RWA – Memories – Part 2

First off, I’m dying today – no I don’t mean in the literal sense, but I got home Very Early in the morning on Monday. Yesterday was a holiday here in Canada and I would have taken the day off even if it wasn’t for more than one reason. I fully planned on taking today as a sick day, but, being the dedicated worker bee that I am, I set the alarm clock anyway. Just as it went off and I was about to turn it off, make my phone call into work and roll over and go back to sleep, I remembered that one of the team of 3 that I work on was going to be off today. If I had called in sick, we would have just had one person and she is brand spanking new and I didn’t want to do that to her.

So, here I am, at work, feeling worse than I did last Saturday when I really did have a hangover, feeling like I have the hangover of all hangovers. And not only am I at work – I arrived two hours earlier than I was supposed to. I work on a rotating schedule, one week I start at 8:00, the next 9:00, the next 10:00. I thought I was 8:00 but I was 10:00. But we got a total new phone system while I was away so I stayed for a workshop on how they work. But it’s going to be a loooooooong day. So I might just have to do a Part 3.

I last left off with many of my fellow bloggers who showed up. So now I’ll do other stuff

• Running into authors in the parking lot. I told my roomies it’s probably the only time it’s not bad being a smoker – at a RWA conference.

• Having to ask what a Silver Bullet was. I found out what it was.

• Finally finding out what the name of that movie was. I think there are some who might remember *sly wink*. It's Pirates. Who'd u thunk it. Thanks go to Angie for the title.
  

• Getting up the courage to say hello to Nora Roberts. And she remembered me!!! Me!!!

• The ferry ride to Sausalito. Man was it cold up front. I had to go back inside and then I lost my bus pass. I needed that to get on the bus! But I told the tour director I’d lost it somehow and she let me on anyway.

• The tour guide from hell. Tracy, Alys and Katie can attest – she was one Drill Sargent of a tour guide. The funniest part was when she leaned into some people who were whispering in the front and with her microphone said very clearly and very loudly, I do NOT share.

• Meeting so many authors! I'd love to mention them all, but then I would forget some. But I have to say each and every one was gracious and friendly and a real credit to the world of Romance Writers.
  

• Seeing Gena Showalter smack the bottom of Sarah and Jane at the Harlequin signing. I’m sure there was a private joke in there somewhere *g*

• Handing out business cards and then getting to tell them about the back. (I designed them myself *proud grin*). Mind you I had a bit of a scare there for a bit. I was telling my sister about them and she said that there might be a copy right violation there. I immediately emailed Jane who replied that yes, technically there was. "Oh shit, shit, shit "I thought! What do I do now?" Then she sent me another email saying she didn't think they would mind. But just in case there are any people from BBC reading this - I did not make any profit. I just wanted to share the love.
  

• Telling Madeline Hunter all about North and South. She had read the book but didn't realize there was a series made out it. Hopefully she will be checking out Netflix.

• Finding my bus pass in my big fat dirty old man underwear purse - long after the fact

• The books!! The books!! All the free books!! There were a number of authors I approached and told them I had all there books and loved them, but if they didn't mind I would love to take one and give them away for contests on the blog. Each and every one of them was thrilled with the idea. So! Contest for free books start on Sunday. Kate and I were chatting and I had such great fun last year with "Guess that Book" that I'll be doing it again this year. Starting Sunday. "Guess that Book" And the prizes will be books I've loved.

• The Dorchester dinner. Wowzers - was that the great time. I think Kate and I were the only bloggers there and sadly I was in shy mode that night. But just being invited was most thrilling!!!

• Along with not just getting free books, was getting books I'd never heard of, books that look really good. I can hardly wait to dive into them. I had so many I had to ship them home - well to the office really. I thought they would take at least a week to get here, but Joy of Joys - they arrived today. I guess it wasn't so bad working today after all (it's now much later - this post has been a long time in the writing)

• The freedom of realizing that I wasn't going to make the Very Many workshops I'd planned to make and then finding out they would all be available after the conference. I went to the desk and ordered a set. And for a Very Low price, I also got a copy of the top 24 from last year too!!! I was starting to feel so bad that I was missing them since I planned on attending them this year.

Well - it's getting late and I'm still pretty jet lagged - seeing as I had to go to work today. As more memories come to me I may have to do a third post. But I'm saving the best memory for last.

• I don't know how many were visitors after I went to RWA in Dallas last year, but I had one of those 'moments in time' memories last year when Jane, Sybil and I went out for lunch with Lisa Kleypas. I wasn't sure if she would be there this year. I thought she probably would be as both Sugar Daddy and Meet Me at Midnight were up for RITA's, but she wasn't on the literacy signing list. I didn't want to bother her by emailing her, but I was keeping my fingers crossed. I was having Christina Dodd sign a book for me when she mentioned that Lisa was downstairs doing a signing for St. Martins. I was overjoyed and headed straight down there - lickety split. She had a number of people ahead of me in line so I waited a bit. When it was my turn, she looked up, saw me, got out of her chair and hugged me. Another one of those moments in time. There was still quite a few people in line behind me so I didn't want to take too long talking to her, but she asked if I would be in Washington next year. Since it's my goal to start some kind of book, I absolutely plan on it and told her. She said then for sure we would get together then and I know she is the kind of person who means what she says. One last thing - I handed her a card and told her to check out the back seeing as she was an integral part of the Great North and South Crusade. She loved it!
  

So this may or may not be my final post. It depends on how much I forgot. I'm still on San Francisco time I think.