Hometown of Ozarks Romance Authors Voted 3rd-Most Romantic City in USA by Amazon.com

Springfield, Missouri -- where Ozarks Romance Authors is based -- was just ranked by Amazon.com as the third-most romantic city in the USA! Our local newspaper, the Springfield News-Leader, called to interview ORA President Jill Slack to see what we think of this honor. Jill is quoted in a story on the front page of the Saturday, February 11, 2012 edition.

We saved a screenshot of the story to share with you.

Click here to open the PDF and read: SNL ORA quote 3rd Most Romantic City 2-11-2012

What did Jill have to say?

Jill Slack, president of Ozarks Romance Authors, said she thinks the rating isn’t necessarily because Springfield is a romantic place all on its own.

“I think it’s more that it’s the people,” Slack said. “It’s more of a traditional area.”

Slack also said there are quite a few writers in the Ozarks, which might be why romance book sales are higher — purchased for inspiration.

“When you’re a writer, you’re also a voracious reader,” Slack said.

Here is a link to a press release from Amazon.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110208005991/en/Amazon.com-Announces-Top-20-Romantic-Cities-America

Excerpt from the original press release:

SEATTLE--Love is in the air. Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced its list of the Top 20 Most Romantic Cities in America. After compiling sales data of romance novels and relationship books (Kindle Books and print books), romantic comedy movies (digital movies and DVDs), Barry White albums (CDs and MP3s), along with sexual wellness products, since Jan. 1, 2011, on a per capita basis in cities with over 100,000 residents, the Top 20 most romantic cities in the U.S. are:

Amazon.com’s Top 20 romantic cities 1. Knoxville, Tenn. 2. Alexandria, Va. 3. Springfield, Mo. 4. Orlando, Fla. 5. Cincinnati, Ohio 6. Vancouver, Wash. 7. Miami, Fla. 8. Murfreesboro, Tenn. 9. Dayton, Ohio 10. Columbia, S.C. 11. Pittsburgh, Penn. 12. Clearwater, Fla. 13. St. Louis 14. Erie, Pa. 15. Clarksville, Tenn. 16. Everett, Wash. 17. Gainesville, Fla. 18. Las Vegas, Nev. 19. Rochester, N.Y. 20. Tallahassee, Fla.

Directions to The Clarion Hotel for our Annual Conference July 23, 2011

Hi everyone! We sure hope you're as excited about Ozarks Romance Authors' annual conference coming up on Saturday, July 23, 2011, as we are!

Since the directions in Mapquest are a little confusing, we wanted to post a couple of videos and explain the wacky way to find the hotel.

The Clarion's address is 3333 S. Glenstone Avenue here in Springfield, Missouri, and the hotel faces Glenstone. However, you can't turn into the hotel's parking lot from Glenstone. That's the wacky part.

IF YOU'RE COMING FROM THE SOUTH (FROM BRANSON, HEADED NORTH TOWARD SPRINGFIELD)

If you're coming from the south down Highway 65 (from Branson, headed north toward Springfield), you have a few options. You can exit Highway 65 and get on the James River Freeway heading west, and then take the northbound Glenstone exit. If you take this route, you'll be headed north on Glenstone and you'll drive past The Clarion.

At this point, Mapquest's confusing directions tell you to make a U-turn. WRONG! You'll see The Clarion and the Ford dealership on your left (the west side of the street) and then you'll see the traffic light at the intersection of Glenstone and Erie. Turn left (west) on Erie and be ready to make an IMMEDIATE left turn (south) in front of the Ford dealership. Stay on this little access road until it is about to dead-end and then you'll turn right (west) into the hotel's parking lot.

We took this route to show you what to expect, and here is the video:

http://youtu.be/sjIEeR0STmo

IF YOU'RE COMING FROM THE NORTH

If you're coming from the north, you probably:

* came in on Interstate 44 and took the Glenstone exit, and headed south on Glenstone

* came from the north on Highway 65, headed south, and took the Battlefield exit, and then came west on Battlefield and turned south on Glenstone

* came from the west (headed east) on Battlefield and turned south on Glenstone

this next video will make more sense to you.

At the intersection of Battlefield and Glenstone, you'll see Barnes & Noble on the southwest corner. This is where we're having our booksigning on from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. on Friday, July 22, by the way.

Go south on Glenstone and you will pass Barnes & Noble and Olive Garden. The traffic light will be Erie. Turn right (west) on Erie and be prepared to make an IMMEDIATE left (south) in front of the Ford dealership. Follow this little road until it is about to dead-end and make a right (west) into The Clarion's parking lot.

Here is a video to show what it looks like coming toward The Clarion from this direction:

http://youtu.be/YQowVCMccz0

Have you reserved your seat at our annual writers' conference? Click HERE to read all about the great speakers and topics. When you go to that page and scroll down, you'll see a spot at the bottom to register and pay using PayPal. If you need more information, or if you would prefer to mail a check to register, please email us at OzarksRomanceAuthors@gmail.com.