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Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Friday at National Part Two

First, let me say that I've been trying to wean myself off coffee. After three days, I caved this morning. I'm too tired not to have caffeine and I honestly need to clone myself--I'm so backed up on things I have to do right now. Gah! I meant to post part 2 to Friday last night before I went to bed, but obviously, that didn't happen and now I'm short on time. I'll try to get as much in here as I can.

So I think I left off sweating at the publisher's dinner, yes? I was talking with two new authors about what I wish I'd done differently on my first book as far as promotion goes which was an interesting experience since I still feel lost when it comes to this and I don't feel as if I have a good handle on it yet. Yeah, I was an advertising major in college, but there's a big difference between being trained to handle multi-million dollar accounts for multiple outlets--all major media--and the kind of budget I have to work with. :-(

Anyway, I ended up sitting with Virginia Farmer, Marianne Mancusi, Cindy Holby (aka Colby Hodge), Bonnie Vanak and Marjorie Liu. I wish I could remember what we talked about, but I did have that mai tai. :-) I do remember talking about the X-Men movies with Marjorie and hearing a gross-out medical story from Cindy (I'm extremely squeamish and only politeness kept me from putting my fingers in my ears and singing lalalalala).

After dinner, I had a meeting with my editor. Very interesting because I so rarely drink anything, this one still had me buzzing even that many hours later. Alcohol effects me one of two ways--I either clam up and don't say a word or I can't shut up. This night, it was the yakkity yak option. Luckily, Leah knows I'm a horrible smart aleck. I think the meeting went well, but I had to write down the important thing we talked about because my short-term memory wasn't doing real well.

Afterward, I went back to my room, changed into more comfortable clothes, gabbed with my roommate for a while, then headed for the bar to find my new editor. Probably, it's a good thing I couldn't find her considering I was on a smart-ass roll that night.

I also couldn't locate the RBL ladies that night, and when I tried to use my cell phone to find out where they were, I got some bizarre message about not being allowed to call the number I'd used. I so rarely use my cell, that I didn't understand that the message meant that I didn't have service. If I had figured that out, I could have tried calling from another spot in the hotel. I figured this out on Saturday about 4pm when someone told me she was having difficulty. It was definitely a light bulb moment.

Unable to find anyone, and with the velvet ropes barring reentrance to the bar and the other Lollies, I headed back to the room where I talked and talked and talked to my roommate until she finally turned the light off in self-defense. :-) Like I said, alcohol either makes me mute or a motor mouth.

And that was Friday. Later today, if I'm not still buried under a foot of things to do, I'll post about Saturday.