I should add that I had every intention of taking some pictures at RAW … until I realized about 50 miles up the interstate that I’d left my camera at home. Dumb, Jen, really dumb. :rolleyes:

So, unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures to share. Maybe next year.

I think the thing I like most about conferences is just meeting so many other people who love books. Everywhere you go, from standing in line at the buffet to riding up in the elevator, you can strike up a conversation with someone about who they’re reading, who they want to meet, who their favorite author is … it’s just awesome.

The bad thing about conferences is that I’m terribly with names. Seriously. Terribly. I remember people’s faces, but not their names. I also have a weird tendency to remember conversations about books and who people like to read. You’d think that would help me remember names … but not so much. So if we’ve met at a conference before and run into each other again, please remind me where we met and what kind of books we talked about. Then, perhaps the lightbulb will turn on.

Also, it can be disconcerting to have people stare at your chest to get a glimpse of your nametag. But you get used to it after a while.

Of course, there were more things I wished I’d been able to do at RAW. Talk to more of the authors, meet more readers, talk more about books. This is true of any conference I go to. But hey — a gal needs her beauty sleep.

So this is my wrap-up of RAW. Overall, a great conference for readers and authors. A big thumbs up. 😎

What about you guys? What are some of your favorite book conferences or fantasy cons? Share in the comments.

So I thought I’d share a little more about the RAW event. I’d never been to Huntington before, and I thought it was a cool college town. There’s lots of Marshall green everywhere.

After checking into the hotel, Wheezly and I walked around for a bit and got something to eat. The hotel is on the main downtown street, and there were lots of shops and restaurants within walking distance (i.e., right across the street), which was really convenient. Seriously, I thought the location could not have been better.

After that, I went down to the ballroom for that night’s dinner/mixer. Over the weekend, I talked to some folks I knew like Tina, a bookseller who now works for Sherrilyn Kenyon, Krista, a reader that I met at another event last year, and lots of other people I’ve seen at various events. I also met a lot of new people, including some folks who’d driven down from Toronto for the event.

Among the authors I got to talk to was Nalini Singh, who flew in from New Zealand and has a gorgeous accent. If you like a healthy dose of sci-fi in your romance, you should check out Nalini’s Psy-Changeling series. She’s also writing a new urban fantasy series and had some excerpt booklets at RAW. I picked up one of those and am looking forward to reading that. And that was about it for Friday night.

Saturday, of course, was the big booksigning. It was crazy, but in a good way. I don’t know how many books were sold at RAW, but I’m willing to bet it was up in the hundreds. J.R. Ward was there for the Saturday signing, and her line was looong. (I wanted to meet her, but it just didn’t happen). So were the lines for Lora Leigh and Jacquelyn Frank. Eventually, the three lines intersected in the middle of the room, forming a mass of readers.

Of course, my line was not nearly as long, but traffic was pretty steady. Lots of folks had me sign trade copies of Karma Girl and Hot Mama, and lots of other folks told me they were looking forward to trying the Bigtime books. So it was all good. 😎

Things finally started slowing down around 2:30/3 p.m., so I was able to go around and talk to some of the other authors, like Shirley Damsgaard, a very funny lady I met at an event last year. Shirley writes the Ophelia and Abby mysteries. I was also sitting next to Delilah Devlin, who writes westerns. I love me some westerns, and I’m definitely going to have to check out her books.

After the Saturday booksigning, there was a masquerade party/dinner. More food, more drinks, more conversation, more fun. Sunday was a bit quiet. Lots of folks left Sunday morning. I stuck around for part of the booksigning that afternoon and signed some more Bigtime books, including one for a lady who works with my aunt and was up in the area visiting friends/family. So that was nice that she came to the signing to get the latest Bigtime book. 

And that was a wrap for RAW. Overall, a very fun event with lots of folks who just love books and reading. I definitely plan to go back. :ww:

Sorry I’ve been incommunicado the past few days, but I went to the RAW (Readers and Authors Appreciation Weekend) event hosted by Lora Leigh on Sept. 19-21. The event was held in Huntington, W.V., the home of Marshall University (of We Are Marshall movie fame).

This was my first time at RAW, and it was a lot of fun. What makes RAW a little different from some of the other RWA conferences out there is this one is geared specifically for readers. There are no editor/agent appointments, no how-to-get-published workshops, and none of the stress that goes along with those things. Instead, there were a couple of dinners, a couple of book signings, and lots of free time for authors and readers and friends to get together.

If you’re looking for a more relaxed, informal event, I’d highly recommend this one. I plan on going back next year, if Lora will be kind enough to have me. 😎

For those of you interested in going next year, Lora said the event will be held the last weekend in September at the Pullman Plaza Hotel in Huntington, W.V. (the same place it was this year). Also, Lora is planning to open it up to 400 readers next year instead of capping it at 250 like she did this year. But things could change, so definitely check Lora’s Web site for more details as they become available.

More on RAW to come …