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| Me (far left, bottom)and some of the 2012 GH Firebirds. |
For those of you who have never attended an
RWA National Conference, there is no describing what it is like to share space
with 2000 other writers, much less
writers who are striving toward the same goal.
These women (and a few men, too, more this year than in the past), come
from all over the world; they come from all walks of life and all races,
backgrounds and political outlooks. But
they all share the same passion for reading and for writing. No matter where you meet—in the hotel lobby,
in a bar or restaurant, in a workshop or conference event—one question will
always bring two people together: What do you write? Even the most retiring introvert can feel at
home in this environment.
And it’s not just the Great Unwashed who
mingle in this way. The conference
organizes one formal event for fans/readers and best-selling writers to get
together, with the Literacy Signing.
Over 150 writers, from the Big Names down to the just-published gather
in a vast ballroom with stacks of books to sign, readers come in to meet and
greet them and the proceeds are donated to a local literacy charity. This year some $40,000 went to Atlanta
learn-to-read groups. I always volunteer
at the Literacy Signing and it’s huge
fun for everyone. I met my idol Shana
Abe this year, but in past years, I’ve talked with Linda Howard, Alexandra Ivy,
Nalini Singh, J.R. Ward, Angela Knight and others.
The towering open lobby and bar spaces of the
Atlanta Marriott Marquis also allowed for plenty of informal interaction with
the Big Names in Romance. I was waiting
in the bar for some friends on the first night of the conference when Nora
Roberts joined her friends next to
me. I played it cool, but a woman
passing by with her family did a double-take and circled back.
“Excuse me,” she said. “What is your name?”
“Nora,” Nora said.
The woman ran off, barely suppressing a
squeal. She’s probably kicking herself
that she didn’t say anything else. Like,
maybe, “hello”.
That’s okay, because two days later I ran
into Nora again, when I got lost trying to find my way to the mall attached to
the hotel. I asked two ladies smoking
outside a door for directions and only as they were explaining where to go did
I realize that one of them was Nora Roberts.
Duh! I just apologized for
interrupting and ran away. Really. Shouldn’t these people have bodyguards? Or entourages or something?
But they don’t because at heart they’re just
like us. And not too long ago they were
us, struggling to put that story down on paper or to convince an agent to take
a chance on them or to sell that first book.
One of the best parts of attending Nationals is that you get to be inspired
by the personal stories of the best-selling writers who are chosen to speak to
the conference at the keynote and awards luncheons. These women invariably leave an indelible
mark on everyone who hears them, because they are not afraid to share how
difficult it was for them to get to where they are.
This year’s keynote speaker was Cathy
Maxwell, author of more than 30 romance novels, including the lush historical
romances for which she is well known. As
a member of Virginia Romance Writers, where Cathy is a member, I knew
conference attendees were in for a treat with Ms. Maxwell on the playbill, and
we weren’t disappointed. She gave us a
rousing peptalk urging us to never give up on our dreams.
Contemporary romance author Kristan Higgans, NY Times and USA Today best-selling writer of ten romantic comedies, was the
awards luncheon speaker. Kristan,
predictably, started off in a lighter vein, with some reminiscing about her
first time at Nationals (and trying to save money), but her talk quickly turned
to more serious memories. Of an awkward
adolescence saved by an escape into books (she read Gone With the Wind 12 times during a particularly difficult
time!). Of the pain of the loss of a
child eased by reading. Of the support
of her husband, who, as soon as he passed the test to become a firefighter,
told her to quit work and start writing full time. No one who heard Kristan’s speech was
unaffected—or uninspired.
But that’s what we come to Nationals for—to be
inspired, to get the boost that will keep us going another year. Writing is a famously lonely business. We spend long hours alone at the computer,
struggling with the demons of character and plot, motivation and conflict. We get rejected over and over again, by
badly-chosen critique partners at first, then by agents and finally by
editors. And after all we’ve gone
through, we may ultimately be rejected by the readers. We need this one time in the year to hear
writing is not a futile enterprise.
Telling the stories that fill our heads and our hearts is important work, work that can change
lives and make the world a better place.
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| Sharon on the big screen as a RITA nominee. |
Next year’s conference will be held July
23-26 in San Antonio, Texas. Don’t miss
your chance to get fired up for your future!
PING PONG
Be sure to check out Sharon Lynn Fisher’s
giveaway below of an Advance Reader Copy of her upcoming new book Ophelia's Prophecy. This one is sure to be another winner for
Sharon and you could be one of the early reviewers!
