What to Take to a Writing Conference

RWA is just around the corner (freaking out here!). 

In just over a week, I'll be flying to New York City for the annual conference. I can't wait! I'm also nervous, of course. 

https://images.app.goo.gl/GHJRpw4m4nGKhDdo9

Whether you're going to RWA, ACFW, or another writing conference, here are some tips I've gleaned from others as well as my own, albeit limited, experience.

What to take in your tote bag/big purse?

• Order business cards and any other printed promotional items early. Remember your business cards advertise your industry, which is YOU. Your card should include your name, tagline, and website information. Mine also includes a photo of me, my twitter handle, and my agent's contact info. If you do not have an agent, be sure to include your email address.
• If you're pitching to an editor or agent, you'll need one-sheets. I am not pitching anything this conference, but when I do, I use Vistaprint to print my one-sheets of my proposals. 
• Another tip? Memorize your elevator pitch. You never know when you'll have a chance to share it! I am not pitching anything, but I'm still memorizing something short and sweet to say about my newest proposal, just in case.
• Promotions for the goody room, if desired. I have bookmarks to share with others in the Goody Room.
• Something to keep business cards in--yours and the ones you receive. I put the ones I receive in a zipper pocket of my portfolio. You can also take photos of them with your phone.
• Charge your phone battery/camera. You'll want to take pictures of friends and your favorite authors!
• Snacks. Otherwise you'll stand in a huge line at the hotel Starbucks.
• Sanitizer, lotion, etc.
• $1 bills to tip with. There are a lot of people to tip: maids, airport shuttle drivers, cabbies, etc.
• Something to take notes with--your laptop or a notepad. If you forget a pen, don't worry. There will be one or two (thousand) in the goody room. ;)

What to wear? 

 This varies by person, but here are my thoughts:

• Business casual clothes. To some, this means denim; to others, it means skirt. You want to be comfortable and neat.
• I turn into a Garanimal. I pick clothes in the same color family so if something happens to one pair of pants, the world doesn't end (my usual is black, red, beige, white). Hopefully, I also pack less clothes this way. This year, however, I need to take more clothes than usual because of the RITA gala (I'm a finalist so you bet I'm wearing something fancier than I normally would!) and the Harlequin party, which has a "vintage" theme due to Harlequin's 75th birthday. However, everything I'm wearing goes with black--so I can limit my shoes, purse, etc. No beige pants this year, baby!
• Flat shoes, unless you're the type of person who is fine wearing heels all day long. I'm not.
• A shawl. I learned the hard way at my first RWA that conference rooms can get cold. My sweaters weren't enough and I ended up buying a black shawl in the gift shop when I already had one at home. A shawl is nice because you can shove it into your bag, and if you need it, you can wrap it around you like a blanket.
•  Also, remember your Bible, medications, water bottle, makeup, something to help you sleep, if necessary, and anything else you need to be cozy. Try to get some rest, too. At conference, there's always something going on. You have to say no to something. That's ok. Enjoy what you experience!

Susanne's RWA Report

Hi gang! Susanne here, and I am tired but happy! Just got back from Romance Writers of America's Annual Conference in gorgeous San Diego. (I am biased about my hometown, but it's a great place to be.)

The view from my room!

It was a blast. Wednesday I attended the Annual Meeting for Faith Hope And Love chapter, where the winners of the IRCA and Touched by Love Contests were announced. Congratulations to all!

Enjoyng a chance to meet 'online' friends. Here's the lovely Piper Huguley

RWA had some big news this year--The inspirational category for RWA contests will have a name change!

Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements

Novels in which religious or spiritual beliefs are an inherent part of the love story, character growth and relationship development and could not be removed without damaging the storyline. These novels may be set in the context of any religious or spiritual belief system of any culture.

Later, I passed out Bingo sheets for a Faith Hope & Love Chapter Bingo game at the Literacy Signing. If you stopped by the tables of the FHL members who were signing, you got a sticker of their book cover for your Bingo sheet. If you got Bingo, you could get entered to win a nice Amazon gift card!

The workshops were amazing, as usual. Soon I'll share a few highlights in another post, but a few of the workshops I attended were Series Bible: The Savior of a Long-Running Series, presented by Jaci Burton and Jill Shalvis; Chemistry by Sherry Thomas, and Winning the Promo Game (part of the PAN retreat).

Networking is always a fun and important part of writing conferences. The Harlequin Pajama Party offered just one of the many opportunities I had to catch up with old friends and make new ones!

Harlequin Pajama Party. Here I am with Rita Finalist, Kristi Ann Hunter...who went on to WIN! 

Some things were new to RWA this year, like The Swag Shoppe.

In the past, attendees were given a tote stuffed with free books when they arrived at the conference. The sponsored books represented a variety of genres: YA, historical, sweet, erotica, etc, so as you can imagine, not everyone wanted every book she received. What to do with those books you don't want? Well, some attendees took them home. Others started stacks in public areas so passersby/other attendees could take their extras.

To address the waste, this year attendees were given a voucher good for one visit to the Swag Shoppe. Once inside, we could take one of anything we wanted--but there was no going back. I scored a RWA 2016 beach towel, a selfie stick, a a BPA-free water bottle with a fruit infuser, and of course BOOKS!

The Swag Shoppe is not to be confused with the Goody Room, which was open to all attendees whenever they wanted to peek in. Authors could leave promotional swag for others to take, but the rules this year stated all items must be in a container--no leaving postcards, books, pens, magnets, band aids, etc on the table. I dropped by a handful of times to pick up swag. There is no excuse for not having a pen handy at RWA!

A milestone for me? I got to attend my first Harlequin party. WOW! Fancy! It was held at the Omni hotel nearby.

All Glammed up with Kristan Higgens, Deb Kastner and Lisa Carter

And while we're talking fancy, I have to mention the Gala. RITA and Golden Heart winners were announced--congratulations to the winners! Special congrats go out to Kristi Ann Hunter who won the Inspirational category with her debut novel, A Noble Masquerade.

Here I am with LI authors Jolene Navarro and Belle Calhoune!

I look forward to going through my notes, processing, and applying what I've learned--and looking up all my new friends on Facebook! But today, I think I'll take a nap first.

***

Susanne Dietze began writing love stories in high school, casting her friends in the starring roles. Today, she's the award-winning author of over half-dozen historical romances who's seen her work on the ECPA and Publisher's Weekly Bestseller Lists for Inspirational Fiction. Married to a pastor and the mom of two, Susanne loves fancy-schmancy tea parties, cozy socks, and curling up on the couch with a costume drama and a plate of nachos. 

Happy 6th Blog-o-versary To Us!

It's been 6 years since Gina Welborn realized a dream of bringing a group of female inspirational writers together for the purpose of friendship and support by way of the Inkwell Inspirations blog. Read Gina's inaugural blogpost where she introduced us to the world.

A mere couple of weeks later in September 2009, several of us met for the first time at the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) conference in Denver, Colorado. The conference is now our annual destination for get-togethers - a time for tears and laughter as we share our rejections, accomplishments, and bloopers - a physical embodiment of Gina's dream.

Inktropolis has never been stagnant. As time passed, opportunities arose, and priorities changed. Some initial members moved on, and others took their place. And some of us have been there from the start.

ACFW Dallas 2012: (L to R) Lisa Richardson, Jennifer AlLee, Gina Welborn, Anita Mae Draper, and Dina Sleiman (in front)

Just because some Inkies can't make it to conference, doesn't mean they are forgotten.

ACFW Indianapolis 2013: The whole Inkwell Inspirations crew in flesh and spirit after Friday night's Genre Dinner. (Standing L to R) Jennifer AlLee holding photo of Dina Sleiman, Barb Early, Lisa Karon Richardson holding photo of Niki Turner, Anita Mae Draper, Gina Welborn, Susan Johnson holding photo of DeAnna Dodson. (Sitting L to R) Susanne Dietze, Debra E Marvin holding photo of C.J. Chase

Whether it's news of an award nomination or result, or the offer of a contract, we've prayed for each other and offered tears of comfort and congratulations regardless of the results.

And speaking of contracts, we have news to share. Three years ago, eight Inkies decided to create a novella series we called, Austen in Austin, where we took 8 Jane Austen heroines and transplanted them in late 19th century Texas. This past June, WhiteFire Publishing contracted all eight of our novellas and Inky joy flowed.

Thanks WhiteFire Publishing! And thank you to Roseanna White for designing our fabulous book covers and promotional aids.

Volume 1 contains novellas by Susanne Dietze, Anita Mae Draper, Debra E. Marvin, and Gina Welborn, and releases January 2016!

But best of all, the paperback version of Volume One is available for pre-order on Amazon right now!

Volume Two will follow along in September 2016 with novellas by Suzie Johnson, Lisa Karon Richardson, Dina Sleiman, and Niki Turner. And coming soon are the complete volumes, as well as individual novellas in ebook format.

As for the Inkies as a group, publication of the Austen in Austin series means every Inky has now reached publication status! Yay!!!

We want you to share our success! Leave a comment on this blogpost before midnight tomorrow Sept 1st, 2015, and we'll draw one name for each $25 Amazon gift card.

Yes, that's 2 winners!


The Inkies will be giving away Austen in Austen Volume One postcards while at the ACFW conference in Dallas, TX this September. If you see us there, just ask and it's yours.

Don't forget to leave a comment with a way of contacting you and we'll put your name in the draw for one of the $25 Amazon gift cards.

Summer Plans Hits and Misses

by Anita Mae Draper

Back in Feb I posted about Write Canada and other Summer Plans including all the touristy things I wanted to do on my June trip to Ontario. Well, I'm back to tell you what I was able to do/see and what I had to miss.

Ontario Trip 2015 along Great Lakes North Shore

All total, I put 7,000 km (4,350 miles) on my Ford Flex without a single mechanical or tire mishap. Gas prices were cheapest here in Saskatchewan, and most expensive in Northwest and Northern Ontario, followed closely by the Greater Toronto Area.

Icebergs on Alona Bay, Ontario

My main goal was to attend the Write Canada Conference in Toronto and hopefully win an award. I attended, but came away empty handed. 

Because I drove along the northern shore of the Great Lakes I wasn't able to:

- Drive past CFB North Bay 

- Ride the 1908 Herschell-Spillman carousel, North Bay 

- Ride the Portage Flyer Steam Locomotive, Huntsville
- Cruise Muskoka on a steamboat 

Due to my writing schedule and lack of time, I wasn't able to:

- Take a one-day Apprentice Workshop at Black Creek Pioneer Village, Toronto

- meet Inky Deb and Inky Barb at Niagara Falls 

- visit my aunt and cousins on the northern route

However, by skipping all the touristy things, I was able to attend the Ontario Genealogical Society (OGS) Conference in Barrie and part of that was a tour and research afternoon at the Simcoe County Archives. From information attained there, I visited area cemeteries and took photographs of headstones belonging to my husbands' family, early pioneers in the Dalston area. 

With the OGS conference over, I headed south and made my home base in Newmarket. From there, I travelled the main thoroughfares and backroads of Georgina and East Gwillimbury. I especially wanted to photograph the family headstones so I could use the pics on my blog and ancestry without infringing on anyone else's copyright. But that was a tall order in itself. Take the Queensville Cemetery as an example... of the 1050 interments, about 300 headstones belong on the Draper family tree. 

French Silk Lilac and Hemlock at Queensville Cemetery

And speaking of trees, everywhere I looked the French Silk lilac trees were in bloom, filling the air with their perfumed scent. In the photo above, the huge hemlock, so important to our pioneers, will be a constant reminder of my time in Ontario for we don't have them growing out here on the prairies. 

Deuce-and-a-half Student Driver, near Angus, Ontario

One day I travelled to Wasaga Beach to meet with one branch of the family and afterwards as I headed back to Newmarket, I got in behind a deuce-and-a-half with a Student Driver sign on the back. What a flashback to October 1975 when I spent 3 weeks driving up and down these very same roads while taking driver training with staff from Camp Borden. At  2 1/2 tons, the deuce-and-a-half was the largest vehicle I learned to drive, but I also learned to drive a jeep and a regular staff car which happened to be a station wagon in those pre-van days.

Peacekeepers Park, Angus, Ontario

I kept an eye out for Peacekeepers Park while driving through Angus because a cousin of mine had served and died in Afghanistan back in 2008 and I'd seen pics of his name on the memorial. Pte Colin William Wilmot was a 24 yr old medic when he died after an explosive device detonated near him. Thank you, Angus Legion, for creating this memorial.

Another meeting that made the trip special was visiting Myrtle Jean, a 1st cousin 1x removed of Nelson's, who had celebrated her 100th birthday just 3 wks before. I have to say that I asked many questions of life back in Myrtle Jean's day and thoroughly enjoyed our conversation. 

Every 2-3 days I had scheduled meetings with family members, etc, and since I had to pass the Queensville Cemetery along the way, I would stop off along the way and spend an hour or two graving - that's headstone hunting - and I'd quit when my knees and back hurt too much to continue. Even so, I wasn't nearly done by the time I had to drive back home. 

Most headstones face east because people are buried with their feet facing the east. And then there's the Holborne-Glover Cemetery with the Glovers on one side facing off with the Holborne's on the other. What's even funnier is that about 99% are in hubby's family tree. 

Lake Simcoe, Ontario, 2015

I drove along Lake Drive on the southern shore of Lake Simcoe while travelling to cousin Dee's house. As I drove, I took pics of the lake as well as the range of residences lining the road, dreaming of a time when I'll get to relax on a lakeside dock, sharing time and memories.

Family memorials at St Georges Church, Sutton

I visited St Georges church in Sutton where an episode of Murdoch Mysteries was filmed, and took many photos including those pertaining to the headstone of my husband's 1st cousin 1x removed, Cliff Thompson, his wife Hope Sibbald Seale, and their son, Danny. Now that I have my own photos, I need to go to my post, Murdoch on Location in Georgina, and update the images. 

Georgina Pioneer Village Office & Archives

Two full days of research kept me at the Georgina Pioneer Village & Archives where curator, Melissa Matt, called me a sponge for soaking up everything she put in front of me. Thank you, Melissa and girls for helping me with my research. You are a treasure!

Georgina Pioneer Village & Archives

Several more days were spent at local libraries where I devoured local history books, bound newspapers, microfiche, etc. On the whole, I thought the libraries were very good except for one librarian who insisted I use the modern name of Town of Georgina when referring to the old township of North Gwillimbury. I said that all the history books haven't changed because we have to use whatever name it was at the time. She didn't seem to understand and still insisted I refer to it by its new name. Since it was soon apparent that I knew more about the local history of the area than she did, I decided she just wasn't into history and left it at that. 

The tools I used to capture photos and documents while on this trip were my Samsung Galaxy tablet for the bigger ones, and my FlipPal 5"x7" scanner for the smaller stuff. I am so thankful I have these, an I can say that several people were amazed at the portability and ease of the FlipPal. 

I was gone for 35 days and it went by too fast. Like I said earlier, I didn't get all the graving done that I wanted, but I had to hurry home for a deadline and work must come first.

So, what are your summer plans and do you think they'll turn out the way you planned?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anita Mae Draper is retired from the Canadian Armed Forces and lives on the prairie of southeast Saskatchewan, Canada with her hubby of 30 plus years and the youngest of their four kids. Anita's short story, Here We Come A-Wassailing, published in A Cup of Christmas Cheer, Volume 4, Heartwarming Tales of Christmas Present, Guideposts Books, October 2014, was a finalist for the Word Guild's 2015 Word Awards. Anita is represented by Mary Keeley of Books & Such Literary Management. You can find Anita Mae at  www.anitamaedraper.com

Travel Gems Including World Wide Knit in Public Day

by Anita Mae Draper

I've been on the road since May 22 with another week or so to go and let me say it's been a full schedule. But I wanted to tell you about a gem I found when and where I least expected it. That's what a gem is, isn't it? Something precious amidst the common?

My agenda had taken me from my home province of Saskatchewan, across Manitoba, and into Ontario where I drove along the northern shore of Lake Superior and Lake Huron until I reached cottage country. After a brief weekend in Barrie to attend the Ontario Genealogical Society conference I headed south to explore the agricultural land of our family history.

June 10th found me driving south again to attend the Write Canada conference in North York, a suburb of Toronto, but which has been absorbed into Canada's largest city. The day was wet and dreary, concrete and glass grew where once farms had stood, and all I wanted was to get to my hotel room and vegetate for a while. But I still had miles to go, and with every mile, the buildings filled in more of the space.

When I finally got to the hotel, I had to drive down into the parking garage. I can tell you I wasted no time getting my things and leaving my vehicle, although I did remember to take iphone pics of my car with a numbered post beside it, as well as the number of the parking level.

And then finally... finally ... I opened the door of what would be my sanctuary for the next few days. As I drew open the drapes, I caught my breath. The clouds had blown aside and sun was shining down on a welcoming garden and grass scene. I took some pics and posted one on  facebook.

Later, as I gazed down, I saw a picket fence leading to a well-mulched garden. Of course, a picket fence is something quite common in a small town, but it's not often you see one surrounded by hi-rise office and apartment buildings.

However, this area seemed to have an Asian presence and that was reflected in the zen-like quality of the park on the west side of the wall that connects to the parking garage in the bottom left corner of the image. Over time I realized the park is not on a level, but rises as you enter on the bottom right, leveling off as you approach the wall, and then declines into the garden on the other side. The left side is referred to as Gibson Square.

This side of the wall is called, Gibson Park and once I saw that, I did some research and found that this land had once been the estate of Scottish immigrant David Gibson. A land surveyor who helped map early Toronto, Gibson built an 1851 Georgian mansion in what had been at that time a rural community.

Now called the Gibson House Museum, visitors can experience this elegant 1851 farmhouse through recipes and daily activities such as dipping candles and weaving on a loom. School groups are especially welcome.

In case you're wondering, the above photo isn't the side that I was looking at from my window. Here's a view of the Gibson House and the Novotel North York Hotel where I was staying. That triangular-shaped arch is on the hotel side of the street although it looks very close to the Gibson House.

And here's a news flash that at least one of our Inkies will appreciate... Sundays at Gibson House are special because it's the weekly get-together of the Keeping You in Stitches knitting and crochet group (Sep - Jun only), but June 21st is extra special because the group will bring their chairs out onto the lawn to celebrate World Wide Knit in Public Day! Yay!!!

Can't you just see everyone knitting outside? Or on the verandah in inclement weather?

We want to hear those knitting needles clicking everywhere this Sunday, so pass it on!

Have you ever participated in World Wide Knit in Public Day? Would you like to?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anita Mae Draper is retired from the Canadian Armed Forces and lives on the prairie of southeast Saskatchewan, Canada with her hubby of 30 plus years and the youngest of their four kids. Anita's short story, Here We Come A-Wassailing, published in A Cup of Christmas Cheer, Volume 4, Heartwarming Tales of Christmas Present, Guideposts Books, October 2014, is a finalist for the Word Guild's 2015 Word Awards. Anita is represented by Mary Keeley of Books & Such Literary Management. You can find Anita Mae at  www.anitamaedraper.com

Write Canada and other Summer Plans

by Anita Mae Draper

It's a cold February day and although the sun is still low at its apex, it's brighter than it's been for months. A seed catalogue  arrived in last week's mail. And I'm coming out of a slump that had me hiding through Jan and carried into Feb. But spring is on its way and my Inky blogmates are already talking about this year's conference schedules.

I've made up my mind. I'm going east. Yep, I've decided to take in the Write Canada conference June 11-13 in Toronto, Ontario. Hosted by The Word Guild, Write Canada is billed as Canada's largest Christian Writers' Conference. Several of the faculty members are familiar to me, and I know a bunch of other Canadian authors who will probably go. That helps as this will be my first time attending.

So why did I choose a conference with a couple hundred attendees instead of the two thousand who will be attending RWA in New York this year?

Simple... I get to drive. I get to drive through the beautiful, rocky Canadian Shield where the scent of trees leaves me dizzy with memories. I get to drive through places I love, places I was grew up in, places that make me feel like I've come home.

TransCanada Hwy 1 near the Manitoba/Ontario border, 2013

In Aug 2013 my sister Bonnie and I took a wild ride into Ontario which I then blogged about in Memories of Rocks, Trees, and Lakes. Of course, there are lots of other pics in the post, but that title just about sums it up. Our journey took us 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles) in 8 days.

This time I won't be rushed. At least, that's not the plan. Yes, I'll stop to visit relatives along the way like I usually do, but this time I will go way farther. At least an extra day travel  - 2 if I stop to take pics. And you know me and my camera...

I'm going to drive past my first military posting at CFB North Bay - it's the place where Nelson and I met, married, and celebrated out first child.

Nelson holding Crystal under the North Bay Gateway of the North Arch, 1979

An hour south, and I'll enter the area where much of Nelson's heritage comes from. Since we've been working on his family tree for our kids, I'm going to use this time to visit as many museums, libraries, and cemeteries as I can. And relatives. At least one cousin has offered their home to me and then threatened me if I didn't stay. I'm getting excited to see her again since it's been at least thirty years since I've been in that area. Yeah, I know... a long time between visits.

Once I'm near Toronto, I would love to make a sidetrip down to Niagara Falls. It was another one of the places Nelson and I visited when we got news of our imminent posting to the West. While looking through the photos of that trip where we hauled around our little Scamper trailer, I saw this one and realized it was our first 'selfie'.

Anita, Nelson, and Crystal Draper, 1979, Niagara Falls, Ontario. 

On Feb 5th I blogged about the 1912 Niagara Falls Ice Bridge over on the HHHistory blog and all that research sure brought back the memories. In this next photo, I'm standing beside the Horseshoe Falls looking downriver toward Laura Secord's homestead - a few miles away. You can see the Bridal Veil, and then the American Falls on the right, and then the Observation Tower. On the left is the Canadian Skylon Tower. Between them spans the Niagara Falls International Rainbow Bridge.

Looking downriver from the Horseshoe Falls with the Bridal Veil and
American Falls on the right, 1979, Niagara Falls, Ontario. Photo by Anita Draper.

I'm showing this because Inkies Barb and Deb both live in New York and we're discussing where we can meet. I hate to admit that I don't know exactly where they live, so Niagara Falls might be out of their way, but it would be a quick jaunt across the Rainbow Bridge - foot traffic - if we decide to meet here. If they're closer to the eastern end of Lake Ontario, that would be okay too, because I'd love another gander at Old Fort Henry in Kingston. Really, it doesn't matter where we meet - I just want to spend time with them.

Here are some other things I'd like to do:
- Ride the Portage Flyer Steam Locomotive, Huntsville*

- Cruise Muskoka or Lake Simcoe in a steamboat*

- Ride a moose on the 1908 Herschell-Spillman carousel, North Bay
- Take a one-day Apprentice Workshop at Black Creek Pioneer Village, Toronto

*This was something common back in the days of Nelson's grandparents, which was often referred to in their letters and in the local paper. A 127 year old steamboat still cruises the Muskoka district, and although I'm not sure what type is on Lake Simcoe, the location has to do with a future story and I really think a lake cruise will help my research. 

There are too many things I'd like to do, and I still need to figure out if I want to do my visiting before Write Canada or after. Usually, I'm too busy before a conference preparing my pitch, paperwork, and wardrobe. Yet afterwards, I'm keyed up and anxious to get back to my writing. 

And it will be a lo-o-o-o-ng way back!

What do you think? Should I play the touristy researcher before or after?

I'll sign off with one more photo I took on that long ago trip to Niagara Falls...

Horseshoe Falls, Niagara Falls, Ontario, 1979. Photo by Anita Draper

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anita Mae Draper is retired from the Canadian Armed Forces and lives on the prairie of southeast Saskatchewan, Canada with her hubby of 30 plus years and the youngest of their four kids. Anita's stories are set, but not limited to the western prairies. She is blessed to be included in Guideposts Books A Cup of Christmas Cheer collection. Anita is represented by Mary Keeley of Books & Such Literary Management. You can find Anita Mae at  www.anitamaedraper.com