Denver!

I was mightily impressed by how this city at the foot of the Rockies has morphed since my last visit, some fifteen years ago. The downtown area was pedestrian-friendly with free buses and tons of restaurants, stores and coffee bars. 🙂 It provided a lovely venue for Romance Writers of America’s annual conference, and I had a fabulous time.

Highlight #1:

High Tea at the Brown Palace with Tule Publishing.

I mistakenly thought “The Unsinkable” Molly Brown owned the Brown Hotel, but it turns out she simply stayed there after the sinking of the Titanic. Who knew?

The tea and the treats were lovely–especially the Devonshire cream and the truffles, but the company was equally wonderful. Here I am with my fellow Love at the Chocolate Shop author, Roxanne Snopek.

Highlight #2: My roomie for the week was another accomplished author who also writes for Tule (as well as other publishers), Jolyse Barnett. We had so much fun–and shared a few of the same food allergies. Our favorite dinner haunt became 5280 Burger Bar. Funny thing: we mentioned to Rogenna Brewer, a Denver native, that we’d dined at a hamburger spot the night before. She asked which one. Jolyse and I puzzled over the name a moment then said, “It’s got four numbers in front of it, then the word Burger.” Rogenna laughed and said, “As in five-thousand-two-hundred-and-eighty?” Jolyse and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. She’s a teacher and I used to be a geographer, but that number completely escaped us until pointed out that it’s a mile and we’re in the Mile-High city.

Highlight #3:

As you might imagine, a great deal of time at a conference is devoted to sitting and listening to workshops about the BIZ or standing around talking to other authors about the BIZ. It’s wonderful, daunting, over-stimulating, invigorating and exhausting all at the same time. I’m so glad I went, but RWA is not the only reason I went to Denver.

My cousin Carol Gregory–who lived with us for her four years of college and my four years of high school–grew to be a sister I cherished. She moved to Colorado after college and I didn’t see her as often as I would have liked, but we remained in touch…until a few years ago, when I learned she’d been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Her loving husband, Ken, cared for her faithfully until he suffered a stroke, which necessitated a move to the Denver area to be closer to their son, Beau. I am so glad I was able to visit Carol and reconnect with Ken and Beau–my new favorite heroes. The few hours I spent at the care facility both broke my heart and restored my faith in love and family. I was able to tell Carol how much she meant to me. I brought Beau a photo I found of his mom to help remind everyone of the beautiful soul with a vibrant smile held hostage by a cruel disease. In my heart, I know she remembered me and knew I still loved her.

I have tons more I will share in coming Fridays, but today my hubby and I are escaping to smoke-free air with friends. Sadly, we are experiencing another wild fire. Thankfully we’re not directly in its path, but smoke knows no boundaries and it’s become our new normal. Please send your thoughts and prayers to all who presently impacted by Nature’s fury.

Happy reading, my friends,

Deb