Monday, April 21, 2008

SHAPESHIFTER BLOG / RT REPORT

I've joined a blog for authors of shapeshifter romances. (I don't know if any of the heroines morph into chickens, though.)
We're kicking off the site with a contest this week. We're giving away books and a cute little wolf puppet I found. So if you want to go over and check it out, it's at

http://shapeshifterromance.wordpress.com/

I also have a report from the RT conference in Pittsburgh (last Wednesday through Sunday):

In many ways, RT was the same rip roaring non-stop party scene. Where else could I pose for a picture with Fabio? I'm always amazed at how much work goes into putting it together. And it seems to run more smoothly every year. I think the workshops are getting more "professional," but they were less well attended than in the past few years. Maybe those two things are related!

It's hard for me to evaluate the parties, since I am not a party animal. I have to periodically go hide in my room. But I did love seeing all the fantastic costumes. People put so much work into them! And I have an insane desire to dress up in a costume. But I was working too hard before I left to actually buy something. I do have a picture of me wearing vampire teeth, though.

This year was RT's 25th year, so they made a big deal out of that, including honoring the "pioneers of romance" who were in attendance. (Including me, Heather Graham, Carole Nelson Douglas, Bertrice Small, Roberta Gellis, Jannelle Taylor, and Pat Rice--among others.) They had a nice ceremony for us at the awards luncheon and gave us engraved chunks of glass (about 4" x 5"--shaped like a mountain.) The recognition was actually quite nice, even though I keep joking that it's an award for still being alive and still publishing.

The hotel is under construction, so that got in the way somewhat. Like, our hall was half done, so some days it smelled horrible. Apparently, the day before we arrived, there was plaster dust all over it.

DH was upset because the wireless was not working on the 6th floor--our floor. But we could use it in the lobby. So he kept going down and reading mail. Sometimes I went with him--which gave me more opportunities to meet people.

Because of the construction, there were no bathrooms on the lobby level. Kind of inconvenient. (But I did discover one hidden unisex bathroom in a large meeting suite.) Also, on the ballroom level, they had done something really strange. The women's room had urinals. And the men's room had a Tampax machine. (This latter info from DH.) I guess they hadn't planned to make the restrooms available, but they opened them up and slapped the signs on the wrong rooms.

Last year in Houston, there was a large atrium where you could meet people. This Hilton didn't have as good a meeting place. So there were more places you had to look for people.

Right at the end of the book signing, ALL THE LIGHTS WENT OFF IN THE BALLROOM, if you can believe that. I was, as usual, at the back of the room, facing a wall. But near an exit. I'm really glad I wasn't in the middle of a suddenly dark huge room. I carry a small flashlight in my purse, and I led DH and the woman signing next to me out of the room. It wasn't pitch black because some light came in through the exits from the windows outside the ballroom I can believe the blackout allowed some people to escape without paying, though.

I sold 43 books, so I felt really good about that. And it always makes me feel wonderful when people come up and say they love my books.

I always make an effort to meet new people. I did sit with readers I didn't know at some banquets, and I think I got some new people interested in my books. One of them is a guy who works as a prison guard but loves paranormal romance. He lcame up to me at the Book Fair and bought a copy of all three books I had there. And he says he'll e-mail me. His favorite writer is MaryJanice Davidson, so he will probably hate me, since my books are not funny.

Besides meeting fans, I felt like I made some good contacts with booksellers and also got to have a long talk with Sheila English, who heads Circle of Seven Productions. They've made three really great Book Trailers and teasers for me--all of which you can see at www.rebeccayork.com.
I also went to a private reception for Betweenyoursheets authors. And I loved putting faces with the names of the great people I've met there. They ran a contest at the Book Fair which sent a lot of readers to me to get my signature. You can check out their Web site at:

www.betweenyoursheets.com

I was also on the H/S panel--which included Randall Toye. I, um, asked him why lines start up and disappear so fast. (Bombshell, Everlasting, Love and Laughter.) He said that the cycle moves faster than it used to. Booksellers can track whether a line is selling practicaly in real time, and if it isn't, they stop carrying it. He said paperback sales are down across the board, but H/S sales are up--but not as much as they want. In the past, people could grow into liking a line. Now they'd better get with it fast, or they lose the chance.

Randall thought print books would be around forever, but e-books are definitely gaining. Still, even though they are increasing a lot, they started with a really small base. Some people in the audience said how much they love e-books. Other people said they want a real book.

Something I also like about RT is getting to sit down and talk with writer friends. Carole Nelson Douglas and I shared a table in Club RT. So--RT from my perspective.

RT is a great place to meet fans, meet with friends and have a great time.

Ruth

Rebecca York (aka Ruth Glick) ** http://www.rebeccayork.com
GHOST MOON, Berkley, 5/08
SOLDIER CAGED, Hqn Intrigue, 7/08
MAMMOTH BOOK OF VAMPIRE ROMANCES, Running Press, 8/08

5 comments:

COS Book Trailers said...

My favorite part of RT was Saturday when I actually got to track down my favorite authors and meet them.

Meeting you was one of the highlights of RT for me. Other highlights were having lunch with Lisa Jackson, chatting with LA Banks and dancing with the Feehans (who are always a hoot!).

I love the picture of you with Fabio. That guy is tall!!!!

I hope to see you at RWA, BEA or next year at RT...whichever comes first!

Sheila
COS Productions

Anonymous said...

I am so happy you had such a great time at RT. I would love to meet Fabio just once. He actually looks better with you than he does on tv or book covers - lol!!

wolfparent said...

Awesome shot with Fabio!!

Your fellow wolf lover from Tennessee!

Glad you had a great time at the conference!!

I cannot wait to see pics from the event on your site.

K

Anonymous said...

Yes, I'll try to get some pictures from RT up on my web site.
Rebecca

Tarot By Arwen said...

Thanks for the great blog! And you are right, Fabio is one tall drink of water! I like him as a brunette! :)On ebooks vs print, I used to be hardcore print until I got an ebook reader. It's so easy to travel with instead of my 5-7 books I normally go with! And I can increase the font at the touch of a key. With my eyes, that's a blessing!