Last weekend I attended the Romantic Novelists’ Association annual conference in Sheffield. I’ve been before but only as a day visitor. This time I was staying, albeit only for one night and going without a writing pal to keep me company. With all that and having to negotiate Sheffield’s notorious ring road, I was very nervous.

I needn’t have been.

It was a fantastic two days, full of good writing talk, excellent workshops and lectures and great net-working (or, in other words, simply chatting to fellow writers).

We were accommodated in Sheffield University’s The Edge – and in some style. Although the rooms were small (or maybe it was because I’m a bit bigger than I was when a student?) they were spotlessly clean, with their own ensuite. Luxury. The food was interesting (filling anyway) but it was so hot all we wanted to do was drink. Water, of course!

Blackwell’s had a romance reader’s version of Heaven – piles of romance novels, of all different types of genre, to reflect the wide diversity of writers in the RNA. I had great difficulty narrowing down my choice and the credit card took a bashing anyway.

I’d made a deliberate decision to attend the workshops I felt I most needed to, rather than those which appealed. I missed Julie Cohen’s apparently fabulous session on ‘Theme’ and Catherine King’s ‘Sexing up Sagas’, both of which had delegates buzzing afterwards. I also really wanted to go to Melanie Hilton’s ‘Jane Austen’s London’ but bought the book instead.

Linda Hooper’s ‘How to Manage your Time’ was amusingly delivered and inspirational – and hit home too. I really needed Maggi Fox’s ‘What can PR do for You?’ and loved Sue Moorcroft’s brave, funny and, again the word is inspirational, session on making the most of ‘hot scenes’.

I came away with a bulging goody bag, some great new friends and a head bursting with ideas. Roll on next year!

Huge congratulations must go to Jan Jones and Roger Sanderson, who tirelessly organise these events.

Love,

Georgia x