RWA 2017 Recap + Swag Giveaway!

After you read my conference recap and then enter to win a mystery box of signed books and swag I picked up at RWA.

I popped my Romance Writers of America Conference last week! Just like most virgins in romance novels, I had the most orgasmic time. (See what I did there?) Orlando, FL was freaking hot, but the humidity was worth it. The first thing I noticed after picking up my badge were the giant coloring pages on the wall. There 4 or 5 covers on the wall and people stopped all week to color them. At one point there were 3 or 4 people coloring in the same dress. I loved that it was interactive and made a space for attendees to collaborate.

Right after I snapped the coloring book photo above, I turned around to see Tessa Dare looking at the coloring page for her book Do You Want to Start a Scandal. The book is a RITA Finalist for Historical Romance Short. It’s got all my favorite elements in a historical romance: sassy heroine, a hero who makes assumptions about her, plenty of banter, and sexy times.

I immediately fangirled Tessa Dare–who was so kind and sweet. She was impressed to find out that my husband and I read her books together. We even chatted about what types of toys would make good pairings with her books. Yes, yes, we did.

I walked inside the famous RWA Swag room. It’s a good thing my friends told me to expect a lot of books. I packed an extra suitcase just to collect swag to give to you all.

Then there were the signings. All the authors were so warm and friendly! I know some authors are introverts (so am I), so I appreciate how they went outside their zone to chat with a complete stranger. I’ve been following Alyssa Cole for a while now and nabbed a galley of her new Civil War romance A Hope Divided. 

I met new-to-me-author Shelly Bell, who gave me a signed copy of At His Mercy. Do you think she writes BDSM erotic romance? I think her bondage bears gave it away. She also had mini-handcuff keychains at her table.

Those of you who are in Bawdy Bookworms Insiders know that I adore historical romances. I fangirled over many, many historical romance authors. Thank goodness they didn’t say anything about my heart beating a mile a minute and how I broke out into a sweat next to them. Like the gracious, lovely Janna MacGregor when she signed a copy of The Bad Luck Bride for me.

One of my favorite romance and erotic authors Cecilia Tan and I chatted about Pokemon Go. She’s more hardcore about the game than I am.

But wait, there’s more! I actually attended some blogger sessions. Editors and librarians shared a preview (and galleys!) of some upcoming titles. Brenda Jackson gave an emotional keynote during the Librarians and Blogger luncheon. Saturday was a very good day.

Sarah Wendell of Smart Bitches Trashy Books moderated a discussion with bloggers on Saturday. She’s as entertaining in person as she is on her podcast. I was able to thank her in person for reviewing Bawdy Bookworms on her site.

Now that you’ve made it this far, are you ready to win some RWA books and swag? Of course you are! As you can see in Jessica Arden‘s photo above, there was ton of great swag and books. One winner will receive a random selection of books (print and e-book codes) and swag from RWA. Some of the books will be autographed by the author! Note: Due to the cost of shipping, if the winner is not in the United States, I’ll send them a random assortment of e-book cards/downloads.

Psst. Want chance at winning another RWA goody bag + a battery operated friend? Join Bawdy Bookworms Insiders for details!

This post contains affiliate links.