Which do you like the best? Or, more to the point, which would you be prepared to carry around in public? LOL
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The venue was the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Coogee Beach, a southern suburb of Sydney. This is the view from one of the upper rooms. Not, I hasten to add, mine. My room overlooked the tennis court, and though I kept a sharp eye out, there were no hunky tennis players, alas.
The Book Signing was organized by the Australian Romance Readers Association and they did a fabulous job. It was noisy, frenetic, exhausting - and a whole heap of fun.
The Cocktail Party theme was Fantasy Island which, um, leaves a certain amount of leeway costume-wise. There were multiple Lara Crofts, Cleopatras and Princess Leias. Keri Arthur came as a dark angel and looked terrific, but Anne Gracie swept all away (as usual!) to win the prize as Dame Barbara Cartland (left). My personal fantasy was to be able to squeeeze into my purple medieval-type dress,
which I did by giving up breathing for the night, so I wore that. Here I am with the Bennett sisters. Aren’t they demure? Get a load of the gowns and bonnets, let alone the spiffy reticule.
Of the workshops, two were standouts for me. Jessica Hart’s A-Z Survival Guide for Romance Writers was funny and touching and wise. This business might be sending me slowly but surely around the twist, but - hey! - I’m not alone. *snort* The other was How to Stage a Fight Scene with combat expert Ray Flores and two incredibly brave assistants. Ray was charming and funny - and absolutely lethal. What he did to a raw lamb roast with the merest flick of a knife gave me the shudders. On the other hand, I learned all sorts of useful techniques, and discovered I’ve been garroting people the wrong way for years. *evil cackle*
I did my workshop on Deep Point of View for an astonishing eighty people. I survived, and fortunately, so did they. I’m thinking the chockies helped. When it’s my bum on the line, I’m a great believer in bribery and corruption. heh heh
The awards dinner is always such a joy. I love frocking up for a start. (I’ll have you know my evening wardrobe is now almost exclusively red. Wonder why?) Check out the shoe fest (left) with the lovely Lisa Barry - who is now, officially, a Master of Creative Writing (Romance). Go, Lisa!
Below, I’m with Eleni Konstantine, tireless worker for RWA and total sweetheart. Eleni’s Taverna is the best blog. Also note beloved iPhone. LOL
All the contest winners receive their awards, but the big moment is the announcement of the R*BY Awards. These are a Big Hairy Deal, being our equivalent of the RITAs.It was delightful to see Sharon Archer, Amy Andrews, Tracey O’Hara and Sophia James win their respective sections.
But the best part of the evening - in fact, the most wonderful moment of the whole weekend for me, is when Anne Gracie gets everyone on their feet -
whether they submitted a contest entry or a query, published a book, contracted, finished a book or supported someone who’s writing. By the end, the whole room is standing and cheering. Always makes me want to cry.
On the Monday, I had the day to myself, so I tottered into Sydney city and did a tour of the Opera House. The tour was fascinating and the Harbour was stunning, as usual. Truly one of the great natural wonders of the world. Next time I’m there, I swear I’m going to climb the Bridge, but I’ve hurt my knee and 400 steps up and back didn’t sound like such a bright idea. One day…
If you’d like to read more and see more pics, you can try Kate Cuthbert at All About Romance, Paula Roe or Suzanne Brandyn. Plus, there’s the RWA blog. And I’m sure they’ll be more.
If you were there and I missed you somehow, I’m sorry. Don’t forget there’s always next year! Put a link in the comments if you have great pics. I’m not only a lousy photographer, I tend to talk too much and forget. Unbelievable, I know! *snicker*
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Dog For Sale
Free to good home. Excellent guard dog. Owner cannot afford to feed him anymore, as there are no more drug pushers, thieves, murderers, or molesters left in the neighborhood for him to eat. Most of them knew Jethro only by his Oriental street name, Ho Lee Schitt.
I’ll post about the Romance Writers of Australia Conference later, when I’ve recovered properly and got the photos organised. Geez, I had a good time.*grin*
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For a change, I’m actually organised this time - washed, ironed, sorted - and polished. Every piece of jewellry I own positively sparkle! Now, I’m useless at practical things, like housework for instance. Always have been, always will be. My house is a tip. (A garbage dump for you Over There.)
However… I do take care of my pretties and I thought you might like to know how. So here’s my one and only housewifely tip.
To make a cheap solution for cleaning gold, silver and hard gems (diamonds, sapphires etc ONLY. No pearls, opals - if you’re doubtful leave it out! ) -
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Last Thursday was a pretty good day, by any standard. After 16 months managing a decidedly difficult project at the Dreaded Day Job (my secondment was extended repeatedly, much to my displeasure), I finally finished! . To celebrate, I headed out for a spot of retail therapy and ran into a dear friend I haven’t seen for ages. We had a coffee and a delightful catch-up.
But on to the retail therapy!
First, I ordered some more charms for my bracelet. It’s quite nicely crowded now. I’m getting a skull and crossbones for Rackety Kate and the Pirates and a tree to represent Walker from The Lone Warrior. He’s an earth shaman, with power over anything green and growing. In his spare time, he’s a master swordsman and all dark ‘n’ deadly. *sigh*
Ever see something in a window that makes you stop dead in your tracks? I was brought to a halt by a fabulous black shirt, with glittery buttons, fantastic detailing and a great cut - and well, it was just ‘me’. I like classic tailored clothes. The same place had a red dress - on sale - that will go with my red hooker heels. Not only that, it’s actually flattering. Oh joy!
And the best part? I can wear it all at the Romance Writers of Australia Conference, coming up 13th to 15th August at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Coogee, Sydney. I’ll be signing books, along with the other 42 author, on Friday 13th August, 4.30 to 6pm. (Though I think the red shoes might be a trifle overdoing it for a book signing!) Everything you need to know about the event is here on the ARRA website. I would absolutely love to see you there!
Tell me I’m not the only one who’s a material girl (apart from Madonna, that is!)
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