This is how much I like you guys - I'm paying for this Internet session. The Internet provided to us in our hotel room doesn't seem to be working, and I haven't had much time to go bitch about it at the registration desk. So this will merely a "quick" blog entry to entice you all about how much fun I'm having in Reno!
The Librarian's Day Event that RWA puts on is usually very fun - but they really outdid themselves this year with the goodies! Oh. My. Gawd. What did Wendy score? Besides the usual promotional mish-mash I got 26 (that's right 26!) free books. Free! I'm such a whore, I took everything - even stuff I know I'll never read because I can add it straight to my library's collection. I promise, you'll get a list when I'm not paying for Internet!
And as I've talked about before in this blog - I'm pretty much the sole supplier to my library's paperback collection. So free books are like manna from heaven.
Even better? The free books aren't done yet! I hope to score some more tomorrow at some special publisher signings.
The massive booksigning they had is always choice - and I was able to restrain myself to 13 books. I did run into Alyssa - and sure enough her cart was chock full. I'm dying to find out how much money she dropped.
Nice authors I've met? Lots really, but as always Susan Grant, Laura Lee Guhrke and Ruth Ryan Langan were just wonderful. Teresa Bodwell, Kate Bridges and Tina Leonard are very sweet. And I begged Maggie Osborne not to retire (my exact words were "Why do you want to spend time with your family?!"). She thanked me for my kind words, but I'm afraid I was unable to sway her. Sorry Osborne fans!
On a final note: Maggie Osborne tells a wonderful story about getting her first library card as a child and her relationship with her grandmother. I heard it for the second time at this conference, and I openly wept - again. I tend to bitch a whole lot about my job and the various BS I put up with, but stories like Ms. Osborne's reinforce that librarians do marvelous work and change lives every day. Sometimes it is hard to forget that when you have a totally insane library patron screaming at you. So I'm going to do my best to think of the little girl who came in last week and was so excited that we had the fairy tale book Thumbelina. Even if I didn't change her life, I made her very happy. Quiet moments like that make my job worthwhile - it's just hard to focus on those when the negative tends to slap you in the face a little harder.
8 comments:
So glad you're having a good time in Reno, and congrats on all the free books! How on earth will you get them all home - did you rent a U-Haul?
Oooohhhh Wendy. I am so jealous!!! I want to be there!!!
Sounds like a fab librarian's day!!
Melanie:
Well it will be tricky since I drive a Honda Civic and my carpool buddy got just as many books as I did! But I did think ahead and bring two good size boxes to pack stuff in - so hopefully we'll manage OK.
Thank goodness I drove. I'm not sure what I would have done had I flown. Probably shipped them all home via the post office....
Not only are you having a good time, you met Maggie Osborne. I am extremely jealous. You couldn't convince her to come out of retirement--forget the family, we need decent westerns.
Seriously?? Maggie Osborne is going to retire??
OH Nooooooooooooooooooo!!
Cheryl :-(
Cheryl:
Sad, but true :-( FOXFIRE BRIDE was her last book. I'm hoping she gets bit by the writing bug again and comes out of retirement - but alas, she seemed awfully content when I saw her at the conference.....
Hi - I'm writing in response to the post about Maggie Osborne. I am the president of one of her local chapters and we will be having a retirement party for her. If there are any of you out there who would like to send your well wishes or share your funny stories of times with Maggie, please contact me and let me know. president@coloradoromancewriters.org or drtylandre@aol.com
Thank you
Kally Jo Surbeck
President Colorado Romance Writers, Inc
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