Tea site: Adagio

Adagio Teas website

I've been wanting to do another tea review for a while, but today I'm doing something a little different: a tea site review.

There's a site called Adagio Teas that sells, you guessed it, tea. It's got a wide variety of teas offered, lets you get points for ordering tea that you can redeem for more tea, and allows you to order sample sizes and small sizes if you just want to try a tea. The tea is about the same value as most teas offered at the stores in my area, if not a bit better in terms of quality vs cost (though how much you order affects this as well; the price is cheaper when you order more). Oh, and, uh, if you find you're spending too much, you can also temporarily ban yourself.


Adagio also has a cool feature (besides selling tea) that lets you blend your own teas. You are "limited" to a list of certain blends and flavors, but it's not a short list, and you get up to three, plus a scoop of flavor (raspberries, dried cherries, coconut, rose petals, etc). You can also adjust the percent of each tea used. And since you can order it in the same quantities as the rest of the teas, you can order yourself a sample to make sure you like what you blended. The blends are saved, you can name them, and they can be edited later.

That alone is a pretty nice. But then there's the fandom feature--because when you name your blends, you can also give put them in groups (or fandoms) and share them so others can enjoy them. This way, you can see what other people think phoenix down might taste like, or what tea blend they think Navi from Ocarina of Time would drink.

Oh, yeah, and you get points when other people buy your blends. So it's share and share alike.

And you can make your own labels
to go on your tea.

I've been planning to do a "Writing Moods" series, with teas to get me into certain moods to write. It'll be slow to grow, though, since I'll have to sample each one before sharing it. But there are plenty of fandoms to browse through, and lots of tasty teas of Adagio's own blends to try.


Find any good teas on the site you're excited to share? Or any fandom blends you think are particularly cool?

Game review: Xenoblade Chronicles X

 There are some things about Xenoblade Chronicles X for the Wii U that really impress me. There are also some things that are driving me nuts as I play the game.

The official Xenoblade website can be found here.

First, the great: The scenery is amazing. This is a very pretty world, and the incredible detail that went into planning it shows. It's also very large, and takes a long time to explore, in part because some areas only become reachable once you have a mecha called a skell. And then there are yet more places to discover when you install flight into your skell (not a standard feature!). The exploration factor makes the grinding much more interesting (it is a level-with-experience game), and in most areas, there are monsters of various levels, so you can be as challenged in the beginners' area at high levels as you were at low levels.


There's also the sneak factor: many areas are explorable if you're sneaky enough to get past the enemies (in fact, most of the planet is this way). So even if an area is guarded by level 39 enemies and you're a measly level 30, you can expect to be able to check the area out with some clever wall-jumping. This is both fun and challenging, and a great game mechanic, in my opinion.

In this world-exploration game, in which it is literally your job to explore the world and take miniquests (yes, really, it's your in-game job), you can choose what sidequests to take. Many of them take you to new areas, and you get a handy little helper called "followball" to help you find the way to get to them if the yellow arrow on your map isn't enough. There are also affinity missions that you can earn--story-quests that introduce you to each of the playable characters, help your characters bond, and let you learn about their backstories (if you can get them to like you enough).

There's a lot of story in this game, in other words, from helping multiple friendly races get along to learning why horrible people became horrible. The story is decently written, and unfolds at a good pace; the unlockable story content is amusing, and the world is interesting.

You also unlock a number of customization options as you play, allowing you to change everything from the colors of your home base to adding new features to weapons and even designing things from scratch. You get to choose your team for the most part, you can dress anyway you want (there is a fashion option so you can wear your strongest gear while looking like you're wearing whatever you want), and you can even choose your pet. Like most games you get to choose what combat skills you use (which vary depending on what class you are at the time) and you can switch it up as you go. The combat mechanics are pretty good, and on the whole, the game is enjoyable.

Now for the not-so-great warnings: The mechanics would be much, much better if you could read the writing. The text is tiny, and almost impossible to read without squinting. Heaven help you if your vision is as bad as mine. So trying to figure out what gear to wear, what missions to take, what you're supposed to be looking for, and what collectibles you've picked up is something of a continuous nightmare.

There's also the "collectible" part of the game: many of the miniquests are "gathering" missions in which you run around gathering things. The problem with this is that no real clues are given for where to find the things, nor--since all the things to gather look like identical crystals--is there a way to specifically search for them. You just run around picking up crystals and hope one of them randomly spawns what you were looking for. Much of these missions are, therefore, spent in the company of Reddit forums, researching where other people found the goods. It's frustrating and one of the more annoying game mechanics I've encountered, and yet is a large part of the game. If there were only a small percentage of missions making use of it, it would be far less irritating, but about half the missions on the job board are. The one bright spot to this is that if you spend a lot of time exploring, you'll often find missions where you've already got enough of your collectible to finish, which means it's instant money and XP.

There's also the lack of "can I actually do this mission" information on the job boards. Missions that involve killing things don't tell you what level those things are, nor does your supposed index of enemies usually tell you when you scroll through alphabetically to look them up. There's no way to know if a level 20 character is being assigned to hunt a guaranteed TPK level 36 monster without looking it up online. Again, poorly thought out.

There are also so less-than-wonderful parts of the perks, such as the storyline relying on cut scenes that go on for a long time. Usually I enjoy a good cut scene, but midway through the powerpoint-like presentation of the eight different divisions you can join, I was about out of patience. And while the wide variety of weapons you can choose from is fun, there's not really a good sorting system, so you have to scroll through a bunch things you can't equip to choose what you do.

Compared to the good things about the game, the problems don't take center stage--the world is too beautiful and it's too much fun to keep discovering new areas for these relatively minor irritations to make me stop playing. 

On the whole, I'd rate game as a 7/10: Good, but there are too many game mechanic features that downright interfere with gameplay for it to be great. I would still recommend buying it, myself; I do love a good world exploration game. Be sure to play it with a computer or phone within arms' length for minimizing frustration, though.

Have you played? What are your thoughts on the game?

Undertale

A friend recommended a game to my fiance and me, so we tried it out this weekend: Undertale.

It's a very cute, very silly RPG (you can find it on Steam) that subverts tropes. Sure, you can fight your way through the first boss... but why not talk your way through instead? And what's not to love about a game where sleeping at the inn gives you a refund because you only slept for two seconds?

You start out as a kid who trips and falls down a hole into GenericLand the ruins, remnants of when monsters fought humanity and were then banished underground after losing. You're immediately rescued by a helpful friend, who obviously desperately wants a kid to love and protect and raise as her own. (And you, sweet child that you are, immediately begin running off down side paths and getting into trouble. Because you can.)

The writing is prettier than the graphics.

It's not going to wow you with graphics, as it's an 8-bit game. Pretty standard game music. And it makes no bones about being a pretty generic plot and world, at least at the beginning. But the concept is cute, and in execution it comes across as amusing and fun. Silly pretty much throughout and the gameplay is easy to pick up. The writing is clever, and be prepared for the fourth wall to occasionally be broken.


I'll admit I haven't finished it yet, but so far it's been worth the playtime.

Wizard World Comic Con: Sunday Review

I love conventions. Heck, I even love business conferences (yeah, I know, I'm weird). A well-done convention with good programming is a sight to behold and a joy to attend. You make new friends, you get to wander around a dealers' room, and you learn some pretty great things at the programs.

But I also don't have the money to attend many, so I pick a couple and hope they're worth it. That's why local conventions (y'know, within an hour or two of driving) are nice--save the hotel room and spend the cash on tickets.

What don't I love? Having two conventions under the same name at the same time, linked by location and divided by the amount of cash you drop.

I only hit up Sunday, which was the last day of Wizard World Comic Con. My local chapter of the RWA had a meeting Saturday (and it was amazing), so Sunday was the only day I could make. Sundays have a reputation of being when everyone hits the dealers rooms at most cons anyway. And there were a couple of panels we found interesting, plus a couple that were fairly appealing but just not the right cup of, uh, coffee (there's not really such a thing as a wrong cup of tea for me).

So, the good first.

For an $85 three-day con, the programming listed sounded pretty good, if more sparse than most of the cons I've been to. A panel with Sean Astin, with Vampire Diaries' Ian Somerhalder, panels discussing costuming, geekdom from a minority perspective, steampunk, William Shatner, meeting the cast and crew of Star Trek New Voyages... Saturday had a very nice line-up. Friday barely bothered with four programs total, but it started at 5, so it was the pre-party anyway. Sunday was lighter on the programming, being also a short day, and really most cons expect Sunday to be dealer room day anyway. But although there were a couple of programs I was glad we caught on Sunday, Saturday was the true day to go.

The dealers' room was nice. I mean, besides the fact that it's a fandom kingdom of joy. There was a good variety of items to purchase, with a mix of collectibles, swords, handmades, local artists and authors, and even a couple of photo ops (Batmobile, Scooby Doo van, Dinosaur van). While I've been in larger dealers' rooms, for a relatively small convention this room was bigger than I'd expected. There were a few big names doing photographs and autographs, too. (We got a Master Sword, which will be treasured like the Precioussssss it is.)

They also seemed quite organized, with the registration moving quickly (on Sunday, anyway), and the area nicely laid out. The Raleigh Convention Center staff know what they're doing when it comes to conventions (seriously, it's in the name; it's literally their job, and they're good at it). The location is nice, and there's a parking deck right beside the convention center, so easy to get a spot.

And I can't help but note the cosplay. Raleigh's got a lot of good cosplayers, so many of those wandering around were, shall we say, well attired. Although the concourse would have made a great area for cosplay display, it was more a thoroughfare and there wasn't as much in the way of posing as I usually see, with much of the photography going on in the registration room and dealers' room. Still, some people were taking advantage of the great lighting.

Posing with K9 was free, though, and you better
believe I did. Sick 'em, K9!

So what did I dislike about this con?

For a con that made a really big deal of bringing in David Tennant, if you didn't pay more than twice the price for a VIP pass (or an extra $100 for a photo op), then you didn't see him in person. Even his autograph was extremely expensive (I've seen $20 for big names at other cons; this was more). Basically there was Wizard World Comic Con, and David Tennant Con with Wizard World access included This wouldn't bother me that much, since he was added to the docket later, except that much of the merchandising and advertising made a huge deal over his presence; the convention seemed to be missing its cornerstone if you didn't pay the extra. Had there been a "budget" package that said "budget members lose the chance to see Tennant in exchange for a lower price," it would have been better played--as it was, it felt like going to see The Hobbit at a theater advertising cheap tickets, but unless you pay the full price, you don't get to see any scenes containing Gandalf. Still a good movie, but there's something missing.

They didn't hide that Tennant was extra, by the way; it was pretty clearly implied from the beginning that he was extra. And everyone could watch the Q&A panels with him the same way they usually see him--on TV, or specially on ConTV. So... I guess we can say we got to be in the same building, and I have some friends who got to see him, which is something, at least.

Besides Tennant, the autographs and photo ops seemed pretty pricey on the whole, too. At least compared to the other conventions I've been to. The program list, while nice, was also less extensive and varied than other cons, with fewer tracks and fewer overall options. Good quality, small quantity. I note here that I've gone to smaller cons with more programming of equal and even higher quality, so I knock off some points here. And on the whole I got a "very commercial" vibe. I mean, it's a con, so I expect they're there to make money, but this was more than usual.

Would I go to this convention again? Meh. Not likely. I had fun, but if I have a limited number of cons I can attend, I'd rather go to different one next year.

Xia: Legends of a Drift System board game review

From my "How to Play Caverna" post, you might surmise I like board games. I hereby officially confirm this. Also, I've (okay, the fiance) found another winner.

More on BoardGameGeek

Xia: Legends of a Drift System is a board game featuring space battles, space exploration, and the ever-looming possibility of foolishly jumping into the galaxy's sun (or wisely, depending on when you do it...)

It features an exploration-based world, where you reveal new places to go by flying off the map and flipping tiles (think Betrayal at House on the Hill, where you discover new rooms as you go). Exploration isn't strictly necessary, at least not after you've discovered a planet, but it's fun, and it allows you to complete missions and sell and trade cargo.

Oh, yes, there are missions. These range from Assassin, where you can murder your fellow players and/or one of the 3 NPCs, to Thief, a bloodless robbery that gets you money, to Research and Shuttle missions, which are perfectly legal ways to get cash. That's important, because outlaws get hunted by the enforcer NPC and are lucrative sources of income for other players who kill them (there's always a bounty on outlaws!). Yep, you totally get into space fights.

The goal of the game is to get famous. Yep, you're taunting death for a chance of fame and glory. You win by gaining "fame points," which are like victory points. The length of the game varies based on where you set the goal--you can play to 5, 10, 15, or 20 FP, as you want.

The game itself is a whole level of awesome on its own. It features metal currency chips and tiny painted ship figurines. This explains the fairly hefty price: $90 (ouch). But if you can afford the investment, the game is a ton fun, and has enough built-in variety that you could play for years without getting bored.

That said, the rules are pretty complicated. Really. It's a twenty-page rule book, with pages 2-16 containing relevant info. It is, however, well-written and easy enough to follow. And once you've read through the rules once, it's not terribly difficult to put them into practice. Still, if you can get someone to show you how to play, you'll be glad to have skipped the lengthy rule-reading.

You'll need a lot of space, too. Our standard folding table didn't cut it (while exploring, we kept running out of room for our player boards), so we play at the dining room table for the extra space.

This is one game I'd love to see on TableTop, but it's still really new, so I'm not going to hold my breath. Instead, I'll be playing Ghoststalker, slipping past planetary borders to scoop of loads of smuggled goods and selling them to the authorities on Kemplar II.

Did I mention the Firefly vibe? Yeah, that happens. Somewhere between hiding from the Enforcer's missiles in a debris field and tractor-beaming the outlaw NPC to shoot him in his fleeing back for the bounty, you definitely start feeling a bit Wild-Wild-West-Space. Mwahaha...

(Like all my reviews thus far, nobody has paid me for this review or given me anything. I just played the game and liked it.)

Review: Teavana's holiday gift

I bought Teavana's "The Ultimate Winter Collection" gift tea set for myself over Cyber Monday. A splurge, but no regrets on my part. TL;DR version: some good teas, some okay teas, great tea tins.

So the thing that sold me on this right away was that I saw it had 12 small, stackable tea tins included. Have you ever bought a Teavana tea tin? The cheapest hold 3 oz and are $4, but are rarely in stock in my experience. The fancy ones run $9-13 and hold at least 8 oz (and lately they've been trending to stock only the large ones in the stores).

From the front, they hardly
seem to take up any space at all.
Top shelf on the left: the gold
and white containers.

That's fine, especially if you drink a lot of the same kind of tea and don't have a lot of variety. But I'm a sample buyer: I buy in 2 oz doses to try new teas. If I really think I'll like them, I buy maybe 4 oz. So I have a lot of wasted space and really tight shelves. Though I do buy larger containers of favorites, for trying something new, I don't want a big container.

These 2-ish oz tea tins? They're perfect. Seriously perfect. Stackable. Not giant. The right size for a sample that doesn't leave me feeling like I've wasted a ton of room on a tea I don't much like. At $70 for the gift set, it's not a bad price; on the CyberMonday sale, the 12 tins alone were a pretty good deal, especially when you get 12 ounces tea with them.

The teas themselves that come with the set are reasonable and holiday-themed. Actually, while some of them are great, others are the weak point of the set. Or maybe that's just my opinion. It's worth noting that of the ones I've tried, none re-steep very well. Since I tend to re-steep my teas, this is a bit of a disappointment. But the variety is on the whole pretty good. I've fallen in love with the Tiramisu, for example (which is, however, sadly a retired tea and no longer for sale on its own). I've reviewed the Spiced Apple Cider before (tasty but not a value I'd invest in on its own) and tried a couple of the others that I'm excited to get a little more of (I rather like Toasted Nut Brulee and Pumpkin Spice Brulee). Best described as "novelty" teas, really--fun and entertaining, a bit light on substance, but cute. None of them are super-rare or something the tea community would write home about, but the good ones have nice flavor and those I've tried are thoroughly drinkable and enjoyable. The only exception is the CocoCaramel Sea Salt, which I tried once and didn't like--but others seem to like it, so I think it's mostly personal taste.

Stackable. See how stackable they are? Also, my awesome
packing-tape labels.

The holiday teas are fun. On the whole I think the sample-sizes are perfect: I'd be unlikely to buy most of them on their own, but as a sample I greatly enjoy trying them. For a single-steep tea at Teavana prices, there's only a few I'll buy myself; in general I'd rather spend the money and shelf space on a multi-steep tea I know I love. But as samples? Heck, I know I'll drink the Spiced Apple Cider; it's quite tasty. Wouldn't buy it by itself, but it's a nice bonus with the White Chocolate Peppermint and the Chocolate Bananas Foster.

The major complaint people seem to have with the set is that there aren't labels for the teas. I made my own with packing tape and a sharpie, but it's a legit problem as the tea tins are identical. Since I'll refill them with other teas soon, though, I'm not exactly heartbroken. I'll just switch out the tape.

The next major complaint is that the tins are tricky to open. If you have nails, they're pretty easy to open. If no nails, a butter knife will give you the right leverage, but the tops aren't so tight that they gave me trouble after cutting my nails. Might not be a good gift for a family member with arthritis or finger strength/coordination troubles, though, because the flat tops don't give great leverage for opening them.

On the whole I'd say it's a good value, and one I'm glad I jumped on while it was on sale. Keep an eye on it, especially if you plan to buy your gifts on post-holiday sales (Teavana usually has at least one good one right after Christmas through New Years).

Marrying Mr. Darcy: the game

My name is Jane Bennet, and I did not marry Mr. Darcy.

In fact, my dear younger sister Elizabeth immediately accepted Mr. Darcy's first proposal. But she was soon thereafter caught in an unchaperoned situation with the devious--I mean, dear--Mr. Wickham, whom she then married, because of course we all know how feisty Elizabeth is, and Mr. Darcy really oughtn't have insulted her with such an improper and insulting proposal in the first place. Of course, after she took to calling Charlotte her sister instead of me (even stealing Charlotte's bonnet!), I find myself wishing her a very long marriage with her new husband.

I must admit that I had my hopes set on the sweet Mr. Bingsley myself, but as you know, I'm getting older, and when Mr. Bingsley left town I settled with the quite reasonable Mr. Denny, who as a good friend of my Dear New Brother-in-law Mr. Wickham was willing to gamble with me at cards (I have quite a fondness for gambling; many people do not know this about me.)

Meanwhile, dear Charlotte settled down with Mr. Collins, for although she did not at first love him, they both soon discovered their mutual delight in closets, and have decorated their home with the most marvelous and fascinating closets that a person interested in closets could imagine (I do not judge; a woman must find common ground with her husband where she can).

Georgiana, that prideful sister of Mr. Darcy's, who become quite our rival after Elizabeth broke the engagement with Mr. Darcy to elope with Mr. Wickham, ended up as an old maid, and I surely wouldn't claim that she deserved such a thing, for it would be in poor manners to do so. Besides, from what I hear, her aunt and uncle have taken her under their wing, and her substantial dowry is more than enough to keep her cared for.

Lady Laura, whom you may not remember from my sister's tales, married Mr. Darcy in turn, and of all of us ladies seemed the most successful in her marriage pursuits. (Kickstarter backers got cards of themselves.)

(In case you're wondering, this alternate timeline is courtesy of the card game Marrying Mr. Darcy, which as you can tell I quite enjoyed. It's cute, humorous, and easy to play; probably not the most balanced game in the world, but the concept is adorable and it'll delight most Jane Austen fans. Plus, there's an Undead Expansion option [which I have not had the chance to play], for fans of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.)

Tea Party at Straw Valley Cafe

This past weekend we had a bridal shower for one of my good friends. She's Scottish, so I wanted to do something tea. Only problem? Finding a venue to host. I tried a couple of places. The first place I looked had a reputation for poor service, and when I called I had the impression they couldn't (wouldn't) work with our budget of less than $500 for 15-20 people. The second place I checked with wanted to have  a headcount before they'd reserve the date (which, if you've ever tried planning an event, is the exact opposite of how people do things--it's hard to say for sure "I'll be there" when you don't know when it is!)

Then it occurred to me to try an old favorite, Straw Valley Cafe and Wine Bar. I've raved about them before; it's the same beautiful location our SciFi/Fantasy Meetup group used to meet (before we got too large to fit!).

Photo taken by one of the other bridesmaids--
The teacups were rather amazing!

Straw Valley just opened up a new restaurant facility. As in, last weekend. When I was booking, they were still in the planning stages to open, and I suspect we may have been the first outside event to book with, definitely the first tea party. They made sure to work with our budget and gave us some options on what we do with what we had. The rates were good; the base room fee was the same as the other venues I tried and the snack/drink costs reasonable.

And it was lovely. The tea was fantastic, loose-leaf Darjeeling with milk and honey. We had lemon-rosemary scones, and vanilla and lemon cupcakes with the most fantastic homemade whipped frosting, plenty for our 15 guests. The location is lovely, and the staff friendly, too.

 They put a lot of nice touches into getting the area ready, and I think the restaurant is going to be a success. They were fine with me starting to set up as soon as I arrived (admittedly it was only 15 minutes early).

View from the room where the bride opened her gifts.

I won't say the event went without hitch. It's a brand-new restaurant and they're clearly still figuring things out. We ran out of tea fairly quickly, and discovered they'd forgotten spoons for mixing with the milk and honey. Hunting someone to ask about this took a little effort, since everyone disappeared soon after we started serving ourselves tea from the cast-iron teapots. That said, as soon as I found someone they got right on it and we didn't run out of tea again, and someone was always nearby after that. Seemed like the sort of mistakes people make the first couple of events, and ones that didn't seem likely to be repeated at future events, given how courteous and helpful the staff has been in the past.

There was a fountain in the gift room.

You're best off scheduling late lunch hours for an event of this time, since they like to close around 4 to get ready for dinner. I would also recommend that anyone choosing to go with them come with signs prepared ahead of time--the venue is an oasis of calmness and beauty in the middle of downtown Durham, but to optimize this effect it's laid out in a manner that makes it seem larger than it is--with the unfortunate side effect that people can get lost wandering around.

On the whole I'd give the Cafe a 4 out of 5 stars, although I expect that will actually get higher as they gain experience hosting events. The baked goods were top-notch, the tea fantastic, the location beautiful, and staff helpful and eager to make sure things went well. There are a couple of kinks to work out, but I'd be surprised if the place isn't well-oiled by May.

Given the other options in the area, I'd definitely call it your #1 option for a tea party in the Triangle right now. Not bad for any other kind of bridal shower or party, either!

Sharknado: Heckle Heaven

Last week, I finally got my chance to see Sharknado.

It was exactly as advertised.

Case in point: One of the major early features of the movie is the fact that "a hurricane is striking California for the first time." If this movie coincided with reality, this would actually be more or less true, as storms of that caliber formed in this part of the Pacific move West, away from the Southern California shore. There really haven't been tropical cyclones hitting that particular part of the US, because wind and the motion of the Earth and the cold California waters all say "no."

But don't worry, weather sticklers; the hurricane is only present for about 1/8 of the shots, anyway. In the rest, it's a either a mildly cloudy day, or if the sky isn't in the show, downright clear and sunny (you can tell by the golden light and the strong shadows).

For a detailed plot summary, go here,
where I got this screenshot.
Also, you can't see them, but this bus is surrounded
by giant sharks. Because, that's why.

Of course there was quite a bit of gratuitous shark. After all, it's Sharknado. There are sharks found only in warm Atlantic waters storming the Pacific coast from the West and mixing freely with sharks found elsewhere. The sharks only eat humans, target humans, and go after humans, in a complete and utter reversal of actual shark taste and biology (very few species will eat people; we taste bad. Most will let go after a single bit.) And then there's the rather obvious flip-of-the-bird to every kind of physics and biology, such as when a 10-foot shark repeatedly swims out from behind a 3-foot-wide door, like a psycho in a horror film with access to a dimensional portal.

One of these hats.
You can get them here.

This was all before the sharks became airborne. And I haven't even mentioned the ridiculously inconsistent water levels yet... Like the house that floods from the inside until it collapses and sends water streaming down the hill, or the  giant hammerhead sharks swimming around in about 18 inches of water.

There was so much gratuitous shark, in fact, that at one point after the sharks started flying, someone began throwing a shark hat into the air, and it took me a moment before realizing the hat wasn't part of the show. In fact, it wasn't until the shark was thrown a second time that I was sure. This despite an obvious "something in front of the screen" shadow.

On the whole, I'd say this is pretty much exactly what it set out to be: a horrible, terrible, spectacularly funny fail of a disaster movie. From shallow romances that don't even follow their own logic (Wait, are you the father's girlfriend, or the son's?), to chainsaws and sharks that swallow people whole, to random rappelling-down-to-save-the-obligatory-children-who-mysteriously-disappear-to-safety-afterwards, to sharks who do everything from breathe air, fly, and climb ropes, it's a movie 100% made for heckling.

The poster was right. Sharknado, enough said.

Ladies only: recommendation for unusual necklines

Hi guys. Go grab a cup of tea or coffee or something; you don't need to read this post. This one is for the ladies, on a very practical and extremely uninteresting subject matter: how to wear unusual shirt necklines with the utmost practicality. I promise it will be dull and that there are no pictures of the subject matter.



....


Are they gone yet?


Here's a kitty picture to give them more time (no, this is not the subject matter; doesn't count against above promise):

This is my chair now. Go write somewhere else.

Okay, now that they're gone, bra recommendation. We've all go those gorgeous shirts that traditional bras don't fit, because absolutely anything with straps will show. I have awful luck with strapless bras (which usually end up around my waist), but I got this stick-on bra and it actually works:


NuBra Ultralite, by Fashion Forms, style 16846



You do have to wash right before putting it on, soap and all, or will start to peel up at the edges towards the end of the day. Also try to get it on right the first time, because every time you pull it off and reset it, it becomes a little more likely to peel up. Do it right the first time and it stays secure all day. I've used this bra a few times a month for the past six months and it's still sticky and it still works.

After taking it off, it needs to be washed off with a gentle soap. I run it under the faucet with room-temperature water and just a little soap, rinse it off well, and let it air dry, and then store it in the box it came in. I won't claim it's got amazing support or anything (come on, it's a stick-on), but it does a reasonable job and nobody knows when I'm cold.

I got mine at Belks for $32. Worth every penny for me, because I have some really cute sleeveless tops, love unusual necklines, and of course have that obligatory dress (or three) that just don't work well with normal bras.

Men, if you're still here, you are now sworn to never reveal the tricks of the trade. Don't be surprised if a couple of nice agents in black suits show up in the near future and flash a pretty red light at you.

Some reviews of FF&P

Okay, I've fallen down on the ball and not gotten a guest blogger to review for me... but I'm posting links to several other blogs that offer reviews on the Fantasy on the Bayou conference!

Barbara Vey offers a review on Publishers Weekly.

Terry Spear shares some of her pictures of the conference.

Leanna Renee Hieber, steampunk author and presenter, seems to have had a great time. And I'd definitely call her the best-dressed person there! Love her outfits.

Kerri Nelson shares her top ten fave moments from the con.

Ursula Whistler, one of our presenters, gives her perspective.

Angela Quarles talks about attending as her first-ever conference.

Every one of these ladies was terrific, and I'm so happy to have gotten to meet them! I know I had fun, but don't take it from me. Check out what everyone else says!


What's the best con you've ever been to? What made it the best?

Volunteering at a Con

As you may have heard (or more likely read), I spent last weekend at the FF&P's Fantasy on the Bayou conference. This was the first year the FF&P (the Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal chapter of the Romance Writers of America organization) has put on a conference, and I was eager to see what we would do with it.

So I volunteered to help out.

As a scholarship attendee, I couldn't tell you right off the total cost of the hotel and ticket and such, and because I volunteered, I saw a different side of the conference than a regular attendee would. So I'm going to focus on my experience volunteering instead of a review of the conference itself - I'll try to get someone else to do that for me.

Since I roomed with one of the conference organizers, and let her know ahead of time that I was more than happy to volunteer as much as I could, she took me up on the offer. I stuffed bags and worked on the gift-basket assembly team on Thursday, helped out with registration on Friday, and checked in and helped monitor editor/agent pitches on Saturday.

Most volunteers, by the way, don't work for such a large portion of the conference, but I kept asking to help out.

Why? I really wanted the conference to be a success, and more importantly, I enjoyed the experience thoroughly.

Stuffing bags gave me a good look at how much effort goes into recruiting materials for a con. Our hardworking conference committee had convinced publishers and authors to generously donate a large assortment of books and materials. Can you imagine how hyped I was to hold not one but three different ARCs of books I was dying to read? (Don't worry; I restrained my pirating instincts and didn't haul away all the booty for myself!) We were able to offer these as door prizes, and every attendee got an assortment of books to take home. Plus, I learned that a couple of our members made giftbaskets as a side job. How cool is that? It took a while to stuff all the bags, so we all had plenty of time to chat.

I got to meet most of the attendees while I worked registration, Since the FF&P is an online chapter, I finally got the chance to meet our president and the other chapter members in person. It's not quite the same to see someone on the Yahoo!Loop as it is to meet them in person.

Volunteering for the pitches allowed me to put agent/editor faces with their names (the handy-dandy "who's sitting where" list helped!). Agents like to see a writer putting in the effort to help out. As one of the conference committee members said, "Just putting yourself together and attending a conference shows a certain degree of professionalism and commitment that agents are looking for," which is one reason most agents request a higher percentage of partial manuscripts from in-person pitches than from unsolicited queries. Helping out is another way to show you're serious.

Of course, all the volunteering means I missed out on all but a couple of workshops. That's okay - I really enjoyed those I went to, and I took away a different set of valuable lessons in exchange.


Con Stories
Wait, you want more than just the run-down? You want Con stories? Fantasy in the Bayou is held in New Orleans.You better believe it was wild. We stayed just a few blocks away from the French Quarter, and of course, Friday morning had me eating beignets at Cafe du Monde!

Friday night we all went on a vampire/ghost tour. Was it creepy? Yes. Was it hilarious? Even more so; our guide was terrific! I got to be the vampire's snack. Our guide needed an example of what had happened to a poor woman who had been lured upstairs by a handsome European some two hundred years ago, and I just happened to be standing within arm's reach... Chomp! Interestingly enough, the house we were learning about was the inspiration for Sherrilyn Kenyon's Haven.

And then there was the poor drunk who chased me around on Saturday night. Never to to New Orleans alone - you never know when a horny drunken kid is going to chase you in circles around one of your friends, which doesn't work so well if you don't have a friend to do-si-do around. His poor date. She kept trying to hold him back and apologizing to us. She eventually managed to drag him away. Would have loved to overhear that conversation the next day!

We worked in a decent amount of touring. A couple of the ladies got their fortunes told by a mysteriously disappearing fortune teller. We're talking about the lady who ignores everyone else, waves you over, and is gone when you walk by two hours later while the rest of Jackson Square's 'psychic circle' is still going strong. Interesting, eh?

It was, all in all, a fantastic trip, and I really look forward to attending next year's version. I'll definitely volunteer again, although I wouldn't volunteer at every conference. Half and half would be a good mix, where half I would volunteer at, and the other half I'd just attend. Getting to meet everyone was a reward in and of itself, and I learned so very much about conventions, our chapter, and even new things on publishing from the experience.

From M&M: Writing Between the Sexes

One of the most helpful seminars for me was the last, a 3-hour presentation on Writing Between the Sexes, given by Leigh Michaels. In this seminar, the presenter talked about how to write convincing male and female characters. Best five hints (all of which are generalizations for the purposes of writing, because we all know there are exceptions):

Hint #1: If you're writing a guy who suddenly starts talking about his feelings without being forced to (at emotional or literal gunpoint, at that), you're not writing a convincing male.

Hint #2: If you're writing a woman who looks into the mirror, decides she likes what she sees and mentions the size of her breasts, you're not writing a convincing female.

Hint #3: Describing clothing, including brand name? You're probably looking through the eyes of a female. Describing activity without spending words on scenery and background? You're probably looking through the eyes of a male. Men and women notice different things. Females tend to be detail-oriented; males tend to be big-picture oriented.

Hint #4: Women talk in questions, qualifiers, and euphemisms. Men don't. Women explain their thoughts. Men don't.
Ex: "The clock as stopped; it needs a new battery. -> female
       "The clock needs a new battery." -> male
       "We're out of orange juice. Would you please pick some more up when you go to the store?" -> female
       "When you go to the store, pick up some more orange juice." -> male

Hint #5: Women talk for socializing and relaxation; men talk to prove and maintain their status. Therefore, home is where women feel safe to talk, but home is also where men feel safe to not talk.

Final thought for the road: the reasons that men and women talk are different. Sometimes, this creates conflicts, because men and women don't always understand where the other is coming from. Think about it.

Sharing time: Think of a conversation you've had with a member of the opposite gender. Which of these hints did you observe in action?

Review: Moonlight & Magnolias Conference

I was told by several members of my chapter that Moonlight and Magnolias, a conference held near Atlanta, GA, was a great first romance writers' conference to attend.

I have to say, I whole-heartedly agree.

The Georgia Romance Writers (GRW) subchapter of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) hosts the Moonlight and Magnolias conference every year. This year, the conference was held in the Decatur Hotel and Conference Center in Decatur, GA (a suburb of Atlanta, pronounced "Deck-ae-tur"). If romance is not your genre, I would skip it, because it is targeted for romance writers. Many of the workshops would still be applicable for other genres, but you wouldn't get the full benefit.

The conference offered a number of writing panels, such as Writing Between the Genders for writing convincing characters of either sex, Killer Romance: Creating Romantic Thrillers for dissecting the elements of a romantic thriller, and Worldbuilding for your Werewolf, Duke, or smalltown Doctor for creating in-depth worlds appropriate to various characters. There were also craft panels, such as a Pitch Workshop to help writers hone their pitches before pitching to an agent, a first-five-page critique for writers to critique each others' first five pages, Software Programs for Writers, and a couple of marketing panels for both self-published and self-marketing authors.

Also attending the conference were several agents and editors from various agencies and publishing houses. These agents and editors come in part for the purpose of recruitment: writers can sign up for the chance to pitch a work to them, and have seven minutes to describe their story and catch the agent's interest. Both published and unpublished writers will sign up for these sessions. (It's not uncommon for an agent to not sell every genre a writer writes, or for a writer to seek a new agent if she doesn't mesh well with her current one.)

When registering, you have the option to indicate on your badge whether or not this is your first time attending Moonlight and Magnolias. I highly recommend doing so if it is your first. Everyone in the GRW is very friendly, and they make sure to welcome you and to be extra helpful if they notice that it's your first. And I mean 'nice' in the "incredibly helpful, ask if you're enjoying yourself, give directions at the drop of a hat, know what they're doing and are more than willing to help' form of 'nice.'

I heard mention that the Moonlight and Magnolias conference was also one of the agents' and editors' favorites, and given the number of lead agents, I believe it. This year, in attendance  were the distinguished agents Nancy Knight (Sullivan-Maxx Literary Agency and member of GRW), Diedre Knight (the Knight Agency), Michelle Grajkowski (3 Seas Literary Agency), Laura Bradford (the Bradford Literary Agency), and Jessica Faust (Bookends, LLC - she's currently closed to unsolicited submissions, too, so pitching in person or getting a direct reference are pretty much the only ways to query her). In the editor side of things were Holly Blanck (St. Martin's Press), Victoria Curran (Harlequin), Leah Hultenschmidt (Sourcebooks, Inc.), Wendy McCurdy (Executive Editor at Berkley Publishing, Penguin Group), and Charlene Patterson (Bethany House Publishers). If you've been researching any of these agencies or publishers - well, let's just say that's quite a powerhouse to have in residence.

This being my first time to pitch in person to a real, live agent, I was relieved to find that they were much less terrifying than I'd imagined. (Note: I have pitched to several imaginary agents for practice, but I have never yet pitched to a dead agent. I'm sure that needed clarifying.) None of them asked to eat my brains, and they smiled, were honest, and seemed very much like friendly and normal people. They did seem to appreciate professionalism, but were forgiving of things like stammering and inexperience.  (Not so forgiving of stalking, rudeness, or contagious undeath, though, except as part of the book being pitched. Some things are just better read than experienced.)

We also attended the Maggie Awards, in full fancy regalia. This is one of the red-carpet events of writers, and as such, most of us took advantage of the chance to dress up in our when-else-will-I-ever-wear-this dresses and then danced the night away after the awards were handed out. (Three days later, I am still sore. Totally worth it.)

Of course, there was a book signing. You don't become a writer without first being addicted to reading. I spent much more than I probably should have (again, worth it), and now have several more signed books for my collection (also, much less shelf space. I need a new bookshelf.) Part of the profits from the book signing went to a charity (Literacy something-or-another). There was also a raffle for some very nice gift baskets, and I was excited to win not one, but two! 0.0 (I got some signed books, a beautiful acorn-patterned quilt in a matching tote bag, and some jam.)  I also entered a drawing for a critique, since some agencies and editors were offering critiques as prizes.

As a side note, this was the hotel's last conference before closing to let new management renovate it (really, they were locking the doors the moment the last of us walked out the door!) Most of the staff had been laid off, to the point that our breakfast servers were also serving us dinner. The hotel had also ceased purchasing items (like new towels), so there was a lot of things they were short on. They were quite thrifty with what they had, and tried their best to keep everyone supplied. Considering their limited resources, they did an amazing job, so kudos to the hotel staff for hanging in there.

Grade for Romance writers (including other genres with romantic elements): A++  The conference was terrific, everyone I met had a great attitude, I really benefited from a couple of the workshops, and there were some big-name agents present.
Grade for non-Romance writers: B-.  Some of the workshops and panels are still very helpful for any genre, but just as many are romance-targeted, and most of the networking wouldn't be as helpful.

Please note that I am not differentiating between self-published and traditionally published writers. There were several classes open for self-publishing crowd, and a fair representation of the writers present had gone that route at some point or another (some have done both traditional and self-publishing, the latter for harder-to-sell genres.) I believe both traditional and self-published writers would benefit significantly from this conference.

Storytime: Tell me about your M&M adventure! Or, if you've never been, do a little time-travel and tell me about the time I pitch to a dead agent instead of a real, live one. Do I need to take zombie repellent with me?

Guest Blog: RWA Conference Review with Joanna McKethan

I was sad to miss the annual Romance Writers of America Conference this year.  It's a pretty major conference (the major conference, if you write romance!)  The conference lasted from June 29-July 1, this year held in New York, NY. 

But just because I wasn't there, doesn't mean I won't post a review - I called on the talented Joanna McKethan to write a review for me!

In addition to being a  PRO member of the RWA, and another member of the much-vaunted (by me, anyway) HCRW chapter, Joanna is also a member of the Gothic Writers and the North Carolina Writers Network.  You can pick up a copy of her novel Lady in White at Red Rose publishing, and keep an eye out for A Deadly Provenance, which won 3rd place in the 2007 Haunted Hearts Contest.  She's also a published author of over 60 poems in various literary journals and poetry anthologies (one in both English and Russian!)  Joanna published her first short fiction in Americal Girl at 16, and went on to work in the writing industry for 8 years, split between working as an assistant editor at Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Kentucky, and four years writing features and a newsletter at Vision Verlag in Starnberg, West Germany. 

And, because most writers also have a day job, Joanna is a professional artist who owns j'Originals Art Studio in Dunn, NC.  She paints watercolor and oil paintings on commission and has also taught art for 30 years.  As an award-winning artist, you might catch her exhibited on regional and national levels.  She's a member of the Portrait Society of America and of the Southern Watercolor Society, and has served as a board member of the Wathercolor Society of North Carolina for 12 years. 

So what did Joanna think about the RWA conference?  Here's her take:

Wow--about the conference itself--the keynote luncheon was simply incredible-- listening to Diana Gabaldon of Outlander fame, Steve Perry who writes thrillers, both NY Times best-selling authors, and Tess Gerritsen whose series detective inspired Rizzoli & Isles answer expertly placed questions. That in itself would have been enough for me. But then we got to hear Sherrily Kenyon and Madeline Hunter tell their stories, and what mind-boggling, stirring stories they were.

We got chances to pitch our own finished novels to major agents and editors, including those on the NY scene, rake in free books from top publishers, devour incredibly informative workshops and meet members of national interest groups (mine being Gothic Writers) that we had never seen before. I particularly liked Michael Hauge's workshop on character arc and plot/novel structure, but also those which encouraged us to get savvy with the marketing tools of the industry.  Plus, our published authors got a chance to sign books for their fans - the HCRW made a good showing at our panel!

For my own part, I got pitching sessions with 3 literary agents (all top choices for me personally), one a New York agent, and a request for a full from a top publisher. I am racing to get it off to them, now. I made some terrific new friends, got and gave some good pitching tips, made neat contacts, heard scuttlebutt insider tips you only get from conferences, new books I want to read and I had two or three "revelation" type ideas for presenting my WIP.

The total conference cost for me was around $1300, but this isn't all at once. You pay the conference fee first. My room for four nights, shared room, was $485, which was charged to my card last, my meals were $120-$150 of the $200 cash I took to spend. My flight, with insurance, with broker, was $230, and the optional shipping of my books home was $53 (their largest), for a grand total of (how much was the conference fee? 375 or 450?) 1300-1365. I have made a commitment to myself to afford myself one major conference a year in each of my expertise areas, which has more than elevated my craft in each area. Entrepreneurs ALWAYS know they have to put back into the business, often repeatedly, before they take much out.

Oh! And I bought a book from Michael Hauge, $20.

I recommend the conference to people in several phases: first of all, to beginners:  to get a notion of the scope of the industry which will inspire and light a fire under you, straight on. Secondly for those with a completed book to get opportunities to pitch novels to editors and agents who are otherwise closed to open queries. And thirdly, if you're needing fresh infusions or if you've won something, to bask in it a bit.

Okay, you want to know my crazy conference story? Get this. I made the mistake of returning to my room to get my evening earrings & returning to an overloaded elevator system. None of the elevators would take me down on this computerized elevator system. Our conference had overloaded the brain and I was told I "had to wait." I was on 42nd floor of the Marriott Marquis. You talk about a panic attack. Trapped? Moi? Alternate routes? The staircase! So I trotted known 36 double flights of stairs so as not to miss the award dessert banquet--my legs were trembling at the end when I got on the escalators at ninth floor. My thigh muscles clinched and didn't return to normal until Tuesday! But I did get to see the awards given, including Virginia Kantra from our own HCRW. I heard there were two finalists from my gothic group. Oh well. It was still one hundred percent worth it.

Go ahead and laugh! I wasn't laughing then, but I am now.

You can't have a conference without a crazy conference story!  I asked Joanna to share hers, and now I'd love to hear yours - add your story as a comment, and take a moment to laugh at everyone else's!  The five which make me laugh the hardest will be accumulated into a post for July 18th (Wow, I already know that I'll have a hard time choosing!)  Thanks again to Joanna McKethan for the terrific review!

Online class: A Publisher's Guide to Contracts

I've never seen a publisher's contract before.  I had no idea of what to expect, and since this is my industry now, that's not okay.  So when I found a free online class through the RWA on publisher/author contracts, I signed up.  How could I resist?  Why would I resist?  I may not be at that stage in my career yet, but I expect to be there one day.  And in case I don't remember everything... well, I archived the yahoogroups daily digests.  You know, just in case.

Some things I didn't know before:

Right of first refusal:  Most publishers will include a "right of first refusal" clause in the contract.  What, exactly, is included in this clause is negotiable: sometimes it's anything that the author writes (Steer clear of this if you can!!!).  Usually, though, it's any other book containing the same characters, and often (but by no means always) it extends to include anything set in the same world.  If the publisher works with several genres, they may require anything between certain word lengths (and the instructor did mention that she knew of several cases where authors had successfully negotiated word lengths, for example, from 5K-100k down to from 5K-70K, leaving the author room to write longer works and publish them elsewhere.)  In most cases, however, that last clause isn't included, and I think I'd require it to be removed from my own contract before signing.  Also, just because a publisher is offered the next book, doesn't mean they'll take it.  Once they've turned the next one down,

Timelines:  These are actually written into your contract.  They seem pretty generous to me: for example, if you're requested to write a second book, you're required to produce the second one within (let's say 12 months; seems pretty standard.)  The publisher then has (12 months) to actually publish the book (which means it doesn't happen right away!)  If you decide you don't like your publisher anymore and try to slough them off by not meeting your deadline, you have to repay your advance.  Oh, and if you ever do finish that book, you stillhave to offer it to them.  (The next book, by the way, gets its own contract, even though it's written into this contract that you'll write it.  The contract process starts all over again when the second manuscript is turned in.)
Contract termination:  There are several ways to terminate a contract.  Most contracts automatically expire after a certain amount of time, rights immediately reverting to author.  Also, there is a sales termination clause: If combined sales of all publisher's editions (including both digital and print) fall below (150 copies in 12 months,) the publisher can pay ($500) and say the book is still in print.  Otherwise, it's not considered in print anymore, and the contract is terminated, rights reverting to author.  It's this final part that the instructor suggests you negotiate: if you want the contract to possibly terminate sooner, raise the copy numbers.  But 150 in 12 months is apparently pretty standard.

There were, of course, other things discussed in class, but those were three clauses in particular that I was interested in.

On the whole, I did really appreciate the class.  The instructor did a good job of presenting the contract, and explaining the "scariest" clauses (and really, all the main ones.)  She answered all the students' questions, including some that weren't directly mentioned in the contract (like subsidary rights.)  And she provided both publisher and author perspectives for most of the clauses, giving a rounded view on topics (like right of first refusal) on various and potentially sensitive topics.  On the other hand, it was still dense reading, and there was a lot of information.  Even after breaking it down into lay terms,  I can't say I completely understand the contracts now, just because there's so very much to digest and remember, and the class was only a single week.  And it's going to be little a while until I actually have need of the information, so it's not immediately useful.  Furthermore, I don't usually have too much of a problem reading legalese.  I had no idea, however, what's considered "standard" for most contracts, and without the class, I could have been ripped off by a less-than-sterling publisher and never known it until too late. 

Grade: B+ Extremely useful, but with more subject than time.

Online class: "Breaking Free From the Slush Pile"

As you all know (or maybe as you now know,) I'm a member of the Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal chapter of the RWA.  I recently took an online class I discovered through the group called "Breaking Free From the Slush Pile."  It was taught by CJ Lyons (who has a 90% response rate for her queries!!!)  Online classes such as these usually do charge a small fee, usually around $20 (with a discount if you're  a member of the host chapter.)

In this class, we had lessons on writing blurbs, pitches, and queries.  CJ defined for us elevator pitches, premise pitches, and high concept pitches.  She gave us guidance for writing our own, and gave us feedback on each.

She also gave a lesson on searching for agents (mostly "Do your research!") and what to do during an actual in-person pitch (like at a conference, or in an elevator where they can't run away when they graciously allow you to give your pitch.)  Turns out, most agents don't like being stalked.  It's a little unprofessional (not to mention creepy.)

I would very much recommend the course and the teacher (her new website on writing: http://www.norulesjustwrite.com/)  It's not just for romance, either.  I'd have to give the course an A+ for usefulness, for clarity of information, and for honest (and somehow still tactful) feedback

Here's a little teaser from the course:
A high concept pitch: combine a universal icon (coming-of-age) with a hook (of a genetic experiement).  This should ideally evoke an emotion and also draw in your listener.  For HALVES, my high concept pitch would be: The coming-of-age story of a genetic experiment.

An elevator pitch: Gives a person with ultra ADD a quick comparison between your work and something similar.  For POSEIDON'S DAUGHTER: The movie 300 meets Jean Johnson's Sons of Destiny series.  (The latter is a fantasy romance - if the agent doesn't recognize the series, there's a discernable chance he or she isn't the right agent for me.)

A note on queries: The one and only purpose of a query is to get an agent interested enough to ask for more.  It isn't to tell them the story.  It isn't to introduce the characters or teach all about your awesome world.  It's to spark enough interest that they want to read the synopsis (which does tell the main plot of the story) and then pick up the sample pages (hey look, the characters and your awesome world!)  Just give the agent enough of a blurb so that they know your writing style and what makes your book unique. 

Oh, and you should probably include one of your plots, too.  Preferably the main one.  But don't make it too confusing - the longer your query is, the less likely your overworked prospective agent is going to spend his or her time reading it.  Under 250 words is pretty much the standard.  And yes, I KNOW.  I had to slice and dice mine, too.  It was about as nerve-wracking as walking into surgery to find a doctor with shaky hands and a bottle vodka, and as fun as removing unnecessary bodyparts (such as fingers, tonsils, and that extra kidney) - but I did it, and now have an excellent query to show for the pain.  Now it's time to turn those form rejections into some requests!


Many thanks to CJ for instructing the course!

NC Writers Conference: Review

And I'm back from the NC Writers' Conference!  It was held in Greensboro, NC, on April 30 (today, in other words.) 

Most of the sessions were for memoir, poetry, or publishing with regional (small) publishers.  There was a lot of advice for aspiring poets looking to publish their work, and the exhibit hall had several small publishers advertising, as well as several poetry magazines.  There was an open-mike reading at the end of the conference, and the key-note speakers were poets, who talked about how they'd gotten to be well-known and published.  After lunch, there was an author reading, where the workshop readers got to read excerpts from their stories/poems.  I especially enjoyed Ed Schubert's short story, a very humorous science fiction piece.  There was also a chance to sign up to take the workshop readers to lunch.

On the other hand, lunch would have probably been more impressive, had it not been in the university cafeteria, and had the cafeteria realized there was a conference and thus had more stocked than the Chick-fil-a. 

I would have gotten much more out of the conference, in fact, had I been a poet or a memoir writer.  However, Edward Schubert's seminar in the morning was quite helpful, a small panel for marketing science fiction.  And Angela Harwood's afternoon seminar on marketing yourself was useful.  Although the small press for which she works only publishes one fiction novel a year (everything else is nonfiction), she made a point to try to address to fiction writers as well.  I also took home some very pertinent ideas for e-marketing myself.

Point in fact: Blogs.  She suggests that blog posts should be frequent, and short.  Frequent posts keep your blog high on the list.  Short blogs are more likely to be read.  Harwood suggested 3-4 sentences at a time; she made the point that a blog shouldn't be a journal, but method for connecting with readers.  Clearly, I need to update more: I'm thinking I may go to a 3-posts-a-week pattern.  I might try for one long, informative post and two shorter tidbits.  She also suggested that no more than 50% of either tweets or blog posts should be about your book - the rest is networking, drawing in a new audience and keeping your readers interested.  All good advice.

Overall review: For a non-poet, a C.  There were a limited number of seminars, and the options for fiction writers were minimal.  Most of the focus was for small publishers or self-publishing, which isn't much help if you plan to write a novel and get a paycheck for it.  Still, I did get some very helpful ideas, and I met a few people.  I won't attend again until I have money to spare - I don't think I got quite enough out of it to pay for the cost of the conference ($165, and gas and food.)  But, I did get something out of the conference, so I won't count it as a loss.

For a poet, an A.  I'd recommend serious poets attend for the contacts and the publishing advice.  If you're not planning to make money off writing, but can afford to do it only as a hobby, it's also worth attending.  I found out about several small writing "boot camps," including one run by Orson Scott Card.  They're very expensive, but include from one to six weeks of intensive writing seminar, including food and board.  Would I go?  No.  I have neither the time nor the money.

If I could afford $600 (before hotel and travel), I would go to the RWA conference in New York.  I can't.  But StellarCon, RavenCon, and ConCarolinas are all within plausible distance and price, as is Moonlight and Magnolias.  I can't help but think about the contacts I could make at a conference dedicated to my genre!  Time for me to go digging for conference information... after a nap, that is.  u.u-zzzzzz