Jayne Brings Gossip from the Romance Writers of America Convention

Just got back from the annual Romance Writers of America convention in Atlanta and I thought I'd give you a first hand report. This is a huge event (over 2000 attendees) so I can't begin to cover everything. But don't worry, the rest of the returning Quills will soon follow with more details.

For starters, the Literacy Signing on Wednesday night was a hugely successful affair with over 400 writers and countless readers present. Thousands of dollars were raised for literacy projects and we Quills got a chance to meet folks from all over the country. Thanks to everyone who made the trip into downtown Atlanta to buy a book, meet some authors and contribute to a great cause.

There were a lot of great workshops this year covering every aspect of craft, business, and the personal side of writing. Ninety-nine percent of these seminars are polished, professional and highly informative.

And then there is the workshop that Susan Elizabeth Phillips and I do every year. The program guide refers to it officially as the Secrets of the Bestselling Sisterhood workshop but I'm afraid it has come to be known as the Susan & Jayne show. This title reflects the sad fact that Susan and I go live and unscripted. We do not prepare. We do not write out notes. It shows.

What happens is, someone gives us a couple of microphones, the audience starts asking questions about writing and publishing and Susan and I forget that we are being taped... I blame the, shall we say, unpredictable results on Susan. She is the one who majored in drama and theater in college. For my part, all I can say is that apparently I am easily led.

Well? What am I supposed to do when Susan mentions that not all authors follow the same career paths and then goes on to point out that many have won numerous awards (that would be her) and a few have won dip-squat (that would be me). And it isn't my fault that I wore flip-flops to the workshop and she wore designer shoes. Nobody said anything about a dress code.

Another major highlight of the conference was the lavish cocktail party given by the gang from Squawk Radio. Unfortunately, I'm sure there will be pictures because Kitty Kuttlestone was running around with a camera. Just remember, don't believe everything you see because it is amazing what can be done with digital photography these days and I wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong impression about us Quills...