Romance Writer Conference in San Diego

I have been pretty focused lately on preparing to attend the RWA national convention in San Diego.  It is only ten days away now, and since this will be my first time attending, I am very excited about going.  One of the things I am most excited about is the chance to attend some top-notch workshops.  I have already started reviewing the workshop schedule because I know it will take some time to narrow down my choices.
 
In addition to the workshops, there will be other events to attend as well.  A “PRO Retreat” is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.  This will be a great opportunity to mingle with other writers who are in the submitting but not yet published stage.  In addition, a fabulous list of writers and other industry professionals are providing a lineup of roundtable sessions to attend.
 
On Saturday afternoon, the Hearts Through History online chapter is holding their annual meeting and announcing the winners of the contest they held earlier this spring.  Since I am a finalist in their contest, this is even more incentive to attend and mingle with other historical writers.  The only downside to attending is I will be forced to miss the workshops during these hours. 
 
I will be missing still more workshops on Friday afternoon, but for a very good cause.  This past week, I received my official invitation to a reception for the Golden Heart and RITA contest finalists.  This is one event I do not plan to miss.  I may be a little late, since I am pitching to an agent during the same timeframe, but I will be there!  I was so excited to receive the invitation – and a special gold heart pin – in the mail, I wanted to share it with you.  
 
This reception for contest finalists will be one of the highlights of my trip, second only to the gala on Saturday night when the contest winners will be announced.  Both events are dressier than the normal conference dress code, especially the gala on Saturday.  I don’t go to many formal events, so I’ll admit to equal parts anxiety and excitement over that.
 

As you can see from my summary , there will be plenty to keep me busy while I am in San Diego.  And if you haven’t guessed by now, I am really looking forward to attending the RWA national convention.  But since it is my first time, I’m also a little nervous.  If anyone out there has any advice for me, I’d love to hear it!

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