ROAD TRIP: RWA 2012 Or Bust!

Greetings and high-fives all around, TLN'ers!

This is the week a lot of us have been waiting for . . . it's time for RWA 2012!!!

*I'll pause here to allow for squeals of delight and peals of giddy laughter*

The emotions I'm feeling are hard to describe. It's such a wild range of excitement, anxiety, and awe that I'm almost reminded of how I felt right before my wedding. Strange, eh?

I know I'm ready. I've practiced my pitch three ways from Sunday! I've got a smashing wardrobe picked out for the week and not a single pair of yoga pants made my pack-list. (I only hope I don't suffer from withdrawals.)

My new cards came in the mail two weeks ago and they look fabulous! Camera, mini PC, and phone have all been charged and sit waiting to be packed.

Everything is falling into place and yet . . . I'm still experiencing jitters. Maybe it's because I don't know what to expect. Or maybe, I'm nervous to be taking such a huge step in my writer's journey--you know, the whole putting-yourself-out-there feelings of angst.

I know I'll have a wonderful time. How could I not being surrounded by so many other writers?! Talk about being given a gift of a lifetime! A week full of writerly talk and workshops is like a dream come true!

I'm definitely looking forward to the road trip down there. I'm riding with two of my YRW chaptermates, June and Sheri (Sheri is a GH finalist in Historical!) We've got five hours of driving ahead of us and we're planning on practing our pitches. So exciting!!

One fascinating tidbit, I'm packing my mini-espresso machine. I've become quite attached to the little guy. (In truth, I didn't want to have get up and dressed to wait in line for my caramel macchiato in the morning. lol)

I'll be sure to post some pictures and tasty tidbits of the conference experience for those you staying home this year! So, swing by sometime next week to get all the on-dits of my trip.

What's YOUR favorite conference on-dit? (feel free to change the names to protect the innocent. lol)

Safe and Happy travels to all heading out in the next day or so!! Hope to meet some you!

Smile!,
Sarah

Confessions of Conference Virgin



(Definitely not me. She doesn't have a ponytail or yoga pants.)

Tick, tock, the clock don't stop!!

RWA 2012 begins in less than THREE weeks! I can't believe how quickly last month flew by. (Most likely, that's due to having three bored kids home all day, but hey, that's just my hypothesis.) To say I'm feeling over-whelmed with everything would be a blatant understatement.

I've been a stay-at-home mama now for almost seven years. Yoga pants, ponytails, and flip flops are how I roll. The last time I could actually do my hair, the Jennifer Aniston shag cut was en Vogue. My wardrobe consists mainly of cast-offs from my maternity days. (Don't judge. Elastic waist bands are all the rage . . . with the slightly-plump-haven't-lost-the-baby-weight set.)

Shoes. *sigh* Don't even get me started. I want something snazzy, but know I need something practical, and in this case, my usual Target special cheapo flops aren't going to cut it. And high heels? Ha! Ha! I'd spend more time on the floor than I would anything else. (I'm not a great tanner, so there would be a whole lot of white meat on display, my friends!)

As for the business side of things, I've still got to hone my pitch to perfection. (NO easy task, let me tell you!) I've got the ground work, now I just have to work on presentation. My RWA Chapter, YOSEMITE ROMANCE WRITERS, held a "Practice Pitch Session" for members at last month's meeting. There was an editor, two fabulous authors, and a couple PRO's listening to pitches and offering advice.

Here are a couple of suggestions for areas I needed to work on:

1. RELAX!!
2. And Relax! (did I mention relax already? lol)
3. Take a deep breath and just converse. (My pitch sounded memorized. Oops! (shh, it was.)
4. Come prepared to answer ANY question. (Wouldn't you know the one question I floundered was the one I thought I had under control.) For all the nosy rosies: I totally botched the "What is your book's Black Moment?" Ha! I'm sure I had a "Oh, holy crap!"  look on my face when asked that Q. Yep. My 'off the cuff' talk is a little rusty--to say the least.

The raves were:

1. Loved my High Concept line
2. My writing voice shined
3. Excellent poise and eye contact (Thank you FFA!)
4. The pitch sparked their interest. (YAY!)

So! There is my report card thus far. My To-Do list this week entails:

1. Book a hair appoint. (I haven't had my hair cut since *groan* November, hence my love of ponytails.)
2. Order my business cards.
3. PRACTICE, PRACTICE my pitch!
4. Continue writing! With a little luck and a whole lot of grit, I should be writing "THE END" soon.

For those of you going to RWA 2012: What do YOU need to get done before leaving? For those housebound this go-round, what's your favorite part of gearing up to go to a conference?

Hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July!
~Sarah~

RWA 2012 Prep: It's Almost Here!!

Well, this isn't the RWA 2012 Anaheim Marriot, it's the Marriot I stayed at in O'ahu. I wish I was back there--right now.

Heya Writerly Peeps!!

Is anyone else excited about RWA 2012?!! Good gracious! I can barely contain myself!

This will be my first time attending. YAY! For so long, I've been Cinderella--always viewing the fun via FB and Twitter. After years of being pea green, I finally get to go! *Can I get an Amen?!*

I've gotten tons of fabulous tips on packing. (I'm horrible at it! I always over pack.) Should you fall in the same category of packing-challenged, here is the link to debut author Erin Knightley's website. She has a fabulous video on packing for conferences on her "Extras" page. Love it! Her site is gorgeous and full of fun stuff.

I don't know how she managed all those outfit parings. Sheesh! As of right now, my suitcase would have yoga pants as the staple clothing item. *no fashion sense. zero. zip. zilch!* Heels? Only if I can find a stylish helmet . . . 

Got a room-mate, am hitching a ride, my fashionista sis-n-law is taking me clothes shopping, and I sweetly asked both moms to watch the gremlins during the day until Hero-Hubby gets home . . . and now, all I have to do is WAIT!! Sheesh. It really is the hardest part!

I've got my agent/editor appointments set up. I'm refusing to acknowledge the gut-clenching anxiety I'm experiencing over pitching for the first time. Ha! Little do my family and friends know, but they will be my victims for 'pitch practice! *insert evil laugh*

In the meantime, I've been typing away like crazy! We're talking up with the chickens and hanging out with the owls. All I can say is: thank goodness for expresso. *and cat naps!* I'm a little less zombie-ish after a few sips.

So, what's YOUR conference prep-routine? Any tips for this newbie?