For me, AAD is passion!

So here I am, not an author, but so very honored to be sandwiched between them. Let me repeat that! Author, then me, then author. *dies happy* Who am I? Really. I am a blogger (Intense Whisper), reader, wife, mother, designer, business owner and yes, the AAD webby. What's an AAD webby you ask. No, it is not an uncomfortable under-thing. It is what Stella affectionately calls her design slave *giggles*. I am assisting in design and promotion for AAD 2011, 2012 and hopefully many more.

I also attended AAD in 2010 as a blogger. So this is my perspective and why I cannot wait for the next conventions. Passion. I have this little problem with obsession. Finding little hobbies that encompass my whole being. I like to call this passion, you can call it insanity if you wish. After attending in 2010, I found a new little hobby. A little passion. Everything AAD. What can I say, Authors After Dark fulfills me *big grin*.

Authors After Dark gives book lovers the opportunity to meet authors, readers, bloggers and industry professionals who all share the same admiration for romance. No matter the genre, everyone had something in common. A true sense of belonging. I have said before that it feels like friends getting together, long lost friends and family. The atmosphere is relaxed and inviting, authors are accessible. Not just from behind a table either, I am talking about standing in line, sitting at a table, the bar, dancing, laughing, taking a break... they are everywhere. Could a reader define a better paradise? I think not.

That is why readers of romance will love AAD, but what do I love about AAD? I love that I met Jodie (JoJo's Book Corner) after talking online for months. I love that I get to see her again in 2011 along with many other bloggers I network with. I love that I may have the opportunity to ride in an elevator with Jennifer Armintrout again. I loved being star struck by Stella, she LOOKS just like her pictures! I loved sharing ideas with authors in panels and laughing. The food was spectacular and the dessert even better. Each meal had a new surprise. The event was spectacular from start to end.

Books. I loved the books. I met so many new-to-me authors as well as some whom I had already read. Each panel starts with an introduction to the authors and their current releases, but many also gave sneak peak into future books. Inside information on how characters came about and why. I soaked it all up! But like every book lover, there can never be enough. This year I am preparing before hand by reading books by as many attending authors as I can. Passion.

I am just a normal woman, who loves romance and is not ashamed of it. I am fortunate to have attended in 2010. An enthusiastic designer with a new muse. A passionate reader who could not have found a better little hobby.

Why Ask Why

I've heard that readers are wondering why authors have chosen AAD in addition to, or even over other conferences. Now, I can't speak for everyone, but I can tell you my reasons for deciding to come to AAD this year.

Last year, one of my dearest friends, Jennifer Armintrout, said "Dude, you HAVE to go to the Authors After Dark conference with me. It's like the best thing ever. You're gonna love it."

Now, when Jen says I'm going to love something, it's either because she's lying and she wants to get me to do something terrible so she can point and laugh, or it's because she really thinks I'm going to love it. I'm happy to report, that it was the latter. She wanted me to go to AAD 2010 because it was really that awesome of a conference.

I've been to the RWA National Conference and I've also been to the to Romantic Times conference. Both of those conferences had their pros and cons. They were experiences I'm glad I had, but neither hold a candle to AAD. RWA and RT are giant conferences that can be downright overwhelming at times. It's difficult to get more than a couple minutes at most to chat with your favorite authors, the food is iffy and often the parties end up being on the generic side. Not so at Authors After Dark.

At AAD, you'll have tons of time to hang with your favorite authors as well as meet some new faves. The thing I like best about this conference format is that it's geared toward readers first and authors second. The parties are all different and the vendors are like nothing you'll find at any other romance conference - seriously - there was a tattoo artist there last year and he did amazing work! There was jewelry, bath and body products, books, graphic novels, art, and I've heard that there will be even more variety this year.

I'll be participating in the ARC party with the amazing Brynn Paulin, another one of my bestest friends - seriously, I don't know what I'd do without this woman. We'll be giving away shiny new promo to the attendees, but the biggest and best comes at the Resplendence Publishing Party. Now, in theory, it's going to be a karaoke party (the fantabulous Stella is trying to help us find the right equipment) and the really awesome part is that Brynn, Jen and I along with Mia Watts, Jessica Jarman and Gwendolyn Cease are giving away...wait for it...An iPAD 2 with WIFI!!!! And we're also giving away a ton of e-books to go with it!!!!

So I hope you'll all come and say hi at the party and at the panels or meals or really whenever. We'd love to meet you. And I promise, none of us bite. Actually, I can't be responsible for Jen or Mia, but you're safe with the rest of us.