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 USA Today Bestselling Author Suzanne Ferrell, Author Jeanne Adams, and Olivia Hardin
Rae: What five things do you have to pack when attending a conference?
Suzanne Ferrell:
1) Comfortable shoes because you have to walk miles and stand in lines to get into free book signings, scheduled meals and seminars.
2) Pens, swag and signed by author stickers for the book signings.
3)My iPad, because it travels easier than a laptop, holds my music and I can both write on it and access the internet to do posts from conference.
4) Supplements: MagCitrate to prevent leg cramps, prevent indigestion, and makes me sleep better; Vitamins and extra Vitamin D to help me not come down with conference crud.
5)Breathe Right strips so I don’t snore too loudly and my roommates can sleep! 
Jeanne Adams:
Besides Comfy, stylish clothes and stylin’, comfy shoes?
Chargers. For everything.
Snacks – beware counting on the buffet!
My awesome Pixar water bottle!
A book to read that I’ve read before because I can put it down – it helps me get to sleep!
My iPad and Zagg keyboard case because I always get new ideas for stories and want to write them down!
Tums – ‘cause you always end up eating something weird at a conference!
(Oh, and my otter. Always good to take an otter to conference, right Rae?)
Olivia Hardin:
Rae: What is your snack attack must haves in your day bag?
Suzanne: Pizza flavored Combo pretzels and chocolate. Usually I pack Dove chocolates to hand out to readers at the book signings, so I toss in an extra bag of the milk chocolate caramel ones…my favorite.
Jeanne: Power bars! Traders Joe’s Marona Almonds with rosemary! Mmmm. Trader Joe’s honey sesame cashews are great too…
Olivia: It depends… if I’m on a chocolate kick, I love Hershey kisses. But besides chocolate, one of my favorites is Australian Red Licorice bites. Yum
Rae:What’s the one thing you forget to pack and swear to remember next time?
Suzanne: I’m married to a very brilliant, but equally forgetful man, known to my readers as the Jazzman. So, over the years I’ve become somewhat OCD when it comes to packing. I make a list 2 weeks before and double check it the day before I go to conference to be sure I’m not taking too much and not leaving anything necessary. (I do this with family trips, too.) I honestly can’t remember leaving anything at home I needed later at conference. However, I have learned I won’t need a hair dryer and that fancy shoes are not a necessity.
Jeanne: I always seem to forget to pack either a toothbrush or saline for my contacts. I alternate in which one I forget!
Olivia: Uhm… I always forget something, but usually not the same thing. One time I forgot shoes, so the only ones I had were those on my feet for the trip!
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 **
Suzanne Ferrell:
USA Today Bestselling author Suzanne discovered romance novels in her aunt’s hidden stash one summer as a teenager. From that moment on she knew two things: she loved romance stories and someday she’d be writing her own. Her love for romances has only grown over the years. It took her a number of years and a secondary career as a nurse to finally start writing her own stories.
Currently there are two main series she’s actively writing in: The Westen Series, a contemporary small town series based in a fictional Ohio town where “things aren’t always what they seem”, and features Close To Home, Close To The Edge and Close To The Fire. The second series is the Romantic Suspense books KIDNAPPED, HUNTED, SEIZED and VANISHED, featuring the Edgars family as they fight for justice, even if it means stepping slightly outside the rulebook.
KIDNAPPED and HUNTED were both Golden Heart finalist, and SEIZED, book #3 in the Edgars Family Novels, was a finalist in the novella category of the OKRWA’s National Reader’s Choice Awards contest.
Suzanne’s sexy stories, whether they be her on the edge of your seat romantic suspense or the small town romantic suspense stories they’ll keep you thinking about her characters long after their Happy Ever After is achieved.
You can Find Suz at:
Website: https://suzanneferrell.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzanneferrell.author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuzFerrell
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/suzferrell/
Jeanne Adams:
Jeanne Adams writes award-winning suspense, paranormal, mysteries and urban fantasies. She’s also a sought-after speaker, who knows a thing or two about getting rid of the evidence…
Jeanne specializes in thrills and suspense. Even her paranormal and urban fantasies have a suspense element, so be prepared! She loves football, baseball, dogs, Halloween and the weird and she teaches classes for writers on body disposal.
Jeanne lives in DC with her husband and two growing sons, as well as two dogs – a Lab and an Irish Water Spaniel. Don’t tell, but she’s prone to adopting more dogs when her husband isn’t looking.
Featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine, and other publications, her books have been consistently hailed as “One of the best Suspense Books of the Year!” by Romantic Times. You can find her at her newly redesigned website: www.JeanneAdams.com, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/JeanneAdams or at www.Facebook.com/
Olivia Hardin:
Olivia Hardin always realized how strange she was to have complete movie-like character dreams as a child. Eventually, she began putting those vivid dreams to paper and was rarely without her spiral notebooks full of those mental ramblings. Her forgotten vision of becoming an author was realized when she connected with a group of amazingly talented and fabulous writers who gave her lots of direction and encouragement. With a little extra push from family and friends, she hunkered down to get lost in the words. She’s also an insatiable crafter who only completes about 1 out of 5 projects, a jogger who hates to run, and is sometimes accused of being artistic, though she’s generally too much of a perfectionist to appreciate her own work. A native Texas girl, Olivia lives in the beautiful Lone Star state with her husband, Danny, and their puppy Bonnie.
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