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2005 Romantic Times Conference Report
Author: Janice Lynn
Original Publication Date in Love Notes: June 2005
Nine months of work culminated into a single week of my life…
After round after round of competing in the American Title contest, it was
amazingly hard to know that I had won the contest and SOLD yet had to wait from
March 7th until April 28th to tell all except "close friends and family". I
kept wondering if Romantic Times would understand if I posted to the loops and
just explained that in the writers community we are like family--with the same
ups and downs as real families have. I was a good girl and kept my news quiet
but I’ll probably be in therapy over that one someday. Blaming all my
psychiatric problems on having to hold ‘THE CALL’ news in for 9 weeks.
Finally, the week of the conference. I arrived in St. Louis for the Romantic
Times Convention on Tuesday, enjoyed dinner with
www.wetnoodleposse.com pals Debra
Holland and Priscilla Kissinger. I’ve decided Debra knows everyone and she
introduced me to lots of people, including a group of Australian booksellers
who’d flown to St. Louis for the convention.
On Wednesday, my nerves were starting to fray, but I enjoyed a sunny day with
Debra and we went up in the Arch. If you ever go to St. Louis, be sure to do
that. Everyone should at least once. Well, unless you are afraid of heights or
claustrophobic, in which case I’d just admire it from a distance. That evening
my critique partner, Kathleen Long, arrived and we visited with friends and made
new ones.
Thursday. The big day. Nerve check? What nerves? They’d left the building, and I
was jittering and shaking and hoping no one could tell. There were several
classes I wanted to attend that morning (on promotion, go figure.), so I got up
early despite my lack of nerves and was in class. Shocked me when Kathleen
tapped me on the shoulder and pulled me from a class without telling me why.
Had I had any nerves left I would have freaked since I could only imagine her
doing so if something bad had happened. I walked out of the class and looked up
to see my husband. He drove 6 hours (in the rain) to surprise me by being at
the 'unveiling ceremony'. I cried. Literally. His being at the awards
luncheon definitely highlighted my week.
Awards luncheon—My husband and I sat at a table with some friends and Mr.
Romance 2003. (Did I mention my husband surprised me by showing up?? <g>) I
could see my cover up on the stage during lunch. There was a white sheet over
it. I didn’t eat much. Not even of the scrumptious chocolate cake that was
served. I wanted to peek to see what that cloth was hiding. All kinds of
wondrous (and horrendous) cover possibilities kept running through my mind.
Kinda scary to see your cover for the first time while on stage with 900+ people
watching and your face plastered onto two movie size screens. I mean, what if I
hated it? How was I supposed to fake it if that happened?
Near the beginning of the ceremony, I was called up on stage by Dorchester
Senior Editor Chris Keesler. He didn’t have a clue as to whether or not I was
even there since we hadn’t met prior to the ceremony. Thank God that when they
uncovered it, I was stunned by how
wonderful and perfect it was. I LOVE IT. Dorchester’s art department is
brilliant. It was very cool to have most of my closest pals and my husband right
there with me to celebrate when I got my first cover. Totally surreal.
Of course, my mind took off about the same time as my nerves, so it only makes
sense that I left my short thank you speech sitting on the table. I have
absolutely no idea what I said when I went up to the microphone. Hopefully I
didn't make too much of an idiot of myself. Kathleen said I looked calm.
Calm??? I was shaking so badly I was afraid my knees were going to buckle and
I’d already told Chris my pals tried to convince me to fake passing out so he
would have to resuscitate me-- fainting was out of the question, because no one
would believe I hadn't done so on purpose.
After the entire ceremony, I went onstage again and posed for pictures with the
World’s Greatest First Cover (Did I mention I love my cover?) and Chris. Also,
some with Carol Stacy from RT. Most of the rest of Thursday is a complete
haze. I know I was there and smiling and floating and amazingly happy, but I
just don't remember details--except later when I ditched Kathleen and went to
spent the night in hubby's hotel room. That celebration, I remember. And, yeah,
I got some really strange looks the next morning when I traipsed, make-up-less,
pony-tailed, and with my clothes from the night before, all the way across the
hotel to go back to where my stuff was. I had to do some explaining to a bunch
of ladies in the elevator who apparently thought I spent the night with one of
the cover models. No, that was NOT part of my prize package. Although maybe
they should consider it for next year’s competition. <grin>
I got to meet Crystal Bright, who was also an AT finalist, and she was a total
sweetie, as was Cathryn Parry when I met her at a Boston conference during
April. I feel very honored to have met two of my talented co-finalists.
Oh, and did I mention that I got kissed by the new Mr. Romance? On the cheek,
but hey, he kissed me, and a kiss is a kiss, right? Sure hope none of those
elevator ladies saw, though. Because then they’d never believe my story about
how my husband was in one tower of the hotel and my room was in the other tower
and I didn’t know he was coming…I mentioned that he surprised me, right? Well,
you get the idea.
The rest of the week. Wow. Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to be
Cinderella at the ball? Well, for the remainder of the week that was me. I
probably will never be so lucky or so blessed again, but for those few days I
felt on top of the world. Everyone from Dorchester was wonderful to me--the
editor, marketing, the authors. Everyone from RT was just as fabulous. I
walked around feeling dazed and in la la land, like I was in a dream and was
sure to wake up any moment and it not be real. I mean, how could something so
amazing really be happening to me? While awake? But it did, and I’m so honored
and thankful and astounded that I won. Truly it was a blessed week and a
wonderful culmination of the dream of selling I've carried for so many years of
my life.
***
Janice Lynn won the
first ever American Title contest sponsored by RTBOOKclub with her manuscript
JANE MILLIONAIRE (Love Spell, Dec 2005.) Be sure to check out why readers
nationwide voted JANE MILLIONAIRE the #1 American Title. To learn more about
Janice and her writing visit
www.janicelynn.net
Love Notes, the official monthly newsletter of Music City Romance
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