RWA Nationals

As some of you who follow me on Facebook might know, I've just returned from sunny San Diego… into this dreary, rainy sludge at home that we call the Australian winter.

However, I'm choosing to keep the fond memories of sun and sand right nearby… Ah, palm trees. (I'm also cursing myself for not planning this trip better, and realising that Comic Con was the following week!)

RWA Nationals are a highlight of the year for me, as writing is a solitary life, and it's so wonderful and inspiring to meet up with other writers and lots of my readers. I would like to thank those readers who travelled for hours just to come to the Literacy Signing on the Wednesday, as it was truly lovely to meet you!

The Literacy Signing was awesome, raised money for a much-needed cause, and I was totally trying to stalk some of my favourite authors. The lines for Nalini Singh were crazy-long, so I missed that opportunity, but managed to snag a signed copy of Shelley Adina's latest steampunk.

This is me at the signing. So many copies of Of Silk and Steam to give away…

The workshops were amazing, and I've learned so many new writerly things, from marketing to craft, to learning how to stay sane in this industry. By the time we got to Saturday night, and the RITA awards, I was planing a massive night but this poor little Aussie fell in a big hole (thanks to some insane flight delays, and lack of sleep all through the week), and crashed and burned not long after it was all over.

Me, feeling glam (because for the other 360 days of the year it's dressing gown and ugg boots)

MJ Scott and I, waiting for the RITAs to start

No bling required – dress comes with…

However, it was lovely to cheer on fellow Aussie, MJ Scott (also writes contemporary as Mel Scott), who was nominated for a RITA in the paranormal category.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS:

• Love Between the Covers movie premiere
• Beverly Jenkins keynote speech / Beverly Jenkins in Love Between the Covers / basically Beverly Jenkins doing anything during the conference – that woman is hilarious, and yet speaks straight to the heart. I need to read one of her historicals!
• Asa Maria Bradley inviting me along to her little sushi dinner. Thanks for all the laughs ladies!
• The Roxanne St. Clair and Kristen Painter workshop
• The ‘Making of A Cover Shoot' workshop. See below for evidence of why.

Kim Killion brought her own model for the ‘Making of a Cover Shoot'. You could say all eyes were glued…