I’ve just returned from Romance Writers of America’s national conference in San Diego. First of all, if you’ve never been to San Diego, it’s definitely worth the trip. The weather is just as amazing as everyone says it is. Second, if you have any interest at all in being a romance writer, I would absolutely recommend becoming a member. I belonged to our local chapter, WHRWA, myself for a year, and I learned a ton. All of that was just emphasized at the national conference. I got to meet so many amazing authors, at various points of their writing journey, and attend the workshops just like the authors did. It was educational and overwhelming and so much fun. I made some friends I’m sure will last a lifetime, but also got to have casual conversations with all kinds of people about what it’s like to pitch a book, see your first book published, read reviews of your work (both positive and negative), and encourage other writers once you have an established career. I thought the highlight of my trip would be getting to attend the RITA Awards ceremony. While that was absolutely fabulous, being up close and personal for the announcements of the most renowned award in romance fiction, what I really loved most about the conference was being reminded how friendly and supportive the members of RWA always are with each other.
As a bookseller, a career choice which often incites the question, “What are you going to do when you get a real job?”, it was a tremendous honor to be recognized by such an amazing organization. It was incredible to walk between workshop panels and have people thank me for what I do. It’s easy to forget in a culture where more and more has moved online, so even while people are still reading plenty, there is less and less human interaction involved, that what we do as booksellers makes a difference. I am so grateful to have had this reminder that it does.
