RT Convention Exclusive!

Today I have a special treat for you. In front of the RT Book Lover’s Convention, being held in Kansas City, MO, May 1^st – 5^th, we have a panel of authors from various genres. I had the pleasure of

talking with Pat Simmons, Lisa Watson, Ethan Cross and Mingmei Yip. These authors either have attended, or will attend the convention next month.

As I research and learn all I can about this convention (RT stands for Romance Times by the way) I couldn’t help but get excited.

The convention, which celebrates in a different city each year, will be celebrating its 30^th Anniversary this year. Let me share some things I learned about this conference:

·         There will be over 450 authors representing all genres

·         Goody bags to die for

·         Vendors galore (including Ingram Content Group)

·         Publisher and Author gift bag drawings

·         Dozens of Publishers, Agents and Editors (Including HarperCollins, Kensington, Amazon and Hatchett)

·         Industry related services and bloggers (Including Publicity Services)

·         Workshops (Business: Paradigm Shift, Craft: American Idol the Writer’s Edition and Business: What Rights Do You Have? And How Much Are They Worth)

·         Did I mention goody bags to die for?

·         Agent and Editor appointments and sign-ups

·         Parties Galore (Carina Press Cocktail Party and the Harlequin Dance Party)

·         Giant Book Fair and Teen Day

·         And so much more!

I wanted to attend this event so bad that I ran to the website to find the registration information and realize that I already have another convention planned for this time. Then, I got overly excited when I saw that this event will be held New Orleans, Louisiana next year. My bubble was deflated when I realized, that it too, would be during yet another conference I will be attending. However, I’ve already got my sites on 2015 and I can’t wait.

Our panel authors shared with us their experience with the convention, and you can hear the entire interview by clicking on the link below for our podcast. You can download the link to your desktop here, listen to it on our iTunes podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/lw!s-the-authors-hideaway!/id489293831)or open the links from your Android (or other smart phone) browser.

Below, you will find a brief bio of each author, along with his or her websites. Please support these authors by BUYING a book, READING the book and then REVIEWING the book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Goodreads.

PAT SIMMONS is a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth. She is passionate about digging up the dirt on her ancestors, then casting them in starring roles in her novels. She has been a genealogy enthusiast since her great-grandmother died at the young age of ninety-seven years old. Pat has won numerous awards for her novels, which include Talk to Me, Grace and Humility and Still Guilty, which was voted the Best Inspirational Romance for 2010. Pat is best known for her Guilty series: Guilty of Love, Not Guilty of Love, and Still Guilty. She is continuing the series through the Jamieson Family Legacy trilogy: Guilty by Association, The Guilt Trip, Free From Guilt. Pat has recently been nominated for the best Christian fiction award by the African American Literary Awards for her latest release, Crowning Glory.  Pat and her husband live in Missouri and have two children. 

Visit Pat at: http://www.patsimmons.net/

MINGMEI YIP has been a published writer since age fifteen when a Hong Kong magazine published an article she wrote on the arts.

She currently has twelve books to her credit, five in Chinese and seven in English. Her most

recent works include The Nine Fold Heaven (Kensington Books, 2013) and a children’s book Grandma Panda’s China Storybook – Legends, Traditions, and Fun (Tuttle Publishing, 2013).

Other novels by the author are Kensington Skeleton Women (2012), Song of the Silk Road (2011), Petals from the Sky (2010), and Peach Blossom Pavilion (1008). Her children’s books are Chinese Children’s Favorite Stories (Tuttle, 2005). Her  Chinese books include The Art of Qin Music, Guqin Music and Chinese Culture, World of Music, Never Poles Apart (collection of essays), and Good Time on Earth, a book on Zen Buddhism. All have been well received in Hong Kong and three have had Taiwan editions.

Visit Mingmei Yip at: http://www.mingmeiyip.com/

LISA WATSON is a native of Washington D.C.  which fed her romantic imagination. Creating interesting, realistic characters that challenge personal and spiritual growth are her forte. Because of her love of Nature, picturesque locales that she visits always seem to find a way into her latest

novels. 

Having parlayed her love of the romance genre into her debut novel, Watch Your Back, Lisa garnered rave reviews, an Afr’Am Literary Fest award nomination, and topped the Amazon Bestseller list.  Her second novel, Interview with Love also received great reviews.

The co-publicist for RT BookReview Magazine’s annual RT Booklovers Conventions, Lisa secures social media interviews for National and International Bestselling authors. 

Lisa resides in North Carolina where she is subcontractor for the Bureau of ATF.  She has been married for 17 years, has a teenager son and daughter, and a Maltipoo named Brinkley.

Visit Lisa Watson at: http://www.lisawatson.com/

ETHAN CROSS is the International Bestselling and Award-Winning Author of The Shepherd, The Cage, Callsign: Knight, and his latest, The Prophet—a novel described by bestselling author Jon Land as "The best book of its kind since Thomas Harris retired Hannibal Lecter."

While #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Lisa Gardner said, "The surprises are fast and

furious and will leave you breathless to read more."

Visit Ethan Cross at: http://www.ethancross.com/

For more information about the convention, visit: https://www.rtconvention.com/register or contact 800-989-8816 X12. The full conference price (5 days) is $474, with day passes available or $99. Register Today!