I will take away many memories of the first GayRomLit retreat - a gathering of authors and readers who love the male romance genre. First of all let's just say it was a smashing success - far beyond the expectations of the organizers, Carol Lynne, Ethan Day, Lynn Lorenz and your truly. Held in the historic and beautifully refurbished Bourbon Orleans Hotel in the fabulous French Quarter we enjoyed the sights and sounds of New Orleans right on our doorstep every time we stepped outside for a break from all the great things going on - the first night meet and greet in the ballroom, author signings, readings, wine and cheese party, Hurricane party, group meetings round the pool etc, etc.
Not to mention the Riverboat cruise where authors and readers met and mingled...and the pub crawls where there were some hot men ready to entertain us with eye candy to make even the strongest knees weak! Gosh... it all now seems like some kind of great dream where everything just went so well. We were thrilled that so many people, authors, readers and publishers could come together to make this dream a reality.
Our thanks must go to the publishers who supported this venture not only financially but with their much appreciated presence - MLR Press, Total-e-bound, Resplendence Publishing,Loose ID,Amber Allure,Torquere and Dreamspinner Press. Their generosity was part of what made GayRomLit such a great success, and they all enthusiastically announced they'd be there at the next one!
So hope to see you all again - and many more new faces too - when we meet again at the Hard Rock Resort and Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Oct. 18th, 2012!
It really was an amazing experience, JP. Kudos to all you organizers. It was the most fun I've had in a very long time!
ReplyDeleteHave to agree Jaime - every time I think about it - I smile!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds amazing, JP! I've always wanted to go to New Orleans.
ReplyDeletePaige x
It sounds as if you all had a great time. :)
ReplyDeleteReally wish I could have made it this year, but I WILL be there next year! :D
ReplyDeleteHi, Jim,
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love New Orleans. What a perfect place for the conference.
Albuquerque, hmm... I have relatives there... Who knows!
It was a fabulous event! Thanks so much to you and the other organizers for all your hard work. I'll definitely see you in Albuquerque next year! :-)
ReplyDeleteAlbuquerque promises to be really great - the hotel is beautiful, has 7 testaurants and easy shuttles into town - we're planning a field trip to Santa Fe, barbecues, piano bar, karaoke (!) along with, of course, the author signings, readings and spotlights. A real feast for everyone who comes along - see you all there!
ReplyDeleteWhat a tremenous undertaking GayRomLit must have been! I'm amazed at how effortless it all seemed, which means that someone had to extend a lot of energy that we just didn't see.
ReplyDeleteI definitely intend to go to the next one, for I met so many wonderful people this year that I dearly miss and can't wait to see again.
It was fabulous, JP. I'm so glad I went and the next one sounds over-the-top great too. I'm hoping to sign up as an author for that one. *winks* Talking to you on the riverboat was one of the highlights for me, too. :)
ReplyDeleteK-lee
Jim I had a wonderful time and can't wait unitl next year. It was as always a pleasure to spend time with you.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Theresa A