RT Booklovers Convention Round Up

It was a whirlwind few days here at RT. I left my house on Monday at 6am and arrived in LA around noon. The days were filled with a mixture of workshops, talks with readers and authors, and crazy, zany parties.

[image error] Bollywood PartyWednesday night was the Ellora's Cave Bollywood Party and people's costumes were gorgeous. Since this was my first RT, I wasn't sure what to expect, so I didn't bring much in the way of costume attire. On the backs of all the chairs were hip scarves with lots of dangling charms. Perfect! Here are a few authors we ran into: Shelli Stevens, Lynn Raye Harris, Jennie Lucas, and me. The Bollywood dancers and music got everyone into the partying mode and we ended up dancing until midnight.

[image error] Meg from ThailandAt Club RT, a casual way for readers and authors to connect, I met some bloggers I had only known online as well as several booksellers. Here is Meg from Thailand, who was instrumental in getting her local bookstore to carry romance. Now, she's their buyer. What a thrill for me when I heard she'd read Bonded By Blood clear over in Thailand!

Thursday night was the Faery Ball, hosted by a dozen or so authors. People's costumes were amazing. Almost everyone had on faery wings of some sort and a mask. Note to self: pack wings and a mask for next year.

[image error] Vampire Ball with Shelli StevensFriday night was the Vampire Ball. I must've missed the memo that it's basically a stripper/slutty goth costume party. Boy, did they go all out for this one! People's costumes ranged from goth Victorian steampunk attire to little more than underwear. Fortunately, I did pack my red feather boa, so along with a few other borrowed items, I dressed as a vampire stripper--a fully-clothed vampire stripper.

[image error] Me with Mr. RomanceSaturday night was the Mr. Romance competition. Nine really hot guys competed for the title, with the winner to grace the cover of a Kensington romance novel next year. Although I voted for the guy from my home state, Len Gunn, owner of a landscape company, won the competition. He seemed really nice and was genuinely thrilled to have won. I'm really excited for him and can't wait to see his cover.

We wrapped up the final night with the Carina Press cocktail party and the Harlequin dance party, where I unfortunately didn't win an Ipad 2 or the NookColor. 

Now that I know what to expect, I'll make sure to bring my faery wings to Chicago next year.