RWA Nationals and my Pending Pitches

RWA Nationals is in San Francisco this year and I'm thrilled because I get to go. I could have gone past years, but I prefer to stay home and make sure Miss Molly (who will be 20 in September) has her sub-q needs met. So the last week of July I get to attend my first conference and I'm thrilled. It's been an interesting journey to get there.

I registered in January with everyone else and then waited -- patiently mind you -- for the editor and agent appointments to open up in May.

I was thrilled to be able to sign up for one of each because Rita and Golden Heart finalists go first, then PAN and then PRO -- I'm PRO. My agent appointment is with Scott Eagan and I did have the pleasure of sort of meeting him several months, actually almost a year ago when the San Francisco chapter was putting together articles for our book, Writing Romance. He offered to write an article and agents and we scooped him up. Our corrspondence was only a few emails about the book but it felt genuinely friendly. So when I was able to be signed up for an agent appointment with him I was very happy. He's not into westerns - but I was planning to pitch the Spell at conference. Mostly I'm looking forward to meeting him after our initial connection from Writing Romance.

On the first day almost EVERY editor appointment was gone and I received one of the last and it was for Avalon. I love the name -- Avalon -- it goes to my Merlin images. But they don't publish what I write. I considered keeping the appointment just for the experience, but the bottom line was they wouldn't sign me and I wouldn't be happy changing my books to fit with them. More important, there could well be an author out there who has the perfect book for them and he or she might have a chance with them if I stepped away -- I'd rather think that someone landed a contract with them because I gave up the pitch than to have gone to the pitch knowing it wouldn't work. That would be so cool -- that who ever got that slot gets a contract.

So this week, in the middle of all this chat about no handouts at conference this year a message came through that there were some newly opend editor and agent appointments. I went back in and OMG! there was ONE opening with the Tor editor! I couldn't believe it. I type 75-85 words per minute but at that moment I'm sure I was over 100 because TOR is my dream publisher.
You know how you have those 5, 10 and 20 year goals? Tor is my long term goal. They publish the kinds of books, the genres, I write. I'm not holding out a lot of hope for a contract -- there are far more talented and experienced authors out there, but just to meet one of their editors and have the chance to pitch is a golden gift for me. And it just happened. *poof* right there in my lap! I'm so thrilled. It was such an unexpected opportunity and it just happened.

So now I have to wait out the next week at the day job....a signing next Saturday that I'm looking forward to because I'll be signing with Margaret Lucke, and then nationals start on the 30th. All that talent and some of my favorite authors all in one place! It's a reader's dream come true.
And for me as a writer -- being able to pitch to two people I respect -- well I respect Scott Eagan and if dreams come true, I'll have a super pitch with Tor!