RWA Blogging

Hello all! This is Jade Lee and I am in that place where I go at conference…it’s call La La Land! I started at Comic Con in San Diego then library talks then here. And you know what? As much fun as it was to see Neil Patrick Harris from a far…RWA is WAY better! You already know the basics: the sound of 2000 women going, “SQUEEEEE!!!” , the joy of a zillion books to choose from and a too small carry bag, and of course the need for coffee, more coffee, and yet more chocolate. Oops…I mean…wait…no I didn’t. If I can’t have coffee, I will just have to suffer with a huge chocolate bar.

Enough about my bizarre moments, let me talk for a second about the morning inspirational speaker. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go. I mean Theresa Behenna wasn’t even a writer. Why would I want to listen to her? But okay, I’ll trust RWA and attend. She’s an entertainer and a world class pianist, so at least I could give her a shot.

She walked on the stage in green jacket and lime yellow pants, said hello in her Aussy accent, and I thought “well, this is going to be…um…unique.” Do you know what? She was a lot of fun! Lots of energy, lots of good piano, and an interesting past. She spoke about how words can change lives. Well, yeah, of course we all know that, but do we really believe it? Do we really believe that OUR books, OUR words can change lives? They do. And we do. And she brought that home to me nicely.

She also said “Fear is what you pass on the way to success.” Think about that. It’s not about living a live without fear. It’s about moving through it to success. Move through fear as we accept change. Move through fear as the market tightens or editors change or one door slams and another one opens. Fear is omni present, but we have to move through it. And she said it all with song and really interesting stories.

So, what’s the moral? Trust RWA! The opening speaker was great fun! And now…off to find lunch!