Romantic Times in Orlando

I'm on the move again! Today I'm blogging over at MyHumbleOpinion sharing a scene that almost didn't make it into VEXING THE VISCOUNT. Be sure to leave a comment or question there for a chance at TJ's monthly goodie basket!



Today, as promised, I'm sharing my RT Convention experience. As you can see from the pic above, the Orlando Wyndham was a lovely place--peaceful, serene, the only riot was in the profuse plantings of azaleas, magnolias and begonias. But if you go inside the Convention Center, it was a whole different animal.

You might just see a pirate kissing a mermaid in the hall outside of Club RT. And inside the club, you could chat with your favorite authors, shop for jewelry and "convention" clothes (lovely shawls and such), have your sketch drawn by an artist who was totally entertaining when he talked and fascinating when he drew, or visit with the companies who offered author promo services.


My roommate, NY Times Bestseller Bobbi Smith sponsored a photo op for S.O.S. (Save Our Soldiers) You could get your picture taken with the hunks who were competing in the Mr. Romance Contest, sponsored by Dorchester Publishing. These guys were not only fine to look upon, they were genuinely nice. (More about them tomorrow!)

After the sun went down, you could dance the night away. At the Vampire Ball, a seriously pregnant gal got up and led the crew in a hysterical rendition of Michael Jackson's THRILLER! (Pay no attention to the date stamp on this photo. That's only one of the many things I don't understand about the camera I was using!)

And you didn't have to be a 20-something to rock the house. The cute vampire on the right is 83 years young! You should have seen them in their fairy costumes! (I was unfortunately having a fight the camera the night of the Fairy Ball. Anyone who has picks from then, please send me some! emily (at) emilybryan.com No spaces. Thanks!)

But one of the biggest thrills of my week was meeting a couple of my "blog touristas." Here are Jane L and Maureen (aka 2nd Chance). What a treat! Jane wore my VEXING THE VISCOUNT button all week and I swear, she spoke to everybody at the convention about my books. Who needs a PR firm when you've got friends like that! Love ya, girls! (Oh! And they both pitched their WIPs and got requests from editors and agents! Woohoo!)


More tomorrow. Please remember to visit me at MyHumbleOpinion today!

Day One at The Romantic Times Convention

Busy day here in Florida! I taught two workshops for the Aspiring Writers, met one of my blog touristas (Jane L is here! YAY!) and had a ball hanging out with the gang. While we were at dinner, the fine looking young man in this picture came over to our table. His name is Charles Paz, one of the Mr. Romance contestants. The happy lady with him is my roomie, NY Times BestSeller Bobbi Smith. Charles will appear in the POSE DOWN as Bobbi's cowboy hero Lane Madison from her July release RUNAWAY. I haven't met the contestant who will portray my Lucian, but when I do, rest assured I'll get a pic for you!