Darlene's Digest

I'm packing for my first Romance Writers of America conference in San Diego and I've learned from experience to use a packing list before big and/or important trips. You don't want to pack a gown for the Rita and Golden Heart Award Ceremony only to find out you left your evening pumps in the closet at home! The iPad is fully charged, my ereader is full of good books for the long flight, and I'm ready to rock-'n-roll with the other writers. I also left my dear husband detailed instructions regarding the adorable, but not-quite-housetrained dachshund puppy. I predict Dodi will be getting plenty of cuddles from her dad, and I have complete confidence he can handle any small mishaps. I'm especially confident because I've got the baby gates blocking her access to most of the rugs. For updates and pictures, I suggest following me on my Instagram account where I'm darlenemarshallauthor . There will also be Twitter updates with the hashtag #RWA16 and #RITAGH...

Business Travel Plans I won't be attending the Romance Writers of America annual conference this week because I'm attending the World SF Convention in Melbourne, Australia in a couple months. Trying to do both this summer was too much of a financial and personal hassle. So I hope all my peers at RWA have a splendid time in Orlando (wear sunscreen and stay hydrated!) and I'm looking forward to seeing some of my SF friends Down Under in September. Image by ausemade via Flickr