by Anna CampbellIt's that time of year again!
Yup, conference season is in full swing in the U.S. and I'm getting ready for some travel.
This year is a bit of a bumper year for me (I hope that's not cursing my flight - bumper is NOT good in that context!). I've got a whole month in America so I'll be seeing lots of the big white flying guys in the picture before I'm done.
I've got two big conferences while I'm away (one of the reasons I'm away so long). One is the fabulous RomCon. This is their first year and they've put together a marvelous program. It runs from July 9-11 and takes place in Denver, Colorado. You can get more information here: http://www.romconinc.com/index.php I'm one of the spotlight authors so I should be pretty well everywhere! They've got a whole stack of special events planned and couple of signings so if you're around, please drop in!
One of the things I'm really excited about with RomCon is that CAPTIVE OF SIN is a finalist in the Readers Crown Awards. You can see a list of all the finalists here: http://www.romconinc.com/index.php/conversations/post/327
I enter a lot of published author contests and I'm almost never there for the award announcements because I live in Australia. But I'll be at RomCon, so this time I'm there with bells on.Actually speaking of CAPTIVE OF SIN, do you mind if I have a little bask? I've had some great news about COS in contests lately. It finaled in the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, the Greater Detroit RWA Booksellers Best, and the Wisconsin RWA Write Touch Awards. It won the Phoenix Desert Rose RWA Golden Quill Award as best historical (and finaled in the Regency category which TEMPT THE DEVIL won, wow!). It was voted most popular historical of 2009 at the Australian Romance Reader Awards (I'm delighted to say I was voted most popular Australian romance writer of 2009!). COS was also chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of their 100 best books of 2009. You can read an excerpt at: http://www.annacampbell.info/captivesin.html
I'm so pleased that Gideon and Charis are making so many friends!
Anyway, back to my trip. Another reason I'm really excited about RomCon is that I'll get to see the Rockies. They've been on the list of things to do before I turn off my typewriter forever. Can't wait!
After Colorado, I'm off to New York for a few days then Washington D.C. Then it's the Romance Writers of America Conference at Orlando in Florida.
As many of you know, this conference was scheduled to take place in Nashville but the major flooding in Tennessee put paid to that. My best wishes go out to the people of Nashville - my home town had a huge flood in 1974 and the devastation has to be seen to be believed. I hope one day RWA can come back to your city!
In Orlando, I'll be taking part in the huge literacy signing that opens the conference. That's always great fun so if you're in the area, please put Wednesday, 28th July in your diaries. The signing takes place at the conference venue, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, between 5:30 and 7:30. It's a great opportunity to catch up with all your favorite romance writers in one place! For more information on the RWA conference, check out: http://www.rwanational.org/cs/conferences_and_events
When I get home, I'll basically have time to unpack and then it's the Romance Writers of Australia conference in Sydney. That's always such fun!So do you have any summer (well, your summer - we're heading into winter down here in Oz!) travel plans? Been anywhere interesting lately? Are you coming to RomCon? Are you coming to RWA? Any travel tips for me?
26 comments:
Anna - where is your last picture taken? I have my suspicions, but it surprised me to see it in your post...
Curious minds want to know!
And I envy you your conference going, although I AM looking forward to chillaxin' with the fam this summer.
Actually have a lot planned this summer, which is unusual. This weekend I will be spending 4 days in CA with my nephews - beach, wildlife cruise & Disney. Than time to get ready for July which is RomCon in Denver - YEAH! Than back to CA in August with my 2 nieces to enjoy time at Sea World. Wow, sounds exhausting to me, but at least it gets me out of the Vegas heat for a few days.
Tips: give yourself plenty of time at the airports, wear something comfortable and drink plenty of water. Oh, and have a good time!
Hi Donna! It's somewhere in the Rockies. I googled pictures of the Rockies and I thought this was really pretty. Where do you think it is? Is it near Denver?
Chilaxin' (great word!) sounds great. I think the American trip is going to be huge fun and absolutely fascinating but there's not a lot of down time there.
Melanie, that IS a huge lot! The California stuff sounds lovely. I went to the SF conference two years ago and just loved it. It's surprising how much that part of California looks like Australia - not to mention eucalyptus trees everywhere!
Thanks for the tips!
By the way, how hot does it get in Denver? I know it's going to be sweltering in DC and Florida in midsummer.
I read that it should be about 88 which is heaven compared to Las Vegas which is about 110. Elaine had told me to bring a light jacket even, said they sometimes get a little cold in July. Both DC & FL have high humidity plus heat which makes it worse than 110, in my opinion.
I need a home in Australia, than I can live there during the summer months here.
Hey, a home in Australia sounds good. And where I am, we don't have bitter winters (although it's definitely chilly today). We get terrifically humid in summer, though!
Hey Anna! YOu didn't tell us you were over here today. Grins. You need a serious Bandit invasion over here. Bwah-ha-ha!!
I'm SOSOSOSOSOS looking forward to seeing you in just a few weeks. Yipeeee! And everyone else too, at RWA. I know you'll have a blast in Colorado, NY, and of course, here in DC. *VBG*
Hi Jeanne! Lovely to see you! Hey, the Bandits seem to be busy today having fun with Christine's Aussie slang! You know, I didn't know some of the things she put up!
SOOOOO looking forward to seeing you too. Not long now!
Hi, Anna,
Good to see you here! Tote Bags is
another of my daily blog stops,
right after a visit to the Lair!
Bask in the spotlight all you want!
It is well deserved! So glad to see
that you will have a nice long stay
in the good, ole US of A! No travel
plans for us this summer. Will be
spending lots of time with the family, especially with all the
grandkids!
Pat Cochran
Forgot to add a couple of travel
tips!
1. Take a walk every so often on
the long flights.
2. Hydration on a long flight most
important.
3. No pantyhose on flight and wear
loose clothing.
4. Bring your own small pillow,
some airlines are charging for them
now!
Pat Cochran
Pat, this is my longest trip yet and definitely the one where I'm covering the most ground. I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of new places!
Hey, glad you love Tote Bags. I think there's some great authors who pop by here and there's such a variety of stuff they talk about. The lair's jumpin' today, isn't it?
Thanks for the travel tips, much appreciated! I get the most awful jetlag but I'm hoping excitement buoys me up over the worst of it this trip. Luckily I've got a couple of days before RomCon so I should be moderately sane by then ;-)
Hi Anna
So many awards for a fantastic book I so loved Gideon and Chrais and I gotta say I loved Tarquin and Diana.
Sounds like lots of fun coming your way BTW I will be at the Aust RWA dinner and BSE see you in August whoo hoo.
Have Fun
Helen
Hey, thanks, Helen! I'm actually feeling a bit overwhelmed by Gideon's bling! He'll be impossible to deal with soon ;-) And thanks so much for saying how much you loved Tarquin and Diana! It was lovely to get your email!
Excellent news about you being at the Sydney knees-up! It's always such fun and the signing is going to be great - first time we've done that! The hotel in Coogee is fabulous - right on the sea. I can hardly wait!
no plans this year t go one of these years im gonna make it to a con and i bet OZ is beautiful now i hope you allhave a safe and wonderful travle
SiN, winter is actually the nicest time of year where I live. We get cold, crisp days which make a lovely change from the really humid summers. Hope you do make a conference one day - they're huge fun! And thanks for the happy travel wishes. Not long now!
Whoops, I caught that extra 'n'! LOL! That's meant to be SiNn.
I won 2 basic tickets to RomCon and I hoping to be able to go. It all comes down to the basic question...Do I have enough money to go? I hope so! I have been dying to go, to meet all of the authors and just have fun. All I can say right now is UGH!
Lady Graeye - that's what I call good luck. I hope you can get to RomCon and use your prize!
Hi Anna! I love that Gideon is getting so much love and attention. He surely deserves it and so do you!
What a terrific agenda you have planned for your month in the States. Wish I could join you in Denver for RomCon but the budget just couldn't support it this time around. I hope they plan to move the conference around the country and not keep it in Denver because I sure would love to go!
I'm leaving soon for a week in Orlando to cheer on my honorary granddaughters at their National dance competition then will be chillin' at the beach before heading to Orlando again for RWA National. Can't wait to see you there!
Top travel tip is to pack light! Always assume you'll be carrying your luggage and pack accordingly. With a toddler isn't so feasible, but when I'm on my own I can live out of a flight bag for a week.
Lady Graeye, what a wonderful prize! I hope you CAN go! It sounds like such a great party! Make sure you come and say hello if you're there!
Christina, I'm sending LG exactly the same vibes ;-)
PJ, I'm really looking forward to hanging out with you! It was such fun last year. And this year, I get to meet more of the Romance Dishes! Yay! Sounds like you're keeping Orlando in business, my friend ;-) Good luck to you and yours in the dance competition!!!!
Alison, that's a great tip. Thank you! Sadly, I'm always overloaded with presents for people. Although this year, I've been smart and bought little things (in terms of weight and size) so I'm hoping I can get by with one (biggish) bag, at least for most of the trip. I'm getting really excited about my trip. Three weeks tomorrow I leave - whoo-hooooooooo!
Anna - I would be ten bucks it's the Moraine Lake in Banff National Park (Alberta) and the Valley of the 13 Peaks.
I envy you your conference going, although I AM looking forward to chillaxin' with the fam this summer.
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