What a weekend!
For months I’ve been working with some seriously boss women from the New England Chapter of the Romance Writers of America to pull off a pretty large-scale romance writing conference, which the chapter (amazingly) does every year. Nearly 200 people signed up for a weekend full of workshops, speakers, agent and editor sessions, and networking.
For me, it was my first real opportunity to be my author self out in the wild for any extended period of time. It was my pen name on the program, at the start of my presentation, and on the books and goodies I handed out at the signing.
Did I feel a bit like I was role playing? Yes. Did I totally enjoy it? Absolutely.
There was something really special about owning that identity, and networking with others in person, that helped solidify my sense of self as an author. (And despite the books I’ve sold online, I have to say that selling my first book in person was one of my very favorite experiences in this journey so far!)
I came out the other side of the conference loaded with ideas about production schedules, character development, tropes to consider (and avoid), professional networking strategies, and *ALL* the marketing ideas.
In the weeks to come, I’ll be reflecting here about some of the themes that emerged from the conference, particularly those that I see shaping my forthcoming work. For now, here are some fun shots from the conference, and my official words of gratitude to those who put in so much time and energy into putting on a wonderful event: THANK YOU!
*****
A selfie with the magic Satin Russell, queen of in-person book selling.
The Jess Vonn signing table.
The Jess Vonn raffle basket.
When Jess Vonn isn’t writing romance novels, she’s reading them (way past her bedtime.) She writes spicy but romantic books with sexy, playful men and quirky, funny women and wonderful groups of “found friends.” She’s the author of the smalltown “Love by The Seasons” series. Her books are available on Amazon, and via Kindle Unlimited. Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! She’s on TikTok, too, though in all fairness, she has no idea what she’s doing on there…
Jess Vonn ❤️ 
Your table looked beautiful! I really appreciate all the hard work you and the other ladies of the committee did. Everything, from the workshops to the food to the camaraderie, was a success. I truly couldn’t have asked for a better first conference experience!
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