Last Monday

Last Monday I was headed toward the airport in San Diego. I didn’t want to leave. It’s beautiful there and I can see why people flock to live there. That said, I was really, REALLY glad to get home. RWA Nationals is always an adventure. I get to see so many old friends. I get to spend a week with people who eat, drink, sleep, and breathe writing romance and romance books. It is invigorating, and thrilling, and exhausting. And when I get home, I’m…torn. Part of me is fired up! I want to writewritewriteWRITE!!!!!!!!!!!! And part of me feels just a little bit like an imposter. Especially this trip. I had “social obligations.” Which is a southern way of saying “OMGWTFBBQ! People like me! They really LIKE me!” I had luncheons and meets for drinks (more coffee than booze), I had cocktails and appetizers, I had receptions. I stood in Nora Roberts’ suite, after introducing myself to her, and stared at all the movers and shakers in my industry and wondered WTF I was doing there!??!

Yeah, a lot of it had to do with the RWA National Service Award I’d won but a lot of these people knew me by sight, and many of the others knew my name. It was…odd. For someone who really likes to sit in a corner and observe in instances like the above, I was thrust somewhat into the limelight and most definitely beyond my comfort zone. Still, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!

I sat next to Roxanne St. Claire at a luncheon, and contrary to on-line threats, she did NOT kiss me on the mouth.😉 I had coffee with Jennifer Lyon and we talked and talked like old friends do after any sort of separation. I learned that the president elect of RWA has family in my hometown and we commiserated over wine and amazing appetizers. I saw my editor often and shared meals, snacks, conversation, a long walk (along with Cindy Dees who tagged along with us between hotels–and major fan girl moment for me!), and watching the RITA awards with him.

I gave away all my print books (Devil’s Cut, Night Shift, and Double Cross) at the Indie signing, along with quite a few of the cards with free downloads for MOONSTRUCK: SECRETS. I met new authors and hope I gave them encouragement in the answers I gave to their questions. I stayed up late, got up early, and never really spent the time I wanted on my balcony just watching the ships go by. But that’s okay too.

Yes, I’m rambling, but this is the post I would have written for last Monday, had I been focused and awake enough. I’ll be sharing photos in the next few weeks. You can click on the photo to get an enlarged view. The picture above is from my first night in San Diego. After arriving, getting unpacked, and oriented, I settled in for the evening and this is the view from my balcony looking right toward the city. If I looked left, I had a view of the marina and the bay. And man, that ocean breeze felt nice…