#RWAus17 Conference Highlights - Love Gone Wild

#RWAus17 Conference Highlights - Love Gone Wild

Hey Everyone!

It's been a week since I got back from the Romance Writers of Australia conference and my head is still spinning. It was such a fabulous weekend, full of friends, food and lots of stuff that doesn't start with "f'". This was my second RWAus conference (you can read about last year's conference HERE).

So many highlights from this year's conference, here they are, in no particular order:

I received my first sale ribbon this year. (Although I almost missed the presentation ceremony - too busy gossiping with friends before the cocktail party...)

My first sale ribbon

The cocktail party theme this year was Love Gone Wild - so anything animal themed was the go. I decided to get my feathers on and be a lovely black and white bird (not one of those nasty magpies that used to swoop me on my way home from school). I was excited to meet fellow military wife and author, Cathryn Hein, at the cocktail party - though you couldn't miss her in her inflatable horse costume!

Me and Cathryn Hein at the cocktail party

I'm not a morning person, but I made the effort on the Friday morning to get up before the sun, dab some makeup on, apply mascara without poking myself in the eye, and make my way to the rooftop bar to join a group of romance writers and the crew from Channel Seven's Sunrise weather segment. I missed the first cross but stuck around for the rest of the morning as Sam Mac chatted about our conference and presented the weather. Being on live TV was a fun experience. I'd planned to stand in the background to bulk up the crowd but somehow found myself quoting a line from Don't Mean a Thing on camera. You can see that segment HERE 

Me, Alison Stuart, someone I didn't meet & Alli Sinclair waiting for the next Sunrise weather segment
(Photo credit: Diane Curran (owner of Bondage Bear as seen in the video link above)
On Friday evening, just before the cocktail party, I interviewed Tess Woods for an in conversation book signing event at Dymocks Brisbane as part of her book tour for Beautiful Messy Love (see raving about book HERE) I had a few questions prepared and the conversation flowed beautifully (the messy bit came when I attempted to eat some of the finger food after, dropped a bit, then kicked it under the book signing table so the Dymocks staff would think it was Tess - the love bit comes now - when Tess reads this post and still loves me). I'd been a bit nervous earlier, but after speaking on National TV earlier that day, I figured I could handle anything.

Me and Tess Woods in conversation
(Photo credit: Vanessa Carnevale)
What's a gathering of friends without a few selfies? Here's one of the many group photos from the weekend. Kindred spirits.
Lisa Ireland, Amanda Knight, Me, Sarah Lamb and Tess Woods
(Photo credit: Tess Woods)
One of the presentations on Saturday was relating dance to romance and a couple of ballroom dancers performed during that session, and also at the awards dinner. Yay! Some dancers to play with! I dragged them both onto the dance floor and had a ball.

Me, wearing my butterfly wrap, and Pauline, the ballroom dancer, at the Butterfly Ball
(Photo credit: Diane Curran)
I decided to get my vintage on for Sunday. Wearing a polkadot turban is one way to stand out in the crowd.

Vintage me