What Am I Doing This Weekend?

Two things, actually.  My HCRW meeting is this weekend, so I’ll be hanging out with those fantastic folks.  I always look forward to that because it’s great seeing other authors.

As for the other thing, I’ll be popping in and out of Illogicon.  It’s the first–I think–sci-fi only convention held in Raleigh-Durham and I’m hoping it takes the place of TrinocCon, which sadly dissolved a few years ago.  I won’t be presenting anything because I don’t write sci-fi.  Yet.  Next year could be a different story. 

But if you’re there, you might want to check out author Nicole Givens Kurtz.  I met her last year at ConCarolinas FINALLY.  We had been playing tag the year before that and never got a chance to touch base.  Anyway, she’s a fabulously intelligent and an award-winning author, but she’s great to talk to about stuff in general, especially about writing.  Oh, and let’s not forget about her wealth of knowledge when it comes to all things that are sci-fi.  Anyway, I can’t wait to touch base with her again.

So if you’re there and you see me, don’t be afraid to say “hi”.  I won’t bite…unless you give me a reason to. 

Cancer, the Rat Bastard, Has Been Stepped On

The Gail Parkin’s Ovarian Cancer Run/Walk was a huge success!  More than $311,000 was raised the cause, which toppled their goal of $275,000.  I haven’t been this proud to be a part of something in a long time.  I feel GREAT!!

From the back from left to right, that’s Sabrina Jeffries, Heather McCollum in the teal hat, me, Deb Marlowe, Erin Knightley, and Katherine Ashe having a good time on the trail.  Somewhere in the mix is Virginia Kantra.  She tried to catch up to us, but I think she had passed us somwhere along the way.  A huge thanks to Mari Freeman and Jennifer Harrington (CONGRATS on your sale to Bethany House!) for manning the HCRW booth for us.  There will be more pictures to come.  Thanks to the K.I.S.S. and Teal Authors from Avon for donating books, too.

It was raining when I arrived, but I didn’t care.  I got to fellowship with some fabulous authors and wonderful friends. We got cool tee shirts and free lunch courtesy of Chik-fil-A and Firebirds Mountain Grill.  There was pizza, too, but I can’t recall the name.  Anyway, thanks to them for providing food.  There were some cool craft booths, but I did a good job with not stopping and shopping or I never would’ve left the grounds.  Erin spotted this really nice decorated cigar box on one fo the tables that I would’ve loved to buy, but it didn’t look like it was on sale.

All in all, I had a great time and can’t wait to do it again next year. 

Sink or Swim Decisions

This Saturday, I’ll be at the Heart of Carolina presenting Pitch Practice for Nationals with the fabulous Jenna Black.  I can’t wait.    I love helping people with their pitches.  I can tell by the first few lines whether a pitch is going to interest me or not and it has nothing to do with whether I read in your genre or not.  I’m planning to have a blast with this in terms of what NOT to do when you’re pitching.   

If you’ve been keeping track, last December I had decided not to renew my RWA membership.  I had lost interest and didn’t see the point in sticking around.  Not to mention, my planned pregnancy took precedence over everything else in life, including my writing luxuries.

By October 2008, the programming staff had already had me on the roster for this year.  I don’t know what possessed them to think of me as a good pitch person because I hadn’t requested it.  Nonetheless, I’m flattered they had chosen me to present.  The best thing about that is I get paid.  Did you hear that?  I get PAID!  And it just so happens that it’ll cover my RWA renewalfees quite nicely.    Oh, and I get to see a bunch of my writerly friends again whom I miss very much.  Woohoooooo!

With the cash (or check), I’ve decided to renew my membership.  However, there will be some changes.   For starters, I’m not rejoining any other chapters.  I’m letting those things sink because I’m tired of swimming with them.  Not to mention 75% of the posts are either either about someone’s promo.  Uh, what happened to conversations about writing?  Either way, by putting them at arm’s length, I’ll be saving myself an additional $100 and a hell of a lot of drama.

So that’s one of the most recent decisions I’ve made regarding my writing career.  Have you made any recent changes or decisions with yours?