Yesterday was the first official day of RomCon in Denver. It’s the first year this event has been held, and I certainly hope they do it again. Designed to bring readers and writers together and to focus on the interests of the readers, it’s been lots of fun for me so far, even if I haven’t attended many RomCon events.

My focus yesterday was taking some readers on the Pamela Clare Reality Tour. The tour, named by my good friends Sue and Kristi who were the very first to experience it (rather by accident), is all about showing people the real places in the I-Team series. When they were here, I took them around, pointing things out as I showed them my hometown and state. And that’s when they came up with the name.

We started at the convention hotel and drove past Denver women's prison, where, of course, parts of Unlawful Contact occurred. The prison itself wasn't so much part of the story as events that happened to Megan, the hero's sister. Come to think of it, Denver County Jail, which we also passed (on the same corner) is where Sophie was when she was arrested.

From there, we got into a bit of a snarl, as Peoria, the street I wanted to take to Colfax, was blocked by a bad — and I mean bad — car accident. So with the help of Jackie’s GPS, we made our way to Colfax by other means, then saw some of the streets and intersections where parts of the stories took place, including Kara’s home street and the intersection where Tessa witnesses the drive-by shooting.

We stopped at the state capitol, looked around a bit, saw the office where Kara and Reece made good use of the desk, and then some of us walked 99 steps up to the capital dome, which is covered with gold. I get a bit dizzy with heights and didn’t look down all those floors of the rotunda. But Lucy, Jackie and Sara did.

At that point we were running late for our rendezvous with Ranger Rick Hatfield, so we had to get out of Denver and onto the highway to Boulder. We passed McCaslin Mesa, which is the view Sophie and Marc talk about. And I pointed out that the eastbound lanes — we were westbound — were where Sophie gave Marc head. (Those sorts of details are important, no?)

We drove part way up Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder Mountain Parks, until I saw Rick’s service vehicle. There, I parked and Rick was generous enough to explain his job and background to everyone. He’s such a professional and very knowledgeable about any subject matter relating to Boulder Mountain Parks.

I left it up to the gang whether they wanted to see Rocky Mountain National Park, which meant another 45 minute drive further into the mountains. They wanted to see it, so off we went. The photo above was taken at a scenic spot not far inside the park. The glare from the sun was pretty harsh, and I couldn’t even see what I was shooting. But we have more photos, so those will get posted eventually.

I was so grateful to have the chance to share the real stories behind the novels with this wonderful group of women. They were patient with all the driving and the cramped space inside the rented SUV. And I know they loved seeing the high snow-capped peaks.

From there, it was a rush back to the convention center and dinner.

And that was the first day of RomCon for me. I’m headed back in a bit. I have a panel on romantic suspense at 10. And I haven’t officially checked in to the conference yet.