Tuesday, April 22, 2008

It's all over but the snarking

Well, I'm home and in the process of reacclimating to domesticity -- sorting through the mail & notes from the kids' schools, unpacking & doing laundry, taking stock of the pantry & thinking about what to fix for dinner. It's always an adjustment to return to "normal" after RT, since RT is everything BUT normal for most people.

The convention was terrific. During the day, I networked and promoted. At night, I partied. I met lots of new people, ate too much, drank too much, and didn't get nearly enough sleep. In a year, I'll be ready to do it all again.

Already, the bloggers who were not in attendance are either sick of hearing about it or reveling in the snark and the attention it draws. Those who choose to watch from a distance and pass judgment certainly have no shortage of fodder. *shrug* All I can say to them is: CONTEXT. Without it, they only have a fraction of the mosaic that is RT. The nice thing about the Internet is that we all have these nifty little back click buttons. Don't like it? Fine. Don't read it.

I was largely oblivious to the cover model drama. I don't pay attention to the beefcake. I don't seek photos with the man flesh. While the Mr. Romance pageant was going on, Will and I were having a relaxed dinner at a cute little Greek restaurant with a friend from Literotica who is attending graduate school at Duquesne. We've known her for years, but until very recently, she lived in India.

Yeah, I saw some folks at the parties who were sloppy drunk. I saw some costumes that raised eyebrows. I even wore a few -- and had a blast doing it -- and won prizes for two of them. I'm sure photos will be popping up on the 'Net. Yeah, I joined many in groaning about the lame, lengthy, self-indulgent stage productions. Yeah, I bitched about the hotel's rude wait staff. But you know what? CONTEXT.

Club RT was a success. Phaze received lots of positive feedback from readers, booksellers, and authors. Will & I had a great time partying with the gals from Romance Divas. The ladies from All Romance eBooks are deserving of an award for their professionalism in the face of the ridiculous mismanagement of the eBook Expo. (If I was a cynic, I'd say that RT botched it on purpose. I'm not a cynic, though. *wink* YMMV.) I got to meet Barry Eisler, who is as cute & charming in person as he is online, and I got him to sign his back cover blurb on all the copies of Coming Together: For the Cure that hadn't already sold. We got to see Lisa Jackson again -- and simply being remembered, given the number of people she encounters at her appearances, was a rush. There was a LOT of name-recognition and good buzz for Coming Together. It didn't hurt that the convention issue (May) of the magazine contained a 4-star review of Coming Together: Under Fire ... and that Coming Together: For the Cure was a Top Pick for January.

But now, it's time to tackle the laundry while I chew on the memories.

1 comment:

Will Belegon said...

A wonderful and successful time for us both. Agree with all you said, love.

As for the snarkiness about author behavior you were referring to... I wonder about people. How should someone who has the wild, sexy mind to create Erotic Romance supposed to act when they get away from their desk and kids and 'real life' once a year?

I have a feeling that if we all didn't cut loose, they'd complain about how stuck up we are... whatever...