I had the most fun at RT on Friday. My presentation was over, and I could just relax. It always takes me a couple of days to get into the swing of thing at conferences, and I hit my stride on Friday.

I started off the day by going to two urban fantasy panels and listening to folks like Kim Harrison, Jackie Kessler, and Mark Henry talk about the genre. Very cool stuff. I also introduced myself to Jackie and Mark after the first panel (we’re all members of Fangs, Fur, and Fey).

BTW, Kim Harrison looks just how I picture her character Rachel Morgan, except for Rachel’s freckles. But who knows? Maybe Kim has a charm to hide her freckles, just like Rachel does in the Hollows books. :joecool:

Then, it was time for the big awards luncheon, which I decided to go to at the last minute. I sat next to Robyn DeHart, who’s a fellow member of Smoky Mountain Romance Writers, and Pamela Kinney. We had fun talking about (what else) books and authors.

After lunch, I hung out with Wheezley (the significant other) for a while. Then, I went to the big editor and agent panel, hoping to put some faces with names. But it was so crowded I left after a few minutes. I ran into Jackie Kessler again and Michelle Rowen. The three of us hung out and talked for a while about books, authors, and our respective accents. I’m a southern girl, while Michelle is from Canada, and Jackie hails from New York. Other folks drifted by, including Jeri Smith-Ready and Rachel Vincent. (Jackie and Rachel probably thought I was stalking them by the end of the conference. I kept running into them. In the hall, in the bathroom, everywhere).

Later, I spotted Rachel talking with Kim Harrison and her husband, so I bucked up my inner fangirl and went and said hello to Kim and told her how cool I think her titles and books are. Kim is also writing a young adult urban fantasy series, which I’ll have to add to my TBR pile.

I ran into Susan Helene Gottfried again and Ann the librarian (who last name I cannot remember at the moment). We hung out for a while and talked about books.

Then, it was time for the Vampire Ball, where I ran into Christine McKay and Trista Ann Michaels again. After the ball started, I ended up sitting out in the hallway with Robyn DeHart and just people watching for a while. Once again, some of the costumes were just amazing.

That’s one of the things I love about conferences — there’s always something to see and do and people to meet and talk to. After people watching, I went upstairs to bed and got ready for the big Saturday book fair.

Up next: More RT.