Romance Slam Jam 2022 #RSJCON22

The 2022 Romance Slam Jam Virtual Romance Book Con was wonderful, again, this year. They decided to shorten the program from five days to three days, but they filled those three days with loads of worthwhile workshops and events. The workshops included everything from the craft of writing, to pitching your book, to marketing. My only regret is that I was not able to attend all of the workshops I wanted to attend because of scheduling conflicts in my everyday life. The workshops I did attend, however, were informative and had excellent presenters. I wonder if I am able to get recordings of the sessions I missed, though.

The one big thing about the conference this year, from a personal perspective, is that I pitched a book for the first time, and also submitted material to be judged in the Leslie Esdaile Banks Aspiring Author Contest.

I'm glad I did both. I got a nibble from an editor based on my pitch and I am working on putting together a clean, crisp, synopsis to go with the three chapters I'm about to submit.

Also, I was a finalist in the Aspiring Author Contest. I need to find out exactly where I placed because even the runner-up prizes will be beneficial to my writing career. I am kicking myself for not taking a screenshot of my name when it appeared as a finalist on the slide during the Emma Awards. I would have loved having that as a memento.

The other aspect of the conference, which I absolutely live for, is discovering new books written by newer authors as well as finding out about the latest and upcoming releases of my favorite established authors. I spent a little more money than I had intended on purchasing new romance novels this year, but there were too many wonderful options to pass up.

There are also two other things I need to follow up and learn more about. One is getting an agent. One of the people to whom I pitched recommended that I start looking for an agent. So that will be added to my “to do” list.

Secondly, during the pajama party (which was a blast) I got to hear several people read excerpts from romance novels. I'm not big on audio books. I like to hear the characters' voices in my own head when I'm reading. I may need to rethink my stance on audio books, though, because some of the narrators were so adept at their craft, that they made the books they were reading sound captivating. Hearing great narration made me think of those old radio shows to which people used to listen, before there were televisions. It really does take a special talent to be able to read an author's words and bring the characters to life.

Finally, I'm hoping to get some good swag when the boxes come. Come through #RSJCon22!