy, book magnets...and some fellow authors did even more (#showoffs :) ). If you attend a party, you will walk away with your hands full and a smile on your face.

Avery Flynn, Lea Nolan, Eliza Knight and ME!

Craft Panels - I did three of these. The interesting thing was that I spoke to several people who came to listen who were not aspiring authors. They were just big-time readers who wanted to hear how the writing process works and soak up more of their fave authors in the flesh. Even more shocking, they seemed to truly enjoy themselves?!?!? The takeaway being that we authors do truly try to not just each, but make it a fun learning experience. I definitely got a lot out of the Newsletter workshop by the awesome Sarah Wendell of the Smart Bitches blog.

I presented on Seeking Your Voice, Seven Steps to Sensual Tension, and Worldbuilding in Every Genre. It was especially fun when Penguin Random House came to video our entire sensual tension workshop. Considering how many times Laura Kaye and I said the word 'cock', I'm really not sure what they plan to do with it...I met the awesome Lexi Blake, and immediately started reading one of her novellas on the train home.

Speaking of video, Random House also did a super fun ten minute interview video of me. Stay tuned for the Youtube link where I make up a story on the spot about a pirate and a tough-as-nails cop...

Book Signings - Here's where you can really rake in the free books. I *tried* to go to the Harlequin breakfast. For an event that was scheduled to last 90 minutes, they apparently ran out of bags and books from the biggest authors in only 15 minutes. By the time I got in I saw a mass of lines, no way to tell what author they went to, and no books left. But, had I gotten up early (anathema!)it would've been a haul. We did successfully do the Kensington party/signing - also a mad crush of people. But I got to hug Sonali Dev, so all the waiting in line was worth it. (Also full of snacks and drinks, for those of you keeping score). The Avon party/signing had the most books of all (and the best treats) by far (*note for strategizing next year!) and it was fun to hang out with all my new publishing peeps there. I got to sit next to the sweet and wonderful Kelly Jamieson at the Random House signing, and was thrilled to run out of my books in twenty minutes. The Giant Book Fair was loads of fun - loved sitting next to Lenora Bell - go buy her historicals!

No pictures to protect the innocent - yes, there were late nights in hotel rooms catching up with my friends. Yes, there was a wonderful dinner with my editor. And the noise level from the bar was still going strong every night no matter how late I went to bed. The best part - and what is always the best part of any conference - is the concentrated time with literally thousands of people who care just as much about books as you do. Everyone is friendly. I stood in the interminable line for coffee with Laura Stone - awesome! Did I know who she was before we started chatting? Nope. Didn't matter. We love reading (and/or writing). Period. So no matter how long you have to wait for the elevator or hate paying $5 for a muffin or, yes, have to stand in line for 20 minutes to get facetime with your fave author (#priceless) - it is worth it.

The Awesomeness of Small, Regional Conferences for Writers & Readers

I'll admit I adore conferences. Unabashedly living and breathing and talking romance twenty-four hours straight for four days with 2,000 other people is my idea of heaven. The fancy publisher parties, the loads of free books, the excuse to get dressed up...LOVE it! I'm headed to the RT convention in New Orleans in two months, and I'm already counting the days.

But huge cons are not the only way to go. Last weekend I participated in the Liberty States Fiction Writers Create Something Magical conference, and had a blast. Here are the reasons why everyone should consider adding a smaller, regional con to their schedule:

Location and affordability. Find one close to you, preferably within driving distance. One tank of gas is much easier to swallow than a cross-country plane ticket. This particular con had a readers track for $75 and a writers track for $125. For a jam-packed day, that is a deal you can't beat.  They won't break the bank (unless you go hog-wild at the book fair).

Speaking of the book fair, that can be a huge plus. Our keynote speaker was the awesome and famous Sherrilyn Kenyon, and she stuck around to sign at the book fair. People were lined up out the door, but because it was such a smaller conference, the line was fast and reasonable. People were able to wander the ballroom and not just frenziedly shop for books. Every reader that bought one of my books stopped to chat for at least five minutes. We actually had the chance to connect, rather than just transact. That is a big benefit to both authors and readers.

Accessibility - I wandered into the lobby to grab a soda and ran into two delightful women who had just zoomed through four pitches to editors and agents. No slush pile for them! We started chatting, and I ended up giving them quite a bit of advice - kind of an aspiring writer counseling session. When do you get the chance to pick the brain of published authors? At a small gathering like this one. Everybody is there to share and have fun.


And speaking of fun, well, you put a bunch of friends together who only see each other once a year and usually only chat on social media, and you get a boatload of fun and shenanigans. Two of us went to dinner with an awesome blogger, because 1) she's awesome (everyone should check out Read Love Blog, and 2) we didn't want to be just faceless authors begging for reviews. We wanted to laugh and drink together...which is what led to this hysterical photo. Our waitress dropped an entire strawberry mojito right into her crotch. We laughed it off, but the night was truly made when she left us a note on our bill. The waitress had no idea we were romance writers, so she lucked out making this ballsy comment to us. Take the time to make moments and seize opportunities at a smaller conference. You'll be thrilled you did.