Friday – the fourth day
This was the day of the Expo. It used to be on the Wednesday, I have no idea why they changed it. This year it was held in one of the ballrooms, and was good, at least it was for me. I did a lot of signing, talked about my books to people who wanted to know about them. I love to meet readers, and most of them are in the US. It’s my main reason for going. Not just of my books, of course, but all romance.
I was taken out to dinner by one of my publishers, Total E-Bound, and we had a great time. McCormick and Schmick’s, the restaurant was, and it is a very good one. Highly enjoyable.
Saturday – day five
The big book signing, the one where my voice goes completely. This year, it was quieter for me. There were a lot of visitors, but they wanted the YA stuff, not the books I write. The emphasis on the YA stream and graphic novels means that romance writers get less attention from the people visiting, which I think is a bit of a shame. But I would think that, wouldn’t I?
I sat next to the lovely Cat Adams, or half of the writing team that makes her up anyway, and several other Cougar authors, from the Tempt the Cougar series, sat close by. Lexxie Couper, Mari Freeman and Samantha Cayto were nearby.
And in the evening? Hold on to your hats, folks. A small group of us, four to be precise, were invited to observe at a BDSM club. No, I’m not into it, but I really wanted to see it. There is a lot I can’t divulge, because we signed an agreement not to. That’s totally okay with me. They deserve their privacy and some respect. The music was on a loop, a mixture of rock and trance, and there were some jaw-dropping performances, not just because of the nature of the club. One woman did a beautiful demonstration of flagellation, something I never thought I’d say, but it was really skillful, very impressive. And she didn’t leave a mark that I saw on her partner’s body. I did think the little socks the flagellant wore were a nice touch. Perhaps her feet get cold easily. She was wearing other clothes, but not much. Then the person doing the flagellation turned into a switch. With a change of hairstyle and clothes, she allowed someone else to flagellate her, again an interesting display. We watched a man use fire on a woman. It’s very rare, because of safety reasons, but it looked amazing.
The threesome getting busy in the seat next to me were a bit noisy at times. I could have done without the slurping. And the man with a very nice erection and little else who went to the fridge to get cold drinks suffered a little from the cold air of the fridge. Pity.
There is no alcohol allowed, but there is a cold drinks fridge and they gave us some really nice cookies. So that’s where you find great cookies in LA. While the lifestyle is not for me, I enjoyed watching it very much. I learned that it is in some ways a beautiful art, and that that BDSM people make great cookies.
Sunday – the last day
I was almost relieved. Today I finished packing and took stock of this year’s RT. Interesting. I met lots of people, got some requests for this and that, and met with a brand new publisher, which has some old friends in it. Yes, I’ve signed with Carina Press. Or at least not signed, because I can’t get the Internet, and I don’t have access to a printer yet, but I’m thrilled to be there, and to accept their offer for a contemporary thriller.
One word of warning. I used a company, Supershuttle, to get to and from the airport in San Francisco and in Los Angeles. In San Francisco they were great. Did exactly what they promised to do. In Los Angeles, not so much. The shuttle took two hours to get from the airport to my hotel, taking a circuitous route, and on the way to the airport, in many ways more important, although I’d allowed myself plenty of time, I was late for check-in. One driver was incredibly rude and another took me, but then we waited half an hour for another passenger, making us all late. It was like another company was involved.
LAX is huge, like most international airports, and once there, I had little trouble, although some of my luggage was too heavy. The people were helpful, and we got the problem sorted out.
While I was sorry RT had come to an end for another year, I think I achieved quite a bit. I made contact with friends and colleagues, some old, some new, and learned a bit more about the ever changing romance scene. I learned things you can’t learn online, just rumours, or atmospheres, talked to people who had useful information, gave a little myself. It’s definitely helped develop my career, though usually not in ways you can pin down.
And special thoughts to my friend and roomie, Desiree Holt, and to Susanna Kearsley, the other RNA member who braved the journey.
I have a few pictures!
The band, Run Devil Run, at the Viper Room.
Me and gun at the AFT demo
Samantha Cayto, Desiree Holt and Allie Standifer at the Ellora’s Cave ball. With interesting accessory!
The brilliant Bollywood dancers at the Ellora’s Cave ball
Kathy Andrico in her sekret fairy guise.
