Eve Gaddy: RWA 2016

Every summer Romance Writers of America has a huge conference. This year it was held in beautiful San Diego, California. Over 2000 authors and publishing and industry professionals meet for workshops on everything from the mechanics of writing, to experts in various fields discussing their professions and how they might relate to characters, to things like promoting your books and social media. We network with agents, editors, publishers, and other writers. We attend the RITA and Golden Heart awards ceremony (Romance Writers most well-known contest). I love the RWA National conference for a variety of reasons, but the main one is I get to see my friends, many of whom I only see once or twice a year. 

Left to Right: Katherine Garbera, Eve Gaddy and Julia Justiss

Left to Right; Eve Gaddy, Nancy Robards Thompson, Julia Justiss

My friends and I correspond online all the time, we FaceTime, we talk on the phone, but meeting in person is wonderful. And it can be magical. There's something about being around a lot of other writers, talking writing, thinking writing, and breathing writing that makes the air crackle with creative energy. (Chocolate also helps.:) And as my friend Julia Justiss puts it, we get to be writers. Just writers. We're not working another job, we're not moms, wives or grandmothers. (Unless our family comes with us.) 

If we get to the conference early enough we might go sight-seeing. Or shopping. This year I didn't get to do as much since I managed to break my toe the first full day I was there. First thing in the morning, yet. Stupid doorstop! (Seriously. Broke my toe.) So I spent a lot of the first couple of days I was there in my room with my foot propped up. I did manage to hobble down to the bookstore on the waterfront.

And I went to some dinners and parties. 

All in all it was a fun and rewarding conference. I saw old friends, met new ones, and even managed to write some. And when I came home I got the beautiful cover for my newest book, Love Me, Cowgirl, which will be out this fall.

Visit me at my website: www.evegaddy.net or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/EveGaddyAuthor or Twitter: @evegaddy

P.S. I have a book up on www.authorshout.com/cover-wars . If you get a chance go vote for your favorite cover. Voting lasts all week long. Mine is my fave.:)

Eve Gaddy: Confessions of an Office Supply Junkie

There. I've admitted it. I love office supplies. I've written more than one blog about them because, well, it's an addiction.:) I was going to the office supply store the other day to buy mailing envelopes for a weekly giveaway on my Facebook page-- www.facebook.com/evegaddyauthor --Marvelous Mondays, if you're interested. Anyway, I needed size #2 bubble mailing envelopes. That. Is. All. I. Needed.

The first temptation, other than computers, of course, were the jump drives of various cartoon figures. Loony Toons, Superheroes, dinosaurs, turtles, penguins, you name it, there's probably a jump drive shaped like it. I have approximately 437 jump drives. I like to keep separate ones for each book, for other business related stuff, for old projects in case I need them. But my drives are not by any means full.

Sometimes I have a reason for choosing which drive goes with which book. Often I do not, or at least, not one I know of. 

For the Billionaire's Charade, Amalfi Night Billionaires Book 5, which just came out, I used the little spaceman. I don't know why. Perhaps because it's set on an exotic island?

For several of the Whiskey River books I used the fish. I have no idea why. Because I liked it?

And for Cry Love, my interracial, reincarnation, romantic suspense book, I used Bugs Bunny. Since it deals with heavy topics I must have thought I needed some levity. I love Bugs. He makes me laugh. But back to the store, I managed to avoid putting any jump drives in my basket, even though they had some new-to-me ones that were only $9.99!  Then I went down the notebook aisle.

These are just a sampling of my hundreds of notebooks. Some are pristine, having never been used. Some have very few pages because I try to rip out the old, unnecessary pages. Some are important. They are not organized by book, though I try. But again, I do not need notebooks. Of any size. Yet I had to drag myself away from the notebook aisle.

After swinging back by the jump drives and resisting temptation again, I narrowly avoided the pens and calendars. I looked at the doo-dads for the office, organizer files, pen holders, and the like. I looked at the office furniture, and no, I don't need that either. Eventually I made it out of the store with a box of the envelopes I went to buy and a three-tier small desk organizer to use for the SWAG I send with my weekly giveaways. Yes, I actually needed what I bought. But I felt like I'd run a marathon. I was totally exhausted from forcing myself to be practical! Next time I'm buying something I want that I don't need.

I have just discovered that there are writers out there who DO NOT have an addiction to office supplies. I didn't think such a thing was possible. But one of my friends, a wonderful writer, said that office supplies are necessary but why would I be addicted to them?

To say I was shocked is putting it mildly. I don't know whether to pity her because she'll never know the joy of having 8,000 pens, 427 jump drives, 952 notebooks, countless labels, sticky notes, stickers and other various and sundry items, or to ask her what her secret is.

How about you? Are you a "I can take them or leave them" or someone who likes nothing better than to browse office supply stores and lust over the goodies inside?

One lucky commenter will win one of my giveaway packages. A signed copy of Cry Love, a Tule Book Girls book bag, and lots of SWAG. Visit Eve at her newly revamped website www.evegaddy.net, @evegaddy on Twitter or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EveGaddyAuthor.