Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Conference Craziness

I have finally booked my second and final conference for 2008, causing my bank account to give a small and sad little whimper.

I will be attending the Romantic Times BookLovers Conference in Pittsburgh, PA from April 16 through the 20th. I won't have a book to sign yet, but I'll be rubbing elbows, enjoying some informative workshops, and I'll be able to hang out with some good friends. In truth, seeing writing friends is the big draw for me. I love exchanging emails with them, but sometimes lounging by bar swapping bawdy stories is just a great way to spend an evening.

Then I will be traveling to San Francisco, CA for the Romance Writers of America conference from July 30 through August 2. At this one, I am hoping that my book will be officially out and that I will get to sign a few copes. I am hoping to catch up with another set of writers who I missed at RT and my lovely agent.

So, if you happen to be at either and see a red head with a lost expression on her face, it's probably me. Please stop by and say hi. I'd be happy to grab a seat with you and swap a bawdy story or two.

And in case you're wondering, No, I don't technically write romance. However, romance readers have also proven to be avid urban fantasy readers. Figuring out my niche for readers has been a little tricky. I write urban fantasy without a doubt, but it runs very dark, darker than a lot of stuff that is already out there, I think. There are also romantic elements, but then how can you write a book about people's lives without involving emotions like love, lust, and hate?

4 comments:

Harry Markov said...

That is why I love genre hybrids. One work falls into several niches and it gets read more and I agree that it is inevitable to not involve emotions like love, lust, hate and so on. They are fertile soil for plots.

Candace said...

What I've come to find is that Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance tend to go hand in hand. So yeah, lots of romance readers do tend to lean towards UF. I think it's all the interspecies relationships that gets them interested. And all UF elements? Magic and whatnot? It tends to make for interesting relationship issues. :)

On a sidenote, perhaps I will come down to the con. in SF. Not promising anything, but it’s not that far from what I call home.

-Candace

Jocelynn Drake said...

Very cool. This will be my first trip out to the West Coast and I've very excited. I just wish I had the time and money to extend the trip by a couple days to do some sightseeing.

Candace said...

Since you’ll be in SF, if you’ve got even a couple hours to spare, I would suggest you go check out Pier 39 on Fisherman’s Wharf. They’ve got great food with most of the restaurants overlooking the water, the most delicious mini donuts, and other interesting and fun little shops and stores. If you go during the right time of year, there are sea lions sunning on the platforms in the water at the end of the pier.

There are other places you can visit in SF, like Alcatraz Island, Angel Island, Chinatown, and Union Square, but those take a little more time.

-Candace