Ya Got Trouble, My Friend

But it doesn't start with T. No, this trouble starts with L.

As in, Lady Scribes at RT.

You see, last week was the Romantic Times Readers Convention (otherwise known as RT) in Chicago. And, well, a number of your Lady Scribes were present.

One thing I've quickly learned when getting together with various other Lady Scribes members is that we will invariably attract more than our fair share of trouble.

At least at RT they had a means to deal with us.

Yes, that would be me, Baroness Blithe, alongside Viscountess Noir, Her Grace of Grammar, the Countess of Whimsy, Lady Intrigue, and the Countess of Content...all in jail. Together. Somehow, Erin Knightley, aka the Duchess of Delight, escaped this punishment. Don't ask me how it happened. I couldn't tell you.

And no, it isn't because I had had too many drinks. I didn't start drinking until after we'd escaped our imprisonment that night. It might have had something to do with the fact that she is a social butterfly, and was off charming someone's socks off them. She has a knack for that.

There were countless moments where we got to dress up in costumes.

Such as here, where Ava Stone tried to make off with a Scot. And now I'm wondering when she might write a Scot into a story...

She hooked up with a Steampunk version of Erin Knightley, too. That's an odd looking couple, if I ever saw one. :)

Or here, where Samantha Grace let loose in her flapper outfit.

Here's another one. The lovely Heather Snow and Erin Knightley were ready to Charleston!

Jerrica Knight-Catania didn't need an outfit to ride away with the show.

For that matter, all Jane Charles needed was a glass of wine and some good music. (Yes, the blur in her hand IS a glass of wine.)

But RT wasn't all just about the costumes. We had more serious moments, too. Quiet. Stoic. Pensive. Reflective.

Well, some of us did. Clearly, both the Ava Stone half of Lydia Dare (aka the Countess) and the Tammy Falkner half of Lydia Dare (aka the tavern wench) were otherwise occupied and couldn't be bothered to be serious. Hmmm...I can't imagine why. (Did you SEE those smiles???)

And...well, I'll just show him to you and let you decide for yourself how serious he was.

I think they said his name was Bluebeard. Can't remember. Don't ask me why my memory is so shoddy. It couldn't have anything to do with the espresso chocolate martinis.

Neither could this.

No, seriously. I don't think Ava Stone and Samantha Grace were drinking the espresso chocolate martinis. Possibly cosmos and wine and...well...you get the picture.

But I digress. Back to what RT was really all about.

There were book signings...

There were photo shoots...(way to @$^& early in the morning, Catherine grumbles beneath her breath)...

That's the lovely Rose Gordon right in the middle of several of us, in case you were wondering.

There were workshops and games and prizes...

See the lovely Erin Knightley being dubbed a countess after playing Who Wants to be a Duchess? (Don't ask me why a countess needs a feather duster. I haven't quite figured that one out. I might still be trying to catch up on my sleep...)

And here the two of us are together, with our tiaras and boas and whatnot. She was still a mere countess. I, however, was a duchess. You may feel free to "Your Grace" me. I won't mind.

We mixed with other writers and readers, agents and editors, cover models, and just about everyone else involved in the romance community.

RT was my first conference, but it won't be my last. As a matter of fact, as you read this, I'm probably on my way back to Chicago to go to Spring Fling. We'll see if I come home with so much incriminating evidence...I mean with so many books and so much swag. (The stuff I shipped home just got here. Twenty-eight pounds of free books and swag. Oy!)

I had so much stuff, I decided to give some of it to my cats.

Too bad I already had to take it away. They were having a blast with it, but then one of them started puking feathers. Bye bye, feather boa.

Anyway, this should give you a little glimpse into what the Lady Scribes who were present at this year's RT were up to. I know I'll be going back again next year...with an extra, empty suitcase in order to lug everything home!

Have you been to any readers or writers conventions? Do you want to go but just haven't been able to yet? And if you were there, how much will we have to bribe you with in order to keep you quiet about...um...well, I'm sure there's something we need to have kept quiet. Darn those espresso chocolate martinis! So how much?

**Originally published at Lady Scribes**