A Panel Presentation Proposal

Yeah, I'm still struggling with the ending of my current Work In Progress, The Wannabe Cowboy. And true, my grandmother's book, Eleanore Grey, is still just sitting on that hard drive, waiting to be polished and self-published so my father and aunts and uncles can read it. Oh, I got two more books to review in the mail the other day, with revisions on the last review I wrote coming back in the next few days. Let's not forget about the one-on-one tutoring, the freelance editing job, the day job, or the Mom job.

I haven't been working on any of that this week (excepting the day job and the Mom job, of course.) No, this week, I've been working on something that won't come to fruititon for another ten months--my RWA Nationals Panel Presentation Proposal.

I love me some good, old fashioned alliteration, but even "Panel Presentation Proposal" is a mouthful. I think I bit my tongue the other day.

This proposal is a classic example of "hurry up and wait." Proposals are due by October 15th; the National conference isn't until June 28th of next year (because if it was June 28th of this year, I'd be somewhere in the neighborhood of 'screwed'). Along with the fabulous Kaki Warner, I'm putting together a panel discussion on western romances. Everyone has said that having handouts will better the odds a proposal gets picked, so Kaki's trying to nail down a few Big Name Authors and Editors to join us while I pull some fantastic handouts out of mid-air and make them all pretty.

There's a couple of good reasons why a as-of-yet-unpublished author such as myself would want to pull off a presentation. First off, it's good blog fodder. Oh, the tension--with Big Name Authors say yes? Will the handouts be in a readable font? Will the proposal get accepted???

Second, it gives me another outlet for my nervous energy--there's been too much of that around recently.

Third, it gets my name out there, and keeps Kaki's name out there (although her books are so wonderful, she doesn't need as much help).

Fourth, it helps build a community of like-minded western romance authors.

And lastly, (this is the big one), those who present at the conference get "financial consideration"--i.e. a reduced conference fee. The 2011 RWA conference is being held in New York City (which, by law in this household, must be said in a Pace Salsa ad from 15 years ago kind of voice--you know the one I mean). NY ain't cheap, and it's even less cheap when the loving Hubby and adorable Kid are going to tag along so we can make a family vacation out of it. (Toss in tickets to a ball game, a Broadway show, and possibly dinner someplace insane, like the Waldorf Astoria, and NY gets less cheap all the time.)

So I'm hurrying up on the Panel Presentation Proposal, so that Kaki can have a look at all my fabulous (?) handouts before the deadline. And then, we wait.

Luckily, I've got things to do to keep me busy.