Monday evening updates

Updated updates :)
Check out the Cherry Forums where there are multiple boards on Writing Craft, Writing Life, Publishing, etc. And even a thread on the conference -- scroll down to the later posts to get to the actual conference stuff (so THAT'S where you guys have been gabbing!)

Anna Louise: 1 | 2
A Low Profile (updated from earlier)
The Bandwagon (updated from earlier)
Gena Showalter
Tanya's Tangents
Nephele Tempest

Updates from earlier this evening
Allison Brennan
Amanda Ramblings -- an astonishing list of requests
Being Bonnie Vanak
CJ Barry and Samanta Graves
Ecclesiastes 12:12
Jill Monroe
Margaret Daley
Megan Crane
Mel-O-Drama
Murder, She Writes
No rules. Just write.
Patti O'Shea
Pub Rants
Randy's Random Rants, Raves and Ramblings: 1 | 2 | 3 -- Nora SMOKES??
Risky Regencies
Romance Worth Killing For
Sasha White
Shanna's Journal
Squawk Radio (a gabillion photos in something like 6 new posts)
Tanya's Tangents
Write Minded
The Writing Playground

Lifetime Achievement Award

Gayle began her introduction to the Lifetime Achievement Award with a slideshow of Susan Elizabeth Phillips in costume and narrated the slides as if they were the true story of Susan's life with great drama.

"Susan was raised in a convent by nuns ..... escaped and taken in by a kindly minister .... the minister conceived a lust for Susan and took cruel advantage .... she escaped to Paris where she took up with a wealthy man ...."



Nora marched up on stage and pretended to be exasperated by Gayle's melodramatic and patently false tale. (larger)



They milked it for all it was worth. :)



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After a revised and truthful slideshow tracing the real life of SEP, Susan got up and gave one of her lovely and funny talks.

Presenters, winners, and more

God knows who did the voiceover, but his voice had all the iconic bombast of the Oscars announcers. Great fun. UPDATE via Laura Hayden in the comments: The voiceovers at the awards ceremony (the intros and the "Peachtree Road" parody) were done by Steve Meredith of MeWe Productions. He was the gentleman in the production booth calling all the production cues. (Thanks Laura!)

The mistress of ceremonies was Nora Roberts. The pic I took of her at this point was too horrendous, even for me, to post. She was funny, sexy, with the voice and presence of a 1920s chanteuse. They then switched to a movie made for the evening called "Fact or Fiction," which traced the evolution of stereotypes about romance authors, agents, editors, publishers and fans to their depiction in the movies.

The movie opened with cops racing to an old mansion where they discovered the body of an old stereotype floating in the pool.


Then they showed clips from movies featuring writers including the much beloved and loudly cheered, Romancing The Stone


And Paperback Hero (that's the back of Hugh Jackman's head, curse me!)


And now, without further ado, here are photos of the presenters and winners of the Golden Hearts and RITAs (I am sure I mixed up half of the photos, names, and categories, so please correct me, but be gentle :) )

GOLDEN HEARTS
P: presenter
W: winner
ABF: winner not present, accepted by friend
NPA: no picture available (or it's one of the mystery photos)

Best Short Contemporary Romance (P: Nina Bruhns, W: Yvonne Harris ABF Kathleen Long)


Best Long Contemporary Romance Manuscript (P: Gail Barrett W: Laurie Kellogg)




Missing pics of the paranormal presenter and winner for now, will post later (long story about me and my idiocy with cameras)

Best Inspirational Romance (P: Myra Johnson W: Lora Bale) larger pic




Best Short Historical Romance (P: Chris Merrill W: Christine Diehm NPA)


Best Long Historical Romance (P: Victoria Dahl W: Donna MacMeans)




Help me with the next bunch please.

Mystery Photo #1


Heather Koenig, winner of GH for Young Adult Romance


Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements (P: Gemma Halliday W: Kathleen Beaver)




Holli Bertram


Jo Robertson, winner of the GH Romantic Suspense category

Best Contemporary Single Title Romance (P: Lorelle Marinello W: Donna Meier ABF/NPA)


RITAs

Best Traditional Romance (P: Nicole Burnham W: Marion Lennox NPA?)


Best Short Contemporary Romance Novel (P: Barbara McCauley W: Liz Fielding ABF/NPA)


Best Long Contemporary Romance (P: Inglath Cooper W: Dianna Love Snell)




Best Paranormal Romance (P: Lori Handeland W: Linnea Sinclair)




Best Inspirational Romance (P: Gayle Roper W: Beth Pattillo)




Best Romantic Novella (P: Christie Ridway W: Alesia Holliday)




Best First Book (P: Susan Crandall W: Stephanie Feagan)




Best Regency Romance (P: Sophia Nash W: Diane Gaston)




Best Short Historical Romance (W: Christina Dodd P: Jodi Thomas)


(Jodi was also inducted into the RWA Hall of Fame for winning her third RITA in the same category)


Best Long Historical Romance (P: Madeline Hunter W: Liz Carlyle NPA/NBF)


Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements (P: Evelyn Vaughn W: Barbara Samuel)




Best Romantic Suspense (P: Linda Howard W: Nora Roberts w/a JD Robb)


(Click on Nora pics for a little more commentary)




Best Contemporary Single Title (P: Jenny Crusie W: Susan Wiggs ABF)

Awards ceremony

Can you identify which Cherry sported a little rhinestone bling in an eyecatching place? The photos to be posted below will provide the answer to the careful eye.

One of the most beautiful dresses I saw at the awards. She even had an adorable 1920s type hairstyle, but of course my photos are cr*p.

Jennifer Evans in full splendor from the front.


From the back (the upside-down V at the bottom was sheer, very jazzy)


Here is a shot of SOME of the 25 or more Cherries who gathered together for the awards ceremony. All looking babe-a-rific. From L-R: Marissa Cherry Bling(?)Molly Heidi Sue Kari and ?? (we talked a half dozen times, but my mind is a sieve)


Better size

The ballroom before they let us in, impossible to capture the sea of empty chairs.



large | medium

Candace Havens who was nominated for a RITA for Best First Book in a very dramatic Romance Diva outfit. She was supernervous, poor thing. The man with her, whose name I did not catch, laughed uproariously at all my jokes. I felt tres witty. (He laughed just as hard at everyone else's quips too -- this is the kind of guy who could make a fortune for hire as a sitcom audience member.)


Pat E. in a glittery blue confection


Brooke draped over a chair back and looking tres glam


larger size

Jill, Chandra, Cory, ForgetName, Beki in line for awards ceremony


larger size

Heidi looking luminous


The three women who were in the front of the line for the central doors to the award ceremony


Holly looking beauteous (and Katie's beautiful auburn hair)


Marge and Barbara


Someone and Beki


Cherries in a row (all told, there were about 25 of us in three rows)


One of my favoritest photos ... since I didn't manage to make Sue or Molly look orange or like recovering stroke victims

Jude: Hey Katie, can I take a picture of you in your gorgeous dress?
Katie: Sure, want me to stand up?
Jude: Okay, thanks . . . Hey Sue, I am trying to take a photo of Katie.
Sue (sqooshes closer to Katie)
Jude: Sue, get out of the photo! I have enough of you!
Sue: You want a piece of this?!
Jude (snaps photo)

Molly, Brooke and Chandra were snapping pics of each other, then laughing over the results (larger)


Brooke and Chandra were having a raucous good time in the back row of Cherries (larger)


Trying to show the size of the crowd and failing (larger: 1 | 2)




Jill Cory Marissa in front, The Cherry visible in back with Anne Stuart (larger)


Anne Stuart and The Cherry


Sue, Chandra, passerby, Brooke


The first half of all rows in the center sections were reserved for nominees, their guests, and presenters (can you believe they did not admit Blogging National's ace photographer???)


(I think that is all I have to post for this post; the next batch of photos will be in the above post of the presenters and winners)