I still have a few more tidbits to share about the RWA Conference in Orlando ....
... during the RITA ceremony, RWA played several video clips about friendship:
- Angie Fox awoke the morning of her departure from RWA 2012 to find the clothes she set out the night before were missing. It seems her roommate, Jeannie Lin, packed them in error in her rush to return home. Their third roommate, Shawntelle Madison, suggested Angie fly home in the pink shorts she used as PJs. As Angie walked through the lobby, Patricia Rice spotted her and questioned her sanity. After Angie shared what happened, Patricia called Mary Jo Putney, similar in size to Angie, to lend her some clothes ... hence, the sisterhood of the traveling pants!
- Linda Goodnight shared her family's loss when her son was diagnosed with terminal cancer. During this challenging time, the deadline for the RITA contest passed. Since she did not enter the contest, Linda offered to be a judge in her own category. However, the RWA staff informed her that she was, in fact, entered. An anonymous author contacted RWA to ask if an exception could be made for Linda to be entered after the deadline. RWA responded that an author in that category would have to withdraw ... and an author did. An author also purchased five copies of Linda's books to mail to RWA for the contest judging. To this day, Linda does not know who contacted RWA, withdrew her own submission, and mailed the books.
- Julie Leto was shaken by the events on 9/11, wondering if her job as a writer was worthy in comparison to others who were taking up the charge to serve. Then she received an email from a reader (and future author) Diana Peterfreund who shared her experience on 9/11. Trapped on an airplane circling NYC on that fateful morning, Diana read and reread Julie's book she brought for the flight, bringing her comfort in the chaos. Julie and Diana became friends ... and Julie became Diana's mentor as she embarked on her own path to publishing.
I am giving away a swag pack from RWA17 to four randomly selected commenters from my posts published in the month of August. To enter the giveaway,
1. Have you had to borrow clothes from a friend ... or stranger? Have you nominated a friend for an award? Have you read a book that helped you through a crisis?
In the Netherlands, I nominated my friend Sandy for her countless hours in volunteering at the Thrift Shop at the Army Base in Schinnen. She won "Civilian Volunteer of the Year"!
The Thrift Shop is where I discovered romance ...
2. Comments are open through Thursday, August 31, 10 pm in Baltimore.
3. I'll post the winner on Friday, September 1.
Mahalo,
Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City
