Back from Reno, exhausted beyond belief and *still* waiting on my bags. So, with my few remaining brain cells, I’ll give you a rundown on my activities for the last week.
(But first, check out the glam photo on the right! Who *is* that sexy chick in blue?)
WEDNESDAY
4 a.m.: Awake, finish packing. Forget toothbrush. Drive to Dulles, Worst Airport Ever ™.
6-7:30 a.m.: Stand in line forever. Rush to make plane.
1 p.m. Pacific time (4 p.m. Eastern): Arrive Reno. Collect baggage. Wait for half an hour for free shuttle. Wonder if I could have walked to hotel more quickly. Finally split cab with Kwana Jackson of the Chick Lit chapter and her fellow NYC chapter mate. Arrive hotel two minutes later. Check in. Feel like napping.
3:30 p.m. Meet Dating Can Be Deadly author Wendy Roberts and rollicking southern suspense writer Jana DeLeon for dinner at Tex Mex place, in keeping with a tradition of a dinner in which the most recently-sold party (this year it’s me) paying. Consume margarita large enough to bathe in.
5:30: Attend literacy booksigning. Buy four books. Run into four thousand authors. Bought: Bollywood Confidential, by Sonia Singh, Nina Foxx’s latest, Judith Arnold’s latest, and Secrets Volume 13 (the one with me on the cover).
7-8 p.m.: Hang out in room with super-cool chick lit writer roommie Kelly Remick and primp for Chick Lit party.
8 p.m. Chick Lit Gold Dust & Glitter Party. Which rocks. Gorgeous attendees with fabulous shoes, delicious food, lovely presentations, good times, and apparently very popular t-shirts. (Marley, you were totally right about those! Mea culpa.) Hung out with all my chick lit friends, ate deviled eggs and other noshers, got some fabulous pics with my agent, received a gold RWA service pin for my work on the board and coordinating the chick lit chapter contest, and got a little bit tipsy.
After the party-2 a.m. Pacific (5 a.m. eastern — do the math): Bar with chicklitters Carla Molino, Kandy Shepard, Kelly Remick, and Marley Gibson. Barbarbar. Gossip gossip gossip. Told my sale story.
THURSDAY
5 a.m.: Wake up to sounds of CP and new arrival-roommie Cheryl Wilson tap tap tapping away on her keyboard. Groan. Call housekeeping to have them deliver new toothbrush.
7:30 a.m. Get up, get dressed, head down to workshops. Stop by goodie room and pick up my bags and some freebies, including a piece of Cadbury Dairy Milk, breakfast of champions!
8:30 a.m.Attend workshop on revising with an editor given by Superromance author Anna De Stefano and her editor Johanna Raisenen. Very helpful info I’m SURE I’m going to be needing in the next few months!
9:45-10:30 Head to workshop on creating a chick lit career with agent Kristin Nelson and her clients, , Bachelorette #1, Dress Rehearsal, and Off the Record author Jennifer O’Connell, Cheating at Solitaire author Ally Carter, and Enchanted Inc. author Shanna Swendson. REALLY enlightening stuff. If you’re trying to break in now, I highly recommend getting your hands on this tape. Apprently, the market is so saturated that it’s *all* about the high concept. (In passing, the “pink ribbon moments” started here, when Jennifer brought up my book as an example of publishers committing to new authors series if the concept is high enough. Kristin also talked about my concept as being very “popular”.) I buried my head in new friend and agency sistah Shannon McKelden‘s shoulder and tried not to think about the possibility of my series tanking.
After that, I got ready for The Knight Agency party, already feeling exhausted.
And since I haven’t fully recovered yet from all the other adventures (and I have a book due in 30 days!), I’m going to have to bring this post to a close. Stay tuned for more tomorrow!
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