Romance Writers Gone Wild
Posted by Joanne Rock in Joanne Rock, tags: authors, Blaze writers, RWA, writing life
I’m blogging today at Access Romance about my recent family vacation. But here, I thought I’d tell you about my girl time—the five-day summer party officially billed as the Romance Writers of America national conference but what I like to call my personal summer camp.
It’s so much fun to hang out with my romance writer friends and meet new readers every year. My good friend, Love Inspired author Renee Ryan, led the First Timers Orientation this year and she had a really fun analogy for a writer’s first time at RWA. She talked about the conference at large as the cool sorority and the other first timers were your pledge class. That each year you attend RWA, you look for your sisters who rushed along with you, cheering on their successes and commiserating on the bumps in the road. You share your journey with those folks, and it’s all the more fun for having a few BFFs around. Together, you become the cool sorority, squealing in the halls to see each other once a year at your personal summer camp. I loved that idea. To me, RWA is exactly like that.
Renee, for example, was in my pledge class. So was SIM author Beth Cornelison and Desire author Catherine Mann, my critique partner. Other classes close to me included Tanya Michaels, Winnie Griggs and Anna DeStefano, friends I seek out faithfully every year.
And we do more than just gab it up. We sign books to raise money that supports a literacy initiative. We teach workshops for aspiring writers to share what we know and attend workshops to learn from our peers. Oh, and we dance.
Summer camp isn’t summer camp without a glitzy party after all. The RITA and Golden Heart ceremony is our fun excuse to dress up and the publisher parties provide our opportunity to shake our collective groove thing. I’ve discovered Blaze authors Wendy Etherington and Jacquie D’Alessandro are just as committed to the dance floor as me, so I like to hunt them down once the music starts hopping.
I think every woman should have a summer camp – your personalized version of the sorority reunion. Whether it’s a handful of high school friends or the crowd from your book club, you owe yourself a retreat weekend to celebrate friendship and a common interest. Don’t have a big budget? You can tent it down by the lake for a night and share a few bottles of cheap champagne. I guarantee you’ll come home happier!
**You know what I’m talking about…. girlfriends speak a different language than our significant others! What’s been one of your favorite friend-dates? Ladies’ poker night? Neighborhood bunco? Chat with me on the boards today about fav ways to hang out with friends and I’ll give one random poster a signed copy of my August relese, Double Play.
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Good Morning Joanne! From all the stories I have heard about RWA, it sounds like you all had a blast! I hope to go one of these years. As for girls nights, it’s been years since I have had one. My three sisters met up and spent a weekend in Vegas this past April. I couldnt make it this year. But they had so much fun they decided the four of us are going to do it every year. I cant wait! I’m the youngest so my sisters are looking forward to corrupting me, lol!
Have a great day! (*)
Now that’s a sister trip! I always make out well in Vegas because I don’t care about gambling, but I like to drink for free (H) . I usually park it at a slot machine (you’ll see me hunting down the only one that takes nickels) long enough to claim my amaretto sour. I need to be careful of the shopping though. If ever I’m going to lose much cash, it’s in the stores and not at the blackjack table!!
Joanne-
Plus, maybe once a month I go out with a few girls from work for Wednesday night wings at a local bar. It is a great excuse to laugh and joke about all the comings and goings of our life and work life.
So glad to hear about your great adventures at RWA. I have to say get togethers with friends is a good thing for the soul. I am invovled in a Bunco group that meets once a month at one of the girls’ house and we each bring a dish to share, bring what we want to drink, and our friends to bring into the group. Some nights we can’t even get to the second round, because alll we want to do is eat and just talk to our friends and new ones we just meet. It is a good time that we look forwad to each month. I also have a good frind that our kids play together and our great friends, but also they are the reasonwe hit it off togther too. We share the love of books and other things. We have become such good friends we go out once a month now for a movie and/or dinner
I have to say I have a very good husband that lets me get out and regroups myself.
These are the things that keep me sane in my life and make me a better mom when I come back to my family after these nights out, All good things.
Cim, I totally agree! And I think any guy who has been married for more than a few years really understands the benefits of shoving his wife out the door for the girl-time tune-up we all need . I always come home happier!
I like the analogy to a ‘sorority’. That’s a cool analogy. I do MNO (Moms Night Out) with my MOMS club (we are all stay at home moms). It’s a lot of fun and we alternate doing something in (like a game night) or out (like a restaurant). Keeps it fun. I don’t know many of their kids (my kids are older), but the moms are super supportive.
Katie, that’s really nice that you do more things than just stuff involving the kids. Groups like this really saved me when I was moving around more frequently and had a hard time meeting people. The mom thing gives you immediate bonding!!
Hi Joanne, loved the blog report on “summer camp.” I went to the First-timers get together and it was standing room only. It was great though. I sat in the room next to it, so I could at least hear what was going on. There had to have been about 300 women in that room…I might be exaggerating a little.
I haven’t really done many girls’ nights or anything like that. The closest I could get to that is when I was in the military and all the girls hung out a bit after the day was done. Nothing too interesting or relaxing about that.
It sounds like you had a lot of fun. One day, I will get to go to the parties too. Looking forward to that. I might have to seek you, Jacquie and Wendy out when it’s time to hit the dance floor.
Peace and love,
Paula R.
Paula, 300 was the number I heard, too! And we’re making a date for next RWA… you’ll be a pro by then :-). It’s definitely something I look forward to every year.
Thanks for the vote of confidence. I am working on it. We have a date then…LOLOLOLOLOL!!!!
Peace and love,
Paula R.
Hi Joanne,
It sure looks like you had a lot of fun. My favorite thing to do with my girlfriends is go to concerts. My husband is not a music fan for the most part, so I love to go with my crazy music loving friends. We had the best time at Duran Duran, and we even got crazy at one of the American Idol concerts. It was the year with Ace Young and Bucky Covington.
Tammy, we just saw Green Day last week at Darien Lake in NY. I hadn’t been to a concert in a while and it was really fun.
I love when my best friend and I get together just to talk, hang out and watch movies… always have something to talk about…
The sign of a wonderful friend!!
Hmmmm…. I think we need to find a spring break camp and a Christmas holidays camp…. and…. well you get the idea.
It was awesome as always to get to hang out with you, Joanne!!!!
Is it awful of me to be first in line for a “Back to School” celebration where we ring in a new school year with wolf-whistles, catcalls and margaritas as the busses pull away? Okay, maybe that’s a bit much. I adore my kids. But by mid-August, I’m ready for school!!! At very least, Cathy, I’m going to email you a little grin that day
.
I love that idea, Cathy!!!!
Peace and love,
Paula R.
Joanne!
What a fun blog. You explained my sorority analogy perfectly. Sisters always. (K)
~Renee~
I wished I’d been there to hear you in person! It was so nice carving out a little extra visit time this year :-).
The thought of missing an RWA conference is horrifying! Reconnecting with my writer gals fills the well that gets depleted the rest of the year. It was great seeing you, Joanne–as always! Looking forward to dancing with you in NYC next summer! xox
Hey, Joanne-
Loved your post today and yes! RWA does feel like a cool sorority where I get to catch up with my sisters! I look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones each year. (But don’t tell my husband… he thinks RWA conference is all about meetings and workshops and networking and business. Teehee) The Harlequin party is always a blast. Yep, summer camp for writers who spend the rest of the year by ourselves, chained to our computer…
It was great to see you!
Beth Cornelison
Shh… Beth, I promise to keep it on the down low!
Hi, Joanne! I agree that RWA conference is like seeing sorority sisters! So great to hang out with friends and catch up! Just don’t tell my husband how much fun we have…I’ve got him believing it is all work and meetings and networking and lectures. Teehee! :-P
The Harlequin party is especially fun! It was great seeing you, sister!
Take care, Beth Cornelison (@)
Hi! I just wanted to stop by and say hello and I really enjoed reeading Double Play, I loved it, it was hot and sexy. Just what I neede to read on the beach. Took my kids to see grandpa who lives in Jensen beach-Stuart, Fla. and I was sitting on the beach reading your book and ran into an old boyfriend who’s a lifeguard and grabbed the book, anyways the week was alot of fun, (I’m going thru a seperation from my hubby) my son who’s 19 loved all his toys and this old truck that Kenny wants now. I haven’t been out with girlfriends in awhile but spent a few hours with my daughter and my dad’s girlfriend shopping and had lunch it was so much fun. My friend the lifeguard name Randy loved your book too. He gave it to another friend to read. I read alot while we were dating and was teases alot …. Have a good week.
So glad you liked it, Carole. And Randy, too!! It’s always great when a book gets passed on to a friend. That’s a second chance to find new readers. (*)
I can’t wait for RWA next year
April 08 I flew to Vegas and met my cousins and my aunt and a friend there we had a four day girls trip. That was the week of spring break for my kids so my husband had them all day we are going to try to make this a yearly trip. (D)
For those who haven’t read Double Play it is great(H) I hated to see it end ;-(
Thank you, Michele!! That’s a great compliment :-).
Congrats on the new release, Joanne. Just the other night we went to dinner and then had a few drinks and sang some karaoke. I’ve never attended a poker night and would to someday soon.
Thank you, Jane! Remember the karaoke scene in My Best Friend’s Wedding? Cameron Diaz gave such a fun performance .
Just yesterday I had a call from my kindergarten girlfriend. She was a half hour away; would I like to go to the hometown beach with her? In a heartbeat! So off I went and had a GLORIOUS time with her. We are both 51, and as we stopped for the provincial park attendant, my GF leaned over and said to the girl, “Is there a seniors’ discount?” The girl didn’t know what to say (as the age is 65). We were laughing so hard before we pulled up, and then this! Needless to say, the girl caught on to our foolishness, took our money, and even gave us some free granola bars! She probably thought we were bonkers, but a good time was had by all.
I like when we go out shopping and have lunch. Doesn’t seem to happen as much anymore.
Chey, you must harangue them more! Sometimes friends need that extra bit of brow-beating to do what’s fun for them. I think we all feel a little too committed to taking care of the family and “being there” for everyone… so much so that we neglect ourselves and the girlfriends far too easily. I made friends in my current town by issuing continual invitations to go out and play. It took awhile, but I did wear down a few folks eventually and made some great new friends (L) .
My sister is my best friend and we usually spend the day casino hopping and having lunch. I’m not terribly social so this is a big thing for me. We go play bingo sometimes and meet up to go to the bookstore usually every week or so.
We (a group of friends in the neighborhood) get together once a month to play Sheepshead. We only play for poker chips not money . So it’s all for fun and comaraderie. At one time we would go to another city for a concert or a play or a movie, but now that we have children and sport’s schedules card playing works out the best. Occasionally we shake things up and play Rummikub!
(F) (Y) (D) (L) love poker wathcing ritenow
and going out to eat wit my buddies so mcuh fun
I think this thread counted as some fun girl-time in and of itself! Wasn’t it nice to visit?
(L) Plus, we have a winner! Congratulations to Jane, winner of the thread prize– a signed copy of Double Play! I’ll email you privately, but all you need to do is send me your mailing address to jrock008@gmail.com and I’ll ship this out ASAP!
Thanks to everyone for visiting this week!
Congrats to the winner!!
Just had to put in my two cents … My most recent girl date was last summer, I think. (I need to get out more …) My friend and I went out without any real plans and wound up having dinner and drinks, we chatted as we strolled down the beach, then wound up in a coffee joint to warm up. It was so fun!! And we joked for a while that that evening was more romantic than some dates we’ve had with our husbands.
Congrats Jane!
Joann, I love this blog!!! The best girls time I have had in a long time was going to RWA 10 with three girlfriends. We had such a blast. It was wonderful reconnecting with writer friends we hadn’t seen in a while and also getting the opportunity to meet authors we had chatted with online. The HQ party was one of the top highlights!!! Always fun dancing with Jacquie and Wendy!!!