Readying myself for my first RWA annual conference. A cocktail dress? Really? I actually write much better in jeans, barefoot, but I want to look professional and my best. I’ll keep the jeans at home.

I’ve been to conferences before, for work and education, but never before one as filled with people that I’ve admired from afar for so long. Meeting writers whose work graces the stacks beside my bed and overfills the shelves of my many bookcases is intimidating. The dream of actually being one of them is intoxicating.