So last week, Carolyn Jewel and I had a doughnut party in our room during RWA. We had several lovely guests join us, but prior to that, it was almost a Doughnut Debacle; see, we decided on that day we would have the party that night, which left us little time to secure the doughnuts. It was my mission to get them, and I went to the hotel concierge desk to ask where I could get them.

First off, Mr. Concierge Guy was so soft-spoken it was hard to hear his Doughnut Deliberations, but eventually I discovered that there was a Whole Foods three metro stops away, and a Krispy Kreme one stop away. Carolyn had a preference for not Krispy Kreme, so I went to the WF. It was the warmest day of RWA, but I dressed for the hotel’s air conditioning, so was wearing a light sweater. Duh on me. Plus Carolyn had shamed me by walking up all the stairs from the very deep below the surface metro, so I responded by doing same on my big day out. Yeah, good day to do that, huh, Megan?

Whole Foods, it turns out, had no doughnuts. None. Zip. And, to finish the trifect, nada.

Back on the metro. Determined to get the doughnuts; after all, it would not be a doughnut party if there were no doughnuts.

I went to Krispy Kreme, after calling Carolyn to find out the address. Luckily, KK was able to provide all our Doughnut Wants, and I got two dozen of the Double K’s finest.

And here they are:

They were delicious, and the Doughnut Party was a rousing, doughnut-filled success.

So last week, I attended the Romance Writers of America’s National Convention in Washington, DC. It was a blast, and I scarcely had any panic attacks, just a few glimmerings here and there, which was all kinds of awesome.

I also am wiser. For example:

-One should never wear panty hose with open-toed shoes. I did not do this. Others did.
-There are some people who just won’t like you. And that’s okay.
-Free wine gets you just as drunk as paid wine.
-Whole Foods does not carry doughnuts.
-Krispy Kreme rocks.
-I overcompensate with my plotting. Kind of like when it’s a really hot day, and the NEXT day you were a tank top, even though the temperature’s dropped.
-I ask inappropriate questions, but I really wanted to know the answer. Still happy I did so.
-My friends, my close writing friends, SO have my back it is incredible. I am really grateful to have such good people standing with me.
-I make people laugh. That makes me happy.
-I am looking forward to Nashville in 2010, all money and writing career permitting attendance.

This weekend, I am heading to New Jersey for the New Jersey Romance Writers’ Conference. Yay! The P-I-C and I are sharing a room, and I bet many laughs will be had. I also bet that, at some point, I will be needlessly snarky. The Spouse will have the care and feeding of the Nine Year-Old; look for the attendance of Knicks games (go Nate!), Wii-playing and some grousing about how Mommy didn’t leave enough a) food b) laundry or c) anything else that is difficult to locate in five seconds.

In New Jersey, I will get to see Samhain’s Angela James, who is so cool and self-assured she intimidates me (true dat!), Abby Godwin (blog to the right) and other friends from the NYC chapter.

Still working fairly diligently on the new ms., although yesterday I hit a creative wall. Bam. Today I hope to be more inspired.

*New Jersey, Megan Frampton and Not Much Else.

Yay! I am here in San Francisco, it’s not nearly as cold as I’d been led to believe (chilly! sweaters! long sleeves! the word was), and today is the Beau Monde Conference, at which I am presenting a workshop with fellow Risky Amanda  McCabe and Andrea Pickens.  Needless to say, I am ill-prepared.

I got word from my agent just before I left that she will be sending my work out to editors when I return, which is very exciting. And the Spouse made a point of saying we had to find time for me to write, so that was just lovely. Getting that kind of partner affirmation is a balm to my frenetic soul, which wonders if I am doing the right thing by devoting energy and passion to writing. But I am. I know it. It’s just making that commitment to myself that is difficult.

I am rooming with Carolyn Jewel, who got an awesome haircut and has some cool new clothes to match. Right now she’s behind me doing revisions on her next book, so I feel as though I am In The Presence of Greatness.

Carolyn and I just saw an incredible workshop on pistols, rifles, muskets and such from the 1500s through 1900. Since my proposed next hero is based on Rifleman Richard Sharpe, it was very, very useful. And I’m reading a Sharpe–Sharpe’s Trafalgar–so that just serves to reinforce my image of my hero, Jack (props to the Delightful Phone Friend for Jack’s name).

Anyhoo, I am off to see more workshops, present a portion of one, and try not to freak out because I’m being confronted by SO MANY PEOPLE. I know I live in New York City, and all, but it’s not like I say hi to all of them during the course of my normal day, so this experience is stressful for me.