Trip Report -- Laurie's trip to RWA National in Atlanta
July 26 - 29, 2006

Day 1:  Wednesday, July 26, 2006:

Don't ask me why my alarm rang this morning at 4 AM, or why I flew from Illinois to Atlanta via Detroit.  (Check your map -- that's NOT the most direct route!  :)  I'm sure it sounded like a good idea when I was booking the flights months ago, and I'm sure that by flying over 800 miles out of my way, I ended up saving tons of money.  ANYWAY, it was a long morning but I did arrive safely in Atlanta about 1 PM today.

I decided to be adventurous and take the MARTA from the airport to the hotel.  I hadn't been on a major city's subway system in several years, and I was very impressed!  It was very clean, safe; the employees were all polite and helpful, and the tokens are all automated.  It was easy, quick and cheap.

I found the hotel, the Marriott Marquis -- and wow, was it beautiful!  Here was my first glance at it:   It is huge!!  I'm on the 25th floor.  Here's me to the guy who checked me in, "Do you get dizzy up there?"  Him:  "That's only halfway up!"

By the way, everything's peaches in Atlanta.  I got off the train at the Peachtree Center, and when I checked in, the hotel gave me a peach.  A half second after I walked in my room I decided I could happily spend the rest of my life here.  :)  It's a gorgeous room with a beautiful view and a huge king-sized bed with SIX pillows!  And I'm SOLO this conference -- no roommate.  So I'm going to savor my privacy and freedom.

I picked up my conference registration bag containing 14 books!  Good thing I packed an empty suitcase in my suitcase to carry all my books home.  I hooked up with buddy Katie Dunneback (writing as Kelly Maher) and we went out for a late lunch.  We also spent some time planning out our workshop choices.  Looks like I'll have a good blend of agent panels, Inspirational, Young Adult and best-selling authors (I don't care what they're talking about -- anytime I can get in the same room as Nora Roberts or Suzanne Brockmann, I'm gonna go for it.)

In the evening I attended the Literacy Booksigning, along with about a bajillion other people.  Incredible.  I mean, look at this:    The signing is always a fun start to the conference because everyone is there and you see old and new friends -- people you met last year, etc.  Here are a couple shots of the signing:

   Me with the incomparable Debbie Macomber

             

Me with old buddy Karen Anders                                    Chapter mate Jade Lee busily signing her new book..

We had an incredibly successful signing this year, earning a record-breaking $64,272, for a grand total of over 1/2 a million dollars!  Great job, RWA!

Day 2:  Thursday, July 27

This morning I started bright and early, having breakfast with Cindy Dees, Kathy Grill (w/a Jade Lee) and Leesa Whitson.  Then, on to the PRO Retreat, which as usual was jam-packed with star power.  First up was the reading of 92 names of writers who graduated this year from PRO (aspiring) to PAN (published).  Next year it'll be me.

JoAnn Ross was named PRO Mentor of the Year.  Then, on to the first speakers, Lani Diane Rich and Susan Crandall.  They are both authors whose first published books won the RITA.  They did a very funny and informative Myth Busters.

Next up was agent Meg Ruley of the Jane Rotrosen Agency, super-agent of many mega-stars such as Jenny Crusie, Jo Beverley and Cathie Linz.  She also talked about several myths related to agents and then she offered four agent-hunting tips.

Then Jenny Crusie, Bob Mayer and Mollie Smith (their webmistress who also happens to be Jenny's daughter) talked about website and blogs -- what to do, what not to do.  (Hopefully I've already got that figured out.)

And then an editor panel with Tracy Farrell of HQN, Cindy Hwang of Berkeley and Raelene Gorlinsky of Ellora's Cave.  I always love hearing from editors so it was a panel well worth attending.  The each talked about what they thought the market was doing, and 2 new authors they signed on this year, and what appealed to them about their work.

Last but not least was the PRO Retreat Keynote speaker, Nora Roberts.  She was amazing, as always, and very inspiring.  She talked about storytelling being like magic, and it's our job to keep making the magic.  She had pointers for not letting the magic get diluted.

By then, the morning was over and it was time for the luncheon.  The food and company were good, but I especially enjoyed our speaker, Meg Cabot.  She was absolutely hilarious.  She talks just like she writes -- like a hip teenager.  No wonder she's so successful in YA.  She talked about her pre-publication days, her rejections, her sale of Princess Diaries, and then the whole Hollywood experience when her book was made into a Disney movie.  She was very entertaining.

That signaled the end of the conference activities for today, so I changed clothes, rested a bit, then ventured out on MARTA to visit the Margaret Mitchell House three stops away.  The MM House holds some sentimental value for me because I hold it responsible for me beginning writing in the first place!  Back in August, 1998 I was on a business trip and had a free weekend in Atlanta.  I planned a day of sightseeing and one of my stops was the MM House, where Margaret wrote about 85% of her blockbuster novel, Gone with the Wind.  When Margaret lived there in the 1930s, she shared a tiny little apartment (which she affectionately called "The Dump") with her husband.  I mean, it was miniscule.  She set up a portable little table in her living room where she kept her ancient black typewriter, and giant mounds of manuscript pages.  When company came over she threw a bath towel over the whole mess and refused to talk about it.  It took her a decade to write it and she persevered, despite illness, injury, marriage and day jobs -- despite the fact that she never considered it good enough to be published.  But she kept writing.

That hot day in August, 1998, the story of Margaret Mitchell and Gone With the Wind touched me so deeply that, that evening I began working on my first novel.  If Margaret could persevere, so could I.  And that book became my first book, Whispers of the Heart, which was published in November, 2000.

It's fitting that today I went to revisit the MM House while attending a conference of the organization that is continually making me a better and more informed writer.  I have three novels published now, and striving toward breaking into the NY market.  Unfortunately, our tour guide was quite harried and rushed today, most likely stressed out by the hordes of RWA conference attendees visiting the MM House, so I'm not sure any of them experience the same magic I did eight years ago.  But the MM magic is still alive and kicking for me, each time I pick up the pen.

Day 3:  Friday, July 28

It's been a full day of workshops, supplemented by three meals shared with writers from all over the country.  At breakfast I sat down at a table with five ladies who, it turned out, were all from Washington (state) and were all sharing one room.  I hesitantly confessed that I had a room and a heavenly king-size bed all to myself, and just as I suspected, they were a big jealous.  :)

My first workshop turned out to be my favorite of the day.  It was certainly well-taught with lots of great material.  Author Christie Ridgway taught it, and it was entitled, "The Bait, the Hook, the Catch:  It's All About Chapter One."  The workshop was based on the premise that editors will only give you two pages to make an impact, so those two pages have to be very gripping.  She gave us some great ideas on how to do that, and some exercises to make sure your own work sparkles.

Then I attended the Spotlight on Harlequin/Silhouette.  Editors of each line outlined what they're looking for, and what has a better chance of grabbing their attention.  Although I've been to the same session before in previous years, it's always good to hear what's going on at H/S.

Next up was a session with literary agent Jenny Bent and two of her authors, discussing how a good agent can benefit the author's career.  Not too much new there, but a great example of a terrific author/agent partnership to set as a standard for when I get my own agent.

After lunch, I attended an hour-long Chat with Nora Roberts.  I try to attend her chats each conference, and although a lot of the same questions are asked of her each time, I love her deliciously cynical and funny answers.  She seems like such a hoot in person and yes, she makes it all sound so EASY!

Next up was Show Me the Money by Brenda Hiatt.  Brenda solicits advance and royalty information from RWA members who make sales so she can collect info such as average advance (first and subsequent books), average royalty rate, and average earn-out.  She also covers contract clauses and the whole monetary aspect of being published.  Let's just say I won't plan to quit my day job anytime soon!  :)

Next up with another Author/Agent session where I heard more about how to work effectively with an agent, and how to form a good, strong business partnership.  The last workshop of the day, for me at least, was a critique session by two agents and an editor.  Workshop attendees brought the first 2 pages of their manuscript to be read aloud in the session, then critiqued verbally by the panel.  You have to have an incredibly thick skin to tolerate the sometimes gleeful abuse offered by the professionals.  I'd never put myself out there like that.  I can abide rejections when they're in writing, but someone tells me in person (in front of a hundred others) that my work sucks?  I'd be choking back the tears.

It was a tiring yet educational day, and I met up with Heart and Scroll chapter mates for dinner -- Laurie Bradach, Katie D, Dixie Schulz and Caron Smith.  Looking forward to a day of fabulous workshops tomorrow, along with the RITA ceremony!

Day 4:  Saturday, July 29

The last full day of the conference began early with a continental breakfast, then I went to a workshop led by Susan Elizabeth Phillips entitled, "Writing the Best Seller -- Six Magic Words."  Coincidentally, I'm currently reading my first SEP book, "Ain't She Sweet" and I'm really enjoying it.  Although I'd heard Susan speak before, I'd never read her work.  She often mentions her own work in her workshops, so when she began talking about the heroine from Ain't She Sweet, I was ready.  :)

For those of you keeping track, the six magic words are:  Keep the Reader in the Story.  Don't give them a reason to put the book down.  Then she went on to describe how authors inadvertently pull the reader out of the story so we
Susan Elizabeth Phillips

 can avoid those.  She also allowed plenty of time for questions, which I appreciated, since I asked one that had been stumping me.  :)

Next I attended a session on writing the inspirational novel, led by a Steeple Hill editor and two SH authors.  They focused some on Love Inspired's suspense line, which I'm not at all familiar with, but I intend to read some to see if I get any story ideas which will prompt me to write one.  After the session I introduced myself to the editor, and told her I was working on revisions for my manuscript with Diane Dietz.

Next up with Suzanne Brockmann, talking about "A Cast of Thousands."  Her Navy SEALS series is never-ending, so she shared her strategies for managing such a huge stable of characters while making sure they come alive on the page.  A topic I probably won't utilize in my own writing, but it was very interesting, and Suz is such a class act, an excellent writer, and an enthusiastic speaker/teacher, that an hour in her presence is always worth my time.  :)

Next was a luncheon with Christina Dodd as the Keynote speaker.  She told us about her long and rocky road to publication.  I particularly enjoyed this quote:  "Having a book read is like walking up on a stage, pulling your pants down and waiting for comments."

I sacrificed one workshop session for a quick nap right after lunch (which is so hard for me because I'm such a
                                                                                                              Suzanne Brockmann
 

 workshop junkie) but I knew I'd be glad I did so I'd be fresh for the RITA/GH ceremony tonight.  Late afternoon, I attended two last workshops:

And then, the big night -- the RITA/GH ceremony!  I sat with Shirley Jump, who placed second this year in our chapter's Madcap contest.  She was really friendly.  I was especially excited for chaptermate Nancy Finney (writing as Elizabeth Hoyt) who was a Golden Heart finalist!  She didn't win but she had the glow of a GH finalist with a First Sale ribbon (she sold multiple books to Warner books this year) all week!

                      

Nora Roberts as MC of the RITA Awards                                Chapter mate Nancy Finney in her moment of GH glory!

After the dessert reception (where I told several author friends about my upcoming trip to NYC to attend a bookreading with JK Rowling, Stephen King and John Irving -- I know!  Yippee!  And they were all SOOO envious!) I ran into my pal Jesse standing with her agent.  We chatted awhile and Jesse mentioned that I wrote Inspirational.  "And YA," I threw in.  That perked up the agent's ears.  "What kind of YA?"  I briefly described my story, and she handed me her card and said she wanted to see it.  COOL.  :)

Another RWA National Conference come and gone.  Each conference seems to have its own flavor, personality.  For me, at this one I felt very much like a fly on the wall, characterized more by what I didn't do than what I did.  For example, I didn't:

Do I regret that I didn't do this stuff?  Not really.  I had a great week, attending workshops, learning, talking to old and new friends.  But I've decided I'm going to apply part of my New Year's Resolution (SH*&*T or get off the pot) to next year's conference attendance.  I will not attend next year's national conference, UNLESS I:

I need to move FORWARD with my career, not continue to tread water.  I've got a few irons in the fire trying to make that happen.  I need to hold the course.  Who knows what a difference a year will make?

Day 5:  Sunday, July 30

Horrible day of travel, resulting in delayed and missed flights, rerouting to a different city, lost luggage, a rental car, and not arriving home to 2 AM.  Best advice:  DON'T ASK!  :)