Romantic Times Convention 2012 Pt 1: Arrival & Friends

RT 2012 has come and gone. Like many attendees, I've mostly tweeted and Facebooked about it "live" through the five days I was in Chicago, but this year, I thought I'd gather some of my thoughts and impressions in one place because RT has undergone some changes.

This is my 12th RT. Yeah, I'm that old. I started going as a reader, a romance fan either to be among romance readers and authors. I was very lucky. My first roommate was the incomparable Cherry Adair, who remains a friend today.

Today, I have many more author friends and we get together at conventions, especially RT and RWA (Romance Writers of America).  I attend as an author now, but at RT, I'm also a fan of romance and all its trappings, be it meeting the authors, cavorting in costumes, enjoying the male cover models, talking about books, and admiring cover art. There's always laughter and fun at RT and 12 years haven't changed that.

My plane trip to Chicago--no problems! No delays, no lost IDs, no big agents staring down at me...I knew it was going to be a good convention after that :).

The only mistake I made was the lack of a coat. I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe it was all that trying to cramp 50lbs of books and promo stuff into my main luggage that caused me to forget that Chicago isn't called the Windy City for nothing! I arrived to 45 degrees Fahr. and the wind chill laughed at my goosebumps. I headed outside five feet, then headed back into the airport to buy a $20 sweater. It was a horrid pink but I couldn't afford the $70 Chicago Bulls sweater that I liked.

Once in the shuttle to the hotel, though, everything was okay again. We were staying at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare. Fellow attendees on board told me the hotel was in the middle of nowhere and that going into town for anything would mean $$$. This made me a tad sad because I had limited funds for this trip and taxi rides could eat up my budget. Which meant I probably couldn't catch a live Cubs game, dammit. The nice thing about the hotel was they checked us in right in the shuttle and gave us keys! Hey, no lines! And straight to the room with no hassle! I love this system.

When we reached the hotel, I bumped into some booksellers who had driven to the convention. I've met them on my very first convention 12 years ago, how about that for serendipity? This is how long reader-fan-friendships last in our little community. We chatted for a good hour before I excused myself because I really needed to clean up before my dinner engagement. But it was lovely bumping into my pals.

The first order of business was attending a dinner with a group of Australian readers. These women awe me. They fly 13+ hours to LAX and then drive on the WRONG SIDE of the road and attend RT almost every year. They love books and they love partying. My kind of people!

They held a party for some of their favorite authors and I'm honored to be one of them. I sat with my buddies Sylvia Day, Karen Tabke, Shayla Black, and Jill Smith (RT reviewer). Other authors with us: Nalini Singh (squee!), Jade Lee, The woman on the right of the pic below is Megan, our fabulous Aussie hostess.

We drank. We laughed. The food was great. And our hostess gave us opals and various gifts!

And oh, umm, yeah. That night, I discovered my downfall for the rest of the convention.

Butterscotch martinis.

They tasted like Gerard Butler kisses. Seriously. If I ever kiss Gerard Butler, my future husband, he'd would taste like butterscotch martinis. And you can bet that I'd taste him a LOT.

As you can see, my first night in Chicago is off to a great start!

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Miles Ahead

I've registered for the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention which will be held in Los Angeles this year from Ap. 6-10.  Here is the list of authors attending RT.   I've met so many of my blog readers at this convention and this year, I have new friends from Facebook with whom to hook up.

Who's going to RT?  Would love for us to say hi over a drink or a bite to eat!

I'm 75 percent sure I'm going to New York this year for the RWA (Romance Writers of America) Convention which will taking place in New York from June 28-July 1.  Yes, with July 4 weekend right round the corner! 

Why 75 percent chance, you ask?  Well, I love New York but the convention is very expensive and NYC isn't cheap either.  What with my having to get a new central air system this past Christmas, I've to really watch my budget.

But for now, I plan on going.  It's the conference where I catch up on publishers and publishing news from both editors and writer friends.  Besides, I've been going every year since 1998...it would feel weird not being there.  And New York!  Sigh. Chinatown beckons.

Here is the Conference Events/Schedule link if you live near NYC and wish to attend.  The Signing event is a must because the proceeds go to Literacy.  Some of the biggest names will be there--Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, J.R. Ward, just to name a few.

Anyone plan on going to RWA?  Please let me know!

One thing on my mind is my current disenchantment with the airline industry.  Many of you have read about my famous traveling adventures, especially at the Atlanta Hub ;-), but the last few years have been relatively quiet because I've driving.  It was my protest against all the new charges the airlines were adding to the ticket price, as well as my growing impatience with the really long lines and late planes.

Driving has been okay and I enjoyed most of it, but those locations were on the east coast.  This time, RT is in L.A., so driving there would be a long trip, unless I can find a few driving partners, and in that case, we could make it there in 3 days, if we drove non-stop.  And that's barring any delays from traffic jams or car problems.

So yeah, I'll have to break down and fly this time.  But driving to NYC is still on the agenda, or at least, to my sister's near DC where I could park for free ;-).  I just feel that need to try not to use the airlines if possible, you know?  We'll see how I feel.  Maybe they'll have perfected the teleporting device by then and there's that option available.

Are you, like me, finding air travel more and more tedious these days?  That, unless you're super-rich and can afford first-class accommodations and check-in, everything is just a big hassle?  I mean, it even feels as if the flight attendants hate their job when I'm on board.  All that tension, and you might not even save that much time if you add in the 5 hours at the various airports, and that's with NO delays as well as the 2-plus hours on the road to the big airport, if I were to take a direct flight (which I won't be because there's no way I want to drive to Orlando International unless neccessary).

Yes, I used to fly everywhere all over the world.  Easy peazy. I always had a suitcase already packed.  London, Rome, even Asia.  Sigh.  It's old age setting in, isn't it?

Sniff.

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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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Overheard at RT: Rob G. Browne to Brett Battles, "You parade around the room in your underwear anyway."

That was part of a very serious and intellectual conversation. Really. Brett insisted that, if I did quote Rob, I must also add that he was adamantly denying the fact that he PARADED.

The very popular vampire ball had many attendees parading in their best costumes, though. The turnout was fabulous and I'm always amazed at how elaborate the make-up and costumes were. I stood in line with Cindy Gerard beside a woman who gave us a detailed account of how she sewed her vampiress outfit from her old suede curtains. And how she stuffed the horns on her head. It was just simply amazing.

Heather Graham and gang did another of their crazy skits. This year it was Alice in Underland, and I'll never hear the word Twilight again without the image of F. Paul Wilson sauntering on stage in Edward makeup and wig. There was also a male Lady Gaga at the end of the play, the perfect guest for the Mad Hatter's Party indeed.

Workshop-wise, I had the bestest time captaining my second romantic suspense panels. My guests were Cindy Gerard, Ann Voss Peterson, Caridad Pineiro, Nina Bruhns, and Shiloh Walker. The ladies were wonderfully eloquent, talking about the perfect alpha hero. One of the fun questions was "How long and how many times a night?" ;-)

I also asked about the qualities of our heroine--what qualities do we writers give them to make them The Woman for our hero? Bruhns talked about strength; Peterson wanted her heroine to have the "heart of a warrior;" Walker liked her heroines to be capable and smart; and Pineiro agreed, adding that she and many readers didn't like the TSTL (too stupid to live) heroines, so she always try to avoid writing those. For myself, I said that I liked to give my heroines two things--a sense of humor, so she could laugh at that silly alpha male or coax him to laugh at himself too, and, she must pull one over her hero at least once in the story. I related the story of Marlena's Tweety Bird tattoo in Into Danger as an example. Got a good laugh out of that ;-).

The e-book signing, my very first, went well too. It was two hours long and newbie that I was, I managed to sell six CDs of Big Bad Wolf as well as two downloads of Virtually Hers. I was very happy to know many fans were waiting for the print copy of Virtually Hers (coming out in August) and all my homemade Jed-bookmarks were popular--all gone within an hour!

That's the report for now. It's time to pack and drive home, so posting will be sporadic for the next 20 hours. It's raining so think GOOD THOUGHTS FOR GENNITA, 'kay? I hate driving in the rain. The next report will be about Saturday's main event, the Booksigning, tales at the bar, esp. one about a potato, MR ROMANCE 2010, which some bloggers are calling the MANGEANT (heh), and the Dorchester Rock and Roll party. I'm sure you're all waiting breathlessly.

Again, photos when I get home (and after rest). My little puter isn't made for resizing. Can't wait to show you all the crazy costumes and happy faces at the convention!

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Overheard at RT: A man mumbled, "OMG I'm buying a drink for a man in wings."

I had a great time at the Faery Ball. I was wearing a wig and had my little shifter tail on too. But for some reason, my wig kept getting snagged by wings and waving hands of dancers all night and by the time I was sitting at the bar with my gang, I looked quite strange. I told people staring at me not to worry, as I was just shapeshifting.

I wrote a post about my Bond James Bond workshop at the RT BLOG. Do click on the link and check it.

Sat on Cindy Gerard's panel. Shared a drink with the wonderful Brenda Jackson. Talked non-stop with a great group of readers who had a bunch of questions.

Dropped by at a John Scalzi's table when he was here to do a signing. As always, he was amusing, gracious, and absolutely funny. I always have a great time when he's around.

Whew. I was so pooped that I needed an hour to recuperate. Then it was off to the Faery Ball (video above). I took some great photos of authors and readers glammed up as the fey. While you're patiently waiting for me to get home to resize them, check out the embedded video of the costume contest.

I didn't get back into my room till 2.45am! You know my body is protesting right now.

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Overheard at RT: Barry Eisler growled out, "Down on your knees."

So here I am at RT again, having a wonderful time mingling around my kind of people--readers who love romance and all its different sub-genres.

My morning panel. "Bond James Bond," went well. Everyone had a good time and I was invited to blog about it at the RT blog, so more details about that as soon as I get it done. My panelists were Barry Eisler, Robert Gregory Browne, Andrew Peterson, and Julie Kramer, every one of them a unique writer of the romance/suspense/thriller genre. They gave great insight about writing that character that stands out and POV from a killer mind-set. If you haven't checked their books out, I do recommend them because really, I was quite in awe after listening to their backgrounds and experiences. All of us write about assassins, killers, snipers, and the people who love them.

I went to Jennifer St. Giles' and Barry Eisler's panel which kept its promise that it'd be unforgettable. They read sex scenes from male and female writers after which the audience guessed and then gave reasons why. Well. Let me tell you that Barry Eisler has a sexay reading voice, and if you weren't there, you won't soon forget the way he put on that cowboy twang and growled out, "Down on your knees" from Victoria Dahl's sex scene. There was much giggling, but brave Barry masterfully kept right on ;-).

The discussion that followed was very interesting, with over 90 % of the audience being right at guessing the gender of the writer of each excerpt. Word choices, body positions, and aracter POV focus all gave clues, and there was much laughter again when a reader yelled out, "A woman would never write "he touched her pubic mound."" Barry nodded. "No pubic mound," he said, then, after a pause, he added, "I can't believe I used the word "pubic mound" in public."

I was much entertained.

I also spent a lot of time hugging people. Quick count of friends I've been eating, drinking, and chatting with: Brenda Jackson, Lauren Dane, Cindy Gerard, Cheyenne McCray, Shiloh Walker, Heather Graham, Mary Stella, Kathy Love, so many, many more, and this is still early afternoon, and I still had to attend some publisher spotlights and author get-togethers!

By evening, I was ready to fall on my face, but nope, the Ellora's Cave Fantasy Ball was on. This year's theme was "your sexiest red dress." Everyone looked fabulous, showing some red. I danced my feet off with Lauren Dane, Ann Aguirre, Anya Bast, Megan Hart, Cindy Gerard, and Victoria Dahl. Then, after a few drinks, I headed back to my room because my old bones were threatening war in the morning if I don't get off my feet.

Yes, yes, I left all those pretty male models behind in favor of bed. I must be getting old.

P/S Pictures when I get time to resize them. Solly.

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RT in April

Is anyone planning on attending the Romantic Times Bookclub Conference in Columbus, Ohio, next month, from Apr 28-May 2?

Here is more information--time, venue, events and yes, I'll be attending. There are Early Bird events for unpublished writers and readers too.

I'm excited to be hosting two panels again this year, both with wonderful and exciting authors, so I hope you can attend:

#1: ROMANTIC SUSPENSE: BOND...JAMES BOND

WEDNESDAY: Your hero and heroine can make or break your story. Panelists will discuss their thoughts about the main characters and their journey in our books. What makes a strong hero or heroine? What are the pitfalls to avoid? Who are they and how do we get the readers to root for them? What are the elements in a hero-centric versus a heroine-centric story?

Captain: Gennita Low Panelists: Robert Gregory Browne, Barry Eisler, Julie Kramer, Andrew Peterson

#2: ROMANTIC SUSPENSE: WHY ROMANTIC SUSPENSE?

FRIDAY: The hottest genre out there is crowded with famous names. We’ll take a look into the general elements of the genre, some beloved characters and why some romantic suspense novels take readers by storm. Our speakers each have unique elements that make their romantic suspense different from the rest and will give you ideas about how yours can too.

Captain: Gennita Low Panelists: Nina Bruhns, Cindy Gerard, Ann Voss Peterson, Caridad Piñeiro, Shiloh Walker

Check the excellent names on my panels :-). Everything is going to be informal, with lots of relaxed chatting from my guests, and hopefully, with lots of attendees will eager questions. I think my first panel will be interesting because of the male writers present--can't wait to hear their take on their heroes/main characters and what they view as hero-centric acts. My second panel also has some of my favorite authors and friends and I just know they all have something to say about what they think makes a story stand out.

Most of them are good friends of mine and I highly recommend them if you're looking for new voices in the suspense (with romantic elements) and romantic suspense genre. Not just because they're good friends, of course; they're all very, very good writers too, with different styles and backgrounds. The genre has expanded so much the last five years or so.

Have you read any of these authors? Your thoughts?

(And yes, I promise to talk about Jed)

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RT Convention: Comicula/Vampire Ball

"So, see you at the Vampire Ball tonight, right?"

When do we ever get a chance to say that to anyone but at RT? And when do we get to roam a hotel in capes and black lace, with fake teeth and blood, frightening and fascinating all the hotel help?

As usual, Heather Graham Pozzessere and co. threw a marvelous bash for RT. Below is part of the cast for this year's Comicula, which featured everything, from vampires to comic heros (Hulk, V., Wonder Woman, Batman, Hellboy, you name it, they made an appearance). I can't tell you what the plot was but in the end, if one guessed the correct killer, one wins a trip to the New Orleans convention that Heather puts together every year. Sadly, I didn't win. I had the correct answer (the maid) but allowed Robert Gregory Browne (who specializes in mystery thrillers) to convince me that it was the sleeping Nina. Yes, it's all his fault.



Heather's daughter, Chynna, was Poison Ivy, and she sang "She's No Good."

Heather did "House of the Rising Sun" to rousing cheers from the audience:

Here's Heather and me late, late, late after the party. There's a bar by the pool where everyone hangs out after midnight. I love sitting down with Heather's family--they are always fun and funny. My teeshirt said: "I'm blogging this."

Someone showed me this awesome sauce to go with your barbeque:

At the ball, my Aussies friends and I struck a pose in front of the stage scenery. That's Cherie on the left and Claire on the right. For some reason everyone kept calling us Chickie Babes, so for the rest of the convention, we were Chickie Babe 1, 2 and 3.

Kayla Perrin, another good friend, chatted with Stefan, one of the Mr. Romance contestants.

Below, I caught up with my friends Sly and Bill Freda.

I danced with Lauren Dane, Megan Hart, Anya Bast, Arianna Hart, Beth Ciotta, and so many, many more. They all took pictures and never sent me any ;-) (or at least, not yet), so you'll have to be patient a little longer. It's great to see everyone let loose and have fun, talking and exchanging news.

Later today, I hope to pose pics of screaming Spartans. Bound tightly, they were at the mercy of maidens who were determined to play an unusual game of musical chairs.

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RT Book Fair Pics

That was one super busy signing for me. So many booksellers and readers came up to me asking for Virtually Hers and Jed! I was really touched by all the encouragement as well as excitement that the Virtual series has found a new home. You know, after what happened last year, a little bit of my writing spirit died, but this convention has given me back my groove. Part of the reason was knowing that so many of you came looking for me to ask about my books.

Thank you to those of you who drop by my table to get Big Bad Wolf and all the other books. Thank you especially for asking about Virtually Hers and Virtually One because THAT makes me know that Jed and Hell's books are wanted. Thank you for letting me share my good news with you.

Here are some pics from the signing. I have more coming from friends, so hopefully I can pose them another time.

Mr. Romance Contestant and a future Mr. Romance. I thought they looked cute.

RT Virgin Robert Gregory Browne signed his "least scariest" book for me.

Added another Barry Eisler book to my collection.

Very excited I got to meet the great Piers Anthony

Didn't get to hang out with my very good buddy Liz Maverick but I managed to zoom in during her signing. Love her books. BUY.

On a baby. Soooo cute.

Mark Henry wants to eat some brains

Ilona Andrews. When taking pics with her, watch for sneaky rabbit ears on you.

J.A. Konrath. He of the many faces. Very funny man.

And here's me. BBW was a popular book! The next most popular one--Facing Fear. I think there was only one copy of that left. The best part was having readers who attended the romantic suspense panel I moderated came by to pick up my books because they enjoyed my discussion. Yay me!

***********

Met many, many more authors and a good time was had by all. The noise level of that place was incredible. My bookseller friend brought some of her customers along and boy, were they in heaven. Such excitement at seeing so many authors and books ;-).

I scored two boxes of books at RT. Will I have time to read them? Only if I clone myself several times. What are you girls reading now? Maybe I can look in my pile of new books and put them on top for my next read.

Next: Vampire Ball, Musical Chairs like you've never seen, and Mr. Romance contest pics.

That's it for now. I must to bed (been writing) because in 3 hours...it's time for the hellacious commute to and from work.

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More RT Quickies

I'm home but haven't found time to upload any of the pics yet. This morning--back to the 6 hour commute to hell and back. That's the time suck that takes away every free moment of my life, it seems. And of course, my nemesis the cement mixer was standing there smiling at me and saying, "Hello, lady, it's time to suffer again. Come along."

So I hope you don't mind if I just give "quickies" of my RT memories. I promise to let you see the pics soon. I had the best time at RT this year--good news, great friends, wonderful weather. Simply perfect.

More random memories:

1) My motto: Why walk when you can convertible?

2) Barry Eisler's favorite line at RT: So, see you at the Vampire Ball tonight? Are you going to the Pajamas Party afterwards?

3) Listening to Mark Henry read some love scenes out loud.

4) Hearing the term "mangeant" used for the Mr. Romance contest.

5) Laughing ourselves sick at the He Sex She Sex workshop when the conversation expanded into inventions such as floppy balls hammock (please don't ask me to explain; you have to be there).

6) Meeting new RT virgins such as J.A. Konrath (who is PERFECT for RT) and Robert Gregory Browne. RT gave out pins for newcomers that said "Be gentle with me, I'm a virgin." Cute.

7) Jeaniene Frost was signing the ARCs of her next Night Huntress book and I nabbed one!

8) Great to see Mario Acevedo here too (Virgin!). Try his vampire books, girls--so funny and snarky, and with great titles: X-Rated Blood Suckers and The Nymphos of Rocky Flats. They're one of a kind! ;-)

9) The horrible economy has also touched the lives of our romance models...most of them were only sponsored for a few days instead of the full week.

10) My most memorable line of the convention: "I'm sorry I mushed your package." You fill in the story line for me ;-).

That's it for now. I still have to finish unpacking! And I promise my new editor that I'll get the Virtually One proposal done so that we can start getting serious about publishing dates, etc. I am so psyched!

And finally, THANK YOU FOR THE CONGRATS about Virtually Hers and Virtually One. I'm so happy they've found a good home that will promote them and reach for the readers who have been looking for them. I feel refreshed and invigorated. I feel powerful and eager to conquer my writing. I feel very, very, very, very awesome.

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Packing Up & Blogging

How much I love you all. As I pass the puter while packing, I'll post a quick update of the past few days, or, ahem, what I remember of them. The long version and photos will have to wait till I get home and my brain sufficiently recovers (if ever).

1) Aussies? Make the best friends. Totally, dudes. I love my Aussie buddies so much I'll give them the keys to my convertible for the weekend.

2) Mr. Romance called his mom after his win. Your call-->is that alpha? Or not?
3) What a great Book Fair! I sold all my copies of Big Bad Wolf! And my good news about Virtually Hers were celebrated by every bookseller and reader who came by to ask ;-).

4) I sat by the great Piers Anthony while getting our back massaged by an RT masseuse.

5) Illona Andrews is cuter and shorter than me ;-).

6) Heather Graham can dance a great rhumba.

7) I cheated in Bunko.

8) Beth Ciotta lost her voice and did charades conversation all night.

9) Some people know the ENTIRE step sequence to MJ's Thriller dance number. I was amazed. And slightly disturbed.

10) I have the arc to the next Jeaneane Frost book, bwahahahahahaha.

Got to go check out now. They double charged me. Later, dudes.

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Happy RT Attendees Pt. 1

So many photos, no enough time to recap. I'll do that later tonight, 'kay? Below are pictures from the He Sex/She Sex workshop and the Faery Ball. Fun, fun, fun with attendees and fellow authors. Play spot the authors till I recap ;-).

Trust me, you don't want to miss the next batch of photos. Hint: Spartan warriors musical chairs contest.

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Quickie RT

Okay, this is going to be a lightning round of updates till I get back from workshops (late, late, latelatelatelateLATE!).

1) Good news about Virtually Hers. Samhaim is interested in both VHers and VOne and once contract is signed (I want to talk stuff over with writer friends first), VHers will be out e-book form sometime this fall and in print sometime next year. The editor is very enthusiastic about VHers (and how different the COS world is). Yay!

2) Screaming orgasm shots were passed out to attendees of the workshop for He Sex She Sex. Much screaming ensued. It was a great panel. How could it not, when there are this kind of comments:

Barry Eisler: (sipping on his shot) Hmm. This is soooo gooood.
Gennita Low: Barry, you're supposed to toss it down.
Barry Eisler: Gennita, I like it to linger.
Crowd: Ahahahahahahahaha.

and

J.A. Konrath: (looking at the packaged condoms being thrown to the attendees) This is the wrong size!!!!!

and

J.A. Konrath: (still looking at pack) You all know I'm going to be so much trouble with my wife if she finds this in my jacket?
Erin McCarthy: Only if it's opened.

As you can tell, this hour was WILD.

3) Afternoon Avon mixer with paranormal authors and free books. Sadly, all books were snatched up by the time I managed to get to the authors. So sad. Missed out Jeaneane Frost's new book. But I got drink mojitos while in line ;-).

4) Fairy Ball pics. Oh my. I have pics. Do I have pics. I need time to download them. So many great costumes of men and women dressed up as Seelie and Unseelie creatures.

5) Midnight party--Deirdre Knight's Immortal Warriors. There were male models dressed up as Spartan warriors. They be wearing velllly leeetle. There was a game of musical chairs involving said warriors as chairs. Oh, yes. Many maidens participated. Many warriors were crushed by maidens running for seats. The last lonely warrior-chair fought by two maidens resulted in much hilarity as he refused to let either one of them off his lap (they were verrry pretty attendees, one of them was my good pal from Australia, Cherie/ChickieBabe).

6) Way past midnight hot-tub party. I was boneless by the time I got out of the hot tub and now I'm LATE. It's all the hot tub's fault!

Later, dudes. I really miss roofing. Really.

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RT Day Two

First, wahhhh, I have no photos to show off. The Alpha Male broke my camera before my trip, so I didn't have one with me for most of the day. I did buy one much later but you know me and technology--it takes a while before anything techy becomes my friend--so I'm still figuring out a few things about it. Hopefully, everything will work out today and I'll be able to download files.

The weather was glorious! Mid-80s and very little humidity. The hotel is designed to look like townhouses with pools/bars/nature trails around it. It's very pretty and takes away the hotel feeling but it's not conducive to a convention atmosphere. Everything is spread out and I don't enjoy walking on heels all the way to the main area for the workshops, etc. Oh, for the convenience of elevators taking you and books back to the room for a nap! No such thing here. Luckily for me, I have my little sporty car ;-).

Yes, yes, I'm the envy of the crowd because of one thing. The car. Everyone wants a ride back to their bungalow after a night of dancing.

I enjoyed my turn at moderating a workshop. It takes more than just standing there and introducing one's panel, especially if there are some big names involved. Many readers are drawn to the more popular panelists and this sometimes change the whole dynamic of the discussion into a one-woman/man-show, and it's the moderator's job not to allow that to happen. I've witnessed this before, when the moderator hadn't done her job and never liked it, so during my workshops, I made sure all my panelists had equal time. Let me tell you, it's NOT easy ;-) because one has to learn the art of interruption, but not too obviously. And of course, the roofer in me has never done the "not too obviously" part very well, LOL.

Little tidbits of fun and gossip:

1) Three different pool areas with bars and working hot tubs! Guess what I'll be doing come one of these midnights?

2) Overheard someone yelling in the bar: "Nothing stays in my mouth that long." Ahem. Turned a few heads there.

3) Had the best time dancing with Lauren Dane and Megan Hart. Drank with Samantha Kane. Hugged the wonderful Anya Bast and her husband. Chit-chatted with Olivia Gates. Stared at costumes, some of which looked more cave men era than jungle. Oh, 80s leopard prints, there you are.

However, there was a stubbly man dressed up in a French maid's costume at the Jungle-themed party last night, complete with fishnet stockings. That was so strange among the "George in the Jungle" and straw skirts look. Umm. Dude. When they say "jungle," it's not a description of your apartment.

4) Oh! I found out I was given a spotlight in June's issue of Romantic Times magazine! If you received it by mail, it's on pg. 25. The article asks authors who have unfinished series to give a summary of the missing ending. I talked about Virtually Hers and Virtually One, giving details of His Jedness and Hell. Cool to see it in this issue because it's given out free to the attendees here, so I might pick up a few new readers.

5) There is a rooster in the convention. I have no idea why. I've seen pics of it hanging out in other people's arms. So. Strange.

6) I heard the Ellora's Cavemen weren't allow to strip down to their usual bikini bottoms this year. They had to wear boxers! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I find that incredibly funny for some reason. I'm going to have to find a photo of that to show to you guys.

7) Bumped into Jason Santiago, Mr. Romance 2006 and Rodney, Mr. Romance 2007 and we had a good time just yakking. It's always interesting to hear what the guys have been up to, especially with their romance cover gig. I like seeing my friends on covers, so I try to catch the book titles they're featured on. Rodney is fun because he would re-enact a pose wherever he might be--by the pool, next to the bushes, in a miniature golf course, etc., and it always cracks me up how he would go from all jokey and haha-clowning to a rutting, enamored stud in need of his woman in a flash while holding the pool stick or golf club.

8) Overheard in a party-->
Author Barry Eisler to RT Virgin Robert Gregory Browne: Whatever happens in RT stays in RT
Robert: **gulp.
Cherie (my Australian buddy baby): No, no, it's "Whatever happens in RT stays in RT and on the Internet." Here have some chocolate penises.

Okay, I have to get dressed and do the authorly thing now. I'm also meeting the editor who just READ VIRTUALLY HERS. When we bumped into each other last night at 1am, she said: "I'm not going to tell you what I think till our meeting tomorrow. Will that keep you up all night?" Editors. Evil and twisted. I like her already ;-).

Wish me luck on the meeting and the camera. I have to get a pic of their rooster.

DRINK OF THE NIGHT: SWAMP THING

Later, dudes.

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Arrived RT 09

Sorry for the long silence. Arrived at RT today. Bumped into EVERYONE! So many familiar faces, smiling and pleased to be here.

My two panels went very well--Barry Eisler, Cindy Dees, Roxanne St. Clair, Karen Rose and Rebecca York were awesome, giving many fascinating details about their backgrounds and writing styles. Many readers told me later that they enjoyed the discussions very much and that made me very happy because I did my job ;-).

Then it was just jumping at friends and bumping chests and doing our secret handshakes for the next three hours. Oh, okay, we sat and drank like fish, happy to be among our kind again, comparing notes about writing and life in general.

Tonight is the Ellora's Cave Jungle Party and I'm going to go simply green and pretend to be a leaf. Yes, I can read all the dirty little thoughts going on in your dirty little minds. A leaf! Just a leaf!!!!!!

Later, dudes. I shall report on how there could be a jungle in a cave. All I know is...there is not a bundle of shingles in sight.

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It's Not That Far Away

Can you believe it's the end of the January, 2009 already? ***blink Wow. It's kind of scary how fast the time is flying!

Already the Romantic Times Convention is coming up in a few months. I'm glad that this year I can drive to the hotel instead of fly (saves $$$) and I can pile lots of BBW in the trunk for the signing ;-).

Check out the workshop- and fun-filled event schedule:

RT CONVENTION 2009 SCHEDULE

I've mentioned that I have workshop captaining duties on Wednesday, talking romantic suspense with some great authors and friends, including Barry Eisler, Karen Rose, and Roxanne St. Clair. There are some other excellent panels and mini-mixers that I want to go to too, especially the one held by my good buddies Lauren Dane and Anne Aguirre.

If you scroll down to the end of each day's schedule, you'll see the costume balls being held each night. There is food, entertainment, and dancing, and a good time is had by all. You know I'll be taking pictures ;-).

Last year's was fun because I met many new fantasy and suspense authors who attended the convention after hearing how many romance readers read across genres, especially if their stories have romantic elements. It's important to cross-promote, learning new things from networking, and making new acquaintances.

Please do let me know if you're attending RT Con this year. I'd be delighted to meet with you over some drinks or books! Looking through the workshops, which ones caught your interest?

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Uber Captain: The Art Of Straddling, Sizzling And Suspensing

Yo, here is next year's first agenda. It's one of my favorite conventions and this time, they were kind enough not to schedule it during tax time ;-).

Here are the workshops I'll be captaining at the Romantic Times Convention next year. Both are going to be on Wednesday, the first day of the Con, which just made me realize...umm...I shouldn't be arriving on Weds. morn like I always do. It'd not be good to host a panel with OtherMe still in control of my state of mind. Sigh. Must change hotel registration.

Anyway, they are fun panels, with some top-notch authors helping me out:

1) ROMANTIC SUSPENSE: STRADDLING HEART-POUNDING SUSPENSE AND SIZZLING ROMANCE

How much is too much sex while having dangerous fun? Learn how to balance sexual tension and danger, and how to use dialogue and setting to captivate minds, how to create characters to capture hearts and how to push the envelope to create a bestseller.

Captain: Gennita Low Panelists: Christina Skye, Roxanne St. Claire, agent Lucienne Diver, Joan Johnston

2) ROMANTIC SUSPENSE: CREATING CUTTING-EDGE ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Romantic suspense is creeping into all genres of fiction, taking it to new heights. Expert panelists will show how to expand your horizons using the newest trends and will share what’s next for the Romantic Suspense genre.

Captain: Gennita Low Panelists: Barry Eisler, Karen Rose, Rebecca York

Of course, I haven't even started thinking about what to say or ask yet, but given that these things are an hour a piece, heck, I'll just have to practice talking with the speed of a bullet train so everyone gets their 10 minutes or so! It's going to be interesting, that's for sure.

Any of you planning to attend? And will you be bringing giant faery wings? ;-)

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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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Post #2: Good Times II

Have to start another post. Vimeo Videos (previous post) are hard to embed and I don't feel like messing with them now that they're working.

Here's author Eliza Gayle's video montage of her experience at RT. The Asian girl you see is Su, aka SUNAMI, who always have a great time at RT.



Heehee, and here's Fabio, who nearly kicked My George Clooney's ass not too long ago ;-). He snuck into the SOS Military Mixer, which honored military personnel (RT runs a special operations to send things to military in Iraq). Also present was a World War II veteran, who came in his uniform. It was an honor to shake his hand.




Here's the Ellora's Cavemen performing their rendition of Greased Lightning for Ellora's Cave's Hollywood Party, which was held on the first night.

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RT Recap: Day Two

I awoke on Day Two with the taste of plasterboard in my mouth. It's something I'm familiar with AT A JOBSITE, not in a hotel, gah. I listened to my roomies move around the room before forcing myself to get up. I don't do mornings well.

Gargling helped get rid of that awful taste. Then I looked at the program to see what's happening downstairs.

That chart in the middle of the program? The. Most. Awful. Mess. Evah.



For one thing, the days didn't go consecutively! I had a tough time figuring what went where during which hour, and the schedule for Saturday was sort of merged with Friday's, so I was quite confused, and it wasn't even 10am yet. So I did what an author would do.

I went down to the bar.

Ah. Nothing like an early morning pick-me-up to figure out where to go next. I went to Club RT and hung out there a bit to meet with friends and fans. It was a fun thing for me because I registered late and many people didn't know that I was coming, so I was like a surprise to those milling around.

"But you're not in the program!"
"I didn't know you were here!"
"No, you aren't Gennita Low!"

Heehee. I love making surprise entrances.

If you read my earlier posts, lunch featured a staged hanging. It was actually part of a reading and skit of the first chapter of Helen Rosburg's book, Blaze of Lightning, Roar of Thunder. It was like dinner theatre, only that it was lunch. And it was also the beginning of experiencing the PA system of Death.

I had to leave early because of an appointment, mainly with a group of fantastic authors that included Anya Bast (and her husband, James, and beautiful baby), Lauren Dane, Megan Hart, and Jeri Smith-Ready. Yes, I ate another meal ;-), at Palamino's, which was just across the street from the Hilton Ghetto. Lots of mirth and happy clanking of glasses. Lots of talk about books and favorite themes. Lots of interesting gossip about the bithnez. And I'm so going to one day imitate Lauren's very funny act. It's a mix of Dr. Seuss and 1950s movies upper-class drawl (just imagine Eva Gardner holding a glass of champagne and looking down her nose and going "dah-link") and a mezzo-soprano singsong:

"I will NOT write brothers in bed TOgethah. No, no, NOooo. I will NOT have InCESt. I will NOT have that Mess. I will NOt, no...never, ever, not for meee, it's not SExee, not at all, no, no, nononononoNO! Now BRING me my HOOKah!"

Heehee. You just have to see it to enjoy the act. Lauren is so going to kick my ass when she reads this.

Later that day, I went to a panel with three very different and prolific authors, Barry Eisler, Heather Graham and Alexandra Sokoloff called Die For Me. These authors showed us all the different ways to write about killers and killing. It was quite a fun session, especially when Barry, a martial arts expert, stood up and demonstrated how to kick a door down. Wooh baby. That was hot. I assure you all the attending ladies approved of the technique.

He then sat down, a bit embarrassed, and added, "of course, writing about killing is like writing about brain surgery--one isn't really a killer or a brain surgeon." To which, some smartass chica named Gennita chimed in, "Unless, of course, you're staying at the Holiday Inn." I don't know why I did that. It just came out....

Later that evening was the Underwater Faerie Ball. I wore a gown the color of the ocean, and brought along a cape in case the waters got cold.

Who did I spy first?


It was the tall nymph, Marjorie Liu. She just arrived earlier that day, so her human glamor still clung to her.


The ballroom decor was absolutely beautiful, with appropriate lighting. It felt like we were all moving in an underwater realm. Especially when all around, we saw:


mischievous sprites,


fairy queens and love slave (heh, that's just Sly, a good friend)

and here's Queen Christine Feehan herself, holding court. She hosted a speakeasy after the Ball. Many Australian friends didn't understand what a speakeasy was and I had to explain about illegal gambling and drinking during the 20s. She didn't get the connection with the fairy ball, so I told her magical beings love to gamble and carouse, LOL.

Here's me with one of the magical beings. Damn, on second look at the pic, I'm going to have to contact Marianne Mancusi and Liz Maverick to check this out. MY BOOBAH HAS ALSO BEEN GRAZED! Is this a male thang? See Liz's similar experience at http://www.rebelsofromance.com/.

Here's another one of my favorite magical beings, the immortal John de Salvo. He came over while the other guys were gambling and charmed my cape off.

Maybe it was the magic potion, courtesy of Queen Feehan:

CF H2O brew, the stuff that makes a night powerfully magical.

The night ended with a lovely chat with Hank, his companion, and Kayla Perrin, who tried to spoil it by telling everyone I was an evil shapeshifter. She chased away Barry Eisler (check out his live blogging on the RT forum) by boa-ing him to death. Wait till I get her to send me the pic. Barry will never live this down. I'll have to demonstrate this boa-ing technique the next time he's in a "murder" panel.

Bedtime before 3am....(I'll update this post as soon as I get more photos from friends)

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