The Gathering – the annual awards dinner for the Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal genre chapter was once again a smashing success, and the PRISM awards were handed out to some incredible writers. Science Fiction Romance was well represented (and even got a pair of nods at the Rita Awards for Marcella Brunard’s great romp “Enemy Within”).

Speaking of SFR – this year’s keynote speaker was Sherrilyn Kenyon, and there weren’t many dry eyes in the room after she told her story of triumph and success despite what seems like insurmountable adversity. Her signature, on the inside cover of my Nook, will be a reminder of her inspiring story, and will definitely be a place for me to look when  I think it’s “just too hard” to do this crazy carousel. By comparison, I can assure you that I haven’t even begun to see a rough road.

Dry eyes were also hard to find during the Rita and Golden Heart awards – RWA’s yearly awards for published works and unpublished manuscripts. Most of the recipients got teary eyed with joy, and we followed right along with them. Tales of unwavering support, loyalty, and love reminded us that no matter how much this feels like a solitary endeavor, none of us exists in a vacuum.

Old friends were met, and tales of the last year were swapped (because despite all the time spent writing, I and many others are simply rubbish at answering our e-mail). New friends were met, and friendships kindled over drinks, cheesecake, and more drinks. Workshops filled us with new ideas, and if other folks are like me, left with notes about current and upcoming manuscripts scribbled hurriedly in the margins around their notebooks. Critique groups formed, and so did plot brainstorming circles. Manuscripts were pitched (and some of those will probably be started in the coming weeks, no matter what their state was declared to be when pitched).

In other words, it was the best of times and I was sorry to see it end. Now the challenge will be to keep the magical feeling of that time alive in the weeks after the Big Show has ended. Fortunately, like everyone else I talked to, I came away with my creative batteries at full charge, eager to take on the world and pour myself into the writing at a fever pitch. I hope that everyone else who attended got as much out of it as I did.

As part of the Out of this World blog tour, I’m guest blogging over on Pauline Baird’s Web site today. I’m talking about the “Lure of Space Opera” and what it means to me, so what are you waiting for? Go check it out!

And by that, I mean the Out of this World Blog Tour, which is scheduled to start later this month. I’ll be contributing over on Pauline Baird Jones’ website on the 16th. Meanwhile, she’ll be contributing over here. In all, it’s a pretty awesome collection of folks who’ve gotten involved.  For the curious, here’s the full schedule:

As for how I’ve spent it, lets just say I’ve spent my days in workshops, and my nights socializing. The SFR Brigade had a little get together two nights ago, and tonight will be The Gathering for RWA’s Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal chapter. I’ve picked up a little sun down here, mostly during my spin through the Magic Kingdom, and I’ve met more wonderful people than I will ever be able to thank or remember.

Nora Roberts gave a phenomenal keynote speech that had us all cheering as she reminded us of how far we’ve come in the last 30 years, and about the friendships that form at Nationals that can  carry you through a lifetime.

This is an unusually rambly post for a Potpourri day, but I wanted to start a write up of the fun and hard work that has gone into this conference. Truly, having a blast.

As someone doing media tie-in work, GenCon is a chance for me to interact face-to-face with the people whom I see only as e-mail addresses and twitter feeds the rest of the year. Ideally, I try to arrange time with them before hand, since I know that they are as busy as I am. This is as much a courtesy to myself as it is to them – my order-craving side tends to come out in a convention situation, and I like to know exactly what I am supposed to be doing and when.

There’s plenty of interesting seminars on this year’s writing track as well – for those who were unaware, GenCon hosts a writing symposium in-house that gets bigger year after year.  There are even a few seminars for those who write genre romance, as well as for those doing (or interested in doing) tie-in work. I will end up having plenty to do to keep myself busy over the four days of the con, even if gaming isn’t likely to make an appearance.

For those interested, I’ll be holding down a corner of the Fantasist Enterprises table in the heart of Author’s Avenue. If you’re attending this year’s GenCon, stop by and say howdy!

Keeping up with Appearances

The time is almost here for the 30^th RWA National Conference. If you’re there, come look me up. I don’t know my full schedule yet, but I’ll certainly be at the Gathering (for Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal Romance writers) and the SFR Brigade’s meet-up event. Be sure and say hi!

Other then that, I will once again be putting in an appearance at GenCon, where I’ll be shilling out my wares to all and sundry, as well as schmoozing with the folks from Paizo and Green Ronin. Things quiet down after that, and I don’t have another outing planned until WFC – things will just be too busy.