RWDU - Gold Coast, March 2015

In the early hours of Thursday morning my husband and I started in on the almost 10 hour drive to the Gold Coast for the second RWDU event. After a quick detour to pick up one of my favourite people in the world, Carmen Jenner, we were ready to descend on Surfers Paradise for three fun filled days. 

From check in, to author registration to catching up with good friends over a few wines and a gourmet Lebanese bbq compliments of my chef hubby.

Friday morning saw an early start with breakfast with Abbi Glines and Addam Bramich and a small group of Abbi's Army members, and a quick chat over coffee with the lovely Natasha Tomic. 

On to Panels, where the gracious and talented Kristen Ashley discussed her writing and publishing journey. Answering questions about her prolific career, Kristen cemented her place as an author to admire and respect. 

The quote of the day from KA: "if you need to soar, you soar on your own."

Following that I was afforded the opportunity to take part in the panel discussing blogging with some of my favourites, Kylie - Give Me Books, Natasha - Natasha is a Book Junkie and author Lynette Noni. 

Readers, bloggers and authors were able to sit in on panels discussing everything from marketing and promotion, to social media etiquette from Best Selling authors and industry professionals. One of my favourites being Rockers, Bikers & Alphas - Fun Facts featuring TK Leigh, Carmen Jenner, KM Golland and Chantal Fernando. 

Friday night saw a trivia night with proceeds going to charity, and no doubt many authors furiously making any last minute preparations for the signing the following day. 

Up bright and early Saturday morning for set up, I had the pleasure of assisting Carmen Jenner throughout the day, talking to readers, taking photos and talking about books I adore and an author I respect. 

Hundreds of readers made their way to authors around the room, stopping to chat, take photos and collect autographs, I was lucky enough to have my husband Michael collect my books for me as you can see below. 

The signing was followed by a formal dinner and awards night after party, where the wine flowed and photo booth craziness ensued. Authors and bloggers were recognised for their contribution to the industry with Readers Choice awards across different genres and categories. Winners including Kristen Ashley, Abbi Glines, Kylie Scott, Carmen Jenner, Kirsty  Dallas, Jay McLean, KM Golland, TJ Hamilton, Lesley Jones and Natasha Tomic to name a few. 

What followed was plenty of photo op's, drinks, conversation, photo booth silliness and dancing. A great night had by all attendee's. 

A quiet dinner on Sunday night after  spending the day catching up on sleep, wandering around Surfers Paradise and last catch ups with friends over drinks was the perfect way to end a fantastic weekend. 

A huge thank you to Jodie, Rose & Kylie for executing a fantastic event, the amount of work and dedication that goes into bringing an weekend like this to fruition was clearly evident, and to their team of volunteers, your enthusiasm did not go unnoticed. Looking forward to more events taking place in Australia, where we can celebrate our combined love of reading and the written word. 

After almost 12 hours on the road, this blogger is ready for bed, Sydney, I'm home.