Romance Writers of America 2016 Conference Wrap-Up

Whew! I'm back home from the 2016 Romance Writers of America conference. The RWA conference is a non-stop whirlwind of networking, meetings, parties and workshops that leave authors excited, and exhausted. I officially have conference hangover. Before the euphoria completely wears off, I want to share with you some pictures from the event.

For me, conference began on Wednesday with the Beau Monde Conference. The Beau Monde is the on-line Regency specialty chapter of RWA. It was a great chance to meet in person, and to get to know better, all the people I regularly see online. I also presented a workshop on the training and education of medical professional in Regency England. Here is a shot of me in action during the presentation.

The RWA 2016 Literacy Signing was the next event after the Beau Monde Conference. Imagine a large hotel ballroom filled with hundreds of authors signing books and you can imagine the excitement. I was seated next to the wonderful Jade Lee who also writes Regency romances and was the keynote speaker at the Beau Monde conference.

The first official day of conference began on Thursday morning at Richard Walker's for breakfast with  the wonderful Harlequin Historical authors.
 

After breakfast, there were workshops to attend and later lunch with the talented Beverly Jenkins giving the keynote speech. Sadly I don't have any pictures of the speech but it was inspiring.

In the afternoon, the Harlequin Historical authors met up for tea in the courtyard of the Horton Grand Hotel. It was a lovely setting and a delicious tea. I was even able to try Scotch Eggs for the first time and chat with the wonderful Harlequin editors.

 

 Thursday evening saw me at the Montlake Romance party at Roy's Hawaiian. Sadly, I didn't take pictures but I met some great authors including Camille Di Maio and Thelma Adams.

Friday morning began with breakfast and a presentation on impostor syndrome by Dr. Valerie Young. It was another inspiring speech. Afterwards, I participated in the Harlequin book signing. One of the great things about conference is that many publishers host book signings where they give away free books. It's a book lovers dream and this was my first time participating in a signing. 

                     

Friday was filled with more workshops before I reached the highlight of conference, the Harlequin Author Party! It was held at the Omni Hotel and offered a delicious dessert bar. Also available was an adult milkshake with Bailey's, Frangelico, coconut rum and too many other good things to mention. This was another great chance to meet with friends, make new friend and dance the night away. 

 

Saturday began with another inspiring speech by author Sherry Thomas. It was followed by more workshops, including the one below offered by the talented Elizabeth Hoyt.

Afterwards, I had lunch with my excellent editor at the Hotel del Coronado. Saturday night, the conference concluded with the  RITA and Golden Heart Awards ceremony. Once again, I was terribly remiss in taking pictures of Saturday's events. This give me yet another reason to attend next year's RWA conference. 

I hope you enjoyed this little peek at the conference experience. If you'd like to check out the book I gave away at the Harlequin signing, you can find it on my website at www.Georgie-Lee.com