New York - On the Street

RWA 2019 has come to an end and I can't believe it's over. Time to test out the subway system which, after a confusing first go - a local is quick to point out what train is ours and after that, it's a breeze - almost. First up is the Brooklyn Bridge with beautiful views of the city skyline.


Then there was the trip to Greenwich Village.  Almost peaceful in comparison to the constant motion  of Times Square. It's pretty with lots of green space and dog walkers almost everywhere.
First up is a craft sale where the dresses and uniquely embroidered jean jackets at Inca Heritage caught my eye.  A jean jacket with gorgeous embroidery of hummingbirds and flowers originating in Peru is destined to return to Canada -  my first souvenir of New York. One I can see wearing years from now. Plus, good luck - I'm her first customer!


Then it's off to find the ten foot wide house that was once the residence of Pulitzer Prize winning author, Edna St. Vincent Millay and then anthropologist, Margaret Meade, as well as a few big names from movies; Cary Grant and John Barrymore. And, as far as being ten feet wide, not quite. The actual width is nine feet, six inches wide or 2.9 metres and that's just the outside width - the inside gets just a tad smaller!


Then it's off to Chelsea and Chelsea Market where a lunch stop is a necessity and a taco is in order. And then back to Manhattan, where a street market is an unexpected find. It runs once a year, for one day only with the proceeds going to charity. What are the odds that that day is today? It's a wonderful collage of street entertainment, all sorts of crafts and goods and unique places to stop for a bite.


All in all - a lovely self-guided tour of New York.




Tomorrow, a flight heading home.  One week flew by much to quickly.

Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.com

                                                        ...a world you never imagined!

Keep up with it all:

News, giveaways and a bit of fun! Sign up for my newsletter The Walkabout! 

New York - Landed and then some!

It took three days but I’m finally in New York!

Day 1
The hotel is so huge as to be overwhelming - at least on day one.  Registered in two places - hotel and

conference. Then, with signed author copies of my upcoming book in hand, I headed to the goodie room to display my books. The goodie room is where promo items are free and there’s everything from books to bottle openers. Two were gone before I left the room, the remaining twenty by the time I returned for a quick check less than two hours later. Meantime, the hotel is packed with authors and buzzing with book related talk.  I heard the making of a three author proposal on one elevator ride.  I had to quell the urge not to jump in and help out.

Day 2
More sessions to attend and even being here, there’s some I must miss and will purchase the recordings for later. One of the high points was finally meeting my editor. Met with her and another  harlequin intrigue author at a little Italian restaurant where we had good food and conversation. And a few hours later I meet the senior editor who has final say on all our books.  In a business that’s mostly run long distance , it’s great to finally meet up. conference time, a chance to connect.

Speaking of meeting, tonight is the Harlequin Milestone Party. Harlequin too has hit a birthday milestone and we’re asked to dress vintage.  So in vintage hat and gloves, I meet up with some other harlequin intrigue writers, as well as a medical author I met while heading for the lobby. We all walk over to the ballroom across the street to where we are met with champagne and dance socks. The socks turn out to be necessary as the dancing doesn’t stop.

Day 3
The high point today was meeting up with a group of authors, one from the same province as me, and two with the same agent. Got to talk books and just enjoy a bit of downtime.

Day 4
As I cruise the goody room one last time, I know I’ll be back.  All the stressing over what to bring proved unnecessary. As unnecessary as the jacket for cool hotel rooms.  I get cold easy but with all the running around, wasn’t cold at all.  That said, I’ll follow the Girl Guide motto - be prepared. And bring a jacket, just in case.

Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.com

                                                        ...a world you never imagined!

Keep up with it all:

News, giveaways and a bit of fun! Sign up for my newsletter The Walkabout! 

It happened Again!

After hours in the airport, through one line, two and then three - everything stalls as there’s more waiting for the status of the again delayed flight.

The news took forever but when it comes, it comes quickly and it’s not good. The flight has flat lined! Another overnight in Toronto and there’s no way around it with weather systems clouding New York skies.

Hours later with our first carrier offering no more alternatives except with a promise to return us from whence we came,okay return us home, other than that, they have literally bolted.

More time in the airport, more phone calls and a solution. Now with new plans to get to New York several days later than planned, I hope it will all work out. RWA conference in NY I’ll get there sooner or later.

No matter what happens, it’s time!

Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.com

                                                        ...a world you never imagined!

Keep up with it all:

News, giveaways and a bit of fun! Sign up for my newsletter The Walkabout! 

Day 1 in New York - Not Quite!

Heading to New York. It’s a place I’ve never been. So as the prairies trail behind us I look forward to what’s ahead.

I never expected this...

Day 1 didn’t work out quite the way I imagined nor how the itinerary outlined. Flight from Regina to

Toronto went without a hitch. In Toronto we boarded as a flight delay was announced.

Brief delay they promised.

That delay extended to a three hour wait on the tarmac.

 Flight delays morphed into cancellation.

New York will have to wait, at least for tonight.  Instead, we passed through customs twice without ever leaving the country. Then it was off to find our bags and figure out flight alternatives without an airline rep anywhere in sight.  So with no airline support there was a plane load of not too happy travellers.  

One good sleep later and we’re going to try this again in a few hours. Good thing I have a kindle full of good books because it’s a few hours yet before takeoff.

It’s a new day - New York here I come.

Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.com

                                                        ...a world you never imagined!

Keep up with it all:

News, giveaways and a bit of fun! Sign up for my newsletter The Walkabout! 

                                                         This gentleman posed with Ring of Desire in the Dead Sea.

RWA Conference - The Clock is Ticking

It's that time of year, the RWA Conference is around the corner and after over a dozen years as a published author, I am finally attending.

Happy dance.

This year's conference is in New York. That's a bonus as New York is on my to-see list and I've yet to go there. So it's a trip of firsts.

But it's a bit of a project getting ready as I realized that after a work day spent in my basement office in front of a computer, there's been no need for office attire. Now I need clothes that look good and can be used when I return home. A shopping trip guarantees that I'll be the best dressed person in my basement office - population 1. Next up, a trip to the courier store for a proper size box for my give-away books. Then, notebooks to write down what I might learn - a few pens that actually have ink.  As I'm only taking my i-phone, I doubt if I'll be taking many notes on it - thus, the pens. Although, I plan to blog from my i-phone. We'll see how all that turns out.

So I'm shopped and almost packed and there's only days to go. The app that the RWA supplied is great at organizing the seminars and events I want to attend. No worries about remembering and getting there - there's maps too.

Before I had a chance to schedule the workshops that are listed for the event, the e-mail invites start coming. I'm published by Harlequin and they surprised me with all the events they have - from workshops, meet and greets, and book signings, to a vintage dance to celebrate milestones of both Harlequin and its authors. The vintage dance provided a whole new dilemma - dressing vintage. The dress I'd just bought wasn't going to cut it unless... one vintage hat - lacy half-gloves, and a vintage purse later and I think I've cobbled together something of a look.


And the most important, what I will learn and who I will meet. There's my editor at Harlequin and the authors who write for Harlequin Intrigue, along with some "sister agent" authors, and the author that shares the same province. Up to now, they've only been voices on my e-mail and social media but many of them will be there. I'm looking forward to meeting them.

It's a chance to discover other opportunities for stories that didn't make one publisher or another because they weren't the right theme, or right country, or right hero or heroine occupation, bad timing etc.  Books where none of the reasons for rejection were because of the writing - where the hero and heroine's adventure might yet find a home. Who knows what opportunity awaits.

Looking forward to it all. And, I'm sure that none of it will be like I imagine. We'll see how it all plays out. For now, my suitcase is just waiting for the lid to be flipped and for the adventure to begin.

Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.com

                                                        ...a world you never imagined!

Keep up with it all:

News, giveaways and a bit of fun! Sign up for my newsletter The Walkabout! 

                                                         This gentleman posed with Ring of Desire in the Dead Sea.