I can now reveal that my fun weekend (mentioned in my last blog post) was at the 2018 Romantic Novelists Conference at Leeds Trinity University from Friday to Sunday #RNAConf18.
 |
In the
Auditorium... |
The campus was about 5 miles north-west of Leeds at Horsforth.
This is the first RNA Conference I've been to and I would definitely like to go again next year- it's a different location.
Quite a few of those attending had to come by plane from outside the UK. Planes were a constant presence as Leeds Bradford Airport was a few miles down the road; and at night you could hear them, during the day see them coming into land with flaps open and wheels down...
Yes there was a lot of socialising- I didn't get to bed until midnight both nights. Lots of online and offline groups had get-together's. Lots of kitchen 'parties'; fortunately the kitchens were a good size in the accommodation blocks with plenty of seating.
As you'd expect with so many writers together the noise level was high!
I went to each of the sessions I'd intended to on the Saturday. Self-Editing. How to do it effectively with Alison May was very good. The reassuring thing for me was finding out that what I'm doing now with my wip is right.
Remember 'You're in charge' of your manuscript is a quote worth remembering.
I also got to meet #writingchat friend Susan Jones who is a pocket novelist. Maggie Swinburne of the My Weekly Pockets Novels was doing her session at the same time as the editing one, but I met up with Susan for lunch to find out how it went.
 |
Pocket Novelist
Susan Jones |
A copy of Susan's latest release was in every goody bag that all attendees received. Plus Susan was a walking promotional tool with her t-shirt and bags too!
Saturday evening was the Gala Dinner so everyone was dressed up- lots of sparkle.
The table was covered in little shapes: stars, hearts, and wine glasses in a myriad of metallic shades.
As you can imagine it was very warm so many moved outside after dinner into the slightly cooler air.
 |
My
Gala Dinner
Outfit... |
Sunday was another fantastic day.
There was a lot of laughing going on in the auditorium just after 9 am.
Liam Livings and Virginia Heath were holding a session called Sensual love scenes without stuffing the turkey.
Let's just say the names Roger and Fanny will be likely to cause hysterical laughter for some time...
There was a serious side to the session; how to use the senses in love scenes and avoiding awful metaphors- just don't mention red onions in plastic string bags!
 |
One of the
accommodation blocks |
Before the carvery Sunday lunch I attended a session by the Word Wenches: Two nations, one language of romance?
The Wenches were Mary Jo Putney (one of my long-term favourite writers), Patricia Rice, Andrea Penrose and the RNA's Nicola Cornick.
It was a very interesting discussion panel, and revealed a number of elements that showed the US and UK romance markets are no longer as wide apart as they once were.
There seems to have been a shift as sweet romances gain popularity. Patricia Rice said that publishers were ' cranking back on sex' in books.
At the end of the session I went over to say hello to Mary Jo Putney to tell her how much I'd enjoyed her books over the years- and I still have them (pre-ebooks), and I got a hug. She's a very witty and a smart lady, so it was wonderful to hear her and get an opportunity to say hello properly.
I learnt something from every session I attended across the weekend; and just having the time to mix with other romance writers and not have to worry about every day activities: like shopping, cooking and endless washing machine marathons, it made such a difference to me, both mentally and physically- no time for extra snacks.
Will I go next year? If I can, I will...
