Last weekend I had the great pleasure to attend and speak at the Emerald City Writers’ Conference, something I look forward to every year. This year’s conference committee did their usual stellar job. The conference was a blast. Oh, and informative, too.
There are few things more fun than a writers’ conference. Old friends, new friends, fans, publishing professionals, and writers galore, all of whom can talk books until their voices give out. For a lifelong book lover like me, what’s not to love?
Last year my husband gave me a camera so I could capture my writers’ conference memories. I find that I tend to get a lot of pictures of me eating with my friends and fellow attendees. Here’s a typical example.
While I love these pictures, I wish I would have taken a few photos of some of the things people may not expect at conferences, like the always fun and fabulous basket raffle the Emerald City holds. Part of the proceeds go to support a local shelter for victims of domestic violence. This year people donated over sixty baskets. The tables holding them spanned the entire length of the banquet hall. Wouldn’t that have been a fun picture?
Here are a few photos I do have. The first one is a picture of the basket my critique partners and I donated. Besides having some great books, it also had a $50 gift card to a local spa and a $50 gift card to a national movie theater chain.
Girls' Night Out Basket Donated by my critique group
And lucky me! I won this law enforcement basket donated by Julia Hunter. It was full of research books, many I’d had my eye on, including Forensics by D.P. Lyle, which was on my “to buy” list. Now no one will believe me when I tell them I never win anything.
Law Enforcement Basket I won, donated by Julia Hunter
Another thing many people may not realize–at least at romance conferences, speakers often get gifts. Here’s this year’s speaker gift basket, put together by Laron Glover at the wonderful and creative Ninth Moon. If you need a gift for a writer, or you’re a writer looking for promo items, check Ninth Moon out.
ECWC 2009 Speaker Gift