Around the World in 21 Days – Part 1
I’m recovering from an epic holiday that took me from Sydney to New York to Amsterdam to Berlin to Amsterdam and back to Sydney again. This trip was so epic that I’ll have to tell you about it across several blog posts. (And I’ve got to write it down before everything fades from my jet-lagged head.) So here’s Part 1…
In New York, I attended the Romance Writers of America national conference, where I caught up with some of my very best writing friends. Erica O’Rourke introduced me to Courtney Milan, and together we had a veritable love-in over Courtney’s Apple Watch. I honestly had zero interest in getting one until she said you could send someone your heartbeat via the watch.
A super-cool thing that happened in super-hot Manhattan was the OKRWA’s awards reception for the National Readers’ Choice Award. My book, THIS IS YOUR AFTERLIFE, picked up the winner’s trophy in the YA category. Thank you SO much to the judges and everyone involved in this contest — this is a huge honour!
I went to a couple of great Broadway shows. Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons was hilarious as God in An Act of God. At the stage door, he graciously signed autographs for fans. I got a brilliant shot of his forehead. My dear friend Kim MacCarron, who was a finalist in RWA’s Golden Heart Award, took me to see Kinky Boots — a colourful, toe-tapping spectacular.
My agent, Beth Miller, took me and hot debut author Pintip Dunn (also my agency sister, critique partner and fab friend) to the Frying Pan on the Hudson River. Once a lighthouse, the Pan is now a floating bar/eatery. Their sangria cured me of motion sickness, I think. ;)
When I wasn’t purchasing discounted shoes at Macy’s or getting my hair did at the Drybar salon with Pintip, I was actually attending writing workshops. In the Seven Sins of Self-Promotion, I learned it’s useful to keep a bunch of promo postcards, bookmarks or even a physical book in your handbag. Give them out at parties, etc, when people ask that perennial question, “So what do you do?” This can be more effective than simply leaving a bunch of promo material in a conference goody room because you’re actually interacting with potential readers.
On my way to JFK airport, my taxi was rear-ended by another driver. It was minor, no damage to either vehicle. Definitely nothing compared to the bike accidents that I would have days later in Europe… More on that next time!
Until then, I’ll leave you with a Qantas Inflight Radio song that haunted me during the many hours in transit, ‘Beloved‘ by Say Lou Lou, a twin-sister duo from Australia/Sweden.
