FRW Blog

No Icebergs On This Muse Cruise

28th January, 2010 - Posted by Piks - 5 Comments

Killing Time Before Boarding For Home The Titanic came up as a joke a few times on the FRW Muse Cruise retreat to Cozumel. We laughed, but then looked at each other and knew that if an iceberg were to materialize on the horizon, our warmth and good cheer would evaporate that sucker in a heartbeat. No worries there.

You will be happy to hear that I, Kathleen Pickering, as Prez of FRW, did everything in my power to maintain professionalism and decorum at all times. (Coughing lightly into my hand. . .) This was easy to do when surrounded by such writing professionals as Heather Graham, Alexandra Sokoloff, Aleka Nakis, Traci Hall, Lyn Armstrong, Mary Stella, Kimberly Gonzales, Erin McCarthy, Karen Kendall, Michael Meeske, Pearl Wolf, Suzanne Bohen, Deb Andrews, Patrice Wilton, Toni Andrews, Rosemary Letson, Tina Stitzer, Kathryn DePalo, Kristin Wallace, (taking a breath here…) our own bookseller, Judy Dewitt, and long-standing member, Renee Lynes—not to mention our editors, Adam Wilson from Harlequin and Eric Raab from Tor. This list also includes notables, such as, Jenna Petersen, Keena Lykins and Blythe Gifford who jumped right in and maintained that professional atmosphere—ayyyyyeee. (Oh, excuse me.) Heather’s family is always a boon to any gathering. Some of us brought guests, too, to round out our crowd. (Some of us even played air guitar . . . Ahem . . . Greg?) If I neglected to add your name, please understand, tequila does that to one’s memory. Please sign in at the bottom!

Let’s see. What can I report? When not slipping into an outrageously ugly Mexican dress in a washroom that cost me 35 cents to enter because I swam fully clothed in that compelling turquoise ocean beneath a Mayan ruin, I was eating aye-yai-yaiiii salsa and brainstorming new story ideas with these fabulous authors in between laughs. Hmm. Then, after dinner and that first tequila shot (the one I’ll admit to), I practically fell off my chair laughing while watching the Eric/Adam Karaoke face-off performed to absolute and absurd perfection. I realized immediately that anyone lucky enough to earn either of those fellows as an editor will certainly enjoy their author’s journey. And hey, everybody, get a load of Kristin. Can she sing, or what??? And, please don’t mention Free Bird around Greg Hall ever again. Dennis Pozzessere might be driven to drink.

The Floridian Idol readings, as Traci mentioned, elevated FRW in the editors’ eyes as serious contributors to the authors list. The submissions were excellent and well critiqued by Eric and Adam. Alex Sokoloff presented a fabulous, completely inspiring, two hour workshop on Screenwriting Tips for Writers. (Her workbook by the same name can be purchased on her website. I highly recommend this addition to your writing arsenal!) Heather shared her views on the writing industry. Keena Lykins’ workshop on media tips and all the workshops filled our writing coffers, so much so, that some of us felt lucky enough to hit the casino.

The next evening, while those around me were having their Tarot cards read, I welcomed an excellent one-on-one conversation with Eric Raab to discuss the direction of my work in progress. (This is the stuff that retreats are made of!) Dancing was great fun, especially when the boat was rocking–really helped keep the rhythm going. Oh, and I got a great kick from listening to our Mexican balladeer on the ferry ride to the ruins. His dialect while singing the Cat Stevens song, “Oh, vavy, vavy, it’s a wiiild worl’”, gave the song new meaning. Gotta love it. Another shot please?

Bottom line: I believe I invested five precious days of my life on a cruise to Cozumel to cement friendships, gain insights and continue to earn my place in the writing world. FRW really knows how to rock, whether at sea, on land or on a personal computer creating the next great novel. This Muse Cruise was an event worth sharing. You may not have been there in person, but you were there in spirit. That’s the way it is with family. (BTW, photos are posted on my facebook page.) Icebergs? Bring ‘em on! Nothing can sink the FRW Muse Cruise.

Posted on: January 28, 2010

Filed under: A Writer's Life, Conferences, Events, Miscellaneous

5 Comments

traci

January 28th, 2010 at 1:00 pm

FRW Love Cruise, lol – great blog Piks!!

Mary Ricksen

January 28th, 2010 at 1:22 pm

You make the rest of us so jealous!!!
Next time I’m going if it kills me!
But, one way or the other I am going. I am glad you all had a great time though. If I go I am bringing a video camera.

Kimberly

January 28th, 2010 at 1:46 pm

Great blog. I got some noteworthy flashbacks there the most outstanding of which was the laurel and hardy type karaoke act by our esteemed guests.
So glad I came, can’t wait to go again.

Did someone mention a KW road trip at some time or was I imagining it?

Kathleen PIckering

January 29th, 2010 at 7:50 am

Believe me, Mary, you were there in spirit. We felt each and everyone one of you with us every time we said FRW . . . a believe me. The whole ship knew we were there!