HOT 'LANTA HOSTS BOOKLOVERS CONVENTION

Why am I sitting in the middle of my office surrounded by piles of books, customized pens, bookmarks and light-up fingertip “alien zappers?” Because next week is the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Atlanta, of course!

RT, as it is fondly known by its thousands of devotees, is the annual week-long party thrown for readers and their authors by the RT Book Reviews magazine (now a digital enterprise). The festivities include panels and workshops with the authors; meet-and-greet opportunities; photo ops with sexy cover models; signings—both formal and “pop-ups,” which can happen anytime and anywhere; special events for specific genres and publishing houses (like the YA Sleepover opening night); and parties—lots and lots of parties. 

This year, because it is Atlanta, there is a Magnolias and Moonshine party (planned by the Regency historical romance writers), a rockabilly party (boy, am I down for that!) and a Roaring Twenties costume party (that one will be tough, but I hear I can just buy a hat at a booth in the Bazaar and fit in).

Past RT stalwart Linnea Sinclair will not be attending this year, so there will be no Intergalactic Bar and Grille, alas! Science fiction romance authors (and fans) will have to make their own fun somehow. Toward that end, SFR bestie Riley Moreland and I have set up a Facebook Event page, The Invasion of Atlanta, to invite any skiffy rommers at RT to let their presence be known. Click and say you’ll be there so we can get together, either formally or informally.

Of course, the big event at RT is the Giant Book Fair, which happens at the end of the week, on Saturday. Hundreds of authors will be packed in the big ballroom, signing their books for eager readers, and, for the first time ever, I will be one of them! This is my third RT, but it’s taken me three tries to make it into that ballroom, where I’ll be competing for attention with the likes of Angela Knight, Sherrilyn Kenyon and at least two of my Golden Heart sisters, Kim Law and Terri Osburn. (Oh, and those things I mentioned in the opening paragraph? Swag--to give away to readers at the Giant Book Fair.)

I’ll be in the thick of things next Friday, so no post here at Spacefreighters. Check out my Facebook page for photos of the fun at RT! I’ll be back here in two weeks.

Cheers, Donna