My Visit to RT

Last week I participated in a couple of workshops at the 2012 Romantic Times Book Lovers Convention in Chicago, Illinois. Fellow author Roxanne Rustand had taken the opportunity to gather a few Inspirational authors together to present a panel on crossing over from the secular to the Christian market.


Romantic Times has a fairly long history when it comes to the romance market, dedicated entirely to the romance industry. Beside the annual conference, they produce an extensive book review magazine once a month, offering reviews of many new releases in all kinds of romance genres—everything from the sweets to the opposite end of the spectrum. In recent years RT has embraced that far end of the spectrum all the way to erotica, which is why it’s a hopeful sign that those of us in the Inspirational market are being welcomed as well. We can be a voice to let everyone know such books exist.


Because of its longstanding reputation as a review vehicle, being awarded four stars from RT is something to celebrate, mainly because the name is so widely recognized and the circulation in the romance industry has a far reach.


One nice thing about the yearly convention is that it draws aspiring writers together with readers. The how-to workshops obviously help writers glean more information about the craft and industry, but it’s a unique opportunity for readers to not only meet authors but get a peek at what goes on behind the books.

Allie Pleiter and I talked about Christian historical fiction in one workshop. We shared how we get many of our ideas, how we start with an inciting historical event or a compelling character, and some of the elements that go into Christian fiction.

In another workshop, Allie and I were joined by authors Lyn Cote and Roxanne Rustand. Lyn had to rush off to a meeting, so only Roxanne, Allie and I are pictured. We had fun talking about our writing journeys and the differences between secular and Christian fiction. It’s always fun to meet readers who are happy to discover there are books out there with a Christian theme!

  I was pleased to meet one of RT’s avid reviewers, Leslie McKee. Leslie told me she looks forward to choosing my books when they’re offered for a review—and that’s one compliment every author dreams of, coming from an RT reviewer.

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Here is a shot of me with fellow authors Michelle Sutton and Shawna K. Williams. I’ve known Michelle for several years, through ACFW. I’m glad to say she’s staying in town a couple of extra days and we’re getting together today for a visit!

And I was even able to snap a quick picture with my Tyndale editor, Stephanie Broene. Stephanie was there to participate in Pitch-A-Palooza, a sort of speed-dating scenario to match aspiring writers and editors. I wonder which is more stressful? Pitching a book to an editor, or yourself to a prospective date? Yikes, I think authors put so much of themselves into their work my guess is the stress level must be about equal.




So there’s a glimpse into this year’s RT Convention!