My Mom and I left on tuesday April 30 and had a wonderful drive from centeral Illinois, across Iowa and down through Missiori. We were doing pretty good up until the Kansas City Police car cut us off and I missed my exit.
Well that was the beginning of a meltdown. We finally get turned around and started to do the directions we had backwards. Well that didn't go so well. (I even stopped at a gas station to get a street map and they didn't have any, are you kidding me, but she did know where Mcgee Street was so that helped). We were at one point in the right area of our hotel.
We found the Sheraton, (this is where all of the activities for the week were taking place) no problem the thing is the Westin (over flow hotel, we are registering earlier for next year in New Oleans LA to be in the main hotel make things much easier) where we were staying was connected by a walk way. Well things didn't look right for where we were or so I thought. So we asked a bell hop at the Sheraton "wheres the Westin" oh just turn right out of the driveway and its the next stoplight. Hmmm that was not quite right either and I was headed in the wrong direction AGAIN.
As I drove screaming at the top of my lungs and beating the steering wheel my Mother sat in her seat laughing her ass off at me. The more she laughed the more I screamed and then I calmed down. Just needed to get that out I guess. Well turned around again and I finally found the Westin 5 minutes later. Bell hops are very helpful there and were right at our doors helping us but when we told them we needed two luggage carts they were a bit surprised. But yes we needed two.
OMG I WILL NEVER TAKE THAT MUCH CRAP AGAIN, Mom and I way over packed and then some, took way too much junk food along as well but live and learn right? And we came home with even more stuff with all the swag we snagged. Damn there were great giveaways, but more on that later. Once we got settled we did change clothes and go scoop out the Shearaton so we had a good lay of the land. That really helped we just wished they had had registation open so we could of gotten that done right away but the next morning when we did get our stuff I was very pleasantly surprised the line moved very quickly. Badges on and it was off to get our bags, got those and then Mom and I split up and went out separet ways, she off to reader events and me to author ones.
So workshop panels I attended were "write 50 books a year" that was their hook and it was great meeting Elle James and Delihla Devlin, (psst, who writes really smutty books, she'll tell you that) These two are sister and were a hoot to watch and learn from.
Next up was "Street Teams" very good as well learned alot and plan to implement what I learned when the time gets here. "Plotting Boot Camp" put on by the same sisters from before, that was really good too, hey I bought the book they have out about this so... And am using it, very helpful for me.
"BDSM, Does anyone REALLY do that?" Loved this workshop presented by Kasi and Reggie Alexander, a couple who are involved in the BDSM/Kink scene. Hearing them speak and dispel alot of the myths out there about what BDSM is, was very informative and entertaining. Plus everyone who attended their workshop got free earrings from their business Poly's Pleasures, they make really cool and colorful chainmail jewelry. Love my earrings. (Hmmm note to self must order more jewelry from them, as well as books, bought two already, there are three more to get).
"Research Notebook from Hell, Keeping your series straight", this was helpful for those authors who write series, books, continuing stories, and charcters and just how to keep those worlds straight and organized. I also had a few others written down to go to but ended up at other panels which was ok and I'm glad I did that. Kept me from missing anything important and useful.
I also participated in the PitchaPaloosa, where you have 3 minuets of an editors time in order to give them your elevator pitch of a current book your working on. I must say I pitched 3 editors and they all expressed interest in my post appacolyptic nuclear war think goldilocks and the three alpha bears, yes its a meneg` titled: "This Girl Comes with Knives". Thank you to Ellora's Cave, Intangled, and Total E-Bound for encouraging this writer to finish the project and send it in.
Next time I'll write a bit about the parties that I attended. Such fun and met such wonderful people.
