Avon Romance - RWA 2016

RWA 2016 has begun in San Diego. I'm so sad not to be able to participate this year, but I've been following the Avon Authors who are there and the wonderful Avon Team as they talk about their experiences and offer advice.
They were LIVE today on Facebook. If you missed it, you can take a look below. Did you know that historical romance author Lenora Bell used to be a lounge singer in China? Just one of the fun facts you can pick by watching this video :)

2015 RITA Nominees

Yesterday was a big day for romance writers. It was the day that the 2015 RITA nominees were announced. For those of you who don't know what a RITA is, think of the Oscar, the Golden Globe or the Emmy. The RITA is romance's equivalent - the highest award of distinction any writer within the genre can receive, so yeah, it's a pretty big deal =)
A final round of judging will now take place and the winners will be announced at a black-tie awards ceremony during the RWA conference in NYC this coming July. Below is a list of the nominees - a truly fantastic line-up. Congratulations to everyone who made it this far!

2015 RITA Finalists

Best First Book
A Bollywood Affair
by Sonali Dev
Kensington Publishing
Martin Biro, editor
The Dress Thief
by Natalie Meg Evans
Quercus Publishing
Kathryn Taussig, editor
Fake

Having just returned from this year's RWA in Atlanta, I thought I'd share a few of my pictures with you. This was my first conference and while it was a bit overwhelming to begin with, I can honestly say that it was an incredible experience, not only because of what I learned while I was there, but also because of the friends I made. Avon had a wonderful program planned for everyone which included not only signings (one was even an e-book signing in cooperation with Autography) but also a great party with a super cool photo-booth opportunity!

The Literacy signing at RWA in Atlanta - July 17th

With the lovely Katherine Ashe at the Avon signing

Had a great time talking to Sarah MacLean at the Avon party. She won the Rita for best historical romance which I thought was very well deserved. Congratulations, Sarah!

Had a blast with Jennifer Ryan (photo-booth moment)

Check out the massive "blinking" ring on my finger! Avon had lots of goodies waiting for us at the party