A ROMCOM NOVELET || Can a girl fall in love at a Romance Writers Convention with a dreamboat hunk who is determined to steal her heart?
Annie attends the glamorous convention to promote her new romance novel. But the first man she meets is not only...
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Annie Halston attends the Annual Romance Writers Convention in San Francisco in the hopes of getting her new historical romance novel published!
"I don't believe it, Annie. You're actually going to meet Vanessa Drake, the famous romance writer? Here? Today? Now? In person?"
"Yes, I really am," replied Annie Halston, a little smile curving her lips as she looked at herself in the mirror above the dresser in the San Francisco hotel room. "I'm supposed to meet her down in the lounge at four o' clock, just twenty minutes from now."
"But you're so calm about it." Mary Martin gave her an envious look. "Ohmehgosh! I'd be so excited, and a nervous wreck too."
Annie laughed, smoothing the collar of her lime green blouse and checking the fit of her skirt. She shook back her mane of long blond hair over her shoulders. Satisfied with her appearance, she turned to Mary, whom she'd just met only a half hour ago down in the lobby when the two of them had checked into the hotel.
"Don't be silly," she said. "Why be nervous? Vanessa Drake is just an ordinary woman like you and me."
"Ordinary?" Mary sat down on one of the two beds across from the dresser. "Vanessa Drake is anything but ordinary. In less than five years she's had seven bestselling historical romance novels and has become the reigning Queen of Romance. She single-handedly brought back historical romance to the forefront in romance publishing. Jeez, she knocked all those suit-and-tie billionaires right out of the ball park. Everybody's writing historical again because of her. And on top of that, she's so mysterious. She's a recluse. No one knows anything about her. I'm surprised she decided to come to the convention because she hasn't attended any in the past. How in the world did you get to know her?"
Annie sat down on the bed across from Mary. "Please, the glut of billionaire books was just about strangling the romance genre. We girls like our men a whole lot more interesting, and sexy, than a bunch of neat-freak guys who sit behind desks. It was time for a change and Vanessa knew it. I write historical too and I liked her books so much that I wrote her a fan letter. She wrote back and we've been corresponding ever since."
"Lucky you," Mary said, obviously surprised. "I know several romance fans who wrote to Vanessa Drake but none of them received a reply, just a form letter thanking them for writing and an autographed bookmark. Popular writers like Ms. Drake are usually too busy to write back themselves."
Annie smiled. "She liked my letter. I guess I was more interesting than most of the fans who write to her, maybe because I'm an aspiring writer. She's given me a lot of pointers, too. I recently finished writing my first historical and I hope to find a publisher for it here at the convention. Vanessa suggested I come. She wants to meet me and she intends to introduce me to her editor."
"Wow, that's really awesome." Mary was clearly impressed. "We aspiring romance writers can sure use all the help we can get. It's such a tough industry to break into. There are so many wannabe writers. I haven't finished writing my first book yet. I'm really still learning how to write. But I think that attending the seminars and workshops here at the convention will be a big help."
