Under and Over with Denise Rossetti

I’ve always wanted to sound like Lauren Bacall - all husky and sexy. Well, now I do, because I’m still recovering from the Romance Writers of Australia conference last weekend. I’ll be back to my usual girly soprano soon, but I’m enjoying the “femme fatale” effect while I can.

So, how was it? I can say, hands-down, it was the best conference I’ve attended. Maybe that’s because I was on the organising committee, but truly, it was great.  I estimate I walked/ran the equivalent of a marathon over the weekend. There was sooo much to do! But I loved it.

So many highlights -

• our wonderful guest speaker, Mary Jo Putney, so knowledgeable and so gracious.
• the editors and agents who attended, and patiently and kindly listened to pitches - Mary Theresa Hussey, Melissa Jeglinski, Clare Foster and Annette Barlow.
• a brilliant selection of workshops - ranging from great craft sessions to experts like a high-ranking police officer, a practising psychologist and a pharmacist. Did you know it’s much harder than you might think to get away with murder by poison? Shame, really.
• a cocktail party on an Arabian Nights theme. The room was crowded with harem girls and sheiks! Some of the costumes were genuinely…um…extraordinary. Here’s our visiting (real) bellydancer. So supple and light on her feet.  She was delightful - and very, very careful with the swords! You will be relieved to know I managed to put together a bellydancer costume that didn’t expose my belly. A Very Good Thing!
• the Awards Dinner. IMO, flowers “make” any occasion and these were gorgeous.  The table centres were heart-shaped.  BTW, the “point” of the heart is on your upper right. As a photographer, I make a great writer. Tilt your head and squint, okay? Even better, the little green thingies (think they’re cacti) form the shape of the Southern Cross. Isn’t that cool? Just like the RWA logo.

• the ’stand-up” at the end of the dinner - my absolute favourite part of any RWAustralia conference. Each writer is called to stand - and stay on her feet - if you’ve had a book out in the year, signed a contract, queried an editor or angent, finalled in a contest, entered a contest and so on and so on… By the end, virtually the whole room is standing,  wildly celebrating their achievements.
• the last “stand-up” of the evening, which was for husbands and partners. That was particularly heart-warming and we had more of them attending than ever before - including My Beloved, who wore his best cowboy-ish boots for the occasion. Heroes, each and every one of them.
• and finally - but this is at the heart of it - the friendship and support members offer each other. It’s such a joy to catchup with old friends and to welcome new ones. I’m convinced there’s something special about romance writers. Yes, we all covet much the same prizes. Yes, there’s definitely competition, but it’s tempered with an extraordinary generosity of spirit.

Here I am with my dear friend and critique partner, Christine Wells. Just to prove I was there - and to show that I wore the red shoes. Honestly, my entire evening wardrobe is now a certain shade of red! Oh, and I’m not a tall person. My heels were a tad higher than Christine’s! You can also tell that the flash on my camera didn’t go off. *sigh*

What’s the best conference you’ve ever been to? Or the worst? And why? Any interesting tales to tell?