I can’t believe that in a little less than a week, I’ll be traveling to New York City for the 2019 Romance Writers of America National Conference! I attended the conference in Orlando in 2017, so I have some inkling of what’s in store—namely, a whirlwind week of networking, learning, and connecting with like-minded romance writers and industry professionals.

What will be different this year? This year, I’m a Golden Heart® Award Finalist for my romantic suspense, THE HUSTLER. *Cue internal screaming* For those who aren’t familiar with the Golden Heart, they are the romance industry’s top awards for unpublished writers. The counterpart award for published authors, the RITAs, are essentially like the romance-version of the Oscars. Which means dresses. Or, if you’re me, a sleek jumpsuit and sparkle shoes.

In an effort to squash my procrastinator tendencies when it comes to packing, I’ve made a list. Here it is:

• Business cards
• Laptop (for word sprints and/or brainstorming)
• Phone charger & external battery
• Melatonin
• Headphones
• Notepad
• Extra pens
• Printed blurbs and pitches for each book (to reference while pitching)
• A packed duffle bag to take back All of the Books
• Gum
• Toiletries & personal effects
• 4 business casual outfits
• 2 dresses
• 1 fancy jumpsuit
• Shoes galore

Am I missing anything? What else should I bring? Let me know in the comments!

P.S. You can watch the Golden Heart Awards—live!

If you’d like to watch the Golden Heart Awards live and cheer me on from afar, mark your calendars! On July 25 at 12:15–2:00pm go to www.rwa.org and click on the link to the livestream that will be posted on the homepage shortly before the event. Wish me luck!