A Favorite Conference in A Favorite Place

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

April 7 – 9, 2016 I attended the Desert Dreams Writer’s Conference in Scottsdale, AZ. hosted by the Desert Rose RWA Chapter. For the third time the Conference was held at the ChaparralSuites (in the process of becoming Embassy Suites). This was my fifth DD Conference which is held every other year so mark your calendars for 2018. I particularly love the Chaparral Suites as a Conference site.

One: the conference center keeps everyone together. All the meeting rooms are in one place. If you move from one room to another, you can’t help but see the same people. I always meet a few people at Desert Dreams with whom I stay in touch.

Grackle

Two: the tropical gardens are lovely to meander through and the grounds are spotless! A crew sweeps them every day. Bird song accompanies me whenever I step outside my room. And the view from my room is always relaxing. Four years ago I had a room on an upper floor which was not as convenient as one on the ground floor although we had grackles come to visit.

Three: the staff — some of the best I’ve ever encountered. Watching the banquet staff do their job was like watching a dance. Efficient, graceful, fluid movements and attention to the diners meant we all had quality service provided with a smile. Under construction, there were challenges for everyone. I saw managers pitching in and working side-by-side with their employees. The Front Desk was crammed into one of the rooms while that part of the property was undergoing massive renovation. Even with crowded conditions, everyone was pleasant and helpful.

Four: the newly renovated rooms were well done and in a palate of colors that soothed. Add to that comfortable beds, lush towels, mini-frig, microwave seating for at least five people and you have a room I could easily have stayed in for much longer.

Judith with J.A. Jance

Five: the Chaparral Suites is well situated in Scottsdale so it isn’t very far if you want to check out some of the amazing restaurants in the area. I will say that the property offers a free made-to-order breakfast as well as a manager’s reception during the week. The food at the banquet was excellent quality and well-prepared, well-presented.

Six: back to the conference! The program featured a variety of workshops for writers at any stage in their career. The Keynote speakers – well, I loved J.A. Jance’s talk on Friday night. The Book Signing Saturday afternoon is always fun. I love my display!!! And I'll tell you all about it in my Monday, May 9th post.

Seven: Surprise!!! Who knew I’d find a fantastic surprise in the bathroom! The amenities: shampoo, shower gel and moisturizer by Giovanni. So? Giovanni is the name of the hero in Gabriella, book six of The Sacred Women’s Circle series. And my first reader and I were working on edits on that book while I was in Arizona! One of those synchronicities that raises goosebumps.

Circle April 2018 on your calendar. I’m not sure what the exact dates for the next Desert Dreams Writer’s Conference are other than it will be held in April 2018. I hope it will be back at the Chaparral Suites which will, by then, be an Embassy Suites property.

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

Being "Out there"

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

Judith and Sarah Raplee and Love & Magick poster - Desert Dreams

This Wednesday I'm talking about being "out there" as in public venues.

While I'm not as introverted as some writers, I'm not someone who loves being in larger groups.

If you check out my headline and sidebar you'll see that I've several public events coming up.

This first one is this Saturday. eRomance is sponsored by my home chapter, Rose City Romance Writers. Saturday during the day are workshops for writers and authors. Morning has to do with forensics and afternoon branding. (No not cattle).

February 25 - 28, 2016 is the Home and Garden Show at the Portland Expo Center. I'll be there Thursday from 3 - 7, Friday from 12 - 5 and Sunday from 10 to at least 3 p.m. I'll have four of my five books available and I'm selling my books at 10% off the direct from me to you price. I'd love to have you stop by!!!

Oh, and I'm guest blogging with Brenda Whiteside on Fearless Friday, February 26! Brenda is a member of the Desert Rose Romance Writer's of America chapter as am I.

It may look like there is a big gap between my time with Brenda and the Home and Garden Show and the next event - Desert Dreams Writers Conference.

My home chapter, RCRW has a chapter meeting March 12, I'm flying to Phoenix early so I can attend the Desert Rose chapter meeting the end of March. I'll also visit with family and friends in the area between my arrival and the start of the conference.

Judith and Sarah Raplee at book signing in 2014

Book signing is Saturday, April 9th from 5 -7 at the Embassy/Chaparrel Suites in Scottsdale. Desert Rose has great romance authors as members (think Jennifer Ashley, Erin Quinn, Vijaya Schartz, Kris Tualla to name a few). Check out the chapter website to see who else might be at the book signing.

So why am I sharing anything about this? Because being 'out there' is something most writers believe they need to do in order to gain name recognition. If people think they know you because they've heard your name several times, they are more likely to try one of your books.

And, while I write because I love to tell these stories, my feelings are not hurt when readers buy my books.

By the time you read this, I'll have finished my read through of Gabriella and will have or will be printing the manuscript off to send to my first reader. A few days to get my taxes done and I'll start Sophia. What's special about Sophia is that is the last book in the original series.

I'm so excited to see the end of this part of my writing journey. Of course there are many more stories to tell. There are children who grow up and get their own stories and children yet to be born. A few of the secondary characters are also clamoring for space.

But for now, I'm making an effort to be "out there" to meet readers who are or may become fans.

As a reader, do you ever buy a book from an unknown-to-you author because you met her or him at an author event?

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

Thank You!

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

How often do you say “thank you” to friends and family for something they do for you?

How often do you say “thank you” to a stranger who provides a service?

How often do you say “thank you” to strangers who gesture you in front of them in a line, hold a door open for you or in other ways helps you through your day?

Recently I attended The William Glasser Institute’sConference celebrating the 50^th Anniversary of the publication of Dr. Glasser’s book Reality Therapy. At one point I visited The Embassy Suites hotel gift shop. Since writing this post was in the back of my mind, I asked the clerk in the hotel gift shop how many people said “thank you”. He gave my question serious thought and then answered “8 out of 10, I think”.

As I was checking out of my hotel, the Mardi Gras next door to The Embassy Suites, I stopped by the bar to get my water bottle filled with ice and water. I’d met the bartender, Tim, on my first day when I waited in the bar (instead of sitting in front of the slot machines) until a room was ready. He’d been very welcoming and while I did thank him at the time, I made sure to tell him again how much I appreciated his welcome.

His smile made my day! He also grabbed a card and ran across the room to hand it to me. “If you don’t mind,” he said. “TripAdvisory?” The shuttle was out front so I took the card, said “no problem” and headed out the door.

I invite you to see what happens when you say “Thank You” to the clerk at the grocery store, the person who pushes the elevator button for your floor, the person who motions you ahead of them, lets you into a line of traffic (you can mouthed the words with a big smile and wave – they’ll get the message).

Look for people to acknowledge with two very powerful words: Thank You.

Last Monday I talked about the power of a smile. You might find as I have that saying “Thank You” not only puts a smile on my face but on the face of another.

JudithAshley is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual paths that nurture the soul. The fifth book in the series, Hunter, is due out Summer 2015.

Learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series here.

Judith blogs at Romancing The Genres on the first Friday of each month.