RWA 2008: An Uber Pictorial Story

Last week, I went on a fantastic journey.


We sat on a magical chair.




As we approached the magical place,




magical beings suddenly appeared.



They weren't afraid of us at all. One of them gave us the secret password, which transported us to the heart of the island, with beautiful houses...




We were met with many women (and a few men), who were called Huntresses. They were the eternal keepers of the Happy Ever After.



I bowed at the altar of The Goddess, the queen of many HEA, the sacred Black Ferret Keeper, and the creator of Roarke, the Man of All Future Men.


After that, I got to meet many favorite magical beings, the ones who could transport people to far away places with just words:


The fabulous and inimitable Jade Lee, the Queen of Tantric Sex and Special Massages.

The fabulous Meljean Brook who was laughing here with me because Joanna Bourne took a picture of her own face by mistake when she was pointing the camera the wrong way. Meljean writes epic paranormals--layered, deep, powerful--and her covers are to die for. Besides Marjorie Liu, she is the other woman I want to assassinate.

Speaking of the Tall One, my photo with her didn't come out and she flew off to THE OLYMPICS before I could get her to smile with me again. So if you're reading this, Marjorie Liu, not only do I want to kill you for being in China without me (again), but I also want the photo of us taken with your special $5,000,000 camera.


This is Joanna Bourne, who was so gracious even when I laughed at her, and whose unexpected close-up will be kept in my secret file for later in her career, when she runs for office or something. Oh yes ;-). Joanna writes stand-out historicals that just make me reread again and again. Her heroines are unique. Her heros are alphas. And...not one reference to the "ton" to boot!


Kylie Brant and I go way back. She's quiet but lethal. Reserved but dangerous. And she has a weakness for anything green. Kylie writes romantic suspense and I love her sexy style.


This group of ladies belong to a sect called The Kiss Of Death. Yes, we worship the Big Lips. We adore the Big Lips. Every year, we pay homage to the Big Lips. The priestesses of the KOD sect safeguard the secrets of suspense and intrigue; we can kill with mere words. Ann Voss Peterson, standing by me, can maim with her dancing moves alone. Every year, the KOD priestesses duel each other for the most powerful of all amulets, the Daphne du Maurier Amulet. The price is wanted by us all, but there can only be one left standing. This year, the honor went to Nina Bruhns.


Ah well. The only way to console a loss of the Amulet (again) is to attend the Party of the Year. It's hosted by the House of Harlequin, where many, many magical writing beings have started their career and flourished. I immediately headed off to the food table, where I stopped to admire the orchid ornament before devouring Chinese Dim Sum. Notice my loose gown so I could fit all the calorie intake.

At the Harlequin party, I danced the night away with friends. Below are special people with other magical powers. They are the Reviewers and Booksellers, two groups of magic-wielders who love to drink the elixir of Romance. They also came from many different lands.


I love Michelle Buonfiglio, that sexy, glossed-up and bewitching witch from Romance B(u)y The Book. Michelle can make me laugh by just giving me a look. Also, she gets the best interviews, so that's why I stick close by her. Michelle also promised me her daughter.

Kris Alice is from Germany. Rosemary Potter is from Australia. They are two of my closest friends in the writing world. It's amazing how a small conference brought people from so many countries together in one spot.

This is Olivia Gates, who is from Egypt. She won, hands down, for best-dressed woman at the RWA Island Resort.

Sylvia Day and Jordan Summers were there too. We joked about trying to wake up in the mornings.

And that's all folks. These are two very important icons of the Romance World--Miss Jane Austen (that little purse behind her is mine) and William Shakespeare. My friends and I gave them a toast before the last of the magic disappeared, and I was transformed from this:

back to this the next day:

Ah, well. It was so much fun while it lasted.

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