I got back from the Romantic Times convention on Sunday. It had been several years since I attended one and things were both the same and different. The main difference was, the last time I was there, I was unpublished – it was before I knew about RWA and I decided not to go to another RT until I had sold. While the workshops can be great, this conference is mainly for readers and authors. And I wanted to be on the other side of that equation. I can tell you though, it’s rather surreal to be on the other side.

People knew who I was. They’d read my books. And they were actually excited to see me. They knew the series I’m writing and were eagerly awaiting the next installment. Oh, and they were totally excited to see the cover for Deliciously Wicked. I only just received the coverflats before I left town and haven’t had time to get bookmarks made or have my webpage updated. So unless you’ve also discovered that Amazon beat me to the punch with this one, then you can say you saw it here first.

I didn’t win in my category, the Reviewer’s Choice Nomination for Best First Historical, but I can honestly say it really was an honor (not to mention a huge surprise) to be nominated. But I did get to see Kathryn Caskie and Julianne MacLean win their awards, which gracious speeches, no doubt. Side note: I am, however, a double finalist (Courting Claudia) in the Golden Quill contest with the Desert Rose RWA chapter – very cool! The food was terrible, I’m guessing this is not what Daytona Beach is known for. I mean they actually served tuna fish at one of the luncheons. Who does that? But the hotel was amazing. We had a beach cabana and the view was incredible. And our room was nestled in between Kathryn Falk’s and Kathryn Caskie & Sophia Nash, two authors new to Avon.

I’m not much for the parties, so I can’t report on those. And I’ve never melted under the heated gaze of a cover model, so I didn’t attend their volleyball games or their pageant. I’m sure both were entertaining without measure. But I can say that the conference had a great, relaxed atmosphere, which I badly needed. I don’t know if I’ll make it again next year, but it will definitely be on my horizon again sometime in the future.