As I’ve said before, I used to be a college teacher, which meant I used to go to lots of conferences since I had to give presentations as part of my job. Believe it or not, there’s a dress code for these conferences—nothing written out, of course, but a code nonetheless. We wore suits, for the most part. Frequently black, but occasionally gray or perhaps dark blue. A few brave souls wore silk scarves or even jewelry (back in the eighties I had some of those big flashy pins), but you didn’t want to go too far. We were Serious People after all.

But in my heart, I wanted a gypsy shawl.

I really did. Also velvet and satin tops. And dangling earrings with rhinestones. Every time I saw something like this in a shop window, I longed for it, but my practical side kept muttering “You have no place to wear that.” And I didn’t. So I never bought them simply because I knew damn well I’d never have the courage to wear them to any of my conferences, even the Popular Culture Association, which was a little more relaxed than some of the others.

Flash forward a few years to the present. I still go to conferences, but now they’re conferences for romance writers. And I now own a lot of things I’d never have been able to wear to the National Council of Teachers of English, let alone the Modern Language Association.

The Romance Writer Conference Look, you see, is all over the map. Some writers wear pretty much what they wear every day. Some writers wear costumes—literally. One historical writer at RT dressed as Marie Antoinette. J. R. Ward didn’t wear a costume, but she definitely had a Look: black leather pants and jacket, worn with sunglasses (indoors). I’ve begun to think that writers dress according to their mental image of themselves. And I’ve discovered that my mental image is a bit more flamboyant than my workaday self.

But now I’m attending RWA and I’m in a quandary again. I’m not sure RWA is as flamboyant as RT, but I’m not willing to fade back into the woodwork again either. I have a beautiful hand-dyed ruana that I got in Pagosa Springs a couple of months ago. I have a gorgeous silk shawl I got years ago at the San Diego Art Museum. And I have my WabiSabi Wear vest made from vintage kimono fabric. I’ll probably wear all three at some point.

But I’m not sure what other things I’ll be throwing into the mix this year. Maybe a new shawl or scarf. Definitely my spangled “diva jacket” for the big Samhain cocktail party Saturday night. The main thing is, I’ll be there and I’ll be my more flamboyant Romance Writer self. So if you’re around Anaheim from July 25-28, be sure to look me up at the Marriott Anaheim. I’ll be the one in the flashy clothes and the blissful smile.

I’m still looking for that gypsy shawl, though.

RWA Literacy Signing – Wednesday, July 25, 5-8 p.m. Table 300

Samhain Publishing Signing – Friday, July 27, 3-4:30 p.m.