Arizona Highlights and Ten Minute Plays

Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women's Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual traditions that nurture the soul.

Trip Highlights

Watching Ten Minute Plays in Casa Grande

Creating My First Raffle Basket

Enhancing My Book Signing Display

Spending Time with family and friends.

Listening to J.A. Jance Talk About Her Journey to Realizing Her Dream as a Writer

Robin with her Certificate

I've already blogged about Raffle Baskets and Book Signings as well as why I love to attend the Desert Dreams Writer's Conference.

One of the highlights of this trip was being able to surprise my friend and award winning play-write, Robin Kramme. I met Robin in 2010 when we both volunteered at the Registration table. We touched base with each other throughout the conference and have kept in contact since. A dedicated writer, Robin started writing short plays as a way to improve writing dialogue. She has had so much fun in this creative endeavor, she's stopped writing romance novels!

Here's her bio:

Robin Kramme is enjoying success in the short play genre after happily retiring from a long and exhausting career in the hotel industry that included extensive travel and endless meetings.  Her creative work has been selected and stage read three consecutive years at the Arizona Women's Theatre Company’s Pandora Festival as well as a 2015 production of one her plays by the Gulfport (Florida) Community Players and a 2016 Judges Awarding winning production of another play at the Casa Grande Ten-Minute Play Contest.  She believes live theatre holds a special place in today's competitive entertainment arena.

Romancing The Genres celebrated plays in 2011 and, of course, we invited Robin. Occasional emails between conferences sustained our friendship. One of the things I missed during this time is being able to attend her plays. I remember "Lost Luggage" particularly tugged at me because I've certainly lost my luggage at one time or another.

Here I am with Award Winning Playwright, Robin Kramme

When I got an email from Robin announcing her play "Without A Doubt" had been chosen as a finalist in the 10 Minute Plays being performed in Casa Grande on April 2, I took a look at my Desert Dreams travel plans. By going early instead of staying longer, I would be in AZ on April 2. Next I checked in with my friend, Gimi, who lives in Maricopa to see how far Casa Grande was from her. (It was an inch or so on the map).

Everything came together and I spent Friday night in Maricopa and Saturday we drove to Casa Grande, had dinner and watched the 5 plays that had been selected to be performed.

What a TREAT!!!

First, Robin was so surprised to see me. The look on her face was priceless.

Women's Club

Second, I was able to see "Without A Doubt" performed and win the Judges' Award.

Third, the plays were performed in the historic Women's Club.

Already I'm looking forward to 2018 and attending the Desert Dream Writers Conference. Fingers are crossed that my trip will coincide with the performance of another Robin Kramme play.

You can learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series on my website.

Check out my Windtree Press author page.

Follow me on Twitter: @JudithAshley19

I’m also on Facebook

© 2016 Judith Ashley

Registraion: A Time To Connect and Reconnect

Most of the time, when I embark on an adventure, I look for Synchronicity and have a clear Intention before hand. That was true for my 2012 Desert Dreams experience.

I volunteered for Registration and was assigned to the first shift. One of the best things about volunteering is you get to Register first, meet other volunteers, and meet and greet a group of attendees. Since I subscribed to the Desert Dreams Yahoo Loop, I knew names and could put faces to them. I'd also 'met' other writers on the loop, but that's another story.

Because of the organization of Shelley Coriell, Registration was ssmmoootthh and almost 50% of attendees had their registration packets by the end of our shift. Shelley has mastered being organized without being controlling.

I met and worked along side of Taylor Lee and Nina Benneton and renewed my connections with Robin Kramme, who I'd met and talked to at Desert Dreams in 2010. One of the added gifts I've found from regularly attending smaller regional conferences is I make friends and stay in touch in between.

Why did I volunteer for Registration duty? My Intention was to support my Desert Rose Chapter at the Desert Dreams Conference. Shelley had been a guest at Romancing The Genres and I may have met her in 2010 but I was able to really put her name and face and writing together when she guested with us in April. (She writes Young Adult. Check out her website by clicking on her name). One of the first people I spotted as I walked in the Registration area was Robin Kramme, who I met in 2010. At that time we'd shared our writing goals and dreams; this time we took the time to catch up on what had happened in the intervening two years. My Intention is to remain in contact with Robin until I see her again. You can click on her link to read a bio as she is one of the LitSisters. Click here to read about her play!

Nina Benneton and Taylor Lee are new acquaintances. Taylor is active with the Indie Book Collective, a great organization that supports independently published authors. Nina is an author with Sourcebooks. Check them out. I think you'll find them interesting and accomplished women you'd like to get to know.