Overheard at RT: Man said to wife, "I can't carry any more bks. You've bought enough!"

Bear with my pictureless RT reports. My brain, it hurts.

I'm still recovering from driving all the way home from Ohio. 1000 miles. 500 of which seemed to be in a perpetual rainstorm. Right now, all I really want to do is sit down and stare at the bottom of my coffee cup, but bills, blog, and work are demanding me to come alive again.

I know many of you just load up the pics and that's it, but I've deliberately set my camera on photo-sized quality because I'm old-fashioned enough to think I'd actually print these out one day--you know, on Real Kodak paper. Ridiculous, I know. Noone does that any more. But anyway, I did, and so that means I have to resize every pic I post and loading them one by one takes enough time to make my lazy butt squirm in protest.

I love updating my blog, but loading pics is apparently too tough for the brain right now.

So, today I want to talk about last Saturday, the Giant Booksigning Event. It's a marvelous event. Here is a pic I borrowed from the Ninja Photographer aka Morgan Doremus, the Romantic Times Book Reviews Web Editor. See the crowd?

I love the Booksigning the most because this captures readers' love of my genre, romance. Their passion is talked about by other genres' writers in their blogs all the time:

***Readers walking around with bags on rollers to BUY books

***Fans holding a list and bringing their husbands along to carry their buys

***Booksellers dropping by to say hi to their favorite authors

***Happy reunions of readers who are on the authors' newsletters or forums

***The instant recognition of covers and titles of books and lines forming around a popular author

(Edited to add. I forgot to mention the number standing in line for J. R. Ward and Rachelle Mead! Readers were given a # and they were called to the author in blocks of ten so they could browse other authors' tables instead of waiting for 3 hours. Great system, by the way. Anyway, at one point, the announcer was calling out for #901-910, and I was like, Hholey Brothahhood Bathman! Mead's were in the 400s or so. Kathy Love, my signing partner, and I just shook our heads in awe)

Check out Alexandra Sokoloff's blog about her RT experience. She is one of many non-romance authors who has been spreading the best-kept secret about romance readers to her fellow authors. Others who are now regular attendees are F. Paul Wilson, Barry Eisler, Joe Konrath, Robert Gregory Browne and this year's virgin, Brett Battles. They love all the attention and plan to come back.

I love my readers so much. They dropprf by to visit me even when I hadn't any new books to sell. Some of them sent friends to come by, to make sure I was doing okay, and even got their friends to buy one of my books (thank you, Wendy Keel, Leiha Mann, and Leslie A. for thinking about me). Some of them drove hundreds of miles to come to SEE ME (thank you, Mo from DC, Jane from Indiana). Some of them came to find out when Virtually Hers was coming out in print. I was happy to have an answer for them: August! I was also very happy to get readers who attended my workshops/chats who were entertained by me enough to want to try my books ;-). Thank you to them too, and I hope they enjoy my stories.

Readers make the convention, and indeed, romance readers are the best readers in the world, buying and reading across all the genres. It's such a pleasure to meet them at RT and I want to thank every one who took time to attend part or all of the convention.

A convention is also nothing without its attendees poking a little--and having a good time doing it--fun at themselves and their favorite genre. The SF people do it with their Trekkies and Star War maniacs. Thrillerfest authors and readers have their parties too. For RT, it's the Romance Model Competition, you know, the one that launched John de SalvoSalivate onto every cover of every book for a whole decade. And let's not forget the beautiful and sultry Rob Ashton; I still have many pictures of that man.

So, in the spirit of fun, many attend. And even though many make fun of the idea of a "mangeant," (as twitterers were calling it), the contestants every year are serious about the idea of launching a career through a win, or at least, through exposure to the book industry people. Every one of them has hopes of landing on TV, like that reality show with Fabio, who invited Mr. Romance 2001 Tony Ranaldo (one of my fave winners). Some do hold the mistaken belief that authors have power over their covers and many a time, I have had to hold back my amusement at the model's earnestness in trying to persuade me and my fellow authors to give them a chance. Hey, we're all noobs at one time or another--tell me one freshman writer who didn't think talking to an author would help her work get read faster.

Anyway, this is the male models' "break," and many of the readers have a good time having the role reversed. We are so used to having female strippers at male-dominated conventions and male-themed events. RT is a female-dominated convention, and a romance clinch cover--that thing many profess to hate--is an important part of the industry. I know some are cringe-worthy, but I have seen and loved many good sexy ones.

I thought this year's mangeant was a lot less hysterical than previous years. Heck, the contestants hugged and teared up about being a daddy and being so loved by their supporters. In previous years, some of them had really beefed up and acted out a role, taking their time to even pose like a cover. I even recall some form of elaborate dance/pose routine that had the contestants moving around a work zone stage set, dressed up as construction workers (Chris Winters won that year). This year was more relaxed, with each man escorting a Dorchester (sponsor) author to a table, as if on a date, and answering a question or two.

One particular "date" scene gave me a good chuckle. Previously, Mark Johnson (Mr. Romance 1996, popular RT emcee and volunteer) had played a joke by pretending to be an author (he had a hood on) and asking a suggestive question, "What would happen if you and I were trapped on the 7th floor of an elevator?" over and over, trying to embarrass the poor model. Anyway, he was properly scolded and the real author showed up, and her question (all from memory, so not quoted directly) was, "I'm old enough to be your older, ahem, sister, and my question is, how would you seduce an older woman?" The poor contestant squirmed in his seat for a few moments (the author was actually more around his mom's age), and as the audience giggled, he finally said, "I'd start in the elevator." At which the whole crowd roared and even Mark Johnson had to stroll back to the table to highfive the dude. If I could have voted, I'd have given the model mine right there and then. I do like a quick-thinking man ;-).

The winner was Jamie Ungaro. He's a shy young man who had worked hard all week to garner the readers votes. I'm sure he's going to enjoy his winnings--$1200 cash, a paid-for trip to NYC for a cover shoot for Dorchester, and starring in a movie trailer for the same book. While he was taking his walk down the stage, being photographed and showered with shouts of congrats and approval, I overheard him saying while shaking his head, "This is ridiculous!" Which it was. But it was all good funning. Most of us had a good time enjoying the show because yeah, it was ridiculously entertaining. And yeah, like it or not, a few of these young men will grow up to be on many of our romance covers. And no, I'm not ashame to admit that I know more about the careers of Mr. Romance winners than I should; some of them have become my good buddies through the years.

Besides the fun of meeting readers and watching Mr. Romance 2010, I also attend for the networking opportunities. I've saved the best news for last, and I hope it will have a happy ending. An editor who attended my workshops came over to talk to me and asked whether I'd be interested in submitting a manuscript to her.

Hell. Yeah. :D

So, I'm going to take time this next week to polish up T and Diamond's story really, really well. Maybe they'll finally get an editor who will love them as much as you and I do. Wish me luck?

More later. Hope you're enjoying the non-pic reports.

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I Wanna Hear Your Uber Opinion

Here's a intro video of the coverage of the Romantic Times Convention from 2007 (last year). The film, Reading, Riting, and Romance: Taming The Alpha Male, will be shown in its entirety in the Cut Film Festival in San Francisco next spring.

Let's hear your thoughts of this little video.





And oh, for a good laugh, you can see my beautiful back at 4:04 when Mr Romance 2007, Jason, gave me a rose and kissed the back of my hand. Tsk. Badjenn.

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RT Recap: Day Four

I woke up on Saturday, coughing and hacking. Ann and Jeri, my roomates, have to shovel me out from under a pile of plasterdust. We dug a tunnel into the bathroom and screamed. We have turned into dust zombies. Instead of brains, we eat sawdust and plaster. We were going to be trapped in this hotel forever!

Jeri found an axe and we took turns swinging the mighty weapon against the wall, hacking away at it, trying to get out from the room...until I remembered how Barry Eisler showed us how to kick down a cheap hotel room door. Hi-KYAaaah! The door fell. And we made our escape...changing out of our sawdust nighties in the elevator, which fell twenty stories, even though we were on the fifth floor. We were professionals. We wiped away the last of the dusty evidence just when the elevator door opened, and Jeri, Ann, and I plastered on our happy author smiles, blinking away dirt as we walked out towards the big room for the Book Fair. Whew, made it.

300-plus authors. Over a thousand readers. Four hours of book heaven. Yeeha!

Here is a FANTASTIC video made by the Rebels of Romance, my drinking buddy Liz Maverick and her drinking buddy Marianne Mancusi ;-), of the day's events. If you want to know what an RT Book Fair is like, click on the video. You'll be amazed at the rows and rows of people. There is also footage of the Mr. Romance Contest so you can catch a glimpse of the show. Eye candy galore, peeps ;-).


Rebels of Romance Video Blog Day 4 from the Romantic Times Convention from Miss Media Productions on Vimeo.

Those two girls sure know how to have fun, don't they? Look at all the readers crowding around them!

Unlike this author below, who had to make her own sign because someone misplaced hers:


Sob. If you can't read the sign, it says, Gennita Low Will Rite Fur Fud.

One reader came to me and said, "What's FUD? (rhymed with cud)" Sigh. Another reader told me I needed an editor. Double-sob-sigh. Finally, I had to bring out the ace in the hole--I finished my coffee and holding the empty cup, I even had a rhyme going: "Save an author with a quarter."

It worked! I was hugged and loved by everyone after that:










Okay, I was just playing, in case you didn't get that. Many readers came over and talked to me, asking about Virtually Hers. I loved talking to you all and am really grateful for all the support you've given me this past year. Thanks for dropping by and buying my books, everyone.


That's Colleen Gleason, who writes an awesome Victorian vampire slayer series. She was the only author I managed to get to for a copy of her book because I couldn't get away from my seat. Everyone else that I wanted sold out! Wahhh.

I did get to see the Mr. Romance Competition. My friend, Chris Winters, won! He's a real sweetheart and a very funny person (when I first met him, he showed me how to clap with one's feet).






Unlike SOME PEOPLE, ahem, I couldn't afford the $$$ to be at the special romance model reunion dinner (it's a charity event), so I had to post the following pic of SOME PERSON WHO COULD and tell everyone that's me. Doesn't she look adorable? I'm jealous. Ah well. Hungry roofers can't waste her money on Fabio and Adrian Paul.

Oh, by the way, for those who emailed me expressing horror that I was pretending to be Marjorie Liu and telling everyone she's forty...ummm...it was a JOKE, folks. Honestly, look at the above photo again. Do you really think she's forty? Sigh. Marjorie knows I was just funning.

Anyway, that's all the RT stuff, folks. Hope you got a better picture of the convention and all its activities. It's going to be in Orlando, FL. next year! Come, if you can, because I'm going to be there again, wearing my Marjorie Liu badge.

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Uber Author Forgot About Spies!

Public announcement. Today is the first day of Hurricane Season. We need rain in Florida, but let's hope there won't be too much wind with that, eh?

My girlfriend emailed me the other night. "Girl, go buy the newest Romantic Times and check out the pictures from the RT Convention, starting from the last page." so I bought the newest issue and did so.

The first page from the back featured cool pictures of Mr. Romance contestants, happy authors parading their costumes, smiling booksellers, and smiling attendees at workshops. The second page from the back showed the photos from the Book Fair, with many famous authors sitting by their books, looking professional as they meet with their fans. Okay, everyone is looking great--the authors are authorly; the readers are having having fun; the booksellers are celebrating together. There was a tagline at the bottom of each picture, identifying the author or RT staff member doing their thing. The third page from the back...

Sigh.

The third page from the back...

There was Gennita Low. Did they show her being authorly? Oh no, of course not. Did they show her in costume with her author friends? Oh no, of course not. Did they, at least, have her hugging some readers and networking? Oh no, of course not.

Smack right in the middle of said page was Gennita Low, dancing and sandwiched in between Mr. Romance 2007, Jason, and Mr. Romance 2006, Rodney. The tagline? "Author Gennita Low gets down with Mr Romance 2007 Jason and Mr Romance 2006 Rodney at Dorchester's Immortal Party."

Other authors have "shared some laughs," or "snapped up copies," or "steady stream of fans," or "had a blast." Me? I have "Gennita Low gets down."

Gets down.

LOL. I must admit, that was one of my highlights of the convention, to be sandwiched by those two boys, and dirty dance like your mama told you not to! Heeheehee. And could they dance too.

***big authorly smile***

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A Mysterious Link and Mr. Romance 2007

Business First!

The Mystery of Snuffy continues. This is just tooooooo damn weird and cool and amazing and mind-boggling. You decide.

There's an anonymous comment on the blog from yesterday, when I posted a bit about Snuffy's email to me. The comment had just one link and it was unsigned. I cut and pasted this link and it came up to an ordinary Board of Director's page:

THE LINK THAT MADE ME GO OOOOOOOOOH

It's a boring page. Boring names. It contains names for the Library Board. But look to the right and check out the email addys. It's...it's...it's SNUFFY! OMG! Snuffy is a librarian at Durham County! I don't know who put that link on my comment area but it's either him or someone who knows Snuffy.

I don't know what to think. Does this mean that my books are now banned from the Durham County Library for being trash? ;-P AND, HOW COULD HE NOT KNOW WHO ANGELA KNIGHT OR LAURELL K. HAMILTON ARE????!

Interesting bit of mystery here, eh?

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I'll be on the road tomorrow, so posing will be sparse again for a few days. I'll be in Sacramento! Can't wait to chat with Susan Grant, pilot/author extraordinaire.

The address and phone number of the book store is on the right side of this blog. Hope to see you there!

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The Goddess La Nora Roberts is on the Time 100 list. She's in the TOP TEN, right after Leonardo di Caprio. Here's the link if you want to go through the complete list. I used the page where Nora appears: TIME 100 . I can't believe they put Justin Timberlake ahead of her. Sheesh.

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And now, the last main event at Houston RT:
MR. ROMANCE CONTEST

It was fun to play judge again. I always enjoy it. Front row seat watching men posing down, what's not to like? I sat by Chris Keesler, an editor from Dorchester, and he kept me laughing with his masculine comments as we put down our marks for "Pose," "Articulation," etc. Yeah, you read right. ARTICULATION. Hee.

I know, I know, it's cheezie and weird. The place can get to sound like the inside of a Chippendale's. Those who cringe at this side of the romance business usually don't attend. It's all done in fun, really. The models get a shot to be on the cover of a Dorchester book and head on to a year of possibly a new career in their lives. So they strut their stuff and show off why they would look good on a romance cover:



This guy has EIGHT kids. Eight. A woman from the audience asked him a question: "Do you have cable?"

I died laughing.



Jason had a great pose above. And I was pulled on stage to ask him a question. I asked: "What's your best pick up line?" All the ladies oohed. Jason gave me one of his sexy looks and said, "I'd say, "Girl, you're a parking ticket waiting to happen because you got FIiiiiiiiinnnne written all over you!"" Ooooh, he won a lot of cheers from the ladies! ;-)



Chris, a friend of mine, did well too.



This guy was a last minute substitute and his UNIFORM won. I think, when he walked to frontstage and snapped a salute, most of the judges gave him 100 points. LOL. He took second place.



The winner is dashing Jason. I'll have a close up of his pic with the other contestants once I get it scanned. That one was taken by a pro, not by a crazy judge sitting there balancing a camera and pen and laughing too hard to keep still. ;-)

All in all, RT was a fun time connecting with friends and readers. I just wish I was able to have dinner/lunch/breaks with everyone I've missed! RWA, huh? ;-)

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