Favorite Days of Summer - RWA

My favorite days of summer include the Romance Writers of America Conference. I'm just back from there as of Sunday July 19. This year it was at the Marriot Wardman Park Hotel in Washington DC, or about 20 miles from my house.

Here's a nice article about the conference, with quotes from fellow Noodler, Colleen Gleason.

Favorite Parts of the Conference:

1. Seeing old friends
I love walking through the hotel and greeting people I only see at conference. I've been attending since 1999 and I've managed to meet so many people and so there are lots of friends to greet. I loved seeing our Noodlers at the conference. Anne Mallory had her darling baby with her and Jennie Lucas always looked so strikingly pretty. We were unable to all get together like in past years, though.

2. Making new friends
Every year it seems I meet someone new. It might be a new writer or it might be a new published author. This year I got to know Miranda Neville better. We'd met years ago at a New Jersey RW conference, but this time we had time to chat. She even helped me with a plotting problem! I also met All About Romance Sandy Coleman's sister at a dinner and found we had lots in common.

3. Spending time with dear friends
I never have enough time with my local writing friends and the conference gives us the chance to just hang out together, especially after the hectic conference day is over. We hung out in Mary Blayney's room one night, which was just the respite I needed after the Harlequin Party.

4. Spending time with colleagues
It was a treat to spend time with the other Mills & Boon authors and the Harlequin Historical authors, and to exchange information with them.

5. Seeing the industry professionals
The Mills & Boon editors seemed very visible at this conference. In fact, all of Harlequin had a big presence, from providing the tote bags with a vintage Harlequin cover on them, to giving workshops and attending parties. I had the pleasure of having a drink with Karin Stoecker, Mills & Boon editorial director.

Mostly, it is a unique and wonderful experience to be around so many people who love what I love--Writing Romance!

If you attended RWA, what did you love about it? If not, where have you gathered with friends this summer?

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Labels: Anne Mallory, Colleen Gleason, Jennie Lucas, Miranda Neville, RWA, Sandy Coleman

posted by Diane Gaston @ 12:30 AM 6 comments