Dear Readers,
Thank you so much to everyone who tweeted, facebooked or met me at RT!
I’ll say first, sorry! I know a lot of people were shocked about the–ah–drastic physical change to my hair, but it was impulsive and I didn’t want to say anything in case I wound up needing to “fix” it. I learned my lesson though. I’ve got to have faith in my personal colorist! My hair was rocking!
This was my very first RT and man, I wasn’t really ready for it! I knew to expect a lot from conversations and stories of past conventions, but the talk didn’t do the size of the event justice. It was crazy and awesome!
My schedule compared to others wasn’t as crazy and hectic. I only had one panel I was presenting on, a gala I was helping host and some publisher parties, but man, did it keep me on my toes at all time!
The Across the Worlds panel had awesome questions! We seriously spent the whole time taking questions and telling stories. I shared the table with Shayla Black, Lexie Blake, Kennedy Lane and Carrie Ann Ryan. It was a great time!
My vibrators were a huge hit at the Shooting Stars Gala! And yes, that is a cheesecake in the middle of my table. Why, you ask? Well, because my reader lounge is called the Cheesecake Reader Lounge and I decided to bring that to life with a fun filled morning of books, sex toys and a pin up name! Each person who sat with me got a piece and I got to introduce people to the beatuiful thing that is Lambic, a Belgium beer that tastes of raspberries! In addition, everyone got a book, a USB drive of ebooks donated by awesome authors, and a couple of handmade items by Oh Whimsical Designs and myself.
Yes, I made some of my swag! I did Cheesecake reader key chains featuring the reading lounge logo. These were so easy and fun to make! Then, each person got a necklace with a couple sentences of the first sex scene in Drive, Hot Rides 1 on it. These are limited edition creations I won’t do all the time. It’s time consuming, but so much fun!
Geeze, what else?
I got to attend several Kensington and Loveswept parties that were lovely. I feel like I get to work with the best people in the business, and I am so excited about the upcoming year and all that’s in store!
RT wouldn’t be RT without all the amazing readers. I didn’t get anywhere near enough pics with them. So many wonderful people tracked me down to chat or talk books. I was blown away by just how awesome the readers at RT were!
The book fair was crazy. Can I say that again? C-R-A-Z-Y!
The RT Bookfair is actually the first signing my mother has attended. Probably of any author. I will never forget her wide-eyed expression as she looked around at all the people! I don’t think I prepared her adequately… or at all!
In happy news, my cover designer for my indie series, Bayou Bound, was in attendance. One of the highlights for me was getting to see her walk up to my table and stop when she realized that every book on my section was one of her creations. That was a pretty dang good moment!
All through the book fair I could not stop smiling and near tearing up thanks to the readers. From the scrapbooked covers to the glossy hardbacks people had created with book covers and teaser clips, it was just inspiring to think of all the people out there who have been part of this amazing journey. And it’s not done yet!
Now, for those of you who follow me on twitter and facebook, you got a little sneak peak of my boyfriend’s book fair outfit. We’ve known for a while what he would wear, and let me tell you now: I had nothing to do with this! My boyfriend and another friend hatched this plan for him to wear a tutu and she created one just for him with his “signature” black and silver colors. He was a huge hit! So if you guys saw him running around handing out my pins, well, you met my guy!
I wish I could name all of the wonderful people I met and hung out with this weekend. You guys, YOU are what makes events like this a blast. There were so many people I got to meet and hang out with. It was a special event, and I cannot wait to see some of you next weekend at Austin Author Affair or in June at Boas & Tiaras. Readers make my world go round!!
This sounds like it was so much fun. I really wish I could have come, but it doesn’t look like a wheelchair would have worked and I could not have handled all the walking and/or standing around. *sigh* It is a b*otch when the body starts to go. But I do enjoy when y’all share your experiences. Thank you. I think I saw the guy in the tutu in other folks pictures. He belongs to you? Lucky girl. He looks like fun.
The only area that wasn’t wheelchair accessible was the bar. But, the bar was also a trap that tried to hurt people. I don’t know who designed it, but there were black marble stairs all of six feet from the bar, then an escelator. Not smart planning IMO. I mean, people are going to drink there and fall down things. Enough sober people fell that it had me avoiding that area. The rest of the hotel was very wheelchair/scooter friendly. A number of attendees were happy with their RT experience in a chair. I think it was @FishWithSticks who said this was her first RT in a scooter and she was never doing it any other way. Maybe check with her and some others to see what their experience was? Honestly, I hung out ore in the lobby than the bar!