For those of you who don't know (and probably don't care), the Romance Writers of America is holding their national conference next week in Reno, Nevada. Over two thousand folks in one place because they love writing romances. Over two thousand people who get it, who can understand unlike anyone else. It's a little bit of heaven.

Here's a bit of insight into my non-published-gal's week. I arrive on Tuesday, to hopefully get checked into the hotel and registered at the conference before the rest of the world arrives on Wednesday. (Approximately 2100 attendees are expected this year. Most of them women.) Wrestle suitcase with pouches and post-its to the goodie room and set some out.

Tuesday night, meet up with Arwen, who will do my tarot reading, and see Cai too, Arwen's roomie and president of From The Heart Romance Writers, my online chapter. On the way back to my room, look up any/all folks and say hi!

Wednesday, 8am Chapter President's Retreat. As I'm VP, I'm going this year. It runs to 3pm and involves lunch, so that's All Good. Then things get a bit frantic. I believe there's a FTH gathering at Chevy's at 3:30. At 5, I need to show up to help set up for the literacy signing - over 200 authors, signing! This is exhausting and sometimes dirty work. Must remember to bring my grubbies. At some point, I'll slip out and change. Then I spend the rest of the time (until 8:30) running hither and yon, delivering water to thirsty authors and helping with crowd control. At 9pm, thoroughly exhausted, I'm off to a party in Trish's room (LARA), where we'll gather to gab and practice pitches while intoxicated. Sounds fun, no? End up back in my room at midnight, exhausted.

Thursday, 8am PRO Retreat until 11:30am. Last year, Jennie Crusie spoke and was fabulous! This year, they're doing cold crits of the first pages of a manuscript - Editors, that is - and agents are doing cold crits of query letters. I've sent in my first manuscript page months ago, so we'll see if I get picked. Eek! Then just before it ends, I need to slip out to the ball room where lunch is being held, and work the lunch - putting books on each chair (ten chairs to a round table, 200 plus tables - ouch) before collapsing and eating lunch while Debbie Macomber speaks. After lunch is the Annual General Meeting, which I've really gotta go to, and then at 3:30 in Chevy's is the Brainstorming D's meeting, yay! I've got my brain pin and am ready to meet these wonderful folks. At 5, I've got a moderator meeting to go to, then moonlight madness starts at 8 and goes to midnight. We're selling t-shirts and book thongs and ribbons - should be fun, but I'll have to cut out at just before ten, to go to an open circle (wiccan-based). I may be exhausted by the time I get there, but when I get out I'll be buzzing with the energy we generate. It's AMAZING. So I probably won't sleep until after midnight.

Friday - I moderate a panel at 9:45 - 10:45, and try to squeeze in a few panels that I want to see before I have to leave at 11:15 to set up for lunch again (though I may give that one a miss...). After lunch, it's nerves time - my editor appointment is at 2:30, my agent appointment is at 3pm, so pretty much I'll be a mess until after those are over. And after they're over, I'll be high with excitement if all goes well - so I've got my hopes up. Then more panels, if I can slip back into the groove of things. FTH has our annual meeting/party at 6pm, and I'll be moving between that room and the PRO loop room, where they're having a catered dinner. I'm not going to that, but I'll horn in after they've eaten so I can say hi to folks.

More panels at 7:45 - there's one that's a two hour panel that I want to go to. Again with the collapsing thing, after a stop in the bar to say hi to all and sundry.

Saturday - my relaxing day! Only working lunch (again). Will go to as many panels as I can see - especially the spotlights on HQ and hopefully NAL or St. Martin's. We'll see. But I'll be skipping the last panel at 4:30, as I'll need time to take a quick shower, freshen up, and get dressed for the evening's festivities. Dinner at 6pm for all, then the awards ceremony at 8pm - 10pm. AFterwards, there's the dessert buffet - a last chance to say hi, hug folks, pass business cards. Again, up to at least midnight, depending upon whose room I end up in afterwards.

Oh, that's the other thing. You're always passing business cards. ALWAYS. I finally did it smart this year and had Vistaprint.com do them - they look really hot! So that's one worry off my hands.

Sunday - get up godawfully early to catch a shuttle to the airport, and climb on a plane for home. Change in San Francisco (I got a terrible flight) and make it home in time for tea, so to speak. And spend the next week in a state of limbo, having done too much and learned too much to process it all.

And then, it's time for a vacation! So it all works out in the end.

How does my experience differ from the published gal? She goes to more parties, sometimes several scheduled at the same time. If she's lucky, it's all right there in the hotel. I plan on being able to cover it all from the pubbed-eye-view next year. Woo! Can't wait!