West of Mars -- the Meet and Greet

I ducked out of the Romantic Times Convention yesterday around 3 and got home a little bit before 4. Those of you who know me or who I freshly met (and I have seen many Google searches for West of Mars already. Whee!) know that I'm a local chick and by the time yesterday afternoon came, when I'd checked out of my hotel SUITE (remind me to tell that story), I was glad. I was itchy to get home.

Anyway, here are some more impressions and things I learned. I want to promise that there will be more of these in the days ahead, but there probably won't be. The only thing I can promise is that there are yet more winds of change afoot...

1. I'm a proud Pittsburgher, but I was amazed and horrified at the condition of the Pittsburgh Hilton. Others can tell you more about it, but let's just say that many, many of us were glad we'd been evicted and sent to the Omni William Penn, even if it was a bit of an inconvenience.

This was my third bad experience in a row at a Hilton hotel. I'm done with you, Hilton Hotels. My money now goes elsewhere, even if I wind up spending more. From what I've seen (including the promised refund that I'm still waiting on, two years later), the problems exist across the board.

I wonder what the Board of Health would say about the servers who stuck their bare thumbs in the pour spout of the water pitchers when they put them on our table.

Yes, friends, I've called the Board of Health for things like that before. Piss me off far enough and I'll make a point of pushing back.


2. The Mystery Chix and a Rooster are amazing, amazing people. Don't ask me which is my favorite; I can't pick. Check out their websites. Tell them I sent you. Read their books. Rave about them with me.

I have lots of promo bookmarks and business cards from this gang. If you'd like some, drop me an e-mail and I'll mail them out to you.

3. Many of the authors whose blogs appear in my Google Reader are way cool. Rachel Vincent. Shiloh Walker. Megan Hart. Lauren Dane. Anya Bast. Ann Aguirre. Aline de Chevigny. Jennifer Estep. None, however, made me squeal the way I did when Colleen Gleason and I ran into each other (inches from literally) and made the connection. That's just to say how awesome Colleen is.

I loved how excited she got when I told her I'd seen Rises the Night for sale in my local GROCERY. Yes, folks, I found a copy there and had to show it to my family, all of whom gave me blank stares. Many of the surrounding shoppers were initially curious but my strange and sudden inability to form words upon discovery of the book might have prevented a few sales I otherwise should have pimped for my bud Colleen.

4. I met Judi Fennell in the shuttle back to the Omni and hooked her up with the woman running the SOS mixer/thingie. I hope she had a great time!

4. Of all these cool people, none were cooler than Ann. Let me tell you, I'd have been lost without Ann. She's the ultimate fan girl, in the perfect sense, because she is a librarian who is also the library's buyer. It was a LOT of fun to walk up to editors and hear her ask for their list so she can buy their books.

Even better was meeting her cast of characters, her friends. Particularly that moment during the Faery Ball when MaryJanice Davidson came and plunked down on the couch beside me. Why? 'cause she knew Ann, who was on my other side.

Best of all was at the Vampire Ball, when I pretty much dumped Ann in favor of a new bud (who also dumped a friend in order to bond with me). Ann understood, and then some. I still feel bad about it 'cause Ann's too cool to do that to. But once the whole story behind that comes out, you'll agree with Ann.

So to make up for it, I played Tour Manager for HER at the huge book signing. While I'm a bit too incapacitated to carry the LOAD of books she'd brought from home to be signed, I did carry her new purchases for her, help the authors spell her name right, and generally have fun.

No, I did NOT tell a single one of those authors to please spell her name S-U-S-A-N. But there were a few times there that I was tempted.

Be sure to become one of Ann's fan girls. She deserves it.

Labels: Aline, Ann Aguirre, Colleen Gleason, Jennifer Estep, Susan Speaks