WRW Retreat

Ahhhh ... so I'm just winding down from a very fun and roller coaster weekend at the WRW Retreat. Overview of weekend:

1. Transported Kate Duffy of Kensington Publishing up to retreat with absolutely fabulous Karmela Johnson (who has the best style in clothes and makes me look like a geeky middle schooler) as my co-pilot. Decided that I'm a total idiot because as I replay my attempt at conversations with Ms. Duffy, realized I probably didn't us proper English or said some lame-brain things—and had a few FIMS (foot in mouth) moments. Yes, I am truly a dweeb. But at least she was cool about it and Karm was there to liven things up.
   
2. Had a meeting with an agent and editor who both wanted to see partials. The agent grilled me so hard about my plot, I felt a bit crisp after the interview. But it was fine because she was very nice about it and was just overall a cool person. Who said pitching would be easy?
   
3. Had a great time going over my story points with Karm, who also grilled me about my plot points and made me really think about motivation within my story. She also discussed her latest and greatest WIP, which is a totally awesome, kick-butt story! (She's the master at the KBH.) She's done a great job researching her subject matter. It'll be very interesting to see how her story plays out in the end. I enjoy her voice and her writing is strong, so I know this story will totally rock.
   
4. Karm bravely slayed two roaches in our room as I ran screaming on top of my bed. My hero!
5. I met some other wonderful writers like Dawn Oliveri, who writes erotic romance, and Alix, who is a finalist in the Golden Heart contest for Regency romance. Go Alix! Thanks to Jackie for getting an earfull the first night about my latest story and for being very supportive. A shout out goes to Karen who writes historicals and is a KBH in her own right for how strong she is in going to bat for her children day after day and continuing with her dream of publishing. She's truly inspiring.
   
6. Played WRW Jeopardy and totally sucked. Our team only got one answer right because, fortunately, Dawn knew her stuff. Though Karm knew the words to Copacabana, so she got points for being cool like that. Me ... not so much. (See "dweeb" note in #1)
7. Entered the first 200 words of my manusript in the American Idol-like contest with three editors as judges (Kate Duffy, Jen Enderlin and Tracy Farrell). Fortunately, they liked it!!!! Which is good because I had rewritten it like a million times and would've been forced to jump into the Potomac had they not. They suggested one rewrite but the rest of it they thought was good and they would want to read more. I was so freaking relieved. After a year and a half of working on this, it's nice to hear.
   
8. Had way too many Hilltop Sunsets and felt comfortably numb on Friday night. Enjoyed a great evening with the girls (and Tim) on Saturday night talking about fun stuffs like detachable penis and Justin Timberlake–don't ask.
   
9. Enjoyed some really good speakers at the luncheons/dinners: Julia Quinn, Madeline Hunter, and Lisa Gardner. It actually made me feel good to hear that Lisa, who has about 25 novels out, says that she still laments that each novel sucks as she's writing it. So I'm not the only one who is hard on herself.
10. Had a beautiful ride home. Karm and I enjoyed talking with Julie Quinn about writing and life stuff. She's very easy going and smart—she won $79K on Weakest Link—and I was so impressed with the amount of books she has out for being so young. She was first published at 25 and has 16 books out. Totally amazing! She's been called the Jane Austen of our generation. And it was great hearing her stories about writing and her good attitude over people criticizing her work.
    

Overall, it was a great retreat and I look forward to going back next year. It's always nice to be able to hang with other writers and people who are struggling like you to make it in the biz. Everyone—no matter what their level—was very supportive and so nice. Thanks to all who made this event so great!