What can I say about the RT convention that hasn’t already been said elsewhere? Probably not a lot. Yes, the hotel was a rundown dump. Yes, some of the “models” (I put models in quotes because to call the troublemakers models is an insult to the true cover models in attendance) took bad behavior to a new, disgusting and disturbing level. But still, even in the midst of plaster dust, missing towel racks and the lingering odors of mold, mildew and must, I still had fun visiting with friends and meeting new ones.

Some of the highlights from my week:

–I won a Sony Ebook reader at Wednesday night’s ebook expo. You can see a photo of me (with friends Beth Williamson and Cindy Szolyga) and my new ereader over on the Beyond Her Book Publishers Weekly blog written by Barbara Vey (who is an absolute sweetheart and was a pleasure to see as she ran all over the convention, catching all the goings on). I’ve been eying the Sony Reader for awhile, and now I have one. I love my new toy! Not only did I get the Reader, it also came with a fun and funky purple and black skin and a Dooney & Bourke Reader cover and keychain. Click the link to see a photo of the one I got. Unfortunately, my keychain has gone missing. I’ve searched all my luggage and bags and it’s disappeared. I do have to dedicate this win to Marty Mathews, Samhain’s author liaison and all-around awesome person. Without her, I never would’ve won. She brought me the ticket when I was busy working and couldn’t get away to grab one myself. And she nudged me to pay attention when they called out the winning numbers. I even told her afterward that she should’ve won, rather than me, and she shrugged it off and told me I deserved it. Have I mentioned lately how much I adore Marty?

–Staying up until 3 am my first night at RT with my bud Heather Osborn, editor for TOR. Heather and I have been friends for-evah–forever being around 13 years–but I haven’t seen her in a few years. We spent half the night laughing our asses off. It was the perfect way to start my RT week.

–Going on a Pittsburgh adventure with Shiloh Walker and her hubby. Shiloh and I discovered we have something in common–wherever we go, whenever we travel, we collect books on local ghost stories. So on Friday we decided to get some fresh air and find a bookstore. We hit up Pittsburgh’s public transportation–the T–and with the help of some locals, we made our way to the mall, about 40 stops away on the opposite end of the line. We found a bunch of ghost story books, and then had lunch in a fun little cafe with to-die-for chocolate fondue for dessert, before racing back to the hotel so I could do my hour in Club RT.

–Throwing an impromptu party in my hotel room on Friday night. The hotel, as some sort of compensation for the awful, awful living conditions, gave everyone vouchers for food and alcohol. Shiloh, her hubby and I pooled our vouchers together, bought a bunch of appetizers, and invited pretty much whoever we ran across to join us up in the room. I was one of the lucky few with a fridge, stocked with alcohol thanks to my editor Angie. So the drinks flowed, the appetizers disappeared, and we laughed and gabbed for half the night. Plus I got to meet Smart Bitch Sarah–which is how she was introduced to me. She was a hoot! I think the most amusing part of that evening was watching JC Wilder roll around on the bed laughing, her head landing in the remnants of frosting from the cake Shiloh Walker provided. So if you kissed JC on top of the head later in the week and thought she tasted sweet, you got a taste of our party too!

–Meeting Laura Bradford, who is one hell of an awesome literary agent who represents some of my best writing buds, Lauren Dane and Anya Bast. I had a great time talking about the industry with her during one of the parties as we huddled in a corner because the room was so crowded. Ms. Bradford is one classy lady–now I know why her clients love her so much!

Honestly, it’s impossible to sum up the RT experience in just a single blog post. I’ve been home for almost two days, but I still feel like I could sleep for a week. But you know what? I’m already thinking about next year and what it might bring, who I might see, and the experiences I’ll have. I hope to see some of you next year in Orlando!

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