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 ;).
There is nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night needing 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.
May this inspire you to pack light and not forget anything at home. 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 USA Today Bestselling Author Kimberly Kincaid, Lynne Silver, and Tessa McFionn
Rae: What five things do you have to pack when attending a conference?
Lynne Silver: I pack snacks, a shawl, business cards, empty notebook & pens, and a printed schedule.
Tessa McFionn: 
Rae: What is your snack attack must haves in your day bag?
Kimberly: Lara bars, fresh fruit (bananas or apples from the coffee shop), trail mix.
Lynne:Not to jinx myself, but I’m a pretty good packer. I usually mean to bring my RWA badge holder from year to year, and do forget that some years.
Tessa: Well, the night bag MUST have whiskey, but the day bag is usually filled with peanuts and granola bars (plus a Special Dark bar)
Rae:What’s the one thing you forget to pack and swear to remember next time?
Kimberly: It’s different every time, but I’ve forgotten Band-Aids (you ALWAYS need them), flip flops (trips to the vending machine or lobby for water), and Chap Stick (went out to buy it!)
Lynne: Not to jinx myself, but I’m a pretty good packer. I usually mean to bring my RWA badge holder from year to year, and do forget that some years.
Tessa: MY PHONE CHARGER! Cannot even begin to count how many times I’ve had to buy a new charger at hotels or airports.
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 **
Kimberly Kincaid:
USA Today best-selling author Kimberly Kincaid writes romantic suspense that sizzles and contemporary romance with heart and heat. Equal parts action and emotion, her firefighters and first responders always save the day.
When she’s not finding adventure with her husband and three daughters, she can be found practicing obscene amounts of yoga, whipping up anything from enchiladas to éclairs in her kitchen, or curled up with her nose in a book.
Kimberly’s series include Station Seventeen, the Line series, Cross Creek, and her brand-new Remington Medical series. All titles stand alone for easy reading.
Lynne Silver: Lynne Silver is the author of sexy contemporary romance such as the popular Alpha Heroes and Coded for Love series. She absolutely loves to travel and explore new cities. She has a slight (huge) addiction to donuts, fancy purses, romance novels and video games. She lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and two sons. She loves connecting with readers so please find her on social media.
Stalker links:
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/tU2O5
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lynnesilverauthor
Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LSilverdivas/
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2i3VMJG
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/LynneSilver
Twitter: @LynneSilver
Website: www.lynnesilver.com
Tessa McFionn:
Tessa McFionn is a very native Californian and has called Southern California home for most of her life, growing up in San Diego and attending college in Northern California and Orange County, only to return to San Diego to work as a teacher. Insatiably curious and imaginative, she loves to learn and discover, making her wicked knowledge of trivial facts an unwelcomed guest at many Trivial Pursuit boards.
Her love of the fantastical began at a young age while her mother read to her and her brother such classics as The Hobbit and Rikki Tikki Tavi. She continued this love, devouring Terry Brooks, J.R.R. Tolkien, Ray Bradbury, and Isaac Asimov as well as comic books galore. Romance entered the field in the guise of Anne Rice’s An Interview with a Vampire, and during college, she discovered the works of Sherrilyn Kenyon and Christine Feehan, and the rest is history.
Her first novel, Spirit Fall, came to her as she looked over the edge of a very dark place. Since then, she’s added three more tales to the world of the Guardian Warriors and Spirit Bound, Book Two in the series, was awarded the 2016 Write Touch award for Paranormal Romance from WisRWA. But she never lost her love for science fiction and began a space opera, The Rise of the Stria, in March 2018 with the release of To Discover a Divine.
When not writing, she can be found at the movies or at Disneyland with her husband, as well as family, friends or anyone who wants to play at the Happiest Place on Earth. She also finds her artistic soul fed through her passions for theatre, dance and music. A proud parent of far too many high school seniors and two still living house plants, she also enjoys hockey, reading and playing Words with Friends to keep her vocabulary sharp. She is currently the President of the San Diego chapter of Romance Writers of America and loves spending time working with such amazingly intelligent and creative writers.
