Dispatches from an RT Virgin

I’m writing this from the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in New Orleans. (Actually I’m writing it sitting on the floor in my bathroom, because my roommate is asleep. Shh….) Needless to say, it’s been a fun convention.

I’ve been going to the national conference of the Romance Writers of America for several years, but this is my first RT convention. Maybe it’s the fact that the convention is being held in New Orleans, but WOW--it has been insane. Here are my top five reasons for loving RT:

1) Meeting fellow authors

I admit—I had a bit of a fangirl moment in front of Kevin Hearne. And I finally got to meet Diana Rowland, one of my favorite UF authors, who I’ve “known” online for years, but never met in person.

2) Meeting fellow readers

One of the cool things about RT is that a lot of readers come, something that doesn’t happen as much at RWA. It’s awesome and valuable to talk about the business and craft of writing, but it’s been a lot of fun to also talk about books from the reader perspective. I’ve met readers I connected with online as well as new readers, and it’s a blast to hear about people's favorite books and how much their taste varies.

3) The costumes

I should have been prepared for this. I was warned. But I still wasn’t expecting the crowd of wings and horns and halos at the Sinners & Saints party last night. I’m not much a costume girl myself, but author Debra Dunbar passed out these fun devil horns to folks on the first day, and they worked out fine.

Yes, I took a devil-horn selfie.

4) The information

There have been some amazing panels at RT. I went to one on sex and spirituality yesterday, and it turned into an amazing conversation with the audience about how to talk about writing sexy romances with people you fear won’t approve—and sometimes being surprised by their positive reactions. I’ve been to some fantastic panels on diversity in fiction, too. There are so many great conversations to be had.

Amber Belldene, Christa Soule, Tiffany Reisz and
Alice Gaines talking about sex, romance, and spirituality

The food

I’m from a small town about an hour outside New Orleans, so I was expecting a lot of great food. But it’s been better than great. Gumbo, red beans and rice, fried catfish poboys, cochon de lait… I’ve had to try all of the favorites from my childhood. And when I get back home, I’m going to have to eat nothing but vegetables for a week.

Have you been to RT as a writer or a reader? What are some of your favorite moments?

Why RT? Why Now?

It's September, and you know what that means...

Back to school?

Uh. Yeah but...

Sweater weather?

Yes...

Hot apple cider with a shot of Fireball?

Dude. Stop! I'm not making this post drunk, damn it. 

September means that RT registration will be going live any day. For those not in the know, RT is the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. May 2014, a bunch of romance authors and readers will be invading the beautiful city of New Orleans. 

I'm sure as soon as you saw "New Orleans," a lot of you clicked on the link to the convention information. And then you balked. First off, the main hotel is sold out. Second, you clicked on registration and saw dollar signs flashing before your eyes. That's what happened to me the first time too. I mean, that's a lot of money to shell out, especially if you aren't possibly going to "make money" from the con. I get it. 

I also know you should go anyway. 

Take away the awesomeness of New Orleans and you should still go. (My first RT was in Columbus, OH, and I've gone every years since.)

No, RT isn't cheap, but of all the cons I've attended, it's the best one for meeting and talking to agents, publishers, and more authors than you can count. And the best part? Most of those people are happy to talk to you. We see "aspiring author" on a tag and you automatically become a sister or brother in arms. "Reader" or "book seller"? You are officially on my favorite people list (especially if you know who I am--that makes me get teary). 

Those people you meet? It's not just cool to meet them, it's professional networking. My first RT, I went as an aspiring author. Within a couple months, I submitted to a couple publishers I'd met there. A few months after that, I had contracts with both of them. Now, it doesn't always work that way. Entangled rejected a few of my manuscripts before I signed with them, but that connection at RT made me realize how badly I wanted to work with the company. So I learned more details about what they wanted and I kept subbing.

It's those connections that can make your career. 

I'm sure some of you are sitting there thinking, "But I don't write romance." 

Go anyway. 

Romance has so many sub-genres that one of them is sure to appeal to you. There's an urban fantasy/paranormal romance track, a steampunk track (I'll be spending a lot of time there), a historical track... the list goes on and on. There is a lot to learn that can apply to non-romance as easily as romance. In addition? Those contacts I mentioned? Not all of them are going to be romance-centric. The agents take other genres. Many of the publishers have non-romance lines. The authors? They run the gamut from romance only to romantic elements to the likes of James Rollins (2012) and John Scalzi (2013)! (Trust me, I fan-girled over Rollins and made an ass of myself in front of Scalzi--I would never forget them. Also...both great guys.)

Besides, where else could you have the opportunity to see EL James (50 Shades of Grey) face off with Andrew Shaffer (50 Shames of Earl Grey)? And yes, I'm still kicking myself that I missed that, however short it was. 

The question always comes back to "is it really worth the money?" I can't answer that for you, but for me, it's always been a resounding yes. The connections you can make and the amount you can learn can't be measured in dollars. But of all the cons I've attended, this remains the most worthwhile and the one that I've never questioned whether or not I'd attend. 

Plus, hello? New Orleans. Bourbon Street Bar Crawl. Enough said.