This upcoming week I'll be traveling to New York City for the annual Romance Writers of America conference. This yearly event is a mecca for romance writers of all genres. I couldn't be more excited to see what it's all about and show off my new business cards.

RWA packed the schedule with sessions on research, how to raise tension in chapters, business strategies, and more. Best-selling authors like Julia Quinn and JR Ward are in attendance and hosting "Ask Me Anything" sessions. In addition to all of the informational sessions, all conference attendees are invited to attend the Golden Heart Awards Luncheon and the RITAs Ceremony. Both of these awards honor the best romance unpublished and published novels, respectively. As if all of that excitement wasn't enough, there will be agents, editors, publishers, vendors, headshots, and book signings, in a complete celebration of all things romance.

For this business trip, I'm focusing on well, business! When picking my sessions, I sought out things I have been researching or looking up on Google. Having the ability to ask a person a question and get an immediate answer is such a time saver. Not only do you save the time of reading through the information, but you can get their honest opinion and ask follow-up questions. Even though The Secret About Time comes out at the end of the month, talking with other indie authors is a great learning experience. It's great to make connections and have a contact I can email for a clear, yes or no when I get stuck and need some advice.

I was also amazed by how many of the names of the presenters I was familiar with. A few I had even seen speak before at my local chapter. Seeing all of those familiar faces on the schedule made me appreciate the level of programming the Virginia Romance Writers brings to their monthly meetings. If I not seen the speakers locally, I would've had a hard time choosing between sessions, as there are so many at the same time.

Overall my goal for the whole conference is to learn best practices for being an indie author. I want to meet other writers and learn about new resources that can help me grow my business. Now that being said, it isn't all business. I've already made my restaurant list and will be getting pizza, cheesecake, and visiting a diner and a few Irish pubs, but also have gotten tickets for The Phantom of the Opera.

I mean, after all, what's New York without a little romance?

Onward with business cards in hand!

Kathryn