I love my junk

Mario here:

Big report on the 2010 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold conference. But first:

The winner of the Hailey Lind drawing is Barbara E. Congratulations!

Another Colorado Gold conference has come and gone. This was my fourteenth. It was a great time to hook up with old friends like YA mystery writer pal, Bonnie Ramthun and hubby, Bill.

...and make new ones. We had a fantastic crop of newbie attendees like Mireyah Wolfe. She found the Gold conference via the League of Relunctant Adults blog.

Our 2010 Writer of the Year, Holt Medallion winner and Willa Finalist Pam Nowak, gave the Kickoff Speech.

The Keynote Speaker was NYT and USA Today bestseller Brenda Novak (L), who wowed us with her speech about the need to pace yourself and not give up in spite of the odds or the competition. That, and don't piss off a female mountain biker.

The Closing Speaker, the entertaining and irreverent (and multiple Hugo and Nebula-award winning) Connie Willis (R). Best bit of advice: Write a television screenplay so you can watch soap operas and it's research.

Small world. Jeanne and I were singing the praises of a certain leaguer when long-time RMFWer Sharon Mignerey (L) said, "I know Nicole Peeler (R), she's my MFA professor at Seton Hill."

Jeanne and Laura Reeve signing at the book sale.

Seeing as this was a writers' conference, most of the action happened...where else? Around the booze. The hospitality suite party used to be more of a wine and beer schmooze. A few years back I suggested that we add Margaritas, which meant I was the designated operator of the blender. The next year we switched to Daiquiris, the following year, back to Margaritas. Last year we offered a full bar, and this year we had pretty much any kind of hootch with which to punish your liver. Most requested cocktail? The vintage and potent, Tequila Sunrise.

My work station where I served as the Ambassador of Happiness.

Not surprisingly the crowds have migrated from the hotel bar ($$$) to the hospitality suite (free likker) with the commensurate amount of ribaldry. Here's some of the drunken shenanigans in play before hotel security arrived to warn us about the noise. Damn writers!

The bar conversation of every con seems to circle a theme, in this case the discussion spiraled back to: I love my junk. You're free to guess the topic.