|
7.13.05 I have found The Shoes! After trying on every pair of heels known to woman, I finally found a pair that will go with my awards ceremony dress and that a) are stylish enough to live in Carrie Bradshaw’s closet, b) I can walk in for more than five minutes without growing gargantu-blisters, and c) I don’t have to mortgage my house to afford! Yay! 7.16.05 With only 10 days left until Reno (ohmigod!) I was going over my conference checklist today when a horrible realization dawned on me. Dress for awards ceremony? Check. Fabulous shoes? Check. Color coded spreadsheet schedule? Check. Perfect, knock-em-dead editor pitch? (silence) I said, perfect we’ll-buy-it-in-a-heartbeat pitch for my editor appointment? (insert sound of crickets chirping through the silence) Oh holy crud, I forgot to write my pitch! Anyone have a good pitch workshop? 7.19.05 
After spending all morning reading Jamie Sobrato’s “Honing Your Pitch” thread, condensing my 400 page book into two sentences, and talking to myself (“Hi, I’m Gemma. My manuscript is a chick lit mystery…”) I think I have something editor worthy. Sigh of relief. If anyone else is as last minute as I am, I highly recommend checking out Jamie’s advice. So, new item added to the list of things I didn’t know about my cp: she used to be a stylist for hair metal bands. Too cool – I loved those guys! (What can I say? It was high school.) Even cooler – she’s offered to do my hair for the GH awards ceremony. Yay! Of course, she doesn’t know how thin, curly, and generally possessed it is, but if she can tame Poison’s locks, she can hopefully do something with mine. 7.23.05 I am happy to report that my monster-hold-everything suitcase does in fact fit in the itty bitty trunk of the borrowed car I will be taking to Reno. Just barely. If I really easy it in and kind of sit on it. Then again, I haven’t actually packed the suitcase yet. Hmmm… is it too late or buy a really cute duffle bag? Speaking of packing… I have become obsessed with travel sized products. I bought a travel sized bath puff, travel sized band aids, and even a travel sized toothbrush. (Though upon closer inspection I’m not entirely sure it takes up less space than a regular sized toothbrush but it was just so darn cute!) I am convinced there is nothing in this world that can’t be made better by squishing it down into a compact mini version and slapping the world “travel” on it. Now, if I could just find a travel sized martini shaker… 7.25.05 First thing in the morning, I’m off to Reno! I’m currently doing that nervous slash excited thing where I’m wondering if I forgot to pack underwear, and did I leave instructions for feeding the pets, and does the camera have film. (Double checked, have 5 pairs of underwear. Went over instructions for feeding Dory, the killer blue fish. I know, I’ll take the digital camera – no film needed!) Ready or not, Reno, here I come! 7.26.05  Made it to Reno safe and sound. No thanks to the 16 wheelers tailgating me over Donor’s Pass. Down point of arrival day: losing $30 at the slot machines. High point: big margarita at Chevy’s. Yum!
7.27.05  Being a conference newbie I volunteered to do everything, including working the conference registration. So much fun! Not only did I get to meet so many fellow writers, published authors, and one very friendly and eloquent editor (hi Kathryn!), but I got to meet two lovely ladies who I have e-known and cheered for on the eharlequin contest loop. The only major I’m-a-natural-blonde moment was when I told poor Jennifer O’Connell that she’d have to go stand in another line because I didn’t have her registration. Fortunately Jennifer is such a sweet patient, person, she didn’t mind giving me a tutorial on the alphabet. (Huh, what do you know? ‘O’ does come before ‘P.’) Sorry Jennifer! If I buy a case of your next book, will that make up for it?
Wednesday night was the Chick Lit party. Oh my, do those chicks (and Chuck!) know how to party! And as an added surprise the fabulous chicks awarded all the GH and Rita finalists in the chapter lovely crystal and silver bracelets handmade by Jacquelyn A. Norris. I plan to wear mine the rest of the conference. 
7.28.05 The first official day of workshops. And oh my gosh, were they fabulous! Great speakers, great information, great big pile of freebies from the goody room. Debbie Macomber brought the room to tears with her amazing account of the hard and badly potholed road to New York Times bestsellerdom. This afternoon I got to meet many of my fabulous Brainstorming Desirable friends in person for the first time. I’m convinced that a more supportive bunch of ladies do not exists anywhere. And later in the evening was my famous mustache waxing incident at The Golden Network party. Did I mention I volunteered for EVERYTHING at this conference? Apparently that included playing the role of the local Sheriff in the annual boot-out skit. Thanks to the yarn Debbie Macomber so kindly gave all the conference attendees, my quick thinking roommate, Lisa Bradley made me a very fun sheriff’s mustache affixed with first aid tape from the gift shop. Unfortunately as it was ripped off of me during the course of the skit, I did in fact get a mustache waxing with my very own mustache. Luckily I think everyone mistook my yelp of pain as a cry of surprise from the skit and the performance went off without a hitch. And my lip was only slightly red for the late night pajama party with my eHarlequin pals. 7.29.05 
More great workshops and fun spotlights. The editor pitch went fabulously and I didn't even end up using my notes. In addition to meeting many of my writing idols (and you ladies know who you are!) I had the honor of meeting many fantastic editors (one of whom I may be lucky enough to call “my editor” someday) who requested copies of my various manuscripts. In the immortal words of Homer Simpson, “Woohoo!” Probably the group of ladies that can hold their liquor better than any I know (at least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it) are the Romance Divas, whom I met for drinks at Chevy’s tonight. Fantastic writers, fabulous outfits (including the Snarkalicious Diva’s Donna Reed chic dress) and never ending margaritas. What more could a girl ask for? The Divas drank until we were officially the loudest patrons of Chevy’s, though I’m sorry to say we did not stay to see the entire appearance of the Johnny Cash impersonator at the Garage Bar. A Diva can only take so much twang. 
7.30.05 Ahhhh! It’s Golden Heart Day!!!! And you can pick out the finalists by their cemented in place up-dos, the hands that have already stared shaking by three o’clock in the afternoon, and the mumbling of their acceptance speeches to themselves ‘just in case’ as they roam the halls of the Reno Hilton. (Sadly, I was no exception.) The fabulous Diva Kristin Painter (GH finalist in the Paranormal category), Lisa, and I had our hair done at Salon de Jax. Or in other words, Jax’s hotel room. (See Jax, I give credit where credit is due when it comes to fantastic hair.) 
Once we were all pressed into undergarments that gave us enough cleavage to hold a pencil upright, we’d put on our most fabulously uncomfortable shoes and slapped on more make-up than Bozo the clown, we all filed down to the Hilton Theater for the 25th annual RWA Rita and Golden Heart Awards Ceremony. It was truly an Oscar worthy evening. The theme was RWA throughout the years and some of our past Golden Heart and Rita finalist - now best-selling authors – emerged from the stretch limo on stage and strutted down the makeshift red carpet in their 80’s and 90’s attire. My favorite – the 1988 flash dance babe.
The slideshow was funny and touching. The acceptance speeches had all our carefully applied make-up running down our faces like Tammy Faye clones. And then they got to my category. 
I heard them call off my name and the names of the fabulously talent writers in my category: Sherri Lynn Godsey, Deborah Clawson Johnson, Mary Louise Kelso, Susan Lyons, Cindy T. Marolt, Bridget H. Stuart, and Lois Winston. And then the unthinkable happened. They called my name. Can you freaking believe it? I have never been more shocked excited, nervous or just plain out of my head giddy in my entire life. I’m told I gave an acceptance speech, though after the words, “and the winner is...” I can’t remember anything else except for the pain in my cheeks from the perma-grin. I think I managed to thank at least most of the people on my list before stumbling off the stage, sitting back down in my seat, and double checking the envelope just in case someone had misread it. Nope. It was still my name. Oh. My. God. I won a Golden Heart. 
The rest of the evening is a blur of drinks, dessert, tons of pictures and enough flashbulbs that I’m still seeing spots. Pardon me if I have a mushy Hallmark moment, but the only thing I do and will always remember from that night are all the hugs and congratulations from my new best friends, my RWA sisters. Anyone who says women are catty, competitive, snooty, or jealous haven’t been to an RWA convention. They are the most supportive bunch of women I could ever hope to know and I can’t wait to cheer and celebrate all their new accomplishments with them again in Atlanta 2006! 7.31.05 It's 7:30 am. Why in God’s name is the phone ringing? Waking me up out of a perfectly lovely dream where I won the Golden Heart. Wait. Oh holy crap, did that really happen? Can you tell I’m still in shock? Today, after some tearful goodbyes, promises to keep in touch, and vows of first sale ribbons all around for next year’s conference, the RWA ladies trickle out of Reno and back to their various hot little keyboards around the globe. I made a quick stop off at the gift shop to buy my lovely child his promised souvenirs so that we’ll be on speaking terms once I get home again. On the way out the door, I spy that wicked, evil slot machine that stole my $30 on day one. I stare it down. It’s just the Lucky Seven Parade and me. I drop in a handful of coins. And when I’m down to my last three credits the machine dings like a thousand angels getting their wings, and out pops a hundred bucks. All I have to say is: Viva Reno! 
Sign up for my newsletter and be the first to know about my latest news, contests and releases. I solemnly swear not to clog your inbox and your email address will not be shared with a third party.  |