Hot August Nights! Post-RWA First Friday With the GLIAS Crew!

Hi Get Lost in a Story Fans and Friends. Welcome to the First Friday crew report after the RWA Convention. I hope you all enjoyed our pictures and videos from the Romance Writer's of America annual meeting in San Antonio. Today our GLIAS crew question continue on the RWA theme as we share our favorite RWA moments.
Leave a comment to WIN an autographed copy of my latest book
RESCUED BY A STRANGER along with a copy of Jennifer Bernard's
FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FIREMAN.  Hope you enjoy!

Lizbeth

I have a treat for you all -- three final video interviews from RWA with two of the biggest names in romance and a brand new RITA winner!

Here's my super-fun chat with the one and only ELOISA JAMES where she tells us what's next for her not only in books but in her personal life--it's really awesome!

And now meet USA Today best-selling author JENNIFER BERNARD whose Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel books are some of my very favorites. Check out me admitting how much I LOVE Jenny Bernard:

And, finally, here is double-RITA nominee CARLA LAUREANO talking about her book "Five Days in Skye."  Drum roll please:  she WON!! the RITA for Best Inspirational Romance. Listen to the interview to hear why I'm so excited I'm dancing about that!

 And, of course, my own very favorite moments at RWA this year revolved around the honor of being a RITA nominee. I "lost" in the Contemporary Romance category to the fabulous Molly O'Keefe (see Maureen's video below)--if you can call it losing. I certainly have no regrets or sadness--my category was filled to the rim with the top names in romance. There's only honor at being in their company. And, hey, Nora "lost" with me, too!!

A really special certificate!

Avon RITA finalists: Me, Katherine Ashe, Zoe Archer & Tessa Dare

 

 Lara

I had a great time at this year's RWA conference!  It was my second time going to Nationals, and it's always a fun, but slightly overwhelming, experience :)  There were a lot of great moments, but one of the standouts for me was meeting Julie Miller.  I've enjoyed her books for a long time, and when I introduced myself to her, she said, "Oh yes, I recognize your name."  I was totally shocked--Julie Miller knows my name?!  Such a thrill!

Now that I'm home, I'm diving back into my writing routine.  My second book, FATAL FALLOUT, releases TODAY in e-book format, and on Tuesday in print.  (Here's a link for the Kindle version and the Nook version).  I hope you'll pick up a copy--Thomas and Claire are two of my favorites, and I loved writing their story!

Angi

This was definitely Angi's favorite moment--meeting me at the Harlequin Party and taking a selfie. I mean ... would there be any doubt?
:-D

Cat Schield (original member), Angi Morgan, ALexa Bourne,
Maureen McGowan, Lara Lacombe & Jan Schliesman

Alexa Boure, Angi Morgan,
Golden Heart winner Sarah Cannon,
Jan Schliesman & Vicki Batman

I had a wonderful time seeing all my GLIAS pals. But getting them altogether at one place was amazingly hard. LOL

I got the biggest kick out of having "fans."  Real people ... In person
...Who had read my books ...
and had favorite characters

Readers might get a kick out of meeting authors, but I can't express what it means to be an author when someone tells you they love your stories. That's everything !!

Back row: Alexa Bourne, Liz Selvig, Jan Schliesman
Front row: Angi Morgan and Vicki Batman

Maureen

My favorite part of RWA National Conference each year is seeing friends, sharing some laughs in the bar, and seeing some local sights. Sure, I go to learn, but each successive year I go to fewer workshops and spend more time in meetings, cocktail parties and simply having fun.

This year, my highlight has to have been RITA night. Not only was one of our own GLIAS gals nominated, (congrats Liz!!!), so were two of my local chapter mates: Molly O'Keefe and Susanna Kearsley. Not only are Molly and Susanna friends, Molly has been my critique partner for 12 years and she's one of my very best friends. 

And.... both Molly and Susanna won!!! Both of them in categories with large numbers of nominees and very stiff competition. It was a great ending to a fabulous conference.

Here is a short video to sum up my RWA14 experience featuring friends: Amanda Vyne, Julianna Stone, Olivia Gates, RaeAnne Thayne, Molly O'Keefe, Susanna Kearsley, Morgan Rhodes aka Michelle Rowen, and some of the crew from Amazon Publishing. Good times!

Maureen's RWA14 Final

Alexa

Hello, hello! RWA Nationals was so much fun for me, too! I hadn't been since 2010, so it was sort of like my 1st time all over again. It was overwhelming but soooo exciting. I saw friends I hadn't seen in ages, attended a few workshops to bring me up to speed, and this year I volunteered, which was extremely satisfying. I figured RWA has given me so much it was about time to pay it back.

One of the highlights for me was getting to spend time with a friend I'd lost touch with years ago, Cat Schield. Cat used to be a regular participant of our Get Lost family and she's the one invited me here.  

As for how I plan to spend the hot August nights, well I'm afraid it's not all that exciting. I will be working on edits for my next romantic suspense novella, WAKE ME, finishing a new project, and gearing up to teach another year of middle school English.

THANKS FOR JOINING US ON

GET LOST IN A STORY

Leave a comment below for a chance to WIN an autographed copy of Lizbeth's latest book RESCUED BY A STRANGER along with a copy of Jennifer Bernard's
FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FIREMAN!

UP NEXT ON GLIAS:  Maureen hosts Alli Sinclair

~Angi Morgan

Get Lost on Goodreads, Facebook

or @GetLostInAStory  #GetLostStories