As my loyal readers know, this blog is dedicated to history as entertainment. But every now and then I think it's good to diversify. Since my return from the RT Booklovers Convention in Kansas City, I've had many curious questions about how it went. So here goes...
First of all, a little history (sorry, the historian in me can't resist). RT stands for Romantic Times and it's an organization that was created by lovers of romantic stories. They review and promote books, encourage writers, provide a community for readers and, for the last 30 years, sponsor a major convention. Each year, their convention comes to a different city. This year they were in Kansas City. Next year they will be in New Orleans.
Anybody who's an avid reader knows that its nice to venture out of your reading comfort zone and pick up a book from a different genre every now and then. For that reason, the RT Convention began several years ago to open its doors to genres other than romance. Of course, the stock and trade of their convention remains romance, but now readers and writers of thrillers, mysteries, horrors, young adult, coming of age, inspirational, new adult (late teens/early twenties), paranormal and many other genres are encouraged to attend the RT Convention.
My novel LONG LIVE THE KING: Book One of the Charlemagne Saga was published this year in the thriller genre. Being an author who doesn't typically write in the romance field, I wasn't sure what to expect at RT. And to be honest, for the first several hours I thought I'd made a big mistake in coming. The vast majority of attendees were women...I'd estimate 40 women to every one male (great odds if you're single, but I'm not). Most of the books being promoted were romance and/or erotic...not my typical fare. But the main reason I questioned my decision to attend was because it was unlike any book event I'd ever been to. Since my novel's release, I've attended book festivals in Baltimore, Boston, Tampa Bay, Miami, Charlottesville, Tucson, Fort Meyers, and Venice (Florida). All these events were wonderful and my book was well-received, but RT was a convention, not a festival. At RT I would not be allowed to sell my book the way I did at the festivals...and that meant less book sales to off-set the cost of attending the event.
Fortunately, all my concerns were put to rest once I started talking to people. Like most book events I've attended, the people were friendly, helpful and patiently tolerant of my confusion. What set RT apart, however, was the...I don't know how else to say it...the egalitarianism of it all. Fans and authors mixed freely, frequently and casually. At this point, one may say, "well, of course, what's the big deal? It's not like the authors are Brad Pitt or President Obama." While that's true, there are some really big authors out there who, in any another setting, would be mobbed by fans or hounded by reporters...think Stephen King, John Grisham, J.K. Rowling. While these authors weren't at the convention, other notable, million + selling authors were...and they were hanging out in the bar, the lounge, the hallways and in the elevators with the rest of us. And they freely gave advice or answered the questions of anyone who asked.
While it was nice to hobnob with the big wigs of my chosen field, I must admit that I was equally excited about the freebees...and there were lots of them. Most of the 400 + authors who were in attendance came to promote their books, so they gave away a lot of swag that included, pens, magnets, posters, shot glasses, candies, gum, DVDs, toys, trinkets, t-shirts, etc. Several publishers sponsored events that ranged from a disco night to a breakfast, dinners, food and wine social and many, many sweets. Bestselling paranormal romance author Heather Graham sponsored a fright night themed event and Avon Publishers gave away an estimated $70,000 worth of free books that have not yet been released. If you enjoy books and entertainment related freebees, this event was like ten Christmases rolled into one.
To be honest, I met so many cool people and best-selling authors, that its hard to remember them all. Fortunately, I saved a program which lists the authors. So, in the interest of name dropping, I'll mention a few of the authors I spoke to, hung out with or ran into. If you don't know their names, you will most certainly know their work...just look it up on the internet. Some of the authors include: David Morrell, Andrew Peterson, John Scalzi, Robyn Carr, Brenda Jackson, Sylvia Day, Jude Deveraux, Cherry Adair, Heather Graham, Mary Burton, Julie Garwood, Ilona Andrews, Alyssa Day, Ann Voss Peterson, Brenda Novak, A.C. Arthur...there are countless more, but I think you get the point. Also, E.L. James, the author of Fifty Shades of Grey was there, but I didn't see her.
Oh, and I forgot to mention...for you women out there...there were numerous male cover models (the ones found on the covers of romance/erotic books) walking around without their shirts on...not my cup of tea, but whatever.
Anyway, such was my adventure at the RT Convention. As I mentioned, next year's event will be held in New Orleans and if the RT people can turn Kansas City into a wild place, imagine what they can do with The Big Easy. I, for one, will be there to find out.
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