What I did at the Conference - a San Francisco photo diary

So if a picture speaks a thousand words - here's a whole book full of what I got up to at the RWA Conference in San Francisco -


On our first morning there - very early on a grey morning! - we went to Alcatraz island so that the BM could do his research of the trip.

We shared the trip with the fabulous Sue Stephens and her beautiful daughters. Sue orgainsed the tickets for us so all we had to do was to turn up. Thanks so much Sue! Even if it did mean getting out of bed for a 7.30 start!

The next day official registration started and I started to meet up with more of my fellow authors. Here's Susan Stephens again and Irish Presents author, Abby Green

I also got to meet lovely Lee Hyat for the very first time - though we had known each other and have been in contact through emails for over 8 year! Lee runs the brilliant Author Sound Relations and has been so helpful to me with publicity and running my contests in America.

Later that day lovely Jane Porter hosted a special afternoon tea for her fellow Presents authors. Here's Sandra Marton with one of our newest published authors - Jennie Lucas

And here's a group photo of all the authors at the tea. This pic was taken by the waiter. Left to right - Sandra Marton, Susan Stephens, Carole Mortimer, Jacqueline Baird, Abby Green. Me

in front - Jane Porter, Jennie Lucas, Sharon Kendrick and Trish Morey.

That afternoon was the Literacy Signing in the ballroom - the pic on the left is just a tiny bit of the queue of readers ready to buy signed books and on the right I'm at the signing with fellow northern Brit, erotic romance author Saskia Walker who was sitting next to me. The whole event raised thousands of dollars for literacy charities.

After the signing Sandra Marton hosted her traditional authors' pizza party in her room where we all ate pizza, drank wine and talked and talked and talked.

Thursday started with a Focus Group to discuss Harlequin's marketing and new ideas after which we all grabbed taxis and headed out to Tal y Tara for tea with the Mills and Boon Editors.

Here are - left to right Jennie Lucas, Abby Green (behind) Trish Wylie Senior Editor Linda Fildew (standing) and seated editor Lucy Gilmour.

I spent the afternoon with two of my favourite Presents authors, brilliant Sandra Marton and fabulous Aussie Trish Morey. (One of the very best reasons for going to RWA is because I get a chance to meet up with friends from the other side of the world.) Here's a pic of Trish at the Lit Signing.

And one of Sandra enjoying the sunshie in Union Square - while we - you guessed it - talked and talked about writing and books and heroes . . . .
Sandra was given an award for her 75th book at this conference - congratulations again Sandra!

Thursday night is the traditional eHarlequin Pajama Party and here's the gang at the event.

At the party prizes are given for best PJs and I actually won Most Resplendent Pajamas (My thanks have to go to t

he Babe Magnet who bought the beautiful silk gown I'm wearing)

And here I am with two of my very favourite people - Danica aka Dream one of the hosts on eHarlequin and Anna Louise Lucia who was of course sporting her first sale ribbon at this conference.

Friday I managed to spend some time with my lovely friend Holly Jacobs while we discussed the differences of the English language as used in the UK and America and so Holly started the great 'knackered debate' that you can see here.

In the evening it was the big Harlequin Party and here I am at the event with two special friends from the Struggling Writers on eHarlequin - Christyne and Trish (Congratulations on that sale Christyne!)

And here's the wonderful Jayne who manages so much of what goes on on the eHarlequin Community message boards.

Finally, to round of a fantastic visit to San Francisco we spent a day in the lovely company of special friends Anne McAllister and her husband The Prof. Both the Prof and the Babe Magnet seem to save up all their talking until they get together so they talked and Anne and I talked - on cable cars, over lunch at Fisherman's Wharf, or - as pictured here - at the Top of the Mark where we could see all of the city spread out below us.

And if you want to know what else the Babe Magnet got up to in San Francisco . . . well - all I can say is watch out for the Pink Heart Society Blog next monday August 18th!

Heading out

Suitcases packed - all cats removed form the inside of the cases

Passports checked, tickets ditto

Taxi booked

So I'm heading for Heathrow and a flight to San Francisco.

If you're going to be there - see you soon .

If not, have a good week and I'll tell you all about it when I get back

Back

I'm back!

We had a lovely time - the hotel was very comfortable, set in beautiful countryside

The rumours were true - there was a four -poster bed (a very comfortable four-poster bed)

In a lovely room

And the lovely room had a beautiful view from the bedroom window.

We ate wonderful meals, wandered around the area.

The weather - er well , yes there was plenty of weather - sunshine and mild temperatures, wind, rain, hail, snow - and more sunshine. A bit of everything really!

We had afternoon tea at Bettys Tea Rooms - and in the hotel. Read, slept, read again . Saw squirrels, bats, heard owls and woopeckers - and chatted to

the neighbours

Just what I needed after wrestling with Santos.

Back soon . . .

I'm going away for a couple of days.

The Magnet has an important event in his job in North Yorkshire so I'm going along with him. I plan on reading a lot!

There are also rumours that tonight I will be sleeping in a room with a fourposter bed. Great research - I shall bring back pictures if this is true.

So be good and I'll be back on Saturday.

Busy - Back Soon

I'm dashing in and dashing out again this morning. Writing this while the kettle boils and then - well, pretty soon after that - I'm on my way out the door.

I'm off to London to play the Lady Novelist for a couple of day. Tonight I'm meeting with a bunch of Modern/Presents novelists for dinner. And then tomorrow there as a l-o-n-g day of meeting, eating, talking, drinking a little wine (just a little) and talking - and talking . . .

First and most important I'm meeting my very special friend Michelle Reid and her husband - we always book the same hotel. The as I said tonight will be the Presenst dinner. I'm thinking that there really shoud be a good name for a gang of romantic novelists getting together - a passion of novelists? A hug (we certainly do plenty of that) ? A chatter? (We do plenty of that too) Ideas, anyone? Anyway, the dinner will bring together some of the most established stars of the Presents line - and some of the very newest authors to be published. And it's going to be great fun.


Friday will be the annual Association of Mills & Boon Authors lunch. That's in the RAF Club Piccadily. Luckily this is where we always hold it, so they're used to the volume of noise that can be produced by a bunch - a gaggle - a passion . . . of M&B Novelists. Yhis time many of the editorial and Marketing team are joining us and we'll hear about the plans for the coming yers - that important Mills & Boon Centenary year. I'm intrigued to know what they have planned.

From the lunch, we'll probably head for afternoon tea - more eating/talking then HMB are holding a reception which usually involves drinking a little champagne. And then we're meeeting some other friends - writers but not for HMB and we're all going out to dinner and that could go on for a l-o-n-g time . . .

After which we will probably stagger back to out hotel in a state of collapse.

But first I have to catch the train - so I'm off to make the pot of tea and then get on my way. I'll report back when I'm home again - late Saturday or Sunday.