2015 Romance Writers of America conference

I spent the end of July at the Romance Writers of America conference in New York City, which took place right in the heart of the theater district at the Marriott Marquis hotel.

  

For someone afraid of heights, a hotel room on the 44^th floor was a challenge for me...

A long way down!

But it did afford some spectacular views out my window...

Cruise ship on the Hudson river

Sunset over New Jersey

I also had trouble with the hotel's glass-enclosed elevators, which felt like we were in freefall going down to the lobby. GULP!

It was all worth it, though, to be able to be one of 480 authors signing their books at RWA's Literacy signing, which raised $48,000 for various literacy organizations. The event was overwhelming!

At the Literacy book signing

The conference itself was exhausting but energizing, and if there’s one thing during the jam-packed four days that I regret, it’s that I didn’t take my cell phone to a late-night workshop titled “What Really Happens During A Cover Model Shoot?”

Photographer Kim Killion of the Killion Group shared some deep, dark industry secrets, like… she sprays a male model’s chest with PAM cooking spray to give it that sweaty, glistening look! And this one… she has a male model do 20 push ups before shooting his (now) bulging, vein-y muscles for an impressive Highlander-in-a-shirtless-kilt pose, LOL! 

Kim also passed out cover model calendars, so even though I didn’t take pictures at the actual workshop, I can treat you to the cover model she used… meet Harvey, in (almost) all his glory!

It was a wonderful, overwhelming, crazy, inspiring, action-packed conference, the kind that makes you itch to get back to your keyboard and start creating some sexy, happy-ever-after stories.

Until next month!

Leigh

www.leighcourt.com

Spring in New York

I was in New York City this weekend. It was beautiful! New Yorkers have planted spring flowers everywhere and I give them kudos for that. The city was packed as everyone was out enjoying a sunny day, after the horrible winter we all had, so that was nice.

I used to live there, but I played tourist and even took a picture of Grand Central station because I love it. No matter how crowded it gets, it's just nice to be there (unlike most train stations).

The train ride itself was not so great. I parked at a station in CT. No one knew which platform the train would come in on, not even the employee who was working there. The train was late and we all, literally every single one of us, ended up on the wrong platform. So we had to hoof it down to a crossing point, go under the tracks and up the two flights to the correct platform. All the while, the conductor is yelling, "Hurry up. We're already late." Okay, whose fault is it that they're already late and they didn't post which platform to wait on? I decided to view it as a comic episode (there were more than 100 people trying to board) but it wouldn't be funny if you were handicapped.

Still, the city was awesome.

Vacation in New York City

Pippin

I travel with my family to New York City a few times each year. We all love the city, as expensive and difficult as it can be. This year, my kids convinced me it's our "Christmas tradition" to visit NY at Christmastime so off we went.

Our first accomplishment was to score tickets to Pippin at the Tkts. Booth in Times Square. Perfect seats for a show I really wanted to take them to. I hadn't purchased tickets in advance because we weren't sure of our schedule so it was nice to get them so easily. 

I'd seen Pippin when I was very young, when Ben Vereen was the star. I think it was my first Broadway show and it was truly magical. This revival was also very good. They had replaced the dancing with acrobatics, and I did miss the Bob Fosse dancing. But the acrobats were amazing and every cast member gave an A+ performance. Excellent show.

We visited Rockefeller Center to see the tree.

As it happened, a man was proposing right there on the ice. They'd cleared off all the skaters and he popped the question. My pictures aren't the best, but they were both very happy.

Statue at Bryant Park

We visited the New York Public Library because I have an obsession with libraries. It's a beautiful building, but it doesn't actually house the collection, so it doesn't have quite the ambiance I like. I was not happy to see that Bryant Park, which is the small park behind the library is home to temporary shops during the Christmas season. There's also a skating rink there.

 I'm not much of a foodie, but we did visit the cafe run by the Cake Boss of TV fame. I passed up the pastries, which are not really my thing, but my kids reported that they were delicious.

Finally, we saw Newsies, another Broadway show that my kids adored. One of my daughters had already seen it with a friend and wanted to go again, and she said she'd see it a third time. It was good, but once was enough for me.

We walked all over the city and finished up our trip by going downtown to see the Freedom Tower. (Officially, it's One World Trade Center.) It's not open yet. It's an interesting building, but I don't think it has the presence that the Twin Towers had.

Something Personal About Shawna

When writing a romance, we authors interview or get to know our characters in many ways. Finding out their world views, beliefs, goals, motivations, etc. Today I thought it would be fun sharing some things you likely don't know about me.

1. Something that scares me—Spiders and snakes. Cannot stand being near either of those. But I love Jim Stafford’s song about them.

2. Most interesting article of clothing—While on vacation in Vermont, I found a sassy sarong that, when worn a certain way, doubles as pants. They have delightful fringes at the bottom and have been hand-dyed in a stunning Indian-inspired print.

3. What I cannot tolerate watching on television—Reruns. Excessive violence. Most commercials.

4. Something I ate/drank that was out of the ordinary—I once indulged in a cocoa beverage infused with pepper and some other spices. Very appealing and delicious.

5. My unique hobby—Researching ancient and unique sexual positions. Finding haunted properties and visiting them while on vacation.

6. Unique talent—If I hear a person’s voice once and know their name, I'm usually able to identify them later simply by hearing them say a few words.

7. Things I love/hate—I love the awesome way I feel after a more intense cardio workout but despise sweating. I’m excited when an item I want or need is discounted, but I hate fighting crowds during special sales. This is especially true at Christmas. Love to shop but hate Christmas shopping and always have 99% of the gifts purchased well before Labor Day. Enjoy traveling but dislike doing any of the driving. Love large gatherings and parties but cannot stand crowded malls.

8. Most wonderful thing to recently happen in my life--While making my way from the train track to the upper level at Penn Station, a sexy gentleman offered to carry my heavy suitcase (says the woman who can never pack light). When he set down my luggage, he brushed his fingers over the back of my hand and maintained eye contact. Suffice it to say I knew I had to catch a cab, and catch up with my friend, but I was truly tempted to linger on that station level--and get to know him on a deeper level :)

Wishing you all many happy reading moments,

Shawna Moore
TORMENTED -- Ellora's Cave (Must-Read from Dark Angel Reviews)
ROUGHRIDER -- Ellora's Cave Exotika
HELLE IN HEELS -- Ellora's Cave Exotika
TO HELLE AND BACK AGAIN -- Coming soon to EC Exotika
Shawna's Myspace
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