This blog post is a bit late, but nonetheless, I have returned from #RWA19 (Romance Writers of America Conference) and had a blast! The following blog post will be a play-by-play of my time in the Big Apple, and an update on the Amateur Makeover progress!

Tuesday: July 23, 2019

Below, you will find a gallery of some of the pictures I took on our first day.

The train left surprisingly promptly at 6:05am. Let me tell you, if you have not traveled by train before, you're missing out. It was a ton of fun, and it was CHEAP.

We rolled into Penn Station around 11:30am, and made the trek to the Marriott Marquis, which was not but a 15ish minute walk from the train station. The hotel is MASSIVE. Floors upon floors, complete with not just conference space, but a whole dang theater. Luckily, the front desk clerk checked us into our room early, and what a helluva view of Times Square!

After settling in, we then ventured out to take part in a Masquerade themed escape room at Escape Rook Madness. This room made our 20th (or maybe 21st?). Regardless, we put another win in our books. Without giving away clues to the room, I have to say, it was very impressive. Highly recommend if you are ever in Manhattan, and finding some down time.

As it turned out, the Masquerade theme was wildly appropriate for the next event of the evening. First, though, we partook in Junior's, which was AMAZING. So good. The milkshakes were on point, and the burger was heavenly. Next, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.

GUYS, I am not a musical theater person by any stretch, but one of my all time faves if POTO. To see it on Broadway, complete with falling chandelier, made this entire trip, to be honest. Thanks for treating me to tickets, Kathryn!

As a side note, spotted Tracey Morgan eating at Junior's. This ticks off yet another celebrity siting in NYC.

Wednesday: July 24, 2019

Wednesday was the official start of the conference. After grabbing our registration bags, we sought out some lunch (BLT at this great diner). Like my name tag? They had alllll these cool ribbons you stack, so you know how to identify people. For instance, this was my first RWA conference, hence the first timer ribbon. "Pantser" means an author crafts their novel without plotting ahead of time. I think I consider myself more of a "Plantser" which is combining Plotter/Pantser, but they didn't have those ribbons. Some people had cleverly cut up the ribbons to make their own "Plantser" tag. The other ribbons are meant to denote what genres someone primarily writes in.

After a three hour long "Anatomy of a Scene" workshop, Kathryn and I decided to take the express elevator up to The View, which is a rotating restaurant. Not gonna lie, felt really lightheaded and motion sick, which is very much a rare thing for me. Boats, planes, cars, etcetera, I'm fine. But something about the elevator and the slow movement had me feeling some kind of way. Regardless, it was super cool, and afforded a gorgeous view of the city.

Thursday: July 25, 2019

Day Two of the conference consisted of more workshops! I definitely learned some very interesting tips to incorporate into my writing. The Golden Heart Luncheon also happened on this day, which meant unpublished authors were being awarded prizes for their work. Dinner was John's of Time Square, which is a restaurant built into an old church. It was an incredibly beautiful place, and the pizza was... whooo. Lemme tell you.

Friday: July 26, 2019

I have to admit that of all the days, Friday was my favorite.

Since I was a junior in high school, I've been reading this phenomenal series by J.R. Ward. I have a high school friend of mine to thank for getting me into these books. It is a paranormal series about a secret race of vampires that aren't your average bloodsuckers. Oh no, they're more than that. Without going into too many of the details, these books I've been reading for going on 16 years, have truly gotten me through some tough ass times. Jennifer L. Armentrout gave the keynote address at the continental breakfast this Friday morning. In her speech, Jennifer got really deep and personal about the power of books. These books by J.R. Ward are truly powerful to me. She has made this vast body of work that seems nearly real, and the characters like family. It was truly an honor (and a laugh, because this woman is f**king hysterical), to have gotten a chance to hear her speak and to pose for a picture with her.

My mind reeling, feeling invigorated and inspired, lunch was spent at an Irish Pub called the Mean Fiddler. Of course, I had to have a Guinness. On the way back to the hotel, I caught sight of the Scientology building. I didn't want to go inside, lest I was unable to leave.

The day/night was far from over, though. Kathryn and I got dolled up and attended the RITA awards, basically the Oscars for Romance writers. It was another great honor to see J.R. Ward win a RITA for Dearest Ivie (this was like her 3rd or 4th!). The entire award ceremony was amazing and inspiring, despite the fact it was mired in controversy over the fact that most of the nominees were white women. It was cool, however, to see the first black women win a RITA. Observing this, and getting down at the after party, made me realize these women (and some men) are truly my tribe. I realized, as well, two things:

I want to be a Romance author.
I want to win a RITA (and preferably have J.R. Ward present it to me).

It was sad to leave New York skyline behind, but I left with a different mindset. On the train ride home, Kathryn helped me to outline a new story idea. I won't say much, but I am pretty excited about it... if only I could actually start writing it!

Amateur Makeover: Home Office Edition Update

Within the next week, I wager, the new flooring will be in the home office! I'll be able to share some pictures of the new flooring, and then the finished product! Still need to get to IKEA for some bookshelves, but it WILL be complete, and WILL be my little writing sanctuary.

I think I'll actually need to get some plants...

And hopefully not kill them.

Ciao friends!

Jenn

P.S. MY BEST FRIEND'S BOOK WAS PUBLISHED TUESDAY! Check it out at her website!