Honey, I'm Hoo-ooome!

D. Renee Bagby and some dork in a wig.

I'm dead. I think RT killed me.

This was my second Romantic Times Convention, and this time I was savvier (or so I thought... Damn you, Dresden Files!). I brought clothes that were comfortable AND looked good; I brought shoes I could stand in without killing myself. And I had the hubby attach a big old basket to the back of my scooter which turned out to be a lifesaver.

RT Morning Mixer centerpiece. These were hand made!

Our first day there I met up with PJ Schnyder for breakfast at the Morning Mixer. Hats abounded, with people wearing them, commenting on them, or just plain staring at them. Our table had the lovely feathered green hat pictured above that you could barely see around, but as a centerpiece it was a gorgeous touch to the morning's theme. There was a wonderful tribute to Kate Duffy that left not a dry eye in the place. The lady touched a lot of lives, and that's one hell of a legacy she can be proud of.

After the Morning Mixer, it's off to the races! The RT conference tends to be business in the front, party in the back. In other words, there's more for the writer or aspiring writer during the daylight hours, but at night... WOOOHOOOO! Boobies in corsets and man-flesh abound. And that's fun for everyone.

Marilyn Mandalis (if I'm reading her name tag right,) PJ Schnyder and her friend Laura.

See? But I digress.

The Sinfully Sweet party went over great, especially after the man-flesh... I mean, the MODELS arrived. *cough*

Man-flesh at the Sinfully Sweet Party. Franco D'Angelis facing the crowd and Charles Paz facing Franco.

Shirts were ripped off, women were rubbed on, and a good time was had by all. We had quite a turn-out for it and gave away all our goody bags.

By the way, I THOUGHT it was wear a silly shirt for the party, so I packed my T-shirt that said, "Hi. Where's your off button?" It wasn't until I met up with Stephanie "Flash" Burke and D. Renee Bagby that I realized it was wear a silly HAT.

Luckily, I had something that made me look stupid!

Oh look. A dork in a wig.

Yes, most of the photos of me that I've found are in that wig. (And yes, that IS a tiara. Your point?)

Congrats to everyone who won a big prize at the party!

That night was the Ellora's Cave Paint the Town Red party. It was one of the two parties I went to, and one I'd heard quite a bit about. I was expecting whirling dongs, the way people spoke about the party in the past, but pants stayed on and no dongs whirled. I'm pretty sure the three males who managed to find their way from their convention party to ours are eternally grateful for that.

Me and PJ at the Ellora's Cave Paint the Town Red Party.

Girlfriend rocks a corset dress. And have I ever mentioned I'm inordinately short? Five foot nothing, in fact. You should see me next to Stephanie Burke. I'm a damn midget next to her.

Thursday was all about agents, editors and fairies. I went to some publisher spotlights and an agent panel that day, and dressed as a fairy that night. Not sure if anyone got a pic of me in my fairy costume this year. I'll have to hunt the 'net to find out. I know, I forgot to get someone to take one of me. If anyone has a pic of me at the fairy ball, pass the link along, k? I was a "frost fairy", all in black and silver and, yes, I wore the tiara.

All right, I'll admit it. I have a secret Disney Princess wish. So there.

Friday was much of the same, but with an Ebook Expo thrown in. And man, wasn't that fun! I had my little netbook with me playing a powerpoint presentation, and I got to chat with readers and booksellers and librarians, oh my! And I got the best compliment ever when someone told me that they'd heard that not only were my books good but that I was a pleasure to work with.

I'm still tingly over that one.

The vampire ball was that night. I chose not to attend; I know my limits, and I was hitting them, hard. I decided to go to bed early that night, so of COURSE I sat up until two a.m. reading Dresden Files. Go ahead, mock. But damn it, it was good.

Saturday, and it's time for the Giant Book Fair! No copies of Dare to Believe unfortunately, but plenty of Hunting Love. I was sandwiched between Laura Baumbach (who had her own personal cookie delivery during the signing) and Laura Bickle. Stephanie Burke nearly beheaded Laura Bickle with a tiny bottle of bubbles. The woman has a heck of a pitch, but she needs to work on her aim. She was going for MY head, you see.

By nine o'clock that night I was ready to pass out. I curled up on my nice hotel room bed, and woke up the next morning at seven thirty. Breakfast, airport (Columbus's airport is TINY!), a purchase of peanut M&M's and two stuffed piggies for my kids, and I'm ready to go. I headed home and immediately took my men out to the Baltimore Aquarium and pizza, as promised.

Two of my three boys at the Baltimore Aquarium.

It was good to be home. I'm pretty sure I'm dead. I'm just waiting for someone to mention the smell and prove me right.

P.S.: I won't be attending RT next year, since I can't fly all the way to LA without turning myself int a Rice Krispie in milk. I have, however, promised I would be at the Lori Foster event next year, so I'm looking forward to that.

P.P.S.: I met LORI FOSTER! Of course, I froze up like a teenager meeting Hannah Montana, but that's not the POINT! I got a total squee moment!

P.P.P.S.: Today is your last chance to enter the contest for a signed copy of Dare to Believe, so act quick! I'm announcing the winner tomorrow!

P.P.P.P.S.: I got some swag I'll be giving away soon... keep an eye out for another contest announcement!