A Time For Everything

Back when I first registered for last year's GRL (2020), which became this year's GRL (2021), I did so as an "author" because the "featured author" tier sold out, as it usually does, in a matter of minutes. I'm not kidding. So I put myself on the waiting list for a featured author slot should one become available. That was a year and a half ago and I don't remember doing so.

However, I got an email from the organizers on Wednesday saying there was a slot available. I had forty-eight hours to let them know if I wanted to upgrade.

Did I?

I had to weigh the cons--the additional $100--against the pros: additional exposure by way of added opportunities. I talked to a few fellow authors, one in my genre and also attending and two online friends, not in the genre, as well as to DD. Three of the four were of the opinion I should go for it.

So I'm going for it. I let the organizers know I wanted the slot and am awaiting instructions for upgrade.

One of the additional opportunities is to participate in an author Q&A or in a storyteller panel (topic TBD by me or by someone else). Both of these make me nervous. Not because I'm nervous about talking in front of people. As long as I know what I'm talking about, I'm fine.

But because the Q&A is "on the fly" and my brain doesn't always process immediately or well until I've had time to think about things. Now I'd be talking about myself mostly, so that shouldn't be terrible. I know myself pretty well, right? But I attended some of these when I went to Albuquerque and Portsmouth to see what they were like and sometimes the questions do require more processing. Maybe I take a notepad and write down the questions to circle back to...

I'd prefer a storyteller panel because I could research and be prepared, but what could I possibly offer except a primer on hockey and the interest in that would probably be pretty small. And panel means more than one person and that means me soliciting others or others soliciting me to participate. The challenge there is that I'm new. No one knows me, I don't know anyone. Most of the attendees have been going since the conference started and they all know one another. This crowd can be a bit intimidating.

DD suggested I just not participate. Which is definitely an option. But I'd hate to let it go to waste...

So if I can come up a really cool idea for a panel topic, I'll go that route. If I chicken out, I'll default to the Q&A...

Topic suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Have a great weekend!!

My October conference has been officially canceled due to COVID-19. A lot of attendees had already canceled and the organizers just didn't want to chance anyone getting sick during the five-day event, so they worked with the hotel to move the con to the following year.


Normally, the conference moves locales each year, but due to circumstances and the legalities of a contract with a hotel, it's my understanding that we'll be in St. Louis for the next two years. I could be wrong and it'll just be next year in St. Louis, but staying with the same hotel chain for the second. I don't know and I'm not worried about it at this point.

I'm bummed that I won't get to see a friend of mine that I haven't seen since my first GRL in  Denver in 2017, but on the other hand I'll no longer have the travel and hotel on the books this year and I may even show a profit!

The other bonus is that I can push the publication date of this current WIP out by a month, which I'm going to do. I've been struggling with it and the loss of that pressure to get it done will definitely help.


I've been wondering about a thing for a while and this weekend, I finally found out.

The thing I've been wondering is...can I fit into clothes for teenagers and little girls? I so often see so many cute things--not that I would everything, of course. But the answer is...

Yes.

DD and I were in Target on Saturday and I saw these two really cure dresses and I can fit into a size 16 for girls. My height is the X factor here. Since I'm so short, nothing will be too short or too long!

Look how cute! The blue one is like a button down shirts with a skirt and the red is like a polo with a skirt.




Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

I have a conference reservation. I have a hotel reservation. I don't yet have airfare, but that isn't cheap enough yet. I was told (whether true or not, I don't know) that airfare is best bought 58 days from your departure date.

In October, I'm going back to one of the few cons that solely represents my genre. I had a great time last year and am looking forward to another enjoyable experience. I was hoping to go as a supporting author (opportunities to hawk my wares) this year, but those slots sold out in under fifteen minutes. I'm on the waiting list, so please keep your fingers crossed that they add slots or that enough current slots become available for me to upgrade.

This year's GRL will be in Portsmouth, Virginia; I'll get to add yet another city and state to the list of places I've been, so that's nice.

The other really exciting thing is that...I've earned enough in royalties so far to actually pay for my conference registration!!! That just tickles me pink. The goal as the months pass and royalties continue to trickle in is to pay for the whole trip. :0)

This is the fun and exciting part of the publishing journey.

The hard part is writing the next book. Working on that...

Have a great weekend.

Okay, last post about the conference.

I'm high maintenance. Not terribly, but I am. However, I do maintain myself. There are a few things I have to have, like mint tea and warmth when I sleep. I need to eat relatively healthy and usually cheaply and I need to exercise.

The only microwaves available were downstairs, off the lobby. Luckily my room was on the second floor, so it wasn't a horrible inconvenience--this time--but I could have been on the 14th floor or something...  And since the apparent removal of vending machines from next to the ice machines on each floor--a small cart with a microwave could easily be added.

Note to self--consider how to get my small portable kettle to my destination.

Most people prefer colder to warmer, unlike me. So I generally take a blanket with me when I travel by car. I had to take the larger suitcase this time to fit my small electric blanket. Yes, I really did. I didn't need to plug it in, but I had it just in case. :0) I usually take my pillow too. Hotel pillows are too poofy and hard and icky usually.

Note to self--is there any way to get my pillow there, lol?

October weather can change from day to day, so I took more clothes than I needed because I had to plan for both comfortable weather as well as cold weather. In the case of GRL, I don't think that's never not going to be an issue, so I have to deal with it.

The swag, whatever I decide, will just have to be shipped. Next year's location is too far too drive for me, so that's another consideration when deciding on what kind of swag to invest in.

Eating healthy was a challenge, although surprisingly I lost weight. I traveled with a week's supply of Plantation Mint tea as well as a package of Oberto's Trail Mix for each day. There was a local grocery store, and I was able to buy a few pre-made salads, some yogurt, and some microwavable soups.

There was still an over-abundance of carbs in my diet, even when eating "out". I ate at the hotel restaurant at least once each day--part of the networking and getting-to-know-people process--and except for the one breakfast I ordered, everything was based around bread products. Those carbs that I'm trying so hard to exclude from my regular diet. Figuring out some more portable protein will be another of those challenges.

Last point of this ramble--the traveling itself. I took a backpack and toted my laptop as well as my iPad. I have an iPhone as well as a Fit Bit. All of which had to be placed in bins for the xray. I had to take off my shoes and remove my jacket/s. One person and I had to push six bins through the machine. And then gather it all back up again on the other side. *sigh*

But I never used my laptop for the purpose for which I brought it--having to work remotely. Next year...not taking. I'll use the hotel business center if something comes up. I used the iPad for a special project on a daily basis, but will probably not be doing that project next year. So no iPad. I'll always need my phone and chances are I'll still be wearing my Fit Bit. If the weather isn't awful at my destination, my jacket will go in checked luggage. I'll find slip-on shoes and forgo sneakers with laces. I think that'll get me down to two or three bins. Sheesh.

Whew!

Lots learned on a variety of levels.

What's your least favorite thing about traveling?

The conference was a success, all the way around I think. I spoke with our big-name guest speakers and they all seemed very pleased with their experience here in North Texas. (YAY!)

I got more out of it than I expected, including lunch with Samhain Publishing editor Lindsey Faber. She was very generous with her knowledge and experience. So I think, when the time comes, I'll be submitting to Samhain.

My CPs all had agent or editor appointments or critiques. They all came away from the conference refreshed and encouraged in their writing. Now I have break out my cattle prod and get them all writing.

As for me, I started the weekend (Friday for me) 200 manuscript words shy of my 3K word per week goal. My weeks begin Sunday and end Saturday. Knowing I'd be busy with the conference Friday and Saturday I was mostly prepared to just let those words go. I had written probably 500 to 600 other words fleshing out a couple of random scenes, but that I knew were not manuscript pages. Three people said they did indeed count toward my goal, in which case I was way over. But for me, I dunno, it just felt like cheating. I may chew on that some more, and decide it's not. Anyway, Saturday night after dinner, my roomie and I and one other CP went back to our room and brainstormed for a bit on other CP's story. Then we talked about about mine for a few minutes and lo and behold I was able to eek out those last 200 words, finishing up at 11:44PM! I was really glad that I was able to get those words.

This week it's time to begin revisions--which means 3K words is probably not happening. I'm okay with that, though I suppose I should set a goal to revise a certain number of pages. I'm going to set it sort of high as the first 10 to 20 pages has been gone over multiple times as it is. So my goal this week, rather than writing 3K is revising 30 pages. Whoa!

But it's Monday and the beginning of the month, so I have real work I need to get done before I can wade into revisions.

No time like the present to get started. Have a great week.

In more ways than one...

This past weekend, I attended my writing chapter's writing conference. When I say I attended, I mean that I was at the hotel where it was being held. And instead of attending the main presentation by Michael Hauge, I manned the agent/editor appointment "desk" all day, keeping the appointments flowing and on time. The chapter brought in two agents and two editors for conference attendees to pitch their books to. I was able to meet them all and chat with them off and on all day.

One of the editors was Adam Wilson from Mira Books/Harlequin Teen. Poor guy was under the weather this weekend and had to deal with a flow of crazy women all day Saturday, plus crazy Texas weather, including snow! I tried to make sure he had everything he needed--hot tea, coffee, water, food...whatever. He was quite nice and such a cutie. The picture he sent for our chapter's web site looked nothing like him, so when I came face to face with the current look of Adam Wilson, well, I was smitten. Auburn hair and facial scruff. Um, yum!

I got to talk with him Sunday morning a bit about Harlequin's teen line, so that was a treat. So if I ever decide to write a stinkin' young adult historical, I know where I'm sending it!

But I'm bummed 'cause my good friend Marty had beers in the hotel bar with Adam and she didn't call me and I missed a chance for a little more face time with Adam. Ah, well... ;)

Aside from that, I got some writing and revising done, which was very nice, too.