Confessions of a Romance Author: The RWA Diaries, Day Four

Friday, July 30, 2010

Alcohol units: 3

Workshops: 2

Ego deflators: 1 (no cocktail party invites)

Ego boosts: 1 (out of books early at Pocket Signing- woot!)

7 a.m. A little trouble waking up this morning. The conference grind (late nights, not to mention all the running around Disney World) is getting to me. I wanted to make it to a 9 a.m. workshop, but I think maybe I can sleep one more hour...

7:30 a.m. Julie (perky, sunny Julie) is up getting showered and ready to go. I put the pillow over my head and groan. Yeah, I'm not making the 8:30 a.m. workshop...

8:00 a.m. I manage to sit up in bed. (Applause? Thank you!). And check some text messages. Julia London wants a conference update, and I oblige. Julie seems to be waiting around expecting I will find my perky and join her. I left my perky on the bus. Sorry, Julie.

8:15 a.m. Julie goes off to a workshop and I manage to drag myself out of bed to the shower. Julie calls not long after to report that the workshop was a bust (great workshop, but more suited for a beginner) and that she will wait for me in the lobby and oh, she forgot her earrings, please bring them. I decide to get the "hitch out of my giddy-up." (some TX expression I picked up from Dee Davis, but I am probably using it wrong) and go.

9:15 a.m. I am ready and meeting Julie in the lobby with her earrings. We head to Robert Gottlieb's PAN session on literary agents. Informative, interesting. Julie has to leave early, so I take notes for her.

11:00 a.m. Spotlight on Pocket. I'm a Simon & Schuster author, technically Gallery not Pocket. But it pays to keep up with the buzz, and who knows. I meet up with Molly Harper again. I take notes. Big news: Pocket is launching Pocket After Dark, an online community for romance readers and writers. How exciting! Will check that out. Also, editor Lauren McKenna mentions my bff Julia London's amazing books, especially her latest, One Season of Sunshine. Yay! (note to self: remember to text Julia later). And my agent comes over as the session wraps up to say hi to Molly and me, but we'll catch up more later.

12:00 p.m. Time for lunch! I'm meeting dear friends Virginia Henley, Jacquie D'Alessandro, and roommate Julie for lunch at the Dolphin's Fresh Mediterranean Market restaurant. Jacquie and Virginia are colorful and gorgeous as usual. Of all days, I picked today to wear black! Oh well. We're all happy with lunch, but Jacquie is especially thrilled that there's a dessert bar included complimentary with lunch. When she returns with her dessert bar selections, she declares "This really IS the happiest place on earth!"

2:00 p.m. I'd wanted to hit a 2:oo workshop, but I have a signing at 3 and take some time to go back to my room to relax, freshen up, and call home instead. My husband is picking up his new car today and his excitement is contagious. My new car, he reports, will be delivered on Tuesday after I get back from conference. Yay! New cars all around (if only, having an Oprah moment).

3:00 p.m. Show up to sign books at the Pocket Authors Signing. The publisher gives books away, which means lines are long and crowds get crazy, but it's so fun! Fortunately, my worst fears (that people will not even want my book for free, ha!) are not realized. In fact, I'm out of books in less than twenty minutes. I'm the first author to run out! (I had two boxes, forty books. I'm not going to think about how many other authors had and that they probably had more... I will just take my George Costanza "I'm outta here!" grand exit).

3:30 p.m. After the signing, I'm free for the day. All of my other friends are headed to cocktail parties and grand events, but I am free. I stick around to watch people get dressed and see who I can catch in the lobby. I love to see the fancy outfits. But also, it's a good time to catch up with rest, relaxation, or maybe I will head to the Magic Kingdom. Decisions, decisions.

I spend some time in the room alone, then some time catching up with Julie. I watch Julie change and leave, and then just relax some more and change and head to the MK.

I haven't been to the Magic Kingdom yet, and though I have been having a great time at Walt Disney World and at conference, it never feels like I'm really there until I see my favorite resorts (the monorail resorts), the Seven Seas Lagoon, and Cinderella Castle. As the bus pulls up to the MK surroundings, and I see the Contemporary Resort, I am recharged. At last, I'm really here!

I never get tired of the Magic Kingdom. I have a fantasy that I could live at Disney World and vacation for a few weeks at a time in the real world. I manage to fit in a ride on the newly improved Space Mountain (fun!) and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. I must be fueled by competitive drive, because it's just not the same alone. I score a measly 9600 (embarrassing!). My friends call. They're leaving the Harlequin Party and heading over to see me at the MK!

But when my friends (Dee Davis and Julie Kenner) get to the MK, we decide we're all hungry, craving sushi, and opt for a change of plans. We head for the Polynesian. My first monorail ride of the trip! I get a good glimpse of my favorite resort, the Grand Floridian, where I spent my honeymoon nearly twenty years earlier. My excitement builds when we're stopped briefly at the Contemporary, at the Transportation and Ticket Center, and finally, at the Polynesian! We check at Kona Cafe, but the wait is long. There are seats available at the Kona Cafe Sushi Bar, and that's what we're after anyway. While waiting for our sushi (volcano roll for me), we decide to skip the Magic Kingdom and do a monorail pub crawl, a drink at every resort. At the Polynesian, I get a Lapu Lapu (drink in a pineapple, winner!). We sip slowly, get our sushi, and laugh and talk. The volcano roll, delicious, with a creamy spicy sauce. We tell the server, no dessert, thanks. We have other pubs to visit!

Next stop, the boat launch to the Grand Floridian. This involves no wait, as the boat is at the dock, and a slight detour to the Magic Kingdom first before we can head back to the Grand Floridian. But it's beautiful on the lagoon at night, lights twinkling, and a wonderful ride.

When we arrive, I show off the Grand Floridian as if I am showing off my home, and it feels like it. And my friends are impressed. They seem to love it as much as I do. I wish I could show them to a room, and open all the shops, but I'm afraid Disney does not consider the Grand Floridian to be my home quite as much as I do. (Writer in residence, Disney? Call me!). We head to Mizner's Lounge, where we all order the Magic Glow Cocktail (I don't remember the official name, but the drinks are pretty!). We toast each other, yay us! And we keep our souvenir glowing "ice" cubes. You never know when they'll come in handy. Then back to the monorail, headed for the Contemporary Resort.

At the Contemporary, we know we want to go to the California Grill, but the attendant is not at the desk. We walk around a bit, then go up anyway. The woman at the desk tells us that we can go on to a table in the bar. We're all pleased with the view. But the server eventually comes over and tells us last call already happened. We're too late. But if we hurry, we can probably still get service at The Wave. Off we go!

After some poking around in the Contemporary Resort, we find The Wave. The bartender is friendly and welcoming. We order drinks (mine, the Ecotini, comes with a bracelet, cool!). We feel so pleased to have had such a great time together and decide to do a pub crawl at the next RWA. Watch out New York City! Cheers!