RT Booklovers Convention 2013

I attended the RT Booklovers Convention during the first week of May in Kansas City which is a fun filled five days of authors, readers, books, and cover models. I had a lot of fun catching up with old friends and meeting a lot of new ones. The photos in this post were mainly taken by Elle J. Rossi and myself. I will update with more photos if I receive more. Additionally, RT has detailed posts on most of the panels and parties here.

The night before the conference started, there was a great deal of catching up with old friends and meeting new ones!

Beth Ciotta and Rachel Aukes/Berinn Rae the night before the convention.

Beth and I before the convention.

The first panel I attended at the conference was the Thrillers and the New World of Publishing panel. It ended up being more about publishing and ebooks than about thrillers but it was still quite interesting.

The Thrillers and the New World of Publishing panel featuring Andrew Peterson (not pictured), Ethan Cross,Heather Graham, Andy Harp, and Bob Mayer.

The Modern Day Heros panel was about the appeal of a regular, non-supernatural romantic lead - conversation about the foibles of men and what is sexy ran rampant.

The modern day hero panel. It was the only sunny day so the photo isn't great.

Club RT included a new group of authors every 30 minutes to speak to readers one on one or in small groups. Lots of swag was available as well as a gift basket contest. There were also vendors selling shirts, bags, jewelry, and various other interesting things.

Elle J Rossi and Rachel Aukes/Berinn Rae during their Club RT session.

I hung out with Elle and Rachel along with Theresa McClinton (not pictured) and Aaron Michael Ritchey (not pictured) in Club RT.

The Hero Games reader event was quite funny. Games included Pin the Heart on the Hero, Musical Chairs, and trivia. The panel included A.C. Arthur, Dana Marie Bell, Stephanie Draven, PJ Schnyder, and Maureen Smith. There were also cover models!

Two of the cover models being used as chairs during musical chairs in one of the sessions.

A group photo of the cover models and various winners from the games.

The Steampunk Clockwork Tea was a much larger event than I was expecting. It was a little overwhelming but a lot of fun. I won the Vampire Empire trilogy by Clay and Susan Griffith in the raffle!

Beth Ciotta at the Steampunk Clockwork Tea in all her Victorian meets Aquarius glory!

I did take breaks throughout the conference to hang out and meet new people. Not surprisingly, most attendees could be found at the bar or hanging out in the lobby when not attending sessions and events.

Elle and I chillin' out between sessions.

The best part of the Hunks, Haggis, and Highlanders event was Elle's face when she tried the haggis :) But the cover model in a kilt didn't hurt either! This event was put on by Jody Allen, Kimberly Killion, Cathy Maxwell, Vince Milewski, and Susan Saville.

One of the cover models in a kilt at the Haggis and Highlanders event.

Elle before tasting haggis...

and Elle after tasting haggis!

The convention is pretty well known for the evening parties and this year was no exception. In addition to a 30th anniversary dinner and party, Heather Graham hosted her annual Vampire Ball, Ellora's Cave hosted a '70s disco, and Harlequin hosted the final night's dance party. Lots of authors and readers dressed up in costumes for the various parties and events and it's always fun to see what everyone wears.

Rachel Aukes aka Berinn Rae is ready for the zombie apocalypse with her full flask at the Vampire Ball.

But not prepared enough...she's been zombified!

Two of the cover models in great costumes for Heather Graham's Vampire Ball.

One of the readers getting into the costume fun at the Vampire Ball.

Theresa McClinton, me, Rachel, and Elle on the dance floor at the Vampire Ball - you can barely see Rachel in the shadows!

Duck face! This one is all on Theresa...

Mary Stella and I gettin' our groove on :)

Just being silly...

After the Carnival of Curiosities, I think I get to add "carnival barker" to my resume :)

The Carnival of Curiosities - Heather Graham, Alexandra Sokoloff, Kathleen Pickering, Elle Rossi, Erin McCarthy, Kathy Love, Rachel Aukes, and Beth Ciotta.

One of Kansas City's finest was on duty to be sure we didn't cause too much trouble!

The "official" photos by RT are here and they are numerous!