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 44th floor was a challenge for me...
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| A long way down! |
But it did afford
some spectacular views out my window...
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| Cruise ship on the Hudson river |
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| 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!
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| 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
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