Smart Bitches Trashy Books | All of the romance, none of the bullshit.

I was volunteering at the RWA Registration Booth when a woman stopped by looking for credentials for a photographer. Her name was Heidi Benson, and she was from the SF Chronicle looking to write an article about the conference. She and I got to talking, and she told me she was so impressed with the conference, and having a good old time talking to everyone at RWA. In my estimation, she seemed like she was genuinely curious about the organization and the women who are writing and working within the genre, and didn’t seem to be starting from any specific assumption about romance novels, its writers, or the genre as a whole.

Thanks to Marta Acosta, I have a link to her article, which ran today (that’s a little late, no?) under the headline Romance-writing hopefuls discuss craft in S.F.:

Forget scones and Devonshire cream. Red meat is on the menu in the new generation of romance novels. According to fall book promotions, “the alpha male is back,” paired up this time with a “kick-butt heroine....”

...The genre couldn’t claim a 26.4 percent share of the book consumer market if it didn’t deftly reflect the times.

That vigor may be due, in part, to the member-supported Romance Writers Association, an authors’ advocacy group that cultivates talent. Regional chapters provide members with supportive communities and educational opportunities, while the annual conference offers face-to-face access to editors, agents and famous authors.

Benson’s article includes a quick examination of the subgenres in romance, and the manner in which authors market themselves online. It closes with a peek inside a workshop on writing the sex scene, and features Toni McGee Causey, CJ Lyons, and Roxanne St. Claire discussing the constructive use of a sex scene in a romance, as well as the construction of the scene itself.

Of course any media examination of romance novels will mention the sex, but this one seems a cut above, because it acknowledges the craft and the humor of the writers working that craft. The article did a better job than most I’ve read of revealing what RWA is: a whole mess of women mentoring one another in the process of creating romance fiction and potentially building a career out of that fiction.

Well played, Ms. Benson, well played.

Thanks to Katiebabs and Angie for the images. I think if someone hadn’t distracted us, we’d still be in the Borders manically Twittering.

Many, many people take photos at RWA. And you’ve seen really, really good ones at other sites, with beautiful folks in ball gowns noshing on all the chocolate in the universe at the RITA reception, authors meeting happy fans, and people queuing up to have books signed at the literacy signing. I don’t have many of those.

What do I have? LOLRWAs. Get ready. They’re terrible. Enjoy!

ETA: I forgot - many of these pictures were taken by Angie James. Thanks Angie!

Last night when I sat down to tell Hubby about the RWA Conference, I had to look at my calendar to remember where I was and at what time, because it was all one big exhausting blur. A big, exhausting, happy blur.

But there are a few things that are popping right in the front of my brain, and since I stinketh at writing comprehensive summaries of things, I want to note a few things.

Jill Shalvis said in the comments to the post I wrote about Jennifer Greene’s acceptance speech (which still makes me cry if I think about it) that “Moments like that are what make the Ritas for me.”

Agreed. And it’s larger than that. There is a lot of effort, exhaustion, and sometimes a small amount of drama surrounding RWA National, but moments like that one speak volumes about how extraordinary RWA as a community and an organization is. There are a lot of folks who have problems with it as a whole, and there are surely some things I would love to change or see addressed, but consider the amazing combination of elements that makes up the RWA National convention:

1. It’s a business conference
2. About writing
3. And demystifying the publishing process
4. And examining and educating writers and aspiring authors on writing techniques,
5. and business techniques
6. and marketing techniques
7. and how to schmooze successfully in the bar. (Very Important)
8. It’s a one-stop experience for a lot of aspiring folks, because there’s craft, sales, pitching, research, and marketing advice.
9. It’s a business conference dedicated to the business of writing.
10. Specifically, dedicated to the business of writing romance.
11. And it is—pay attention - this is the really crucial part.
12. Created, run, administrated, directed, supported, and attended by an audience of mostly
13. Women.

This was meant to be posted last night, but it was hung up in the place
where email goes and never comes out.

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The most powerful RITA moment for me was Jennifer Greene, who won for Best Novella. She told us that
after the story was published, her mother asked her to read her story aloud.
Her mother’s eyesight was failing, and the story was dedicated to her as
part of a Mother’s Day anthology.

When she finished reading, her mother said that having a daughter like her
was the highlight of her life. Ms. Greene said, “I lost her three weeks
later.”