Romance University Conference Day 2

9:14 PM |

This is the day the conference truly starts to hop. Thousands of women converge on the hotel from every state and dozens of countries around the world. The hotel lobby hummed with an increase of excitement as friends greeted each other, some for the first time in person. Others looked for fellow chapter members to connect and register. Lines were everywhere. Where yesterday we could still get on the elevator without a wait, today the lines before each elevator had grown exponentially. Here's what I do not understand - there is an electronic keypad where the guest types in their floor. Then the keypad tells them which elevator to take - from A to Z. One would think it would calculate the number of requests for an elevator and then direct others to one of the empty elevators but it does not. You must wait for that elevator to close to punch in your number again and then wait for a different elevator. My other complaint is that if you are on a floor above 26, you have to ride the elevator down before you can go up to 28 or higher. So if you caught that - you have to go down before you can go up, and then in order to go back to your own floor, you have to go down several floors below your floor and then go back up to get to your room. Sounds confusing, doesn't it?

Breakfast at Pigalle's was not what we expected. I think we just picked the wrong day. When we arrived, we decided to get the buffet which unfortunately got cold before we could finish eating because there as a fan overhead. We asked for it to be turned down low, and once it was, everything was much better. Margot went off to her seminar which left me alone to wander the city because there were no workshops to attend just yet. I decided to get some welcome presents for my roommates who would be arriving today. Once I did that, I went to the lounge with my computer and worked on my blog and my pitch. Being prepared is half the battle. I need to work on my salesmanship-. I need to walk up to other authors and introduce myself. Networking. That's what they call it.In the past, I have not been especially good at networking, but remember - this is a new year and I have a new found energy coursing through my body. I will not be afraid to meet new people, to network, and to tell them about my books and what I am currently working. New motto - HAVE NO FEAR.

I used this new motto to go into the city on my own. With no one to wander with me I took off towards Rockefeller Plaza. IT was my goal. I imagined eating lunch near the golden man as my backdrop. But instead, I spied a beautiful square teaming with businessmen and women eating their lunch around an inviting water fountain near Time Warner on Avenue of the Americas. Perfect. Street vendors lined the street and with this new motto - have no fear, I decided to purchase a lunch and sit down and people watch. Did you know you can tell an awful lot about a person by the shoes they wear? I decided to look at the feet as they strode past. No two feet are alike. Sometimes I would look up at the faces to see what the person looked like attached to those feet. Try it sometime - it's amazing what you will learn. Younger girls/women wear sandals and flip flops when they are out and about. Sensible shoes are worn by women over the age of 35 (sorry, but it's true) and yet they are stylish. Some fabulous shoes where seen strutting by. Younger women with long legs wore 3-5 inch heels and had no problem navigating the streets and the many holes in the sidewalks because of the grates above the subway system. Men are men. They wear sensible shoes - brown or black - some lace up and some slip on, but as far as I'm concerned the men have it easy.

Did some wonderful networking later that night after returning from the play. I met several ladies who founded Romance University. I recognized the name of their site immediately because I accessed them myself when it came to an editing issue. The ladies were lovely and full of life. Adrienne Giordano is one of the co-founders and has her first book out and it's part of a series. Buy it! Her website is www.adriennegiordano.com to check out what she has coming out in the future as well. A dynamic lady who made me realize that having NO FEAR is exactly what I need.

Enjoy the rest of your day and I'll let you know what else I learned tomorrow. Expect to hear about the opening session with Tess Gerritsen, Diana Gabaldon, and Steve Berry. It sounds like a fascinating panel discussion.