Aside from the blue lips and shivering, the conference proved a worthwhile endeavor. The keynote speaker was Anita Renfroe, a comedienne famous for her “Momisms” song (all the things moms say to kids set to the William Tell Overture). She was a hoot and set the tone for a good conference.
Haywood Smith, a New York Times best selling author of historical romances and women’s fiction (Red Hat Club) was also shivering…er, I mean, speaking…at the conference. Her motivation to become an author was triggered by her husband’s midlife crisis: he left her for a stripper and spent all their money. As she is a successful author and no one has ever heard of him, I’d say she got the last laugh.
The other presenters were excellent as well, and I learned ooh gobs of stuff, from the best way to approach a new editor to how to use my subconscious mind to plot a bestseller—which sounds a little woo-woo, but it was a fun workshop and I’m recording my dreams because, hey, it worked for Stephenie Meyer (author of that global virus, Twilight). So far I’ve dreamed about a doughnut and a sports car. I’m afraid to wonder what that means.
At any rate, even though the frigid air made everyone look like Smurf cousins, the conference itself was hot. I think the best way to sum up what I learned is this:
Dream big and don’t stop. Ever.
Til next time –
Lisa
