Greetings form RT, where the bar goes dead at about 430-5 so people can get dressed up for dinner, and the party doesn’t stop until well past midnight, no matter what time zone you’re in. I heard via Twitter that there were many people in the gym this morning from the RT conference crowd. I’m betting that gym will be a little more sparsely populated in the next few days, unless running with a hangover is your thing.
I know a few people wish they were here, and I can’t say that I blame you for that feeling. I’ve been looking forward to RT for awhile, and can’t wait for the Saturday YA day, and the panels I’m giving. But for all of you who aren’t here, I have a taste of RT for you.
This year, attendees get a pass to the Goody Bag Room, which is filled with books. Really, you walk in and take a deep breath, like it’s fall and someone has a wood fire burning. It’s New Book Smell, y’all. You’re allowed to select 9 books, plus a signed totebag to put them in, so off I went to build a Taste of RT giveaway package.
If you win, you’ll receive 12 books (nine from the goody room plus three additional books), including a signed ARC of The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegen, romance novel trading cards, bookmarks, promo items, candy, and a selection of excerpt booklets. The books that are in the package include:
Please note: the copy of Outlander is a free promotional copy with a promo-oriented cover.
What do you have to do to win? Well, next year RT is in Chicago, and this year it’s in LA. Tell us where you think RT should be next year. Hellertown? Ellsworth? Key West? Make your case for your ideal place in the US (not like I have any control over this, obviously – this is all collective wishful thinking!) and I’ll select one winner at random to win. I have a postage-paid Priority mailbox with me, so I’ll send your items from Los Angeles as soon as I have your address.
Standard giveaway disclaimers apply: I’m not being compensated for this giveaway. Your mileage may vary. Void where prohibited. Entries valid only on website. Prune in the spring, cut down in the fall. I think Sarah MacLean’s next book should be titled “Thirteen Ways not to Hurl When Chasing an Earl.” NO! “Thirteen Ways to be a Hot Mess When Tracking Down a Marquess!”
Comments are open for just under 24 hours, and this entry is (I’m sorry!) open to US only (The postage is already paid for domestic post. Yes, I suck a lot).
Ready Set Go! Win a Taste of RT!
I’d love to see RT in Philadelphia—it’s close to me and easy to get to, there’s tons of fun things to do and see if you need to get away from the convention, and it would give me a chance to get my yearly cheese steak fix.
Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love 🙂
Charlotte, NC! It might not have Savannah’s charm or Atlanta’s nightlife, but we have great barbecue. And because nothing says romance like the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the Billy Graham Library.
San Francisco!
Memphis, TN! Lots of stuff to visit..good music…good eats…a fun place full of history! Elvis…..Martain Luther King, Jr….it’s a place to be! 🙂
It should be in Seattle for sure. Romantic rain (yeah it’s not really romantic when it’s been around for 6 months, but whatever), coffee aplenty (for the hungover), and gorgeous scenery to inspire new novels.
Austin! The music is the best and so is the food and drink. Also, it is one of the most beautiful places in the country.
Athens, GA:
Reasonably close to a major airport (ATL)
Boutique-y shops, vibrant downtown
antebellum homes
the notorious Bar-muda Triangle, plus about 100 other bars
the Tree That Owns Itself
restaurants ranging from soul food to Peruvian to Top Chef
and they’re known for having a little bit of music too…
Las Vegas, Nevada – that would be a fun trip and in sin City it seems to fit with RT>
Obviously somewhere in Louisiana. We’ve been dealing with all of the Twilight filming, so it’s only natural that everyone assumes we’re not only romantic but also filled with hot vampires 🙂
It should be in Austin! It’s so much fun! I promise, not all of it is ironic or country. I need a little more romance in my town.
I’m going with Pittsburgh. And they should make it later in the year, perhaps during football season. 😉 I’d also vote for Detroit – because I agree that they could use some love, not to mention tourist dollars. 🙂
I think the next RT should be in San Francisco. The Bay Area is beautiful, and we have some lovely people in the city who would probably LOVE to attend RT. Like me!
Memphis, TN, or New Orleans, LA.
Great food, great entertainment, great bars, and lots of history!!!
New Orleans, la for just all around good time or Orlando, fl to see Disney world. Thanks!
Hollybwright at comcast.net
Tucson AZ, beautiful weather this time of year. People in the area know how to drink, historical fact—we are talking about generations of outlaws and booze-hounds here. There are plenty of authors who already make the area home because it is a great place to write(most likely because you are inside with the air on for 6 months, but hey, the resorts have great temperature control). And there is other stuff to do if you ever get bored of books and bars, I would be willing to provide a detailed list and give a tour.
Collective wishful thinking? I’m going with Hawaii then – specifically Kauai, because it is my favorite place in this country. Besides the lush tropical surroundings, relative quiet – not anything like Oahu/Honolulu, which is way too tourist/shoppy, the sandy beaches and crystal clear waters – you will have an EPIC conference to go along with it. Have an afternoon off? Go for a swim, or an ATV tour. And who doesn’t love umbrella’s in their Sex on the Beach?
Plus…. HELLO. Romantic Setting for Romantic Times. Perfection.
(also, my word verification is “hope97” appropriate, no?)
My suggestion? Baltimore, MD. I see lots of people plugging big east coast cities like DC, Philidelphia, and Boston… but Baltimore gets continually looked over. It’s a beautiful, gritty, real city with a heart of gold, just like a rake in a regency romance that needs a little lovin’ in order to show off its true self. B’lieve, hon! Also, our football team is named after a work of literature, so you know the city appreciates good reads.
Dallas, TX. It’s got awesome food (and wine…), great family friendly entertainment (and bars…), and plenty of space (to let it all hang out). It’s charming, wholesome, and perfect (for me)!
San Diego, CA. It’ll be right next to the beach and there’ll be sunshine, unlike the rest of the country who will be experiencing spring rain.
Jackson Hole, WY would be a wonderful place for RT. Its natural scenery cannot be beat by anywhere else, seriously I challenge you to find something more beautiful than the Tetons. It also has a cool small town vibe and some amazing places to eat.
income38, even if my income were 38 times what it is now I’m not sure that I could afford to live in Jackson.
It would be nice if it were in Kansas City, that would be close enough for me to go. However, I’d really love to visit New Orleans again—and RT should really plan their location around where I want to visit.
Kentucky—that is where my fiance lives 😀 I will be going there in a week! We have been long distance since June 2010, it has been a lonnnng year but it is almost over! I graduate in June 2011!!! Woot woot!!!
Eugene, Oregon, home of the Oregon Ducks!
Where hippies outnumber everyone but the college students, and everyone rides bikes. Everywhere.
And where it’s legal to be nude in public, as long as it’s not lewd.
Miami florida because it’s warm, sunny, and there’s lots of Cuban coffee to get everyone moving post hangover.
If anyone saw the very funny movie about an insurance convention set in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, (title: Cedar Rapids), then they can understand why I nominate anywhere on earth as long as it is nowhere near Cedar Rapids. My favorite suggestion so far has been—Breathe, dammit! Breathe! Don’t you dare die on me now!—Detroit.
I’m joining the Seattle wagon. Those damp rainy days need some romance!
Hello… I think that the RT convention should be held in a city that has seen great hardship over the past few years, and has wonderful and greatly explored romantic settings created about and from it, New Orleans. From Sunny and her monere, Anne Rice and her vampires to more realistic Brenda Novak and her Last Stand investigator, the city calls to readers and authors alike. In addition to paying the muse of romance and jazz a tribute, the convention there will help boost the local economy. Let’s not forget that people are still rebuilding.
thanks,
giorgia
No city is more romantic than my hometown of New Orleans… She’s like a living, breathing… SWEATING… entity that has survived French rule, Spanish rule, Civil War, hurricanes, floods, you name it! The Crescent City holds her arms wide and welcomes everyone to her bosom. She’s the ultimate heroine and the best party on earth.
😉
Washington DC. This place needs some romance and some good ole HEAs!
I’m biased, but my vote needs to go for Denver. :o) Gotta love the Rocky Mountains
Agree with Seattle – never read so many romances as when I moved up here!
My vote is for College Station, TX… There are a lot of conservatives here who need some trashy romances to liven up their lives a little!
Haha. Can another reason be that we just won the national championship in womens basketball? (whoop!) It could be part of the prize packages or something. Even 6 foot tall ballers need some love too!
San Diego!
A seemingly perfect romance for a seemingly perfect city!
Northern CA it doesn’t get better than Sonoma county. Lots of beautiful natural settings, ocean views. Foodies delight, the drink, homegrown wine or beer is worth taking home to mother.
Portland Oregon!
One word; BEER!
We do it best.
😉
Austin, TX because of two words: Mexican Martinis. Whenever I return home to Great State, I head straight for Trudy’s. Yum!
I’d lke to see it is Seattle, WA. Then the Anchorage-ites (who are big time romance readers) might have a chance to attend. I also think that it would draw plenty of readers from all over the Northwest who are just coming out of hibernation in the spring.
Portland OR, an interesting mix of people and the pacific northwest is beautiful.
My vote is for Raleigh, NC. It is one of the few cities I actually like to visit and is close enough that I could attend.