New York–the windy city :-)
My first day in New York was this heady, delicious glimpse of spring. Everyone on the street was whistling and strolling in light sweaters and shirtsleeves. I was kicking myself for packing such winterlike clothes. (I even brought a Cuddleduds turtleneck, for heaven’s sake).
Then, the God of Spring winked and invited his friend the North Wind to visit. OMG, I thought I was back in South Dakota in December, except there wasn’t any snow. So much for that myth about the tall buildings blocking the wind. Nu-uh, it just narrows the passageway so its bite is sharper and more exhillerating. And you can believe I was smugly congratulating myself for packing a turtleneck.
I’m not complaining. Really. My sister, Jan, would have spent the whole trip in the hotel (and the Affinia Manhatten is a fabulous hotel so she wouldn’t have suffered), but I actually enjoyed getting out and fighting my way, shoulder into the wind, as I dashed to the nearest Irish Pub.
I love New York. Wouldn’t want to live there, but it’s a marevelous place to visit. I ate excellent meals, saw two amazing plays on Broadway: WICKED 
and THE JERSEY BOYS 
, and…oh, yes, the conference was great, too. 
Seriously, NINC, which stands for Novelists, Inc., is a writers organization dedicated to writers and writing. I went to learn more about promotion, meet a few agents and find out what’s happening in the writing industry. I did all the above, plus I got to hang out with other Superromance authors, all of whom I adore.
I bought my friend Kathy Shay’s current release BE MY BABIES at the Borders in Penn Station and read it on the plane home. Heart-tugging and very compelling. Her characters are always so real to me, like people I would know. That book is going to be the first on my 100,000 Book Challenge list. More about that in my next post. 
But, first, here’s my very quick take on what I learned at NINC: find out what you do best and do it well.
Simple, right? But the thing is writers are basically very insecure. We, for the most part, write in a vacuum and we go long periods between writing a book and seeing the results of the sale of said book. In that very long time period, there’s a temptation to do everything in your power to make sure your name is “out there”. I’m never sure where “there” is, but I know I’m not doing as much I should be doing to reach that place. And guess what? There’s now a whole level of virtual promotion that I’m not doing, either. Like participating in a virtual book signing at a virtual bookstore. But I wish I knew how. Think of all the gas I’d save.
Yep, it was an interesting conference, and I’m glad I went, but my print-out of HIS BROTHER’S SECRET (Sept 08) just arrived and I’m in serious need of a granddaughter fix, so my promotion — virtual and real–is just going have to wait.
Back soon,
Deb
And, I’m sorry you don’t get to see you ggs often enough. I know how very lucky I am to have mine close by. Middle granddaughter is really coming into her own (getting past big sister’s awesome shadow). She’s talking so much, putting sentences together and bubbling over with personality. I love seeing her change and grow.