#RWA10

Are you packed? I'm not.

I'm a last-minute kind of packer. I'm a last-minute kind of everything, LOL. There will be items that don't hit my suitcase until about 6:10 Wednesday morning. We should be in the car and headed for the airport by 6:15. I still have to decide which gadgets actually come with me (camera, or rely on the phone/camera? iPod or spend time loading music into phone or e-reader? E-reader or a paperback for the plane?). I probably need to make a checklist so I don't leave home without my chargers and assorted cables for whatever I bring.

I could probably safely begin filling suitcases tonight with clothes. I'm sure I can keep my 3-year old from unpacking them for a day. And there aren't a lot of toiletries that I'm packing that I will need the night before or morning of my flight, though it still annoys me to have to segregate all of the "gels and liquids" into a baggie for airport security. Totally messes with my organization.

This is my second RWA conference, and I'm excited. Last year I was nervous. Terrified, actually. And generally anxious about how my husband would do on his own with both kids for 5 days, and anxious about pitching and having to *gasp* meet strangers and just generally anxious. (And guilty about the whole leaving-hubby-with-kids thing, but mom guilt is a topic for my other blog).

This time around, I'm excited. I feel much more comfortable with myself as a writer, and much more comfortable with the RWA experience as a whole. I'm apparently in the minority that I'm not excited to be at Disney World (I was super excited about Nashville). I don't have the time or the budget to spend a day at the Disney parks, and we had already been planning a family trip down there for later this year. But I am excited to be in the middle of the whole crazy RWA whirlwind again. I have a couple of “extra” engagements to attend this year, too, which makes me feel a bit more of a part of things and less like a wannabe.

I'm still terrified about pitching my book to both an agent and an editor. I don't know why the agent ought to terrify me. Lord knows I've queried enough so far. Last year at this time, I'd sent out maybe a dozen queries. My rejections number well into the double digits by now. And the editor shouldn't freak me out. Assuming I remember my name and don't start jabbering about aliens (I'm pitching a contemporary to her), I'll probably at least get the standard-issue request-for-a-partial.

In two days, I should be in a van en route to the Swan/Dolphin. Woo hoo!

Maybe I should get packing.