Okay, now that things are getting semi back to normal here in Alabama, I can finally get around to giving my RWA Recap. So, here goes:

I arrived late Wednesday–just in time to check in and then hop over to the Literacy Signing. Wow–talk about wild. The place was packed! So many authors, so many readers. After the signing, I went to The Gathering. Great event–several editors and agents spoke about the paranormal genre (and there was a chocolate fountain!!!–talk about my kind of event…). I sat at a table with several wonderful authors, including Jeri Smith-Ready. Her book, Eyes of Crow, will be released from Luna on Octover 24. (After reading the blurb, I can’t wait to get my hands on the book!)

On Thursday, I attended the Crime in Mind workshop and then a body disposal workshop–both were great. Later, I took a trip to the aquarium with Nick and Jack–the place was jam packed with people, but I still enjoyed seeing the Beluga whales and the whale sharks. Thursday night, I went to the eHarlequin PJ party–very fun.

Friday was full of workshops. I attended several spotlights and went to the Passionate Ink luncheon. Then I joined in for the Blaze anniversary party. For dinner, I met with the Red Sage authors–what a great bunch of ladies! Everyone was so gracious and fun!

By Saturday, I was pretty much exhausted. I pitched to an editor, got a request for a full, and attended more spotlights.

So, from all my spotlights, here are a few highlights:

NAL (New American Library) prefers agented submissions, but will consider unsolicited materials. Unsolicited submissions should be mailed to: Editorial/Romance, New American Library, 375 Hudson, New York, NY 10014. Initial submissions should include the following: a cover letter, first 3 chapters of the work, a synopsis of 5-10 pages, and a SASE. The current response time is 3 to 4 months.

To submit a historical or contempoary romance (including paranormals) to Avon, you must query first. Send the query to avonromance@harpercollins.com. Also, here’s a fun bit of info on Avon–check out their fanlit site: www.avonfanlit.com. Editors and writers will be teaming up on the fanlit site to write a novella. Very interesting idea.

Okay, that’s all my news for now. I brought home a ton of free books, met a lot of really wonderful writers (PJ, Lynda, Leigh C., Leigh W., Jane, Rachelle, Terri, Rae, Calista, MK, and many, many more) and I met a great lady from Germany who is operating the equivalent of a German Romantic Times–it’s called LoveLetter Magazin.

So, my verdict? Interesting, informative, but oh, so tiring…I think I need to sleep for at least 3 days in order to fully recover.

Okay…don’t have much time right now, but I thought I’d post a bit of RWA news (just some info I gathered at the conference for any romance writers out there!):

At the Gathering, I learned the following agents are open for paranormal submissions:

Deidre Knight and Nephle Tempest of the Knight Agency
Elaine English
Kristin Nelson
Vivian Beck
Scott Eagan of Greyhaus Literary Agency

(Sorry–I don’t have time to post links right now, but anyone who is interested can research these folks via Google!) Check out the listed agents’ websites for submission details.

For anyone out there who is planning to go to the RWA conference and you’re panicking about pitches–check out this helpful post from Anna Genoese of Tor.

The other day, my mother-in-law asked me what my goals were for the upcoming RWA conference. Of course, I said that I wanted to get a fabulous book deal and land a super-star agent.

But is that going to happen?

Um, probably not. I don’t actually think an editor is going to take one look at me, hear my stellar pitch in an elevator, and immediately offer me a 7 book deal. (But that would be pretty awesome!)

So, what are some realistic goals?

1. Network. I want to get business cards from industry professionals. I want to meet them face-to face. I want to have a contact person at publishing houses and agencies.

2. Learn what the editors want. Attending “Spotlight” events will allow me to learn exactly what it is that editors are currently seeking for their lines. Once I learn this info, I’ll be able to better target my submissions. (And, yes, I’ll definitely post spotlight info that I gather on my blog.)

3. Mix and mingle with other writers. It’s not often that I get a chance to actually hang out with others who share my love for romance writing. I want to bask in the glow of like minds!

4. I want to learn how to kill my fictional lover. (Fun workshop on Friday night–50 ways to kill your lover should be discussed! Can’t wait!)

So, there you go. Four realistic goals. But, hey, should a book deal appear, well, you won’t hear me complaining…

Anyone else have any goals to share?

Now back to my creating my business cards.

Just a few more days until the big conference. Nick and I will be loading up the Element and heading out on Wednesday morning. I think we’ll have about 4 and a half hours of driving ahead of us. (I can’t remember exactly, even though we’ve been to Atlanta over a dozen times.)

Today I’ve started creating my business cards. I picked up a handy tip from the RWA website–I’m going to write short book blurbs on the back of my cards. I’ve got two books that I’d love to place, so I’ll do two versions of my cards–one with my straight paranormal romance description and the other with my erotic paranormal romance description. And maybe I’ll find some nice editors and agents who want these cards. (Oooh, got to think positive!)

Now, the last time I wrote a blog entry, I was ranting about my chain letter. Well, yesterday, our central air conditioning unit broke. Yep, no more nice, cool air. And when you live in the deep south, you truly need that nice, cool air. I could say this breakdown occurred b/c of my failure to send out the letter as instructed (cuz, yeah, it did cost me some money to get my central cooling unit up and running again), but since my bro-in-law works in the air conditioning business, I managed to get a great deal. So, is this chain letter punishment? Nah–I think it was just crummy luck.

Now a very random question: Am I the only one seriously intrigued by the promo commercials for Heroes?

Back to preparing for RWA…