Trip Report
Chicago Spring Fling Conference
April 28 - 29, 2006

From the moment I saw the flyer about this conference, I wanted to go.  First of all, who wouldn't want to go to a conference that was practically right in my backyard (2 hours away) that featured such cool keynote speakers as Jennifer Crusie, Bob Mayer, Mary Alice Monroe and Alesia Holliday!  Not to mention the fact that they were offering editor and agent appointments, and one of the agents was already reading the first 35 pages of my Casey V manuscript as the final round judge of the Get Your Stiletto in the Door contest, Nadia Cornier!  I mean, it was Fate, right??  (Not to mention the opportunity for about a million hyperlinks in one paragraph! :)

Plus, I was SOOO ready for a weekend away from daily life.  My husband has been sick for who knows how long, and I haven't written in ages.  I needed to get away and "feed my muse."  So I worked a half day and flew out of the office, elated at the prospect of a short day and a half of focusing on writing, with other writers.  I love romance writers!  We're all so supportive and encouraging of each other.  :)

Day 1:  The drive up to Chicago was fine; very hectic around Joliet, and then again at O'Hare but I made it with the help of my music blaring and managed to avoid any scratches on my car.   :)  I got to the hotel, registered and had about a half hour to review the conference agenda before I went to the opening panel.  The four keynote speakers, all NYT bestselling authors, formed the panel, and they were taking Q&A.  They were all great.  Really funny and down to earth and personable.  I also met up with one of my chapter-mates who also went, and we sort of hung out together all weekend.

After that, a big group of us who had come to the conference from all over, went to dinner in the hotel shuttle at a place called the Ram Steak House.  It was good.  I sat at a table with about 10 ladies and got to know everybody, so when we saw them later around the conference, we were acquainted with each other.  After dinner I went to a workshop that an inspirational author taught about carving all the dead wood out of your manuscript.  It was all review for me, but some of it was okay. 

Then they had what I'm discovering is a staple for romance writers conferences:  a chocolate reception!!  Yummy!!

I went back to my room about 9:30 and watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.  I had brought my portable DVD player and that DVD.  If you've read my journal you know I'm a Harry Potter fanatic, so I had to start the weekend off right.  Unfortunately, I didn't sleep well that night despite the fact that I was in a big, king-size bed all to myself and had a beautiful, dark, quiet hotel room.  Maybe I was too excited.

Day 2:  Saturday morning I got up at 6:30 and was down at breakfast at 7:30.  I hooked up with a couple friends I know from Chicago and we ate, then we had the keynote opening speech by Jennifer Crusie and Tom Mayer.  Great speakers, lots of humor, really fun.  Then I had my pitch with Nadia Cornier, the agent who represents Young Adult (YA).  I only had 6 minutes with her, and believe me, you don't have much time for anything when you only have six minutes.  BUT success!  She asked me send her "partials" (not the full manuscript) of both Preacher Man and Casey V (which of course I did very quickly on Sunday.  I want to be the first one in after her all day of meetings!)  She was very nice, young, and casual.  She set me at ease immediately.  Of course, I'm experienced enough now that I'd be a terrific catch for her :) so hopefully she'll read my stuff and love it and offer me representation.

I believe I went to a workshop after that (don't remember which) then we went to lunch.  Alesia Holliday was the luncheon speaker and she was hilarious.  She and I have talked several times at conferences, and she remembered me.  She was the one who inspired me to write Casey V at the Reno conference last summer, and I brought her up to speed on my double-finaling in the contest, and Nadia asking for a partial.  She was really happy for me.

Next up was a speech by Mary Alice Monroe.  I have never read any of her books (I'd read all the other speakers) but she writes these beautiful, literary beach/nature books with a romance thrown in, sort of like Pat Conroy.  She was a very eloquent speaker.  I attended three more workshops -- one by a pair of authors, one by another agent who was there (Nephele Tempest), and then one by Nadia.  In Nadia's, I learned a lot about how she operates and what it would be like working with her.  And of course, it's always very interesting to hear information straight from an agent, because it helps in me in my never-ending quest for professionalism in this tough business!

By this time it was 5:30 and I went to the booksigning where all the published authors at the conference were selling and signing their books.  I bought one book from each of the keynote speakers and they all personalized them to me.  Then I bought one from a writer I had lunch with, Allie Pleiter who writes "inspirational humorous mom-lit" and I'd like to read hers to see if I would fit into that genre.  By the time I said good-bye to everyone and left I was exhausted but happy.