The RITA Awards (Moment-by-Moment)

Okay, yesterday I promised you more details about the RITA awards ceremony at the Romance Writers of America national conference in Washington, DC, last month. Well, here it is.

First, a kind of horrid picture of me in my very beautiful gold dress. (Thanks Jenn!)


The awards ceremony is always held on Saturday night of the conference, the last event of the year, and let me tell you, romance writers know how to go all out. This thing is like the Academy Awards, complete with jumbo screens, an elevated stage, follow-spots, and clever skits. (Okay, really awful skits, but clever.)

I'm going to skip the part about how my parents (who flew allllll the way to DC from Las Vegas for the ceremony) go into the ballroom. That's a don't ask, don't tell secret, okay? Instead, I'll start with the seating.

Being friends with the other two Young Adult RITA finalists (Tina Ferraro and Rosemary Clement-Moore), we knew we wanted to sit together. We also snagged one of the YA Golden Heart (unpublished) finalists, Vanessa Barneveld. We were in the last row of the center VIP section, and here's the order in which we sat: Vanessa's friend, Vanessa, Tina, Rosemary, me, my editor Sarah, my dad, my mom.

The first half of the ceremony is the Golden Hearts, the awards for unpublished manuscripts. I knew a number of the finalists, but only one author (whom I met the day before through Tina) that I knew won. It's okay, though, it's an honor just to be nominated.

Anyway, after the Golden Hearts (and a couple of skits) they came to the RITAs. I won't bore you with those categories I wasn't nominated for, and will just start with the Young Adult category.

Having read both Tina and Rosemary's books, I thought we all stood a pretty equal chance of winning. We have slightly different styles and it would just depend on the judging pool. We all had our speeches ready.


When they started announcing the nominees we held hands. I saw Rosemary's slide go up on the jumbo screen, then Tina's. Then I pretty much blanked out until the announced the winner. Rosemary!!! (We knew she was going to win because she'd scribbled her speech in the bathroom earlier.)

Okay, I screamed for Rosemary, listened to her adorable speech, and then my mind started drifting. I knew I had no chance of winning the Best First Book category (there were like eight other finalists and we all thought Sherry Thomas was going to win). I started thinking about next year. GODDESS BOOT CAMP isn't quite as romance-y as OH. MY. GODS. so I don't know how well it will do in the RITA, but next summer's FORGIVE MY FINS is totally romance. Maybe I'd have another chance in 2011.

When we got to Best First Book (second to last, btw) I watched the nominees flash across the screen. I actually saw my slide this time—the turquoise in my author pic looked nice with the cover of OH. MY. GODS. I wasn't nervous at all, because I wasn't going to win. My hands weren't shaking. The adrenaline wasn't pumping. As Terri Garey (last year's winner who I'd met the day before) opened the envelope I looked down at the stuff clutched in my hand. My useless speech, my iPhone, and the adorable gold Coach wristlet I'd bought to go with my dress.

Then Terri said, "And the RITA goes to... Oh."

Oh? Oh! She said, OH!

I heard my mom scream. My dad swears I screamed, but I just remember blinking a lot and staring at the screen displaying my picture and my book.

I jumped to my feet and made my way to the aisle—and then realized I needed to make sure my editor with following. She was, thank goodness, because I was in 3-1/2" heels and my legs were noodles and I wouldn't have made it on stage without holding her hand.

Terri hugged me when I made it up the steps and handed me the RITA. Omigods, I actually won!

At this point, I was so stunned that the nerves and the adrenaline could not make their way through the shock. I set the RITA and my speech down on the podium and started to read. Here's what I had written down (which may or may not be exactly what I said—known ad-libs are noted in blue):

I was totally not nervous because I was not supposed to win this category. Wow. Okay, now I have to say my dorky thing. I actually wrote a RITA speech three years ago when I sold this book, think that, if I was ever lucky enough to final, I'd jinx myself by writing it after the fact.

Of course, when it came time to pack for conference that speech was nowhere to be found. I guess the jinx only half-worked.

I have to thank...

• my editor, Sarah Shumway
• my agent, Jenny Bent (who couldn't be here tonight, but sent me a huge bunch of beautiful flowers)
• RWA
• my West Houston ladies (I know there are a lot of us here)
• the judges
• my Buzz Blog girls
• my mentor, Shane Bolks (who also isn't here, and is having a baby soon, so that's probably why)
• my fellow nominees
• my critique partner, best friend, and sister of my heart, Sharie Kohler
• and, as always, my parents, who flew all the way from Vegas for this moment (I guess now it was worth it)

Thank you.

(FYI, giving a speech in front of 2,000 people is horrifying. Especially when you're on a jumbo screen.)

Everything after that is kind of a blur. My editor giving a quick speech. One more category being announced. Taking off my impossibly high heels. Cradling RITA against my side during the dessert reception, at which countless people I knew and didn't know came up to congratulate me. (Including Barbara Samuel, who had been the keynote speaker at my very first conference.) Texts and phone calls from friends and Buzz girls who hadn't made the conference.

Floating on this crazy cloud I never really believed I could reach, and sharing that moment with my best friend and my editor. Reliving it puts me right back up on that cloud.

(Me and Sarah at the reception.)

And that's it. The story of my RITA. Here she is in her current home, beneath my faux Morroccan lanterns from Target and my twin RITA nominee flags.


Hugs,
TLC