Take Your Muse to New Heights

The Wild Rose Press Writers’ Retreat

May 12-15, 2011

I’m sorry I missed the first ever retreat in Texas that The Wild Rose Press offered last year.  Why?  Because I went to this year’s, now annual retreat, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  This year the retreat was held at the Lutheridge Retreat in Ashville, North Carolina (actually in Arden, NC), but that’s splitting hairs. Not a 4-5 star hotel, but a quiet wooded retreat with all the basic comforts of home. Plus meals were included.

Gary and I came a day early, little knowing that Rhonda and her family had already checked in and were actually staying in the room above us.  We did catch up early the next morning. She welcomed us with open arms, as she did everyone who walked through the doors of the huge enclosed pavilion with cathedral ceiling we met in each day. The outdoor porch, the length of the building, overlooked the woods, and was a great place for the husbands to hang out while we were all busy inside paying rapt attention in all the planned workshops.

Not wasting any time, Rhonda and RJ kicked off the meeting Thursday Night at 7:30 with a welcome reception, and then immediately went into a panel discussion on the future of epublishing.  We had a chance to meet all the staff and ask questions.  It set the tone for the rest of the weekend.

Friday was a chance to meet all the authors, talk shop, brainstorm, write, and/or attend the sessions. It was our time to do what we wanted.  Me, I chose to attend all the workshops, wanting to learn, firsthand, all about the publishing house I wrote for.  It was well worth sitting in on all of them.  From How to Lose an Editor in Ten Days, to Writing the Dreaded Synopsis, The Art of the Query Letter, and How to Grab an Editor in Five Pages, Rhonda, RJ, and several of the editors in attendance made these sessions interactive, fun, yet serious. There was even a session on Booting Promo Butt, and Johanna, Editor of the Crimson Rose Line, pulled off a crime scene (To Kill An Editor – actually, it was Rhonda who met her end), where everyone had to figure out who the killer was, how they did, and why.  Kinda like Clue.  A barrel of laughs, as we all scattered around the room checking the ‘body’ for evidence, followed the clues, then tried to make some sense of it.

More fun followed the next day as we all headed out to the Biltmore Estate for the day.  Having been there before, we did a quick tour of the inside of the castle-like home, then headed for the gardens. Just finishing the celebration of the Festival of Flowers, everything was in full bloom. But, by 1:00, we were headed to lunch in Deer Park, several miles further along the Estate.  Here we were treated to a delicious buffet, and southern desserts, including key lime pie!

Then it was back to the retreat and a final workshop on The First Five Pages, a dessert reception and saying goodbye to all our friends. And plans to meet again in 2012 in Texas.