Congratulations and Celebrations

This past weekend several LoveCats attended Romance Writers of Australia's annual conference at the Sofitel Wentworth in Sydney where they were busy teaching and learning, catching up with writing friends, and celebrating some amazing accomplishments.


We are delighted to share a few highlights from the weekend:

Rachel Bailey presented a stellar Friday workshop for aspiring and emerging writers.

Conference presenters Clare Connelly and Rachel Bailey with Amy Andrews.

Shannon Curtis co-compered the Awards Night ceremony with her customary charm and wit.

Michelle Douglas received her 25-book pin at the Harlequin cocktail party.

Toasting Annie West's recent addition to the Romance Writers of America's Honor Roll with double-RITA finalist Amy Andrews and 2018 Ruby finalist Rachel Bailey.

Kandy Shepherd mid-speech after accepting the Ruby Award for Best Short Romance.

The LoveCats are an extremely proud pride and we are thrilled to congratulate our fellow Cats on their recent achievements, with a special shout out to Kandy Shepherd on winning the Ruby Award -- that is shorthand for Romantic Book of the Year -- for Best Short Romance with Conveniently Wed to the Greek.  Well done, Kandy!

Conference highlights - views, peeps and booze!

So I walked through the door a couple of hours ago having just flown back in from the Romance Writers of Australia conference. I dumped my bags and hung with hubby for a bit then switched on my computer - 600 emails.....

And this blog to do.

It's late, I'm sorry. But I thought you might forgive me if I posted lots of pics :-)

Hotel was in an absolutely stunning location with an awesome view!

I'd hate y'all to get the impression that the only thing I do at these conferences is drink. But there is a lot of time spent in bars....

ARRA book signing. I always sign with a glass of wine :-)

I call this one sunshine, booze and a redhead. The owner of that hair is the gorgeous Joanne Grant from the Harlequin office in London!

Awards nights dinner table!

And there were LoveCats!!! Rachel Bailey and Kandy Shepherd were also in attendance but I somehow appear not to have a photo with either of them.... Bad Amy!

The delightful Annie West!

This was taken verrrrry late at night and Michelle Douglas and I may have overindulged a little. The gorgeous Cathryn Hein kept us company!

 

Jennifer St George and moi at the Saturday night awards dinner with two spunky chicks - Denise Rossetti and Christina Brooke!

And that's all folks! Hope you enjoyed a little snapshot into my weekend!

New Zealand Bound!

It's two weeks today until the Romance Writers of New Zealand conference - cue excited dancing! The RWNZ conferences are always a lot of fun and it's been a few years since I've been across the ditch to attend one, so my anticipation is high.

I'm actually leaving on Monday (gah! Someone needs to start packing!) so I can spend some time before the conference with friends, including fellow Lovecat, Barbara DeLeo. Then onto the conference itself, where I'm planning on catching up with more Lovecats - Yvonne Lindsay, Louisa George, and Sue Mackay. Sounding like a pretty fun time, right?

I'll be presenting two workshops, sitting on a panel, attending a dinner with my publisher, drinking cocktails, and chatting all things writing and books. 

But, as mentioned above, I haven't started packing yet. And although it's winter in both places, a sub-tropical Queensland winter is *nothing* like a New Zealand winter, so I'm starting to panic about having enough warm clothes. 

Any tips on packing for a winter holiday? Or things I should try and see while I'm there? All advice welcome! 

FanCATstic Acievements!!

I've just come back from the annual Romance Writers of New Zealand Conference in Auckland. It was, as usual, a wonderful weekend filled with good friends, enthusiastic readers, and great catch-ups with friends.

The weekend started for Louise, Sue and I on Friday afternoon with our friend Iona and then we were off to the cocktail party where we caught up with Yvonne and all the other conference delegates. I realised that it was my TENTH conference, and I remember hearing very inspirational speeches from Sue and Yvonne when I first joined so I know they've been attending longer than that. 

It was my very great honour to be asked to MC the awards dinner on the Saturday night and was so

excited to see Sue and Yvonne both go away with a Koru Award for Romance of the Year (and

Yvonne was third in her category as well!) Here are a few pics of the fab weekend.

 

Yvonne and Sue at the book signing.

Yvonne with her Koru Award in the Short, Sexy category for "Wanting What She Can't Have".

Sue celebrating after her win in the Short, Sweet category for "A Family this Christmas".

Louisa and I getting ready to cheer the cats on.

All the NZ LoveCats together!

Here's to another great year for the Lovecats and all our wonderful readers.

Yvonne Lindsay's Lists of Lists!

I'm getting ready to travel back up the US for the Romance Writers of America conference. It's an exciting time but oh, the lists...and the lists of lists of things to do before I go.

Yesterday, I crossed off the two biggies--see my accountant to sign off on tax returns and annual accounts and FINISH THE DARN BOOK! Oh, the relief. I never realise how much tension I carry in my shoulders while I'm working until I actually stop.

But I can't afford to stop. I still have those lists of lists to attend to. Little things for the most part, but vital to my peace of mind so when I leave my family I can jet away with a clear conscience.

I discovered yesterday, on thinking about all of this, that I never really allow myself time to anticipate a trip like this one which, while work related, is the fun side of my work. It's the face to face meetings with editors, meeting readers at signings, mixing with fellow authors who I normally only get to interact with online through email and Facebook and meeting my writing idols. Usually, I arrive at these things still flustered from ticking off all the bullet points on my lists of lists and finishing a book and it takes me a good couple of days to wind down so I can appreciate it all.

I have lists of things to do while I'm in the States, including getting a SIM card for my phone with data so I can celebrate my next release (on 25 July, just in case you're wondering) of FOR LOVE OF A COWBOY. It's my first novella with Tule Publishing's Montana Born Books series and I am so excited to see how it fares with readers. I absolutely loved writing this story. I may even have to add having a glass of champagne to celebrate its release to one of my lists!

Tell me, are you a just-in-time-and-arrive-exhausted person like me, or are you more measured in your planning? If you're the latter, I'd love to know how you do it!