Yes, the RITA statue looks like an Oscar statue, except Rita is a chick and she is writing. There is even a Fancy Oscar-like Awards Ceremony to which everyone wears an evening gown, or perhaps Bedazzled sweatpants with a cape, because we are writers and you are likely to see just about anything at one of our conventions.
But before the ceremony, there's a huge (and free) book signing that you can attend if you like. This year the "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing will be held in Nashville on Wednesday, July 28, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, and it is one of the coolest things I've ever been a part of as a writer. Publishers donate their books, and about 500 authors are on hand to sign them. You buy the books, and all of the proceeds are given to literacy charities. The complete list of authors will be posted later at the link above, but some of the usual suspects are big names like Nora Roberts, Jennifer Crusie, and Sherrilyn Kenyon. I cannot begin to describe to you how huge this event is. Here's a pic I took last year that captures about a fourth of the room.
Now, if you are a RITA finalist, the super-cool thing about the book signing is that you get a huge flag on your table that says RITA FINALIST--in other words, CHECK OUT THIS CHICK SHE IS AWESOME. That is, you are SUPPOSED to get a flag. Last year there were no flags. I asked my RITA finalist friends Tina Ferraro and Rosemary Clement-Moore WHERE ARE YOUR FLAGS and they said WE DON'T KNOW!!! so I made them both flags out of pens and post-it notes.
I am going to try to make sure I have a proper flag. I am contacting the flag police as we speak.
Anyway...what I'm reading is the other books that are finalists in the YA category of the RITA:
Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog
Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick
The ABC's of Kissing Boys by Tina Ferraro, who is a finalist for the second year in a row because she is THAT AWESOME.
See you in Nashville!
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3 comments:
Rosemary and I both appreciated your recognition and effort! (And the flag worked--remember, Janet Evanovich saw mine???) About contacting the flag police for Nashville, I am bringing mine with me, just in case. Oh, maybe I never told you that the RWA mailed us flags to make up for the error? I really appreciated it!
Looking forward to seeing you in Nashville!
I'm hoping to come to Nashville this year for the signing, but it is far so we'll see how that turns out, lol. It would be fantabulous to see you again and hang out more! :) Also, I loved the flags you made for Tina and Rosemary- very creative!
Congrat's, Jenn! That would be so cool if you could have your own Rita (and a neat office to go along with it LOL)
I agree the signing in nashville will be a blast. A couple of years ago my books didn't come in so I just sat there with my friends and a "Sold Out" sign -- :)
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