Usually with any conference or event I attend, there’s always one memory or item I remember best, something that sort of encapsulates the entire event. Sometimes, it’s not a good thing (Pittsburgh’s RT, while hosted by my home town, was a hot mess of groping and asthma attacks for many) and sometimes it’s something outside the script, like at RT in Orlando, when Beth Ciotta turned to Heather Graham and remarked that she couldn’t believe … Continue reading RT Moment →

RT is difficult to describe to someone who isn’t familiar with romance novels, with fan conventions or with the way avid women readers feel about their books. For example, I told someone recently that romance novel readers have a noise they make when someone mentions a book they adore as well. Sort of a heavy sigh, like an extended, “Aaaaaaah.” I’ve said before that two romance readers might not have a single thing in common … Continue reading Overheard at Romantic Times 2010 →

At 4:30 pm on Thursday 29 April, MULLETGASM will begin! KristieJ will be wearing THIS WIG: In the bar! With much revelry and merriment! I believe she is bringing a flannel shirt. And I, bearer of The Mullet Wig if TSA does not confiscate it, am here to tell you, and please don’t tell anyone, that The Mullet Wig shipped WITH ITS OWN HAIRNET. Only the finest hairnetted mullets will satisfy the international incident that … Continue reading The Most Mulletful Important Event at RT →

This year at RT, I will be presenting two sessions and helping out with a third. Along with Angela James and Jane Litte, I’m presenting a session on digital reading on Friday 30 April at 11:15am. We are going to have a veritable smorgasbord, dare I say, a cornucopia of digital reading devices for you to fondle and ask questions about. Jane, Angie and I will talk a bit about the differences and the challenges … Continue reading RT 2010 →

1. Alyssa Day brought me bosom cookies. There is nothing better than sugar and baked goods in homage to bosoms. Thank you! And Barb Ferrer made the trip for the day just to say howdy to me and to her buddies. 2. So many people stopped to meet me, which made me incredibly happy. Side Note: a very kind person stopped me while I was setting up my computer at Mr. Romance and said, “I … Continue reading Top 10 Highlights of the RT Booksigning →

If you read the Twitteration, you probably got a micro-sense of the Mr. Romance pageant last night. Heather Osborn calls it the mangeant, and clocking in at just under an hour, it was a zippy-mangeant, too. The battery on my laptop hadn’t charged all the way yet. The opening was funny and silly and sort of slapstick – a lady was reading a book, and the contestants come out from backstage one by one and … Continue reading Mr. Romance and Academia →

After a night of dueling pianos and a very late bedtime, Jane and I headed over to the Wyndham Convention Center this mornign under the impression that our panel on blogging was at 230 pm. In fact, I booked the flight to Princeton based on the idea that I wouldn’t be able to leave until after 5pm. Imagine my shock when, at 11:10 I received a text from Jane saying, “Our session is at 11:30am.” … Continue reading Thursday →

What, it’s 1:30 in the morning so technically it’s Thursday, and that’s about as inspirational a title as you’ll get. Jane and I are eating M&Ms and drinking water after a loud and danceful evening of piano bars, tequila, beer, and really, really loud music. My ears are going to ring until Sunday. Jane and I made it over to the conference center today around breakfast time, and even though this is my second RT, … Continue reading Wednesday →

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned the epic clusterfuck of travel I have going on this week, but in case you’re curious, here we go. Presently I’m at Romantic Times in Orlando, where today I’m on a panel about historical romance with Jane. Then, this afternoon I’m on a panel about social networking and new media with Ron Hogan. That will be so difficult, since there’s really nothing about Twitter or the growing power of … Continue reading But Wait, There’s More Conferences! →