Count Down to Conference

By the time you see this post I’ll be in New York! That’s right, with the Romance Writers of America conference happening next week my husband and I decided to squeeze in a little sight-seeing.

This will be my second trip to New York but my first time attending the conference.

What am I most excited for?

The Harlequin Black and White Ball

This is a special event for all the Harlequin authors and it’s going to be held at the Waldorf Astoria!!! I love old school glamour, so this is right up my street. The idea of black and white events always appealed (Derby Day, anyone?) and of course I had to by a new dress. You know, it’s for work…right?

The “Readers for Life” Literacy Signing

This will be my first time signing books at an event! Seems like all those years practising my signature on my school books is about to pay off. The great thing about this event is that it’s raising money for three different literacy-based charities, so it

Exciting events mean a new dress!

’s for a good cause.

Meeting up with all my writer friends

When all the people you chat to day in and day out on Facebook are scattered across the globe, any event that brings them together is a good thing! I’m excited to catch up with my fellow LoveCats who’re making the trek over as well as meeting a ton of people who I only know online. For me, writing is never a lonely task as there’s always an email or message from a friend to respond to, and plenty of people willing to lend an ear or offer a kind word when things get rough.

Meeting my editor and agent

These people play such an important role in an author’s career and it’s easy to go years without ever meeting them in person. I’m taking advantage of everyone being in New York for the conference to put a face to the name (or should that be a face to the email address?)

Learning and growing

Conference is a hugely busy time. But I’m promising myself to make it to a few workshops on the topics I’m most interested in. I’m also playing the role of moderator in one session, which will be fun as it’s been a while since I’ve had my public speaking hat on.

Have you ever been to conference for work? Was it a good experience? I’d love to hear any funny stories of things that happened while you were there :)