If you’re heading to New York City July 24-27, 2019 for RWA2019 or another conference reminders and tips are always helpful. Especially when it comes to packing, and as a first timer commuting to the hotel each day I am hoping I remember to pack all the things in one suitcase ;).
Hopefully you won’t find yourself waking up in the middle of the night panicked that you now need the very thing you forgot to pack. Or, finding out moments before you have a meeting or fun place to go, you ran out of or forgot something essential.
So, to all the newbies, and seasoned travel veterans, I’m running an Authors Dish specifically targeted on what authors and industry professionals always include in their suitcases, what they stash in their conference bag to avoid hunger pains and the things they forget once and hopefully never again. While some of the authors contributing are not attending we love that they want to contribute.
May this inspire you to plan, make your lists, and triple check so you are prepared for just about anything. If you’re heading to RWA2019 I’d love to say hi. Comment below so we can be sure to meet up in NYC.
Stay tuned as we’ll have plenty of tips and tricks in the upcoming weeks so check the blog daily.
Today in the cafe are NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Samantha Chase, USA Today Bestselling Author Christi Barth, and Author MK Meredith.
Rae: What five things do you have to pack when attending a conference?
Christi Barth:
- I’m an overpacker extraordinaire (#noregrets) so I bring medicine for everything – you never know what will hit mid-con! Paranoid? Maybe. Super useful to either me or a friend-in-need? You bet!
- I always bring both a kindle and a paperback (in case the kindle breaks) because sometimes you have a 7 minute break and just need to read.
- A water bottle – it is too easy to not hydrate sufficiently. And the tiny cups in panel rooms are worthless. Bring your own bottle and refill in every workshop!
- A Tide Stick – again, either useful for you or a friend.
- A notebook – really, the clacking of keys on laptops is disrupting and rude to everyone else in a workshop. Go old school – stick to paper and pen!
MK Meredith: business cards, marketing materials, lip balm/gloss, phone charger, jacket or sweater to layer.
Rae: What is your snack attack must haves in your day bag?
Samantha: Lindt dark chocolate (70% cacao) and Coca Cola
Christi: Besides the aforementioned water bottle? Nuts/dried fruit. Easy to fill ziploc and have all week.
MK Meredith: PEANUT BUTTER!!!
Rae:What’s the one thing you forget to pack and swear to remember next time?
Samantha: I’m ashamed to say I never forget. I start packing a week in advance, make a list, check it twice (or fourteen). I usually overpack because I prepare for any and all situations! Yeah, I’m a dork like that.
Christi: Nothing – and here’s why – I have an Excel spreadsheet packing list. My friends mock me mercilessly about it, but everything is on it, and I just print a fresh one for every trip.
MK: Cash.
Rae: Thank you so much authors! I’ll be keeping a running list and will post it a week before RWA2019 so that hopefully no one needs to make a quick run to the lobby market or drug store around the corner. I’ll see you soon for new authors and more ideas!
** Author Bios **
Samantha Chase: Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than forty titles under her belt! When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 28 years and their two sons in North Carolina.
Christi Barth: USA TODAY bestselling author Christi Barth earned a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage. A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning. Ultimately she succumbed to her lifelong love of books and now writes award-winning contemporary romance, including the Naked Men and Aisle Bound series.
Christi can always be found either whipping up gourmet meals (for fun, honest!) or with her nose in a book. She lives in Maryland with the best husband in the world.
MK Meredith: MK Meredith writes single title contemporary romance novels which promise an emotional ride on heated sheets. A member of several writing groups, she believes the best route to success is to never stop learning.
She’s had a lifelong love affair with peanut butter — the only two things coming close in the battle for her affections are gorgeous heels, and maybe Gerard Butler…or was it David Gandy? Who is she kidding? Her true loves are her husband and two children who have survived her SEA’s (spontaneous explosions of affection) and live to tell the tale.
MK’s been reading romance long before she should have and can’t think of anything better than to fill her life with the promise of happily-ever-afters. When people ask, “Why romance?” She replies, “There is nothing more exhilarating than to write about one of the most powerful entities on earth. Love can be the fall of kingdoms and move mountains, destroy lives and create new life, inspire the dark and summon the light. Love is a challenge, a hope, and a miracle all wrapped into one. Love is life. I write about life.”
The Meredith’s live in the D.C. area with their two large fur babies…until the next adventure calls.
