The Trip So Far

I'm three days into my trip now, and it has been great. Friday and Saturday I was at the LDStorymakers conference in Provo, and it was a lot of fun. I met a bunch of new friends, connected with people I knew only from the internet, and caught up with friends from last years conference. I will post pictures and more details on my writing blog throughout the week, so if you're interested, click on over to see.

In a nutshell:

• I was convinced to finally get over myself and admit that the novel I have written is a romance. I'm a romance writer. (There - I said it.)
• I pitched my novel to an editor at Covenant Communications, and he asked me to send him the full manuscript to read. This is promising, although it could still come to nothing. I need to knock off a few rough edges and apply some of the things I learned at the conference, and then I will submit it.
• There was a first chapter contest at the conference, and I had two entries. My full novel (which I now admit is a romance) didn't win. But a Science Fiction story I started a few months ago won first place in its category. I got great feedback on both entries, which made it worth the time and effort to enter.
  
• I bought, won, or was given 11 new books. I may need to ship a box home before I go.

Since the company I work for is here in Utah, I'm going to stay for a week and work in the office. I have a couple of projects that will benefit from my being in the same place as the device I'm writing the driver for, and I think it will be good to work with people face to face. And I managed to get a virus on my computer, which I can't get rid of, so I may need to have the IT guys wipe it and start me over. :-(

I stayed with my dad during the conference, and had a good time visiting with him. I'll stay at my mom's the rest of the time. My sisters and their families will be coming for dinner tonight, and I'm looking forward to seeing them.

But despite the fun I am having, I miss my wife and kids. I can't wait to get home.