FACT: The Romance Writers of America (RWA) National Conference takes place in San Francisco at the end of this month.


FACT: It's best to look nice YET feel comfortable at the same time.


FACT: My day job is so casual for the Systems department that Casual Friday is a dilemma. Benchmark: Wednesday, the CFO was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and Birkenstocks.


FACT:I no longer own nice clothes. I have jeans and have not worn a dress or pantyhose in, golly, six or seven years. In the next 6-7 years, this dress and pantyhose thing is unlikely to have changed.


FACT:I loathe shopping.


FACT:I have little to no sense of style. Put me in a store and I will admire pretty things while thinking people who wear stuff like that sure look cool and then I wander over to the casual stuff thinking that looks comfortable. Plus no ironing! There's a reason all my clothes look the same.

Carolyn has a Plan

The plan is that I will wear jeans but purchase (yes a flaw in the plan as this requires shopping) really really nice tops and some fancy cool shoes that are, miraculously, comfortable.

Read the above facts carefully. Like all plans, there are weaknesses. I've identified one right off the bat. Another glaring weakness is that I would be in charge of executing said plan.

Yes, I need help. I need links to pictures of cool tops and fancy shoes. Because if I go shopping on my own I will come home with clothes that look like the boring stuff I have now.

In short, I need help. Your help. Your fashion sense can save an author from going to RWA looking like the CFO of her day job company.

If I have time and anybody takes pity on me, I'll think of a prize or something.