Monday, April 18, 2016

#RT16 (From Afar)

Happy Monday, all!

I spent most of last week following the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention [#RT16] activities via Twitter and Facebook.

Did I regret not going? YES!

Did I follow Tweets and FB posts avidly? You betcha.

Did I pout a bit? Well...maybe.

Truth is, without new material out yet this year, it just didn't make financial sense for me to attend this reader-centered convention. So even though I greatly missed the atmosphere of high energy and excitement, seeing peers and colleagues, and experiencing RT Vegas Style, I had to settle for the virtual experience.

That said, I should note that Spacefreighter Donna S. Frelick was actually THERE--Live! in Las Vegas!--but this will in no way steal her thunder on the up close and personal magic that was #RT16. I'm sure she'll be here on Friday to spill all the pretty beans, so be sure to stop back! (Psst! I think Donna may even have the scoop on Linnea Sinclair's big SFR-centric Intergalactic Bar and Grille event!)

So...watching the "signals" bounced out of the event on social media provided me with some feedback on trends and who and what were the hot topics this year. I thought I'd share a few of my insights.

Here's what I gleaned from the digital coverage (some serious but mostly tongue-in-cheek).

The TOP FIVE #RT16 Trends in Social Media
(My Perception)

#1. Nalini Singh was absolutely everywhere! She popped up in countless Twitter pics and seemed to be two and sometimes three places at once!











How did she do it? Okay, I had a hypothesis.


She promptly corrected me. LOL


#2. Diversity was the focus

LGBT panels were hot commodities this year, and probably the most tweeted overall theme. Not marginalizing ethnic groups with stereotypical or flat characters was also buzzing. Another was body image and body diversity. We don't all look like runway models. Maybe our characters shouldn't either?







#3. Who is Christopher Rice and why haven't I heard of him before?







Clearly, I wasn't paying attention!
 
(For starters, he has SIX NY Times best sellers....aaaand his mom is Anne Rice!)

#4. Cherry Adair's many-faceted shoes were a megahit.





Da shoes! Da shoes!

#5. The HashHouse served enormous pancakes and other dishes that featured miniature tree look-alikes.




(WTH Hash House a Go Go? Is this how you brand? LOL)

So there's my take. Anyone else have a #RT16 trend or quirky tale they'd like to share in comments?

Have a great week!
Posted by at
Labels: , , ,

6 comments:

  1. Veronica ScottApril 18, 2016 at 11:03 AM

    Also was great to meet so many SFR folks in person!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. L. A. GreenApril 18, 2016 at 4:34 PM

      Yeah, I missed meeting you in person. Maybe we'll have another shot next year...or a future RT.

      Delete
  2. Rachel Leigh SmithApril 18, 2016 at 4:26 PM

    If Nalini was teleporting, that means Vasic and/or Kaleb was there ferrying her around. And I missed it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. L. A. GreenApril 18, 2016 at 4:39 PM

      Aha! Maybe that's the secret of her mysterious omnipresence.

      Delete
  3. Pippa JayApril 21, 2016 at 1:09 AM

    Is it bad that I avoided all mention of RT? Because the reality is I will never get to go, or to anything like, and while I enjoy torturing my characters I'm nit a fan of torturing myself with nevers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. L. A. GreenApril 21, 2016 at 10:30 AM

      Where I seem to have no qualms about torturing myself or being a voyeur from afar. LOL You can actually glean a lot about the industry from monitoring the Tweets and FB posts, which is why I do it.

      And never say never, Pippa! The future isn't certain, we have no fate but what we make. Okay, channeling Sarah Connor there, but you know what I mean. Things can change. Opportunities can arise. :)

      Delete

Thank you for chiming in! We love to see your comments. (All comments are moderated so spam can be terminated!)

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)