I thought I was being adventurous when I booked my flight to Los Angeles and was going to take a train to San Diego. The website makes it look like the train station is right there, but after flying from Florida to Atlanta to Los Angeles, I had to take a 45 minute bus ride to the train station. Not a pleasant experience when you have motion sickness. Luckily, moments before I really embarrassed myself, I was at the train station for the 3 hours train ride to San Diego (beautiful view of the ocean from the train). Then the next day I did it backwards to go home. But it was worth it to visit with the San Diego RWA writers.
Jeannie Lin
They brought me in for a one day workshop, but it really started Friday night with desserts at author Cori Owens-Mendez’s house. From the peach cobbler to brownies to the creme brulee pie, they made me feel at home and one of the group.
At their Saturday meetings, they do a full day program so I got to share the stage with the amazing Jeannie Lin who talked about the importance of the first 5 pages of a book. If you haven’t read Butterfly Swords yet, do yourself a favor and try it because Jeannie’s second book, The Dragon and the Pearl, comes out Tuesday (but she gave me a copy at the meeting that I can’t wait to dive into). BTW, in case you didn’t know, Jeannie is pregnant with twins!! Congratulations Jeannie!
back row: Bob Richard, Pam Moran and Suzanne Barris Front row: Melissa Cutler, Tami Vahalik, and Janet Tait
This large chapter has so many active members that awards were being given out like candy. They can earn a charm bracelet and charms for completing various tasks like sending in a manuscript, finaling in contest and signing a contract. These members were recognized for hitting the halfway mark on the chapter’s Writing Challenge to complete a new novel in 6 months. Of that group a few have already completed the book! They all received roses. There was also a booksigning and with such a large group, a lot of good books to choose from.
Due to popular demand...first close up of Jeannie Lin's baby bump
.\
,
After a healthy (and delicious) shrimp salad lunch, I was up. While I like to think ahead about the subject I’ll be talking about, I pretty much just ad lib it. I know it’s a gift, but I must have been an actor in a past life. I’m such a strong believer in building reader loyalty, that I can pretty much just say how I feel as a reader. I also have talked with a lot of readers who share their thoughts about books and authors with me. One subject that always comes up is social media. What to do, how to do it and is it necessary. Sharing stories with the group and having them relate their experiences made for a lively discussion. I think I left feeling more energized than they did.
The chapter announced that they will be sponsoring their first conference in 2013 and have invited me back. Next time I’m flying in direct.
Bottom Line: My favorite compliment of the day: “I just loved your workshop. I usually get tired after lunch, but I stayed awake for your whole talk.”
Monday Giveaways
From Belle Bridge Books: Free on Kindle for 4 days starting Sept. 21:
THE MANICURIST, Phyllis Schieber
PRAISE JERUSALEM!, Augusta Trobaugh
From author Mia Marlow: Mia Marlowe is offering her novella A DUKE FOR ALL SEASONS as a free download at Smashwords. This story started as a serialized novella on her website in Jan 2010. It’s available FREE now at Smashwords.
Thanks again for coming out west to speak at our meeting Barbara!!!
It was great seeing you and you were full of great information!!!
Can’t wait to have you back for our conference in March of 2013!!!
Lisa
Barbara,
You definitely have a gift for speaking off the cuff! I really enjoyed having you in San Diego and hearing you talk.
Jeannie Lin was great, too. Thanks to both of you for making our meeting day special.
Best,
Judy
Barbara, everything I’ve learned about social media, I’ve learned from you, Tawny Weber, and Dianna Love! grins. Great topic, and I KNOW you rocked it.
They’re smart to book you now for 2013!
Barbara loved your presentation. You told us exactly what we needed to hear. Thank-you.
Jeannie’s presentation was exceptional and timely.
Thank-you both for sharing your knowledge and time.
Margaret
Barbara,
sadly I had to miss this meeting- but it sounds like it was amazing! I can’t wait until you come back (directly
).
Barbara, you definitely rocked it! So exciting you’re going to come back in 2013, we’re all looking forward to that. I know several attendees at Saturday’s meeting spent a part of yesterday working on FaceBook profiles and twitter updates (I even did a tweet … which is something that feels extremely foreign to me).
Pam
Barbara,
What a pleasure it was to get to know you over dessert on Friday, then at the Saturday meeting. Your message of being genuine, supportive, and respectful, both to fans and other writers, was refreshing. Thank you for making the arduous journey to speak with us. I look forward to our next meeting.
Melissa
Barbara, we loved having you out here! You’re such a pleasure to listen to, and your information was valuable.
Chris
Adding much clapping to the above responses to your visit with us in San Diego. You’re a real delight, Barbara. I hope your trip home was smooth and uneventful.
Yes – San Diego Romance Writers will hold a conference in 2013. And you are invited!!!!
Happy Monday.
Linda
VP RWASD
http://www.lindathomas-sundstrom (dot) com
Had a great time chatting with you and the whole RWASD crew! And this may be the first documented photograph of the baby bump.
Barbara, thanks for giving such a fantastic presentation. I learned so much from you and from Jeannie Lin. I hope you will come back out and visit us again sometime!
Barbara, it was a pleasure to finally meet you. You didn’t disappoint. I loved everything about your workshop and came away with new ideas for social media. Thanks for going through all the travel trouble to get to San Diego. But, yeah, next time take a direct flight, lol.
Jeannie Lin: I loved talking with you during the booksigning. Your workshop was awesome. Good luck with your pregnancy and your twins.
Thanks, ladies!
Oops, my bad. The conference isn’t next year, it’s 2013. I already had it on my calendar, so now I’m available that weekend. Just sayin…
I’m so happy I joined this chapter! Such great people who are the embodiment of encouragement. I really enjoyed your talk and took away several things from it, Barbara!
Your topic of reader loyalty was a perfect balance to Jeannie Lin’s talk about keeping editors and agents reading your mss. Something for everyone in the chapter this month!
Thanks for writing about us.
Looks like a fab trip to San Diego, Barbara. Thanks for posting the link to the free copy of Fire Bound from me and Sherrilyn.
We missed you over the weekend. Glad you’re back home.
Barbara,
Ditto from me regarding your visit to SDRWA. You were very fun and made me laugh. Not to mention your info was much appreciated.
Thanks for coming!
Looks like a fab trip to San Diego, Barbara. Thanks for posting the link to the free copy of Fire Bound from me and Sherrilyn. We missed you over the weekend. Glad you’re back home.
Alfred Tennyson. A voice from the past. And slowly answered Arthur from the barge:
” The old order changeth, yielding place to new,
And God fulfils himself in many ways,
Lest one good custom should corrupt the world. ” We borrow this passage, in deep respect, knowing,….. The winds of Change being so highly important to the self renewal of every country on Earth.
I like what you guys are up also. Such intelligent work and reporting! Carry on the excellent works guys I’ve incorporated you guys to my blogroll. I think it will improve the value of my web site
. “He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.” by Johann von Goethe.
I am no longer certain the place you’re getting your info, but good topic. I must spend some time finding out much more or working out more. Thanks for excellent information I used to be searching for this information for my mission.
Arabisch Lernen
Thanks for your short article. I would love to say that your health insurance brokerage service also works well with the benefit of the coordinators of a group insurance cover. The health insurance professional is given an index of benefits sought by an individual or a group coordinator. What any broker will is try to find individuals as well as coordinators which best fit those wants. Then he offers his tips and if all parties agree, this broker formulates a contract between the 2 parties.
We stumbled over here from a different web address and thought I might check things out. I like what I see so now i’m following you. Look forward to looking into your web page again.
I have seen lots of useful items on your site about personal computers. However, I have the judgment that netbooks are still more or less not powerful adequately to be a good choice if you usually do tasks that require many power, such as video editing. But for web surfing, microsoft word processing, and a lot other popular computer functions they are just great, provided you don’t mind the little screen size. Thank you sharing your notions.
I think this is among the most significant info for me. And i am glad reading your article. But want to remark on few general things, The website style is ideal, the articles is really nice : D. Good job, cheers
will assail the sites we copy, including this a certain, as it represents our picks from the cobweb
Thanks as a service to sharing wonderful informations. Your place is altogether cool. I am impressed through the details that you’ve on this site. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this website page, intention come reject for especially articles. You, my crony, RO…
Sparsely fancy to say your article is as astoundingThe clearness recompense your publish is straight excellent and that i could assume you are in the know on this subjectFine together with your enfranchisement install me to clutch your feed to lodge updated with coming ne…
that is the annihilation of this article. Here you’ll discover to be some sites that we over recall you’ll gain in value, unbiased click the links during
interest visit the sites we copy, including this rhyme, as it represents our picks from the cobweb
by posts some extraordinarily stimulating makings like this. If you’re recent to this site
regularly posts some damned engrossing essence like this. If you’re recent to this purlieus
Every aeons ago in a while we judge blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we determine
slow below, are some absolutely unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most reliable sources that we utilize
It goes with out declaring that you are one particular fantastic author. With that explained, I believed I’d depart you by using a quote from yet another fantastic writer… “In case of dissension, never dare to judge till you’ve heard the other side.
That looks ambrosial and slaking nourishment!
great looking egg salad recipe….I think I commitment try one’s hand at it absent from, inveterately I only have a hard-boil egg and that’s enough…
this looks delish…great road to purchase up those leftover hardboiled eggs, rylla! thanks!
this tenet sound interesting, I disposition inscribe story too
Wow, the pictures do their job. I can already taste this. But if may I suggest, what if brown sugar is sprinkled on it right-minded in advance of baking? I ruminate over that will impart an gripping grain to it. I’m gonna try this one beyond the weekend. Thanks benefit of sharing your recipe!
Way too cute. Web cams clearly show the gorgeous weather this weekend . Hope that you are relishing it !
Witryna z wiedzą. Nowe podjeście do tych problemów. Sukcesów w rozwoju kolejnych części bloga. Aleksy z IT.
Thanks for creating the honest attempt to speak about this. I believe quite robust approximately it and want to read more. If it’s OK, as you gain a lot more in depth wisdom, would you thoughts adding extra articles related to this 1 with additional details? It may well be very helpful and beneficial for me and my friends.
At this time it seems like Drupal is the preferred blogging platform out there right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you are using on your blog?
Really nice design and style and fantastic subject material , practically nothing else we require : D.
You must participate in a contest for among the very best blogs on the internet. I will suggest this site!
Great morning, may possibly be seriously is off of concept yet , no matter what, i’ve already been hunting within your internet sites as properly as aesthetics completely surely elegant. I’m just creating a fresh, new journal as battling to get bode well, each i do get your hands on a specific thing the mess it up. The ways fast seemed to be to in which to be able to your internet site? Could truly one more person as i am lacking discover exercise, even though use parents redesign sheets devoid of having endangering everything aquatic treadmill?
Thank you for the good writeup. It in reality used to be a enjoyment account it. Look complicated to far brought agreeable from you! However, how could we keep up a correspondence?
Your weblog is awesome dude. i like to take a look at it everyday. quite nice layout and content “