Off to Washington DC for RWA

It's that time of the year -- the Romance Writers of America conference.

I haven't been for quite a few years. Things have come up. That's why I'm excited about going this year. I want to see my editor, my friends, immerse myself in a sea of writers. And I mean a sea. 2100 romance writers are expected to be there.

All the talk will be about writing. When the four days are up I will be sick to hearing about editors, agents and contracts.

But for four days, it will be great to be around my sisterhood even when some of them are brothers. :) We all share that common bond as writers whether published or not. We love putting words on paper. We love stories. We all think there is no bigger thrill than seeing our stories between the covers of books.

It will be a crazy four days. There will be booksignings, one with over 200 authors in one giant room, signing their books. There will be dinners with editors, breakfast and lunches with agents, lots of late nights with friends and of course, the Harlequin Party!!

Usually that involves a lot of chocolate, a band, something alcoholic and dancing, lots and lots of dancing. It is the highlight of the conference for me since we get to let our hair down.

The conference lets me spend time with friends I've made since I started writing, one of the greatest rewards. But it also reignites my love of writing (after a few days back home and rested.) There is an energy like none other at these conferences. An excitement, a feeling that anything is possible.

I recall my very first RWA conference. It was in Orlando, Florida. I was scared to death. I went to the Intrigue writers dinner and came back to the hotel and threw up.

I had sold 4 books and just quit my day job. My editor took me to lunch the next day and when I told her I'd quit my day job she looked as scared as I felt. :) She said, "Well, we've found that the cream always rises to the top." I took that to mean everything would be all right. Looking back, that was just plain dumb.

The RWA conference is a great reminder of how far I've come -- and how far I have to go. There will be a lot of aspiring writers there who are dreaming about getting that first book published. And there will be New York Times bestsellers, some arriving in stretch limos and staying in the penthouse suite. And then there will be writers like me who have found some success and are now on the cusp of something, maybe, possibly, depending on what we do next.

Few writers are content to stay where they are. There is always that brass ring just dangling up there, tempting you to grab for it. Writing is a gamble. From the first time a writer sits down at the computer that doesn't change. One of the biggest factors is luck: your manuscript hitting the right editor's desk at the right moment. What are the chances?

And yet, sometimes you get lucky. Sometimes you get an editor who likes your work and doesn't get pregnant and leave. Sometimes you get real lucky and she moves up to senior editor.

It's a crazy business -- almost as crazy as a conference with that many romance writers all in one place. Some people just don't have any sense.

For me, it's all I've ever wanted to do. I love it. I just sent off my 47th book (a new mini series in the Whitehorse, Montana Intrigue series) and I'm anxious to start the next one after I get back from the conference. It seems like just yesterday I was getting ready to fly to Orlando.

It will always be an adventure. :)