CR Spring Blog : Just another WordPress weblog

So far, I’ve been asked by members of the organizing committee at least 4 times what the room rate is.  The latest query prompted this blog so I can say that it’s up at the website :)  Our room rate for the conference is $125.  You may wonder why we can’t it any lower.  One of the reasons is the size of the conference.  Another is that it’s getting harder to get a rate much below $100 even on weekends these days.  Remember, the rate is the same whether you have one or two people in the room so finding a room mate can be a good cost saving measure. 

 Karen and I met up in NJ last weekend for the NJRW booksigning and passed out CR flyers to a lot of people.  While there we visited with Mary Lynne, during her son’s birthday party of all things:).  Do I have good timing or what? We brainstormed ideas for our Friday night activity and we came up with some good ones ( patting myself on the back). 

You’ll have to come to the conference to see what they are or what they may evolve into.  We already have some good authors signed up.  Check out the newsletter that Karen sent out today for a list. 

 Have a great weekend!

 Leanne

I just wanted to thank everyone for a wonderful weekend.  It was so much fun for all of us to see our hard work come together.  It was great to see new relationships forming as the weekend passed.  Forming friendships is what CR is all about to me. 

 As many of you know, CR attendance has been declining over the years.  Since Karen, Cybil, and I took over the conference,  I’ve been putting money into the conference to keep it alive.  Circumstances dictate that I can’t do that anymore.  We had decided that 2007 was going to be the last year as much as it saddened us to make that decision.

When people heard the news, several authors came forward with ideas to save CR.  I’d like to hear ideas from all you about attracting more readers.  I’d be especially interested in attracting younger readers.  That’s not saying that all of us are old:) but we need to keep bringing in more people if CR is to survive.

One of the ideas from authors was to combine CR with an RWA chapter conference.  While it has it’s advantages, we’ve decided against it for 2008.  The concern is that we would have to condense CR to one day.  Can you envision that?  We don’t run out of topics to discuss in two days; keeping it to one day boggles my mind:). 

 The new schedule flowed very well and we will keep it for 2008.  Please contact me with any ideas of activities or topics for discussion that you would like to see. 

 Thank you again for all the support and the fun.

In just under two weeks, CR will be starting.  I’m psyched.  How about you?  We have some fun times planned and Kansas City is a great place for us to be.  Now, if the weather will just cooperate, we’ll be all set. 

We’ve juggled the schedule this year so that there won’t be so much sitting on Saturday.  We’ve moved some talks to Sunday and shortened the time of the booksigning.  All this in response to the comments we’ve received over the last two years. 

 My life has been in constant upheaval since last fall.  In desparation, I quit my job without a new job lined up and the job hunting isn’t going my way right now.  I had surgery to correct some sinus issues and so I’m focused on CR giving me some sense of normalcy.  Like that is going to happen, right?  Ha!   

 Having dumped all that on you, I’m here to say that I have so many blessings in my life and my CR friends form a large part of those blessings.  The years of attending CR have given me life long friendships that have given me the strength to face adversity.  There is nothing more fulfilling than knowing that I can call on any one of them for help and they will respond positively. 

 CR has enriched my life in many ways.  I’ve learned things that I would never have experienced otherwise.  How to plan a conference, interacting with hotels and other businesses in way I would never have dreamed of years ago.  The friends are the best part of though.  I love knowing that I can travel to almost any part of the country and have a friend there that I can contact for directions, restaurant suggestions, and UBS information. 

 Like Karen, I’m a bookstore addict.  It’s a sometimes uncontrollable desire to see what goodies I can find.  Dancing in uncontrolled glee when I find a really rare book and knowing that friends will share the joy when they hear the news.  What could be better than that?

 We’ll see you all soon.  Remember to check out the website for the Kansas City airport if  you have any questions about where you may be coming in. http://www.flykci.com/ 

For shuttles, don’t forget this site.  www.kctg.com

 Remember to count your blessings as we approach a new CR.

I have a confession to make.  I’m a bookstore junkie.  When I go into a bookstore, particularly a used bookstore, I just can’t control myself.  There’s something about those dusty shelves, the dimly lit aisles, the smell of a good book… the thrill of finding a rare Mary Balogh or Carla Kelly book… before I know it, I’ve got a basket full of books to add to my overflowing TBR pile.

But the CR advanced book trade is here to save me.  By participating in the ABT, I get to find books for other people – how virtuous!  It doesn’t solve my problem with my overflowing TBR pile, since for every book that I find for someone else, a book gets found for me.  But it means I get the fun of “book hunting” for those hard-to-find books, while still getting books for myself!

I’m already planning a trip to my favorite used bookstores this weekend.  Although the book trade only started a few days ago, we already have more than 40 requests.  You might be surprised at what the book hunters of the CR book trade can find for you! 

If you want to join the CR advanced book trade, just check the book trade box on your registration form when you register (or email me at Karen@crspring.com).  You’ll also need to join the book trade list, which you can find under “newsletter signups” on the right side of the page.  I’ll send you more information on how to get started.

You can be a book junkie too! 

Karen

Besides yourself and your love of books attendees need to bring a few things…

For Friday
Questions to ask an Author
We’re planning a new game for Friday night. Are
there any questions that you would like to ask an
author, any author? We’re going to play a game
where the questions get read and an author is
picked at random to answer it. This is your
chance to ask all those fun questions that you
always wanted to know, but were afraid to ask.
If you have ideas for questions, send me an email.

A Dessert to Share
We are having a Dessert Party and everyone should bring a dessert to share with the group. Anything will do - your favorite homemade cookies, those special candies you can only find in Canada, or a yummy delicacy from your local bakery. Just make sure you can ship it or travel with it!

For Saturday
Money For Dinner
We’re planning a group dinner on Saturday night,
at a local BBQ restaurant. This is optional, but
it should be a fun night with a lot of great
food. The cost will be about $35 per person, and
spouses are welcome to attend as well. Watch the list for more info.

For Sunday
Books for Signing
Don’t forget to bring books from home for signing by your favorite attending authors. We will have books for sale as well for those NEW authors you just discovered.