Home from RWA Conference

Wow, what a week it was!! I can't believe how amazing my trip to National RWA Conference went overall. I met some fantastic people, learned a lot through the many workshops, got fifty three new books (most of them free, which is the best price ever), and had both an agent and an editor request my full manuscript! It could not have gone any better, honestly!

I even got to meet Nora Roberts face to face, which was amazing. Just standing there knowing that the woman next to me makes sixty million dollars a year on her writing was mind boggling. She's so talented, yet she seemed so down to earth, just standing there smoking a cig with me. It was very cool. I stood there beside her and thought, 'That'll be me in twenty years.' Minus the cigarette of course. But I believe that I could really make a difference the way that she has. Maybe I'll never be making sixty million dollars a year, but I'd happily settle for one million :P.

Unfortunately I only took my camera around with me a few places on the first couple of days, and then it spent the rest of the conference in the hotel room, but here are some of the pictures I took while I was there.

Linda Howard, author of more than fifty novels, was the keynote speaker for our luncheon on Thursday. She blew me away with her humor and her very down-to-earth persona. She is from Alabama and sounded like she could have come off the streets of Hawkinsville Georgia. She writes mostly romantic suspense, and I'm anxious now to read something of hers. My friend T let me borrow a book of hers called "To Die For" plus I have a free one they put on our seat at the conference called "Death Angel", so I've got two books to read!

Heidi Betts, author of many Silhouette Desire books as well as a series for St. Martin's Press called Chicks with Sticks, about women who love to yarn and knit and stuff like that. Her ideas are very original and cute, and she is such a fun person to hang out with. My critique partner, Karen, is BFF's with Heidi, so it was great to spend some time with her and her mother over the week.


Wednesday night there was a 'literacy signing', which basically means that 500 published romance authors were all in one giant room lined up side by side with stacks of their books in front of them. If you bought a book, you could get their signature, so naturally I got many books. All of the proceeds of the night go to helping to fight illiteracy, and I am proud to say that in 2 hours, RWA raised over $60,000 for literacy. Here is a picture of two of my favorite Silhouette Desire authors who share the same last name, so were lucky enough to get to sit together. On the left is Maya Banks who wrote, The Tycoon's Rebel Bride, one of the best recent Desires I have read. Leanna Banks is on the right, and she has written TONS of Desires. I grabbed up her most recent Billionaire of the Month title and had her sign it for me. She wrote "To Sarra: Good luck with Krista! Leanna Banks". (Krista being the senior editor from Desire that I met with and pitched to on Friday). She must have really brought me some luck so I will be eternally grateful!!


Okay, just one more Nora Roberts picture! I went to workshop after workshop trying to learn more about the business of writing and the process as well as the publishing process. One of the first workshops on my list, however, was called "A Chat with Nora Roberts". I am sure some of the more seasoned authors aren't as in awe of her as I am, but just knowing what this woman has accomplished in her life blows me away. The chat workshop was basically just her standing by a mic, answering questions from the audience. My favorite q&a went like this:

Random Person: Do you write when the 'muse' strikes you? Or do you write every day?

Nora Robers: I hate it when people talk about a little muse flittering over their shoulder. This is your job. You go to your job every day the same way you would if you worked as a teacher or at the seven eleven. Writing is your job, so you get your ass in the chair and work. Forget the fucking muse.



That being said, my ass is in the chair this morning, and I'm going to work.