Have you heard about the 2016 Historical Romance Readers Retreat in Spokane, Washington – September 22-25, 2016? The retreat is a dream-come-true for any lover of historical romance, and I’ll tell you why.
First, about the retreat:
Founders Renee Bernard and Delilah Marvelle envision a cozy event. Registration i
s capped at 300—3 readers to every featured author—which means, unlike other events where you wait in line to see an author only to find yourself crouched over an autograph table, rushing through a conversation about your favorite scene or character while the author looks up, straining to hear, they’ll be plenty of time to kick back and chat about the interests historical romance authors and readers share—history and books! By the time the weekend is over, you will have pictures galore, tales to tell, and plenty of new reads.
Did I mention the parties? Just take a look at the preliminary schedule. Soirees! Gaming! Even a ball! Who hasn’t dreamed of attending a ball? This is your chance to be a historical romance heroine! But not to worry, historical clothing is optional (but certainly celebrated if you choose to dress up).
Need another reason to treat yourself to the retreat? This won’t be a yearly event. The registration fee is $285 until December 31st, when it will increase to $345, and payment plans are available. The hotel rates—$150 in the Davenport Tower and $190 in the historic Davenport—are both far below what’s normally charged. Once registered, you can join a facebook group just for attendees if you’d like to find a roommate and share the cost.
Next, Spokane and The Davenport
Back in 2008, my husband and I took Amtrak’s ‘The Empire Builder’ from Seattle to Spokane. From the moment we disembarked, Spokane began carving a place in my heart. Having finished a Julia Quinn novel on the train, Auntie’s bookstore was naturally the first store I spotted. After perusing their large Romance section, I bought Elizabeth Hoyt’s To Taste Temptation, which was prominently displayed with a note of personal recommendation from a bookstore employee. Oh yes, my friends, an indie bookstore that celebrates romance…or, in other words, a slice of heaven. I loved Auntie’s so much, I made my husband pose for a picture out front. Not surprisingly, Auntie’s is an enthusiastic supporter of The 
HRR, and since it’s right downtown, it is well worth a visit!
And then there is the Historic Davenport…
I can honestly say the Davenport is the only hotel that has ever left me speechless. A more romantic venue Does. Not. Exist. A bold statement (cough), but true. And once you’ve stepped inside the ornate, two-story lobby, you will understand. I promise you that walking through the Davenport is as close as a historical romance lover in this hemisphere can come to time travel. I wanted to curl up in one of the overstuffed chairs and live there forever. But any hotel with a lobby like that has to have great event rooms, right? I did some sleuthing. To the right is my hastily taken pic of one of the lamps in the Isabella ballroom (the only ballroom unlocked that day, lol).
But back to Spokane…
My 48 hours there were not enough to enjoy everything the city had to offer. Spokane Falls lies in the center of town and the falls are breathtaking. Like the tourists we were, we took the SkyRide to get a birds-eye view. But my favorite stop was a visit to the Campbell House Museum. Two things I remember best from our house tour—the parlor clock that chimed 15 minutes so callers would not overstay their welcome & the tiny lace irons in the laundry room. The house is a true treat for lovers of history. Here’s a YouTube video featuring the Campbell House on Halloween:
After our stop at the museum, we strolled the streets, visiting local artisan shops and admiring turn-of-the-century architecture until we spotted a bar that was featuring jazz that evening. We ended our visit listing to live music and soaking up the creative atmosphere of Spokane. I remember wondering if I’d ever have the opportunity to see the city again. And now I know the answer—yes. Guess who just found out she is going to be one of the 50 featured authors?
Me!!
I’m thrilled (and a bit awed) to be one of the featured authors, excited to meet readers, and looking forward to returning to one of my favorite “small” cities in the world.
I hope I’ve inspired you to claim your spot at 2016 Historical Romance Readers Retreat. It’s sure to be a dream escape… historic and—a-hem—one for the books.
We can’t wait to see you there, Wendy! The countdown is on and I’ll confess, my fantasy is to one day have the means to retire and LIVE at the Davenport… I mean, it could happen, right? A poet/writer was in residence there for a few years in the 1930’s so…I think the Historic Davenport’s ghosts would love to see a writer back under the roof. ((And they will probably love every minute of the Retreat, too!)) I hope Readers get their spots and I can’t wait to meet each and every one of them!!
Thank you for your wonderful post! ((Isn’t the Campbell House fabulous, too? I toured it and gave the docent fits because *ahem* one should never ask a historical romance writer trivia about an era, architecture or…well, invite her to speculate as to the use/character of a room…we get happy and talkative Very Quickly.))
Oh WOW, Renee, Living at the Davenport would be amazing! LOL on the house tour…I understand. Thank you so much for spreading the word about my uber-excited post. I am SOOO looking forward to this!
I can’t wait to attend the HRR2016! It will be THE historical event that readers will not want to miss!
Agreed, Christina! Thanks for stopping by!
Looks like there will be lots of fun things to see in Spokane! I’m looking forward to meeting you.
Looking forward to meeting you, too, Mary! Thanks for commenting!
Yay, Wendy! I will see you there!
Thanks for the tweet, Ash! This is going to be SO much fun 🙂
Great post, Wendy. I can’t wait for this retreat, too!!
Thank you, Elizabeth! Can’t wait to see you in person!!
Thanks for the great info about Spokane. I’ve never been there. So excited to see it and meet you and all of the others in September!
Carol and I are looking forward to meeting you, Diane
Looking forward to meeting you, Diane! Wendy, too! I don’t meet many Wendys!
Can’t wait to see Spokane and the fabulous Davenport. And I am so excited about the historical romance retreat. It’s hard to wait! See you all there.
I just know this is going to be magical. Looking forward to seeing you, Sharon!
I’m already registered but your blog made me want to do register again!!! It is going to be a dream come true and your description was delightful. I can barely contain my excitement as we anticipate all the fun and the treat of actually meeting and chatting with authors we love or soon will love! Thank you for sharing this with all of us.
Thank you, Jeannie! I still can’t believe that I will have the opportunity to go back to a city I loved, doing what I love most to do–talk about history and romance novels 🙂
I am so excited to be attending! It sounds like a blast, and I have been excitedly shopping for gowns and accessories! I am so excited to meet some of my favorite authors!
I believe I will finally purchase period costume. I’ve been resisting, but I know I want this to be very special. Can’t wait to meet you, Alicia!
I can’t wait to share our love of historical romance AND spend time with you and all our oh-so-amazing readers, Wendy. Purely delighted and counting down the days. ♥
Me, too, Cindy! Looking forward to sharing the love with you & everyone else!
I was already excited about the retreat but now I’m wondering if I can fit in some extra time to see Spokane
If you can only do one thing, the Campbell house is a real treat!
Ooooh, I’m so jealous of you all being there and talking historical romance. Wish I could be there with you. Sigh. But flights from Australia aren’t cheap. Maybe next time.
I’m sorry, Suzi! I miss you and your smile & hope we will get to see each other soon. It’s been too long!
So excited to be going with my friend Wendy Loveridge and we actually booked our flights from the UK to Spokane this week. I’m looking forward to meeting so many of my favourite authors and fellow lovers and readers of Historical Romance.
Oh Yay! All the way from the UK!! That’s fantastic! Can’t wait to meet up!
It’s all very exciting; Carol Cork and myself are travelling from the UK and we’ve just booked our flight.
Safe travels to you and Diane!
Wendy, great post! I’m so very excited to attend HRR and meet all of the wonderful authors. I live outside of Spokane and you’ve given me something I’ve never seen before. I look forward to visiting the Campbell House!
Thank you, Lori! I think you will love it. Cannot wait to meet you!
I’m hoping Santa pays attention to my list as money for HRR is at the top!
I want to go so bad!! I only live a few hours away from Spokane so I wouldn’t have to worry about airfare. But I don’t think I can swing the registration right now. Is it an annual event? Maybe the next year…