On the Road: LAX and Conference Decision
Aug192007
We landed, and without killing the brat that screamed the last half hour of the flight without pausing to even draw breath. We both adored Australia and New Zealand, but I looked at the year ahead and thought, “That’s it.” Then I called Mollie and said, “i’m back in the States and I know I said I wasn’t going to do conferences any more, but really, I’m not going to do conferences any more.” Everybody in the continental US has heard me speak at least twice, so it’s a good time to quit before people start rolling their eyes and throwing things. This means that if you want to catch me at a conference, you’re going to have to hit the Cherry Conference or the Low Country Beach Retreat, both in October, because after that, I’m retiring for the foreseeable future. I am just not the woman I used to be, and I’m stayin’ home to write. In November.
Cherry Con details are here (copied directly from Cherry Forums):
2007 Cherry Readers & Writers Conference:
Thursday, October 18 – Sunday, October 21, 2007
Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter, Covington, Kentucky
Guest Speakers:
Jenny Crusie ~ Alesia Holliday ~ Lani Diane Rich ~ Anne Stuart
Featured Activities (subject to change):
Writer workshops
Reader chats
Collage and crafting sessions
Pajama parties
Cherry bonding
Free giveaways
Possible book signing
Conference Fee: $235*
REGISTRATIONS ACCEPTED STARTING JULY 16, 2007
CONFERENCE FEE DUE BY SEPTEMBER 1, 2007. NO LATE REGISTRATIONS. CONFERENCE CAPACITY OF 80: SIGN UP EARLY!
Hotel rooms at the Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter available at a conference rate of $134/night; book through hotel. Mention code: Jennifer Crusie Writers.
Reservations must be made by September 13, 2007.
Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter
10 West RiverCenter Boulevard, Covington, KY 41011
PHONE 859-261-2900 FAX 859-261-0900
http://www.cincinnatimarriottrivercenter.com/
*Fee includes:
Conference. Dinner Thursday and Friday nights; mid morning and afternoon snacks Friday and Saturday; Continental breakfasts Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Preliminary Cherry Table of Contents (subject to change)
Thursday
6:30-9:00PM: Welcome dinner & reception: cash bar. During dessert authors will give readings from their upcoming wip.
Friday
8:00AM: Continental breakfast
9:00AM-Noon: Workshops & Chats
12:00-1:00PM: YA Lunch with YA authors Robin and Barb
1:00-4:00PM: Workshops & Chats
6:30-9:00PM: Dinner and collage party. Cash bar
Saturday
8:00AM: Continental Breakfast
9:00AM-Noon: Workshops & Chats
12-1:00PM: Lunch with Chris
1:00-4:00PM: Workshops & Chats
Book signing at Barnes & Nobel Newport on the Levee
Evening is open for small group/large group activities
Sunday
9:00AM: Continental breakfast and goodbyes
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
2007 CHERRY CON REGISTRATION FORM
Mail To:
Jill Purinton
205 Maple St.
Lamar, MO. 64759
Email: joedpjilldp@yahoo.com
• If sending in multiple registrations, please fill out one form per attendee.
• Conference attendees are not required to stay at the Marriott, but it is highly suggested.
Name_______________ ___________________ ___________________ ______
Cherry name_______________ ___________________ ___________________ _
Address ___________________ ___________________ ___________________
Phone ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ _
Email ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ _
Roommate: If you are rooming with any registered cherries, please list their names here:
___________________ ___________________ ___________________ _________
Conference Fee $235
TOTAL ENCLOSED: _______
*FEES MUST BE RECEIVED BY SEPTEMBER 1, 2007 TO ATTEND CONFERENCE.
* Checks/money orders made out to: Jill Purinton
* Registration will close when 80 reservations are received
* Hotel reservations must be made by September 13.
You know I feel so much better after writing this. Wonderful times Down Under. Longest Sunday of my life (teaching until four at the wonderful New Zealand conference, flying for twelve hours, trudging though LAX customs and then on to the hotel, three hour nap, and now dinner approaches . . .). Exciting times coming up on the book tour. Then two more conferences and it’s nothing but writing books ahead.
Filed in X (Everything Else)
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23 Comments to 'On the Road: LAX and Conference Decision'
On August 19, 2007 at 7:59 pm Fran said...
Hi Jenny
I feel your pain with the screaming brat. Recently flew to the UK and had one scream from Sydney to Hong Kong (8 hours plus – had to admire its persistence). Was ready for murder most foul!
Having seen/heard you speak at the Oz conference, I now feel doubly privileged to have done so, if you really are going to quit conferences – would hate to have missed it. You deserve to ‘stay home and write’ – enjoy it and we’ll look forward to ‘hearing’ you online at least. Cheers from down under.
On August 19, 2007 at 11:18 pm patmc said...
well, will not be able to get to either conference as much as i would love to, so i will be content to look and find and read everything i can find that you put your wit, intelligence and actually your self into.
can hardly wait for Always Kiss Me GoodBye, if you need a test reader, i’m here. (insert big sigh and eyelashes fluttering) (ok, fluttering has stopped,i got dizzy)
On August 20, 2007 at 12:36 am robena grant said...
Nooooo!!! Don’t give up workshops. You were brilliant in the land Down Under. I’ve been bragging to everyone that this is the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. I’d gone to Bob’s retreat but perhaps a year too soon, my writing wasn’t at the right level then, but this time I felt like I connected. I came home to a request from an agent for a full manuscript I’d written a year ago and then rewritten after the HWSW workshop and thought it was done.
Then I asked myself before printing that sucker up, “What would Jenny do?” I went back in to that ms. and took another look, would you believe I’ve reworked almost every chapter in some way? Those missing jigsaw pieces finally fell into place in your workshop and I’m so thrilled to be able to recognize them in my own work.
If you give up, think about how many writers lives you won’t have touched. How many journey’s will not be completed. Take a break, but for heaven’s sake come back. At least do a couple a year, we’d miss you if you didn’t. You’re tired, jet-lagged a little sick from an Aussie bug, those things make us all think negatively but you’ll feel better soon.
And I might even come to Crusie Con, although I have a bunch of Aussies coming over for the month of October. Maybe I’ll just stock the fridge, give them the keys and the dog and take off … not a bad plan. Not bad at all. Heh.
On August 20, 2007 at 2:27 am Mel said...
What Robena said. Take a nice long, long break. You’ve had two ridiculous years travel wise and talking wise. Write your books, dissert your disseration, refill the well. But you’re a wonderful teacher and I’d hate to think I’ll never get to hear you again without wangling a cherry con somewhere along the line.
On August 20, 2007 at 2:55 am Ingrid said...
Have you ever been to Europe?
There’s a whole continent here that’s never heard you speak. And in the UK most people speak English.
On August 20, 2007 at 3:20 am DownUnderGal said...
Oh god, I’m so glad you talked us up and said how nice we are down here cos the rest of the world is going to hate us.
Down Under – the tour that broke Jenny.
We’ll be ducking bombs and rotten cherries for the rest of our lives. We’ll have to sleep with one eye open. Forever.
E’gad!
On August 20, 2007 at 4:33 am Ray-Anne said...
You need hot tea and cake, girl. And a warm cosy bed with dogs on it.
On August 20, 2007 at 5:15 am Glen said...
Say it ain’t so, Joe.
Perhaps if we arranged for the people of Australia to join hands and spell out your name so that it is visible from space — would that help?
On August 20, 2007 at 7:01 am Kieran said...
FYI: I can’t get to your writing workshop anymore from that little box you have here at arghink. I’ve clicked all over it and it doesn’t take me there anymore.
On August 20, 2007 at 8:33 am robena grant said...
Kieran, that link might be broken but you can get there by going to :
http://www.crusiemayer.com/workshop
On August 20, 2007 at 9:53 am kris fletcher said...
I have a suggestion.
Being a non-traveler who is married to a travel addict, I totally feel your pain about conferences. I’m betting it’s not the teaching that’s wearing you down as much as it is the traveling. So … instead of you going to conferences, how about if you have the students come to you?
You’re already kind of doing that with the cherry con. What if you worked up a long weekend workshop plan and presented it at a location no more than an hour from your home, 3 or 4 times each year? That way you wouldn’t get burned out from the constant go-go-go, but we wouldn’t lost out on the chance to learn from a truly fabulous instructor.
On August 20, 2007 at 2:30 pm Carol said...
I’m going to be a grown-up about your retiring before I get to hear you speak IF you don’t give up the blog. I could not repress the laughter snorts as I read your previous Australian/NZ entry.
On August 20, 2007 at 4:48 pm Kieran said...
Thanks, Robena.
Meanwhile, I hope you keep teaching, Jenny, but not at the expense of your health. You have already gone above and beyond helping other writers, so I hope you rest with no guilt whatsoever….
There is a time and a place for everything under the sun.
On August 20, 2007 at 6:09 pm K.L. said...
Welcome home Jenny. Hopefully the crud you picked up will disappear quickly. Get lots of rest and plenty of fluid. You know the drill. Meanwhile, we will amuse ourselves with this new book coming out that we have heard great things about. For myself personally, AATHM was even better than I figured it would be. You both did an awesome job writing this one. I loved it. And soon, a whack of CBs will be visiting you both and they will secure a signed bookplate for me to slip into my copy of the book. Next best thing to being there. Especially since if I was there, I would probably just stand there and giggle. This way I can pretend to be coherent.
On August 20, 2007 at 6:09 pm Jennifer Talty said...
Jenny – glad you are back. Rest. Turn off the light. Take a deep breath and relax. You deserve it.
Enjoy the Cherry Conference, wish I could go, but I’ll see you in Low Country.
I used to always worry when I took my kids on airplanes when they were little, especially on longer flights. One never knows how kids will be. Lucky me, my kids never screamed. I did however change one person’s perspective on kids and planes. A man sitting in front of me when I was traveling with my oldest, although she was only about a year at the time tried to get everyone to switch seats with him. No one would. No, I didn’t take offense. I was worried myself. I had food and bottle and everything under the sun to try and make sure she didn’t disturb the peace. The flight was only about 2 1/2 hours, but still, kids are kids. She was a gem the whole way there, well sort of. She kept tossing her toy to the floor and laughing hysterically as I had to bend over to get it while she stood on my lap singing the barney song. You know, I love you, you love me…. yeah. What I didn’t know was that everytime I reached down to pick up her toy, she’d pat the bald spot of the gentleman in front of me. You know, the guy who wanted to move away from me. Sigh… I apologized a million times. He just smiled polietly and nodded, then turned back around. I was mortified. When the plane landed, I had to gather up kid, diaper bag and umbrella stroller which fit above me. It was a struggle. The guy in front of, much to my surprise offered to help – he offered to hold the baby! I damn near died. He even offered her his bald spot to distract her while I got the stroller down. As we walked off the plane he said to me something like while he still didn’t want to sit near a screaming child, he apriciated everything I did to keep her happy and thought she was a lovely child and I was a wonderful mother. I liked that guy.
On August 20, 2007 at 8:31 pm Louisa said...
Oh, Jenny, get horizontal for a while, let your biorhythms unkink, tomorrow is another day.
Airplaning is a horror since 9/11, and that screaming brat was probably just saying what everybody else was thinking.
When I encounter a screaming kid in a public place, I catch his eye, look him straight in the face, and say, “Me, too, kid.” Somehow, that seems to make them feel calmer, and their mothers, too, once they adjust.
On August 21, 2007 at 5:48 am Mitzi said...
Kid crying on airplane: When Heather and I took Figaro (her fluffy cat) back home with her to Seattle (in a soft carrier and in the cabin under the seat ahead of us), she said, “I hope we get a crying baby so no one can hear the cat meowing.” She got her wish and Figaro was quiet. Sigh!
Traveling: Been back and forth across the country from PA to Seattle four times this year – most not happy trips since they were for Heather’s melanoma surgery. I understand – I understand – I understand. At Newark airport in an aborted attempt to get to my bus that would take me to my car parked in bus terminal in Bethlehem, I received a jaywalking ticket – and missed my bus, giving me another lovely two hours wait in the terminal. Can you say: “Beam me any frigging-where, Scotty – just let me get there FAST!”?
No more conference-speaking: Nooooooooooo! Heard you for te first time years ago at VFRW and loved your style and honesty – we aspiring Jennys don’t get enough of that – style or honesty. Take a break and then come to Pocono/Lehigh Valley chapter’s workshop in March with Bob – you don’t have to say anything – just sit in the audience and eat chocolate chip cookies.
On August 21, 2007 at 8:56 am Kim said...
Glad you’re home safe and sound, Jenny. Take some time off. You deserve it after the craziness that was the last two years.
On August 21, 2007 at 5:52 pm Jill said...
Thanks for posting the Con info. We have room for lots more cherries . Email me if you have any questions.
On August 21, 2007 at 10:12 pm Wendy Roberts said...
The cherry conf sounds great but it’s at the same time as the Surry conference so *damn*.
On August 21, 2007 at 11:04 pm Susanna Hugo said...
Just finished Agnes and the Hitman. Loved it. Great chemistry. Great laughs. Great character arc. Loved Cerise & Hot Pink. LOVED the Cranky Agnes column – actually stopped reading long enough to read them to my husband. Thanks!
On August 22, 2007 at 12:56 am Mary the CB said...
Jenny, I like Kris F.’s idea of your staying in one place and having all your minions/acolytes come to you. It’s traveling that’s the bitch. And I can state with absolute certainty that there’s at least one person on this planet who’s never heard you speak and who would feel incredibly enriched to do so.
Jen-T, bless you. Your story balanced the memory of my plane ride to Maui. The woman stood in the aisle, just behind me, with a baby on her hip, telling the woman on the window that /she/ should have that seat, even if it wasn’t assigned to her, because in her words “I have baby.” Luckily for her, the woman behind me was much more polite than I would have been. (My response would have been “Oh, is that what that was?”)
Granted the baby (with her snooty mother on the aisle seat) was much nicer to listen to than the woman behind me. When the landing got quite hairy (I’m now afraid of flying, thanks to this landing), the woman behind me starting chanting Buddhist chants incessantly. Interestingly, when the landing got scary (the pilot had to abort and re-abort the landing three or four times), all the screaming babies on the flight became quiet. Indeed, everyone on the flight was quiet. Except, of course, for my Buddhist neighbor behind me.
At least babies don’t chant incessantly.
On August 25, 2007 at 1:47 pm Saucy Minx Cherry said...
Jenny, I was lucky enough to see you at Chicago-North’s conference almost two years ago. To say that I have a fear of flying is an understatement, but if you do the “three or four times a year by your house” thing, I will save my money to go. The Greater Seattle conference is blowing a hole through our budget in October already, and I’m mourning that I can’t go to CherryCon as a result.
If you ever decide you must get on a plane again and talk to a bunch of romance writers that think you are as fabulous as you are, I know the Greater Seattle group would love to see you as well.
I hope you’ll feel better soon.