My trip to The Naughty Sleepover

(The above picture was given to me at the conference by Valerie Mann, by editor on all of my INS books and also my Edge books.  I love it.  Its for wine glasses, to differentiate mine from other people's. Its a wolf!! I just adore it.)

Well, howdy folks.  How is it going? I decided today i would blog about my recent trip to The Naughty Sleepover in San Antonio.  For those of you who might be wondering what The Naughty Sleepover is, it is a writing conference hosted by the Sassy Seven Authors.  If you'd like to know who they are I suggest you google them because they are fabulous.

Why do writers like myself go to conventions? Well, I suppose the answer is different for every author. For me, there were many reasons. Tied for first is my absolute adoration of the Sassy Seven Authors and because a lot of my editors, publishers, and friends were going. Also, I adore meeting readers and I like learning new things about writing.  Plus, and this can't be discounted, it means a lot to get to speak to other people who value the same things that I value on occasion. If you met me on the street and asked me about my writing I am likely to be vague with you.  Not because I am ashamed or don't want you reading my books but because I'm not sure how you will react to them.  That's right folks.  Romance and Erotic Romance authors take a lot of crap for what we do.

Now, a lot of people enjoy what we do and we LOVE our readers. But a lot of people feel the need to degrade or put down either the books we write or what we do.  Sometimes they don't let their kids come over and play at our houses.  So, I'm going to be vague with a stranger because I don't want to have to defend myself, my writing, or my life to people I barely know on the street.  But if I go to a conference, everyone there is going to want to talk about writing and for a few blessed days I can talk about it as much as I want for as long as I want.  And, as an incredible bonus, I get to meet a few people who have read and liked my work.  Its such a gift!

Plus, I get to meet the people I work with face-to-face. I can go years talking to someone nearly every day and never meet them.

This time I went to The Naughty Sleepover.  It was an incredible time. I learned so much, had a great time, hung out with readers, watched a stripper (gasp) play with some of the best writers in the business, and visited a place called The Dungeon.  (You can use your imagination as to what went on there) I got stranded on the street outside of The Dungeon, pulled over in a car driven by someone who had been at The Dungeon with too many of us in the backseat, and learned so much about writing and reading that my head is still awash as I write this.  WOW! And I made some incredible new friends while also finally connecting face-to-face with old friends I had never had the pleasure of meeting in person before.

By the way, the first people I ever met at a conference--a few years ago in New Jersey at a conference called the Liberty State Fiction Writers--were J. Hali Steele and Annie Nicholas.  I'm sure you all know them from their incredible writing and this blog!

Later this year, I'll be attending Romantic Times Convention.  I hope if you're there you'll come say hi!

Maybe we can talk the Sassy Seven into running another conference.  I'd be there in a heart beat.