August is completely mad for me.
The first weekend is the Byron Writers
Festival. I’m the Chair of the organisation so there’s lots of work involved.
It all run beautifully, starting with my Opening Night speech all the way to the last session on Human Rights on Festival Sunday.
Byron Writers Festival is Australia’s largest regional literary festival and this year we featured more than 130 writers, thinkers and commentators from
across Australia and around the world converging on the beautiful Festival
grounds at Elements of Byron to discuss, debate, enlighten and soak up the
glorious Byron sunshine.
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| Photo by Lyn McCarth |
To say I was a complete wreck for a few
days is an understatement. But over 12,000 people enjoyed a fabulous festival
of writing workshops, feature events, a regional writers' tour, primary school
and secondary school days and the actual Festival, which featured 117 sessions.
I then travelled up to Brisbane for the
Romance Writers of Australia conference. What a blast. I had so much fun catching up
with friends and talking all things romance.
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| Ally Blake |
So many highlights (there were just too many to mention them all). Here are a few:
Ally Blake fabulous session on being an organised writer.
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| Michelle, Annie and Jen |
Sitting with lots of LoveCats at the Butterfly Ball Gala Awards Dinner and cheering madly when Amy Andrew and Ros Baxter won the Romantic Elements Ruby Award for their book Numbered. How
many Ruby Awards is that now Amy?
Catching up with Michelle Douglas, Annie
West and so many more of my romance writing friends.
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| Jen and a feline friend |
And so many more wonderful things. Now I’m wrecked again from such an action packed weekend but am inspired, exciting and can’t wait to dive into
the writing again.
How is August shaping up for you?
I miss the Australian conferences, Jennifer, and your post only tugs the cords. I have to try to make it next year. However, the NZ Romance Writers conference is this coming weekend and on Thursday I'm heading north to join my writing pals - Lovecat Louisa George for one - and have a wonderful time.
ReplyDeleteWe missed you this year, Sue. Have a wonderful time at NZ conference. I attended a few years ago and it was wonderful.
DeleteJen, I do hope you have had a restful day today. Sounds like you need one (or three!) of those.
ReplyDeleteLike Sue, I'm slightly (ha!) envious of those Cats lucky enough to be at the Brisbane Conference. I played along at home -- thank you Twitter -- and witnessed the buzz, the learning, the inspiring, the motivating, and the celebrations.
Big congratulations to Amy Andrews and Ros Baxter for their RuBY win. Thrilled for them...and for all the Cats whose wonderful work was recognised at the awards and through their conference presentations.
Sue, see you at RWNZ next weekend.
Woo hoo, looking forward to catching up, Bronwyn.
DeleteWe missed you this year, Bron. Have an absolutely wonderful time in NZ - then it will be our turn to be envious!!
DeleteHi Jennifer
ReplyDeleteSounds like it has been non-stop for you but yes fun, I would have loved to have been in Brisbane this past weekend but not this year, For me August has a lot of lunch dates for me and a weekend away and then in September we are off for a cruise to Moreton Bay and really looking forward to it :)
Hopefully I will catch up with you at next years conference :)
Have Fun
Helen
Cruising Moreton Bay sounds like bliss, Helen. Have a wonderful time.
DeleteAugust is always a busy month here in Florida. It starts with 3 birthdays on the 7-9th (one is mine) and ends with 4 birthdays after the 22nd. It's also back to school time, so I have to rearrange my errand schedule to avoid school traffic, as there are 2 large schools within 3 blocks of my house and there's only one way in and out of my neighborhood. This year I am going on a vacation with my older son and his wife and baby to Wisconsin (Praying for cooler weather!) so the baby can meet my in-laws. It will be a busy 6 day trip!
ReplyDeleteWow - you do sound busy, Laurie, but with so many fun things! Have an absolutely wonderful time in Wisconsin.
DeleteWas great to catch up with you at #RWaus17, Jennifer. Soooo glad you enjoyed my talk! It might take me the rest of August to come down from the high :).
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed your talk, Ally! The conference was so much fun and I now have to go over all my notes to ensure I get the most out of it.
ReplyDeleteYou've had a VERY busy August, Jen! But it was fabulous to catch up with you and the other lovecats who were there on the weekend. Missing you all already. :-)
ReplyDeleteSo loved catching up, Michelle. We must do it more often!!
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