RWA 2011: New York Is All About...

1) FOOD

I've been eating myself out of next month's food money. EatEATeatEATeat. I'm like that squirrel that can't stop eating. And the food is fabulous, especially at the Malaysian Restaurant I found in Chinatown!

Took Cindy Gerard, Kylie Brant, Roxanne Rustand and her daughter, Emily, to eat Dim Sum, which they never had before. Dim Sum is a special Chinese brunch, that has waitresses pushing trolleys of steamed delicacies, buns, pastries, and meat in bamboo bowls, calling out the dishes to the patrons. You stop them and then pick any dish you want. My guests were confused by all the little dishes and thought that was a LOT of appetizers before the main meal :-). Dim Sum, directly translated, is piece of heart, and I wanted to share a piece of my heart with my good friends!

2) PAIN

Walking in New York. Ow Ow OW! I'm already in pain from plantar fasciitis so my adventures in mapping out Chinatown only elevated that problem. I was feeling so miserable I actually went to try out acupuncture, which I've never done before.

CAN I SPELL ARRGHHHHhhHHhHhh? Holy Cow, did a few of those needles hurt when they went in! And then, electric current is pushed through, and you have to stop them if you feel uncomfortable. Umm. Yeah. When that was all set at the right current, the practitioner said the procedure needed 45 minutes to get the blood flowing and told me to relax, maybe take a nap.

I'll tell you a secret. YOU CAN'T NAP WHEN THERE ARE NEEDLES PULSING ELECTRICITY UP YOUR LEG!!! It stung when he pulled the needles out and there was sensitivity in the areas where the pinpricks were. Made me feel like a sissy because usually I could stand quite a bit of pain (remember when I fell off the roof on my head? Onto concrete? Okay, then).

I was supposed to take a rest my feet after that, but of course I had to walk around and get back to the subway. My feet felt slightly swollen although the usual arch and heel pain had subsided somewhat. Today, I could walk a bit better, so I guess the acupuncture did work some kind of magic. There's still some discomfort, and the practitioner had said that one session wouldn't cure my problem, that it would take at least 3 or 4 times. Would I go back to get the bottom of my feet poked again? ARRrrrGGGGHHhhhHhhhH.


3) Shows and show-offs

I went to catch Billy Elliot the first night I was in town. The musical was simply crazy amazing. The kids were mesmerizing to watch as they danced and sang without missing a beat. The story had everything--tragedy, comedy, ballet (!), drama, satire. I really recommend it.

The day I arrived was also the day after NY signed the new gay marriage bill and there was a gay parade. That night, some of the paraders were still in costume, eager to pose for tourists.

4) Gossip

We're at a big turning point in the publishing world. Every author at the conference is listening to and talking about self-publishing. You'll be surprised at some big names joining the self-pub ranks--Maya Banks, Emma Holly, Nina Bruhns, Leslie Parrish, to name a few--and all are excited. And agents are becoming publishers. And publishers are becoming marketers (for new e-book only ventures). And marketers are becoming lawyers. And lawyers are becoming editors (see Dear Jane announcement). And...and...I'm one confused author. Someone asked me what my newest book was and I confused her even more when I whipped out a book about a cute little squirrel. Yes, it's going to be an interesting conference!

That's all for now--hope you enjoyed the pictures!

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