In just a few short weeks, my beloved and I will be heading to the first—and this year, the only—conference of the season. Our last year was jam-packed with travel as we attended the three different author-related events that were on our schedule. For someone like me who really does not like the traveling part, that was just too much. I felt as if I completely missed my summer here at home.
This year, there is only one conference in our plans, and it’s at the end of April.
I’m looking forward to attending the Romantic Times Booklovers’ Convention, as I always do. This year it’s being held in Kansas City, Missouri. RT is my one major “promotional” event of the year. It’s where I go to put my “gregarious extrovert” cap on, and put my best foot forward.
I do genuinely enjoy meeting new people, be they readers or fellow authors. I am, however, by nature an introvert. I do not need to socialize or be with other people on a regular basis in order to be happy. In other words, I could blissfully spend most of my life (and I do, actually) in my writing cave, with my computer keyboard at my fingertips and a coffee pot, bathroom and bed nearby.
This year, as he did last year, my husband will be going with me to RT. He really enjoyed himself at the convention last year in Chicago. This year, he’s going to “officially” attend all the festivities. Of course, his main role will continue, as he coined it last year, to be my “stand by and stand here” guy. I really appreciated having his assistance, because it is very difficult for me to manage at such an event all on my own.
It’s neither fair nor is it right for me to depend upon my acquaintances—the people I used to room with at these things—to be there to help me get around, or get where I need to be on time. I had been doing that up until last year, but really, that didn’t work out very well for any one. So last year David made the decision that he should go with me and do what he could to help.
In more than one way, Chicago’s conference was a watershed event for me. My life took one of those turns that can only be considered a complete shake-up. At first, I thought that what happened was the worst thing ever, but I have since changed my mind about it all, for I came away from the Windy City with two brand new best friends. I was blessed to meet for the first time, face to face, with my fellow Siren authors Heather Rainier and Peyton Elizabeth. Mr. Rainer accompanied his wife, and our two husbands seemed to hit it off very well. I have no doubt that being practically the only two men in the room had at least something to do with that.
A few months after that initial meeting, near the end of summer, we spent time with Ms. Peyton and the Rainiers at a conference in Dallas where we also met another Siren author, Corrine Davies and her husband. While I huddled with the women and discussed all things writing it was gratifying for me to see my beloved spending time with the men, all of whom appeared to enjoy themselves immensely.
At RT, we will not only have the pleasure of the company, once again, of the Rainiers and the Davies, and Peyton Elizabeth, we will also be meeting and spending time with Peyton’s new fiancé. Yes, there will be eight of us, all told, chumming around, wreaking havoc. While we ladies host our publisher’s table in Club RT, who knows what shenanigans those men might get up to?
Since all the men are attending all the dinners and the parties, too, there really is no telling what kind of mayhem may ensue when the eight of us are together. My beloved and I don’t get out much, so we tend to store up a lot of mischief and energy, just waiting for the best time and place to let it all loose.
The way I see it, that’s just one more thing to look forward to.
Love,
Morgan
http://www.morganashbury.com
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury
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