Some of you may remember this video, but back in 2010, I made a video at RWA National trying to capture the size and scope of the giant literacy signing.
It was massive, y’all. Thousands of people in a giant ballroom, tables in lines stretching into the distance, balloons and prize baskets and swag, and so many books.
This was the first video I made. You’ll notice that my cell phone footage is terrible but, well, it looked good at the time!
I can’t tell you how floored I was that I had forgotten I’d made this, and I’m even more surprised that they’re still online (watch, this feature will kill them dead for good, lol).
But WAIT THERE’S MORE. I made another in 2011!
Watching both makes me so teary – there are people who aren’t with us anymore, authors who are no longer writing, and so many of us in a hot crowded ballroom raising thousands of dollars for literacy.
And it reminds me of what we lost, and how much I miss being in that room with everyone.
Thanks for taking a little trip down memory lane with me and my phone from 15 years ago, and Garage Band.
Friday Videos hope you have plenty of love, because it’s all you need.
I remember the Your Love Is My Drug video so clearly! I can’t believe it’s been that many years since it came out.
Love this!
Brought back some great memories of lots of favorite authors. Thank you!
Lovely, thank you for sharing.
Those were fantastic—I was at the 2010 con and I wore my SBTB shirt! We got a pic together and you signed my shirt. It was in Columbus and my brother came with me. I was in heaven! Highlights for me? Meeting you, Victoria Dahl, JR Ward and Charmaine Harris.
Loved being able to put a face to all those author’s names. I saw Jo Beverly in the 2010 video, and several other, at the time, profilic writers of historical romance. I miss the wealth of historical romance writers that were writing back then. The publishing indistry has moved on, unfortunately I’m moving in a different direction (less romance, but still historical). Maybe the pendulum will swing back one day. Fortunately, I have quite the backlog of historical romance in my TBR pile that hopefully will see me through. But seeing Jo Beverly makes me want to go back and reread all her Malloran and Rogues books.
Thank you for posting these blasts from the past.
2010! That was my first literacy signing as a published author! Sarah, you were so kind to include both me and my first book, FAERIE FATE, in your video that year. It was so hard to pretend to be one of the “cool kids” and not fangirl all over my favorite authors. The energy in those massive ballrooms was amazing. Authers and readers. All for a great cause. The literacy signings never got old! Thank you, Sarah–and all the Smart Bitches–for all the things you have done and continue to do for the romance community. I miss those “gold ol’ days.”
I’m SO GLAD you posted these. They made me feel sentimental – don’t ask me why. I was living w/o internet in those days and haven’t seen them before.
What else is tucked away in the SBTB archive??
We were Queens once and oh how we lived, laughed and loved!
Good Lord, I miss all of this so, so much.
♥️♥️♥️
Thank you for the walk down memory lane, Sarah!
Don’t mind me over here tearing up, seeing all the love and camaraderie 🥹
Never experienced something like this (convention of peers, shared love of books), but these videos make me wish I had! Thank you for sharing. Is there anything like it anymore?