RCRW Mini-Con

Hubby didn't like my short hair so I let it grow out!

This weekend I spoke at the RCRW Mini-Conference. Here's a picture of me right before my workshop Taking Your Writing to the Next Level started.

I don't get to many RCRW events. I haven't been to anything since the all-day intensive with Donald Maas a year ago. But it was fun to catch up with friends and meet new ones like author Carol Ross who's debut novel Mountains Apart  is out this month with Harlequin Heartwarming.

This was my first presentation in a long time. How long? I'd never used Power Point to make one before. Needless to say I was nervous. But the talk went well. I used examples from critiques I'd done over the years. I showed the before, asked the audience to use whatever technique I was discussing to revise the work, and then showed the published version. Big thanks to past and current critique partners Virginia Kantra, Terri Reed and Jennifer Shirk for giving me permission to use their stuff! After the conference, I went out to dinner at Stanfords with four authors who I've known over sixteen years. It was really fun to catch up with them and what's going on with their writing careers.

I hope you had a nice weekend! Today is the anniversary of my beloved Rocket crossing the Rainbow Bridge. It doesn't seem like that long ago, and I miss him so much. I'm going to enjoy the quiet house, cuddle with my fur babies and try to get some writing done. What's on your agenda for today?

Staying Home

Many authors I know are going through an annual tradition of shopping, dieting, ordering business cards and trying on every pair of shoes they own. Yes, the RWA National Conference is starting this week. Last year I had a blast attending the conference held in Anaheim, CA so thought about going this year, but I just couldn't justify going to Atlanta so I'm staying home.

I'm happy with that decision since I'll be heading to San Diego for four days next week! I don't miss the frenzy of getting ready for RWA. At least that's how it felt to me and based on the Facebook posts from this year's conference-goers, some of them feel the same way.

But I do enjoy reading about everyone's preparation and packing. The pics of shoes crack me up. How many pairs of shoes does an author need for a four day conference? The number would surprise you!

So I'll be around this week and blogging. What will you be doing?

Boxes

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My cats prefer cheap cardboard boxes to any expensive piece of cat furniture I buy. I'm so happy when they actually use one of the many beds or sleeping pillows I have around the house because then I don't feel like I've wasted so much money!

Not much to say today. Slowly getting back into real life after being away for six days. Unpacking, laundry, napping, writing. I have a feeling it'll be another day or two before I'm totally recovered from conference time. I'm looking forward to my box of conference goodies arriving. I may have to giveaway something different next month rather than the usual $10 gift card!

What are you up to?

RWA Conference Days 5 & 6

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Saturday at the RWA conference in Anaheim was a working sort of day. First up in the morning was a meeting with my agents to discuss career planning. Then it was off to the Harlequin author forum to hear about the new lines, reintroduction of older lines, new covers, a new digital only publishing program and a new way for authors to follow sales, releases and other info.

From there, I headed to Disneyland to do pick up gifts for the kids. Outside the entrance were lots of protestors. Inside were lots of police, police cars and K9 dogs. The park was the most crowded I'd seen it all week. I wasn't planning on riding anything. That turned out to be a good thing. I couldn't believe the lines. After checking a few stores, I found the perfect items in the Star Trader store in Tomorrowland.

Back at the hotel, I dropped off the souvenirs at my room then met up some Harlequin Romance authors. After a nice discussion, I was off with my roommate Shirley Marks and her daughter Kim to The Catch for a yummy dinner. Love their Fixe Prix dinner menu! We hurried back to the hotel, changed for the awards banquet and met my friend Sarita Leone in the Grand Ballroom. Sarita had graciously saved us seats.

I remember how nervous being a RITA® Finalist made me last year. I enjoyed Saturday night's ceremony a lot more. I was happy to have Harlequin Mills & Boon authors Sarah Morgan (Presents) and Fiona Lowe (Medical). Sarah won Best Contemporary Series Romance and Fiona won Best Single Title Romance!

The most exciting moment for me of the night was when my friend Barbara O'Neal won the RITA for Best Novel with Romantic Elements. Not only did she win that RITA, but her win qualified her for the RWA Hall of Fame. During her speech, Barbara said she wasn't going to enter the contest. (She's won seven RITA's) which made me a bit misty-eyed. She's such a talented writer with a big, loving heart!

After the ceremony, I attended a champagne toast hosted by the Mills & Boon office then went to a party for a yahoogroup I belong to. Barbara and her two gold ladies were in attendance. I rubbed their heads for luck!

My agents stopped by to congratulate Barbara. (We're both represented by Jane Rotrosen Agency.) I enjoyed seeing how the conference had gone for all my friends and hearing what workshops they'd attended, who'd they'd spoken or pitched to and what they planned on doing writing wise when they arrived home.

This conference seemed so much more positive compared to last year in New York. The industry is in transition, but the word "possibilities" seemed to resonate through everything at least for me. Authors have options, and it's up to us to figure out what's best for our careers. And bottom line, Stephanie Laurens really nailed it during her speech on Thursday when she said (paraphrasing here) that it's really a author's book and the reader that really matter.

Sunday morning, I forced myself up. Another writer friend, Laura Hayden, wanted to go with us and offered the use of her room for our luggage. We were at the park at 8:30. Our first stop was Cars Land and Radiator Springs Racer. That line was long, but the park wasn't that crowded. We rode lots of rides then headed to Disneyland to ride a few more. Then it was off to the airport where we just missed being in a car accident on the freeway and then I left my purse in the bathroom. Thankfully the pixie dust was still in effect and someone turned it in to the police.

Now I'm home! I was so happy last night to see my family waiting for me at the airport. And my pets seem relieved I'm back. I also enjoyed sleeping in my own bed. But I must admit I miss my Pixie Dusters! That's what Jenna Bayley-Burke, Terri Reed and I decided to call ourselves after six days of Disney fun and magic.

RWA Conference Day 4

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Friday was all about the RWA Conference. No side trips to Disneyland today. But I still had fun since it was the day of the Harlequin party.

In the morning, I knew I didn't have much free time at all, but that was a good thing since I needed to get serious about conference stuff! Okay, not really, but let's keep that between you and me. But I did attend a few workshops so that counts, right?

First up was a double-time-slot workshop with Michael Hauge. I can't tell you how much I've learned from him over the years. I first learned to plot from a weekend workshop in Berkley I took when I lived in the Bay Area. This was back in my pre-pub days! I'd heard most of it before, but I was glad about that. His process of talking about external and internal conflict makes so much sense to me and really helps with my plotting. It's something I want to become so organic in my writing process I don't have to refer to my notes.

Lunch was fun. I met a few new writers, sat with one of my chapter mates who I was hoping to connect with and also got a chance to chat with RITA® Finalist Fiona Lowe who I know from Twitter! The speech by author Robyn Carr was so wonderful. I almost cried in a couple of spots. Very humorous, touching and motivating.

After lunch, I was back to listen to Michael Hauge for two more hours. This time he was analyzing Pretty Woman. It was interesting to have him play scenes then dissect them per his Story Mastery method. It really pulled everything I'd heard in the morning together in a concrete way.

From there, I headed to listen to Margie Lawson discuss openings. I love Margie's workshop packages. I took my first online class from her back in 2005. I still have my binder and refer to it. I downloaded two more of her classes a few months ago. Good stuff that really improves a writer's craft!

I met Sarita Leone for a quick bite to eat then it was time to get ready for the Harlequin Party. While I was busy preparing for that, my roommates and Sarita settled in to watch the Olympic opening ceremony. I can't believe I missed it, but I'm going to hope I can catch it on-Demand.

 The Harlequin Party is all about dancing and dessert and drinks. It's the time for authors to kick off their shows, forget deadlines and just have fun! My agents Christina and Annelise were there, too!

This year's soiree was at the Hyatt Regency, a lovely hotel. I must admit I was disappointed there wasn't a chocolate fountain. I think this is the first party I've attended without one. But I did splurge on a chocolate eclair. Yum!

Two sips was enough for me!

The same DJ was back again. This time he brought an assistant so he was out on the dance floor more. No complaints about the music and dancing! If you want to see me dancing check out my Facebook Books page! (Hit the f button on the right hand side bar!)

I got lots of compliments on my new dress and my short hair. That was nice! We ended up leaving a little early. All those late nights at Disneyland have finally caught up with me.

Fiona Harper and me

Back at the Marriott, I bumped into Harlequin Presents author and RITA finalist, Sarah Morgan, who invited me to join her, Sharon Kendricks and Melanie Milburne in the bar. I was ready for bed, but I love Sarah (I got to know her last year when we were both finalists in NY) and I'm a big fan of all three of their books so how could I say no! I tried hard not to embarrass myself by being a total fangirl.

Then it was off to bed so I'd be ready for the final day of conference. I have a meeting with my agents in the morning so I wanted to be rested for that. We aren't leaving until Sunday night. That means more Disneyland on Sunday. Jeah! (That's in honor of Ryan Lochte, who is Finn's favorite swimmer!)

RWA Conference Day 3

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Thursday at the RWA conference in Anaheim was a pixie dust kind of day. Lots of things just went my way!

I slept in an extra hour. I decided to skip the opening speaker at the PAN retreat and do a little work instead. I went to the connect/network room where you can access free Wi-Fi and also pick up goodies (aka author promotion items.) While I was there, I met Barbara Vey. She has a great romance novel/industry blog through Publisher's Weekly if you haven't checked it out yet. I also met Sheila Clover English from Circle Seven Productions (great book trailers) and a new-to-me venture called Reader's Entertainment. Our topic of conversation—movies!

I went from there to the PAN Retreat. Brilliance Audio provided refreshments and a free audio book. I got a J.D. Robb one! So look for that to be a prize on the blog one of these days! Then Mark Coker of Smashwords spoke. I learned some interesting things about epublishing. I particularly liked his slide on pricing. $2.99 seems to be the most effective price point for an eBook. I appreciated his not saying ePublishing is the only way. As many authors are learning, you can do both. That is Traditional publishing (as I do with Harlequin) and self-publishing.

 I met up with a friend, Alice Burton, who I knew when we both lived in the Bay Area at the luncheon. We had fun catching up and meeting a conference first timer CM Doporto at our table. She happened to be from Dallas where Alice lived so was filled in on all the writing stuff down there.

The keynote speaker was Stephanie Laurens. She gave a very brave talk about publishing and authors in this time of change and transition. Lots of quotes from her talk were posted via twitter. Just search on #RWA12 or #SL if you'd like to see them. You don't have to belong to twitter to search. I loved her tying it into the movie Flashdance at the end.

During lunch, I realized I'd lost an earring. I was bummed. I'd had these earrings forever. I'd forgotten the back so had taken ones from another pair. They must not have fit as well as I thought they did. I figured they were gone, but decided to check Lost and Found anyway. Tinkerbell had definitely been at the Marriott because one person had turned in my earring and another had turned in the back! I was so happy.

As my friend Mary Strand and I headed back to my room to exchange the earring backs I heard my name. I turned and saw someone I didn't recognize. I looked at the name tag and I'm sure my mouth gaped. It was Sarita Leone who comments on this blog! More pixie dust! We've been blog friends for years, but had never met. I had no idea she was coming to the conference! We exchanged numbers and made plans to meet on Friday!

I hung out with Mary until it was time for the Mills & Boon Meet & Greet (aka open house) for their authors. After an hour of schmoozing with authors and Harlequin people, the editors took the Romance line authors to Cheesecake Factory for the Harlequin Romance author's tea.
We ordered eight different cheesecakes and all took a bit from each. The authors in attendance were Donna Alward, Theresa Carpenter, Fiona Harper, me, Patricia Thayer and Barb Wallace. The Harlequin folks included Lucy Gilmour, Bryony Green, Dianne Moggy and Tessa Shapcott. It was a lovely afternoon filled with conversation and cheesecake!

From there, it was back to the room. I was ready to head to the theme parks again. My roommate's daughter decided to stay at the hotel so I was going off on my own until the others could meet up with me. I decided to text Sarita to see if she wanted to go. She texted back that she had just entered the gate at California Adventure. I told her I'd be right there.

The one ride I hadn't been on at DCA was the Radiator Springs Racer. Sarita was game even though she'd never been on a roller coaster before. We hopped in the Single Rider Line. We ended up in two different cars, but we cut the wait time significantly and was worth it. It was so much fun! Love the ride!

Sarita only had a ticket for DCA so we went on the Monster's INC ride, then I gave her a plan for the rest of her evening there. My Disney crew was on their way so I needed to get over to the Magic Kingdom.

We had two goals for the evening—to watch the fireworks from Main Street and to ride the Matterhorn. We'd been in line two or three times, but either the ride broke or we needed to be somewhere so would have to leave.

While others got snacks, I asked a cast member where would be the best spot to watch from if we wanted to get to the Matterhorn fast. She asked another cast member if the Front Row seats were open then had him escort me to a spot right behind a rope. He told me this would be the best spot to watch. Just then two more of the crew arrived. I sent them into get the others.

As we waited, another cast member came up to see how we were doing. I asked him if our plan to get the Matterhorn ASAP was right. He said yes. He asked if there were any other rides we wanted to go on. I told him we'd tried to get Fast Passes for Indiana Jones when we arrived, but they were all out. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and gave us what is known as a Golden Fast Pass, a coupon all six of us could use to skip the line. More pixie dust.

One of the crew had never been on any of the big rides like Indiana Jones, so this was huge. I asked if I could hug him. He said yes! I told him we were romance writers and he'd be the inspiration for our new heroes! Needless to say, we ended up with a couple more passes! Lots of Pixie Dust.

The fireworks were amazing! Choreographed to music and spectacular. None of my iPhone photos came out well unfortunately.

Then it was off to the Matterhorn! In two hours we managed to ride that, Indiana Jones, Star Tours (one of our group Lynda Aicher was pictured as the Rebel Spy), Space Mountain, Peter Pan and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. It was so much fun!

Half the group left before Peter Pan, but Jenna Bayley-Burke, Lynda and I closed Disneyland again. Third night in a row for Jenna and I. We were dragging a bit, but it was so worth the magical time!

RWA Conference Day 2

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Wednesday was the official start of the Romance Writers of America conference in Anaheim.  I had breakfast with a good friend, Mary Strand, then headed to Disney California Adventure with Jenna Bayley-Burke, Terri Reed, Kim S. (my roommate's daughter) and Leah Vale.

Our first stop was Soarin' Over California. I love that ride, especially the scents as you fly over the river in the forest and the orange grove. We picked up a Fast Pass for the Color of Wonder show at 10:15 pm and Grizzly River Run, then headed to Tower of Terror. I was so excited to step in line even though it was a thirty minute wait!

A little backstory on Tower of Terror....

Each time one of the kidlets turned five, we took them to Disneyland to celebrate. That's three trips between 2003 and 2008. We haven't been back since. But each time something (usually youngest kidlet) kept me from riding Tower of Terror. The last time in 2008, I even had a Fast Pass that I never managed to use. I was really excited to ride it. But then I got nervous since I have a fear of heights.

Surprisingly, I was fine until the window opens and you see the view of California Adventure park. I didn't want to see that view while I fell so I kept my eyes shut. The falling ride part didn't bother me. Just that and my fear of heights, but it turns out you don't look at that as you drop. I might have to try it again with my eyes wide open!

We checked out Cars Land. So cute. It's like being in the movie. But by then all the Fast Passes were gone for the Radiator Springs Races and the wait was 140 minutes. We decided to pass. We hopped on Ariel's ride (very sweet.) We headed back to Soaring to use the Fast Pass we'd picked up. Then Grizzly River Run was next. We got wet, but it was hot so dried quickly. While Leah and Kim used a Fast Pass to ride the big roller coaster, we got a spot for lunch.

My post-Whole 30 treat for today was a Ghirardelli Hot Fudge Sundae. I used to live in San Francisco and this was my fave thing in Fisherman's Wharf.  So very yummy and worth the splurge food-wise.

We headed back to the hotel. I took off my shorts and put on a skirt. It was time for the conference to really start for me. I met Bryony Green, the Senior Editor for the Harlequin Romance line at Starbuck's. We had a nice chat about the line. Then it was off to the Literacy Signing.

Four hundred authors were signing. I must admit I loved not participating this year. I supported literacy by be a buyer instead. My mom will be receiving an autographed copy of Barbara Freethy's latest release! Usually I sell a couple of books (less than five) and have to sit there for two hours (three this year). This year I got to walk around and talk to all the authors, bump into people and buy books. It was so much more fun!

I dropped off my things at the room, changed from the skirt into a pair of jean capris, grabbed my jacket then headed off to the annual ROMEX party (ROMEX is a loop I've belonged to since 1995.) I couldn't stay long because we had to get back to California Adventure to see Color of Wonder.

Wow! That's all I can say about the show. It was water, lights, other special effects and clips from Pixar and Disney movies over the years. So awesome! I didn't take any pictures because I just didn't think my iPhone 3GS was up to the task!

We had fifteen minutes until the park closed at that point so hopped on Goofy's roller coaster. I thought it would be a silly little ride, but it was actually pretty fun. We then went to Disneyland. The Matterhorn line was too long so we rode Snow White and Buzz Lightyear's Astroblasters again.

By then we needed to get back on the shuttle bus to return to the hotel. Even though the conference started, it was still very much a vacation day. But today I have to buckle down and get to work. Though I will be hitting the parks around six! I want to see the fireworks from inside tonight!

Hope all is well where you are!

RWA Conference Day 1

Romance Writers of America conference starts tonight in Anaheim! So here's my recap of my first day here. 

It felt like I'd just gone to bed when my alarm rang at 3:15 am yesterday! I was the first of the group of four to arrive at the airport so I used the time to input cell numbers into my iPhone and check email. Jenna Bayley-Burke arrived next. Terri Reed and Lissa Manley were next. Before I knew it we were on our way.

First, I have to say that Virgin America is an awesome airline. Granted the planes are new, but they are so nice and comfy. Each seat has a monitor where you can watch movies, follow the flight on the map, play games! There is a handhold remote to use with the games or you can even chat with others on the plane! Flirting at 35,000 feet!

We arrived in LAX, hopped on the Karmel Shuttle we'd reserved and were in Anaheim faster than we expected. No traffic at all!

Even though we were at the Anaheim Hilton early, we were allowed to check into our rooms. We took a few minutes to freshen up and unpack, met up with Leah Vale then were off to Disneyland. The hotel gift shop sells ART passes, which is the transportation to the resort area so we're set for a few days.

The entrance to Disneyland has changed a little, but there was the same anticipation mixed with excitement in the air. Our first stop was Thunder Mountain to get a Fast Pass, then we headed over to the French Market for lunch. We were starving!

During lunch a jazz band played. Leah was dancing in her seat. She caught the eye of the sax player who was really funny. He made the "I'm watching you sign" then fanned himself with his hat. After lunch, we'd made a bathroom stop. Leah was putting on her lipstick when he walked by. The sax player gave her a strand of gold Mardi Gras beads for being his "inspiration." Leah was blushing every shade of read imaginable. Of course, Jenna and I were giggling so hard we totally forgot to take a picture of the moment!

Disneyland was packed, but we had lots of fun catching up while we waited in line. I had my splurge from my healthy eating/post-Whole-30 by having a frozen banana. I used to eat those there when I was a kid. So yummy!

I really like the new additions to It's a Small World. I remember it closing right after we left the last time we were there (back in '08 to celebrate Rose's 5th birthday.) I don't know if that's when they added in the specific Disney characters but it was so fun to see new stuff in there.

We managed to hit a lot of the big rides in spite of the crowds. We headed back to the hotel to meet Harlequin Romance authors Donna Alward, Fiona Harper and Barb Wallace for dinner. After that we were back on the shuttle bus to the Magic Kingdom. We caught the tail end of the fireworks then after an attempt to ride the Matterhorn which ended up breaking, rode Space Mountain and Star Tours.

I love, absolutely love the new Star Tours! So cool. And you get to wear stylish glasses.

We headed back to the hotel around midnight. I was crashed in bed by 12:17 am! A long, but very fun day.

Today I'm off to California Adventure! I can't wait! What are you doing?

Disneyland or Bust

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Forget Kansas! Today I'm on my way to Disneyland. Well, LAX first. Then the Anaheim Marriott second then Disneyland. I cannot wait! I'm hoping we're there by 10 am! Fingers crossed!

It's conference time again. Imagine fifteen hundred romance authors in Mickey Ears! Okay, I can't quite see that, but the Happiest Place on Earth is the perfect place for a conference. The last time I was in Anaheim for Romance Writers of America's national conference was in 1998. I was a Golden Heart Finalist, had sold my first two books and had my four month old daughter Mackenna with me. Hubby played nanny. That was fourteen years ago. How time flies!

I'll be blogging about the conference this week and posting pics! If there's any romance author in particular you want me to take a pic of let me know in the comment section and I'll see if I can find them at the Literacy Signing on Wednesday evening.

Manic Monday

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This LOLcat made me laugh this morning. After a busy weekend (four days really) where I was away more than I was home, my cats definitely got into some trouble. Not quite as bad as dying a white cat black, but there was some clean up to do.

I'm busy packing for the national RWA conference in Anaheim. I leave tomorrow morning on a super early flight with three writers from my local chapter: Jenna Bayley-Burke, Lissa Manley and Terri Reed. The timing means getting up when it's still nighttime, but that will get us to Disneyland that much faster. Sleep or Mickey Mouse? Easy decision!

I'm not doing the literacy signing this year for a couple of reasons. One, I was thinking it might be fun to just walk around and visit people who I never get to see. One thing about conference is I keep seeing the same people over and over again. Somehow I miss a whole bunch who I know are there, but never end up running into. And two, the deadline for sign-ups came at a bad time. They sent out a reminder but with all that was going on with my friend in San Diego going into a hospice facility and writing, it just slipped by.

My prayers go out to all affected by the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado. I don't know about you, but this has hit me really hard. My fourteen year old had been at the movies earlier that night. She and I have gotten into it this past year about her wanting to go to midnight premieres with her friends. I've always worried about what could happen after the movie got out. Never ever considered something would ever happen inside the theater.

Well, I've got lots to do today to get ready for tomorrow. I will be blogging about the conference this week. I still haven't figured out how to sync photos from my iPhone to my MacBookPro, but I can always email them to myself if I can't find my cord!

Hope you have a wonderful Monday!

Spring Intensive

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The above LOLcat has a reason for attacking—Narnia. Yoda and Beauty, not so much. But that doesn't stop them from jumping on each other and the older cats. I think their reason is—Because I can.

I'm at my RWA chapter's Spring Intensive. I'm staying at the hotel, rooming with my good friend Terri Reed. Last night was the kick-off. After dinner at Joe's Crab Shack, we bumped into some chapter mates so went to one of their rooms to catch-up. I haven't made it to a chapter meeting since I rejoined in 2010, and this is only the second chapter sponsored event I've managed to make, too! It was nice to see people I knew, but most everyone is new-to-me.

We headed over to the conference center to listen to an Editor/Agent panel. It was interesting to hear their take on things. Jenna Bayley-Burke (she, Terri and I went on a weekend writing retreat in the Fall) moderated the panel. She is so funny and very entertaining and more than once posed a challenging question to the group.

Who was there?

Amy Boggs – Donald Maass Literary Agency

Natalie Lakosil – Laura Bradford Literary Agency

Lauren Ruth – BookEnds, LLC

Holly Blanck – St. Martins Press

Heather Howland and Liz Pelletier – Entangled Publishing


Emily Ohanjanians – HQN/Harlequin

Today there are lots of different talks scheduled. I'm looking forward to hearing Larry Brooks' Advanced Writing Workshop!

Hope you have a nice day!

On my way...

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I'm writing this the night before because I have no idea if I'll be able to blog in the morning. I've spent the day preparing for my departure. I'm sure I've forgotten something.

But I made it to the airport! I had my doubts when the car keys got lost. Of course, I arrived to find 85 just graduated 8th graders checking in on my flight. Fingers cross they sleep! That's what I'm planning to do.

Hope you have a great day! I'll report in from the Big Apple later!

Swagger

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I want to have a swagger like the LOLcat above. But I'm not the swaggering type. I'm the walk softly so no one notices me until I stumble and fall flat on my butt type. So not fair!

I've been preparing for the RWA conference. Gathering all my stuff and making sure I don't need anything else. I now know why I don't go to every single conference. It's too much work getting ready!

Yesterday's invite about the eHarlequin Pajama Party prompted a run to Kohl's for new jammies. None of my old ones would work. They run more towards the flannel type to keep me warm (I'm always cold!) so I needed something a little summery. I got a cute pair. The top is blue the bottoms striped with different colors. The kidlets preferred hot pink ones with little hot dog type doggie on them. Those would have looked great on them. Not me.

Today I'll get everything together for the big literacy signing next Tuesday afternoon/early evening. If you're in New York be sure to stop by the Marriott Times Square. The event is free. All proceeds from book sales will be donated to literacy. Lots of authors will be signing books and passing out promo items. I'll have my romance trading cards to giveaway!

What's going on with you?

The Dress Saga Continues

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Yesterday afternoon, my daughter and I headed to NW Portland to go dress shopping. I'd googled some dress shops and one in particular caught my eye. I phoned them to make sure they were open. We set off eager to enjoy the nice weather and see if we could finally find "the dress."

NW 23rd is a great street with lots of shops, boutiques and restaurants. It reminds me of when I lived in San Francisco.

The shop I wanted to visit was Lena Medoyeff. Check out the website if you have a minute. It's a gorgeous boutique full of beautiful dresses made out of stunning fabrics.

When I walked into the store, I was asked what I needed the dress for. I explained about the RITA® Awards Ceremony in NY. The designer got up, headed to a rack and picked out this gorgeous black lace dress. She said the dress would be perfect.

As I looked around, another woman who works at the shop picked out a few more dresses for me to try on. I liked them all, but narrowed it down to three, two black and one green & gold. But when I tried on the black lace dress again I knew it was perfect. And I hadn't even wanted a black dress. But it's an amazing dress. It's cut on the bias so flattering for all figure types. The neckline and sleeves are elegant and can be tied up to give the dress different looks. You can also wear a black or colored sash with it to change the look. The lace is from France and simply divine. Best yet, it's comfortable to wear.

I sent hubby a pic, who was on his way home from a swim meet in Pasco, WA. He thought the dress was very nice. His problem was the price. A bit over the budget. I understand his point. We really are trying to take the Dave Ramsey method of budgeting to heart. Cash only. No credit cards, only debit. He did ask when my royalties would arrive (very soon!) so I was hopeful I could splurge and get the dress. It's the kind of style that I could wear for a very long time! So dollar cost averaging per wear made it more reasonably priced.

I was so excited I asked a friend in SF, who's really into fashion, what kind of accessories to buy. She sent me a list this morning: black stockings with seam up the back and strappy black heels.

And then this afternoon a little after one o'clock, I got an email from Harlequin, my publisher. Their big party, something Harlequin authors look forward to at conference, is black and white dress.

An elegant dress code for sure. Except I already had a dress to wear to it. A pretty purple dress that my friend Kelly was loaning me. Sigh...

The last thing I need is two fancy black dresses hanging in my closest, especially when the one really would be a total splurge. I couldn't even justify it to myself for thirty seconds given I'm so not a dressy, formal type person and only wear nice clothes at conferences or a rare writing event. There is the lovely green and gold dress at the boutique I could get, but I'm not in love with it as much as the black lace one.

But the idea of now going back out to look for dresses, black ones or otherwise, just slays me. The shopping gene just isn't part of my DNA.

Wish me luck! I have a feeling I'm going to need it.

Post -conference post

It's hard to believe a week ago I had woken up after spending my first night at the Marriott feeling a bit apprehensive about the start of the RWA conference. But this year's conference wasn't like others. I had way more fun than I thought I would and am now seriously considering attending next year's in Washington D.C. How's that for a one-eighty from where I was pre-conference countdown!

From the blogs I've been reading that are doing conference recaps, I'm not alone. Everyone had fun. Sure there were complaints about the cost of the hotel. And sorry, for $225 a night, internet service should be included if some of the more inexpensive chains can do it! But the conference really was great. I don't know what made the difference for me. Perhaps it was the city. I still consider San Francisco home and probably always will so that probably explains a lot of why I enjoyed myself so much. But I can't understand why in a city known for incredible cuisine, the food at the hotel, well, sucked! I'm so glad I had a tea party luncheon to attend so I didn't have to eat another meal there!

Something I forgot to mention that I must is Linda Goodnight, who wrote book 4 of The Wedding Planners continuity, won the RITA for Best Inspirational on Saturday! Isn't that cool? I was thrilled for her.

And speaking of The Wedding Planners, I'm blogging there today about, what else, the conference. I'll have pictures of the Wedding Belles who attended as well as that Wedding Plannerish moment I mentioned during the meeting with my agent at the Weston! So stop by the blog and say hi!

RWA Conference - Saturday

The final day of the conference started much too early after a late night at the HQ party. My roomie, Shirley, set the alarm for me and when 6:30 am rolled around, I rolled over. Good thing there was a snooze button.

I had to get up though because there was one workshop I really wanted to attend called Save the Cat by Blake Snyder. Blake wrote a screenplay writing book called Save the Cat and my good friend Tiffany had recommended it to me months ago. Of course, I hadn't gotten around to reading it yet so I figured attending the talk would either 1) whet my interest 2) make me happy I hadn't read the book yet.

I loved the talk. So much so that Trish Wylie, Claire Baxter, Jessica Hart and I made the trek to the Union Square Borders to see if they had any copies of the book! We bumped into other romance authors at the bookstore wanting the book, too.

Needless to say Blake made an impression with his talk and his 15 point beat sheet. My fave part of the talk...his describing the term "Pope in the pool" scene. He's really a great speaker. He had the jam-packed room laughing many times during his talk. I'm curious to see if his "voice" carries over to the book. That sure would make for an entertaining read.

On our way back from Borders, we stopped at Union Square for a quick picture. The other three stayed to have a coffee, but I had to get back to the hotel to pack. I decided I'd rather head to my friend Jen's house, then sit through the awards' ceremony. I was really tired at this point.

My feet were still hurting, too. I started the morning off in shoes, but quickly decided my dress would look just fine with my Tevas! A good call since another walk was in my near future.

My friend Deb drove up from San Jose and met me and our mutual romance writer friend Alice for lunch.

Something interesting I discovered about downtown San Francisco...a lot of places that are open during the week for lunch are closed on weekends! We discovered that on our walk to a Bodin's. We ended up going somewhere else.

Back at the hotel, I attended the Harlequin Authors Forum. This is where the PTB (Powers That Be) tell us about the status of the business. A couple things caught my attention. Quality is up as well as sales. They also showed a video about the press Harlequin has received. That was really cool and I'm hoping they make it available via YouTube or Google so I can share it with you!

After that I popped into a workshop on legal issues for writers, then filled the time before my appointment with my agent, Annelise Robey. I met her at the Westin on Market. We sat outside, sipped ice tea and talked. My critique partner and her hubby just happened to walk by so I introduced everyone, then Annelise and I continued talking about my writing career and catching up on what had been going on with each other. Something Wedding Planner-ish happened during out meeting and I'll show those pics the next time I'm up to blog there.

I met my roommate Shirley Marks, Young Adult Inspirational author Shelley Adina and a former critique group member Jenny Anderson for dinner. Then it was time for me to check out! It was so good to see the family pull up to the curb in my minivan. I was starting to miss them even though I saw the kidlets every day except Friday.

When we got to my friend Jen's house, we had a blast. The kids watched a video while the adults played poker. I haven't played that much poker before, but I did really well! Yay!

It was really a great conference. I made some new friends, didn't feel completely overwhelmed and had a lot of fun. If you want to see more conference pictures taken by Trish Wylie check out the Pink Heart Society's Photobucket album.

RWA Conference - Friday - night

Friday night at the RWA conference means one thing...the Harlequin Party. This is the best publisher at the conference and you can tell by the number of party crashers who attend the annual event. The room was much smaller than the ballroom at Dallas and felt as if there were twice as many people. I wonder if that was because it was right next door to the Marriott so people didn't need to spring for a taxi, but I also noticed several people who looked as if they might have just wandered in.

I sat at a table with two crashers (one published author and her "assistant") while munching down yummy Chinese food. Though the writer said she'd been invited by a Harlequin author, she kept trying to hide from a Silhouette editor because, in her own words, "she knows I don't write for Harlequin." I guess the great food, free alcohol and dancing until your feet hurt is too much to resist for other conference goers.

The food was very similar to what I had served at our San Francisco themed reception-themed stations based on the different areas of San Francisco (Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli Square, Chinatown, etc.) They even had dim sum. The dessert buffet included the now famous chocolate fountain complete with rice crispy squares, muffins, marshmallows, strawberries and bananas to dip. Hubby said he'd give me five dollars if I'd lick from the fountain. I said maybe if he upped it to $500 I'd be tempted!

In addition to the fondue, they had a table with mini frosted cupcakes and spoon-sized creme brulees. Hubby liked this table best. I liked the chocolate cupcakes, but found myself drawn to the chocolate fountain.

Several Harlequin received recognition at the party. Jessica Hart, who I fortunately got to meet and spend time with this conference, received her 50 book pin and Sandra Marton, who I adore, was recognized for 75 books! Can you imagine writing that many books? I'm only at 15, 16 if you count the eharlequin on-line read I wrote. Simply amazing to have written so many stories!


Everywhere I turned I recognized someone. A few I knew, many I didn't. Nora Roberts was there dancing. I also saw Lisa Gardner and posed for this picture. Several people from loops I belong to were also attending as well as Linda Goodnight and Melissa James from the Wedding Planners. (I'll save that pic for that blog!)

One of these days, I should probably write a special post about Romance and Modern Extra writer Trish Wylie. Trish and I met last year in Dallas at Sandra' HMB pizza party. I was fortunate enough to spend much more time with her this year in San Francisco. She would have to get my new BFF award this year. Anyway, I have so many pics of Trish taking a picture of me and me of her it's become a bit of a joke. We've become photo nemesis so I had to at least post one of the pictures somewhere. Here it is!

Silhouette and Harlequin editors also attended. I spoke with Mary-Theresa Hussey, my first editor. She's the one who bought Fiance For the Night way back in 1997. Here's a picture of me with two of the Mills & Boon editors, Sally Williams and Lucy Gilmour! They were really tearing up the dance floor, too!

Hubby attended with me and we had a fab time dancing. He was extra careful with his knee though. Gotta love a man who thinks about stuff like that, but he had no problem hanging on the dance floor for the evening. Thank goodness because that's what I love most about this event...the dancing!

I finally learned how to do a dance that I've been wanting to learn. It's a song I heard on Radio Disney, but never knew the steps. I can't remember the title, but it goes something like... slide the the left, slide to the right. There are right stomps and left stomps, too. Oh, and cha-chas. It was a lot of fun. Even hubby tried it. We both wanted to be able to show the steps to the kidlets!

The usual wedding songs were played: Conga line, Love Shak, The Twist, It's Raining Men, Achy Breaky Heart, Shout, Grease medley, Macarena. Lots of others, too. We left a little before midnight and I heard the dancing continued on past the designated end time. I was ready to call it a night!

By the time I said goodnight to him and headed up to my room, I could barely walk. My feet hurt from all the dancing, and well, my shoes. I can't tell you how long it took me to fall asleep. My feet just throbbed, but the dancing, as always, was worth it.

Home!

We're back home! Sorry I haven't updated, but things got really busy and I've been so tired. I will get it all done in the next couple of days and fill you in on the rest of the RWA conference!

But I wanted to remind you that I will be drawing a contest winner for an Amazon.com gift certificate so if you want more entries be sure to post a comment ASAP!

RWA Conference - Friday - day

Another fun day at the RWA Conference! This morning I attended a workshop session by Lisa Gardner then bumped into Elizabeth Boyle in the hallway. She was headed to the Avon signing so I tagged along. I'd planned on picking up some autographed books to giveaway on the blog. The line was already long, but I started to head to the end when Elizabeth, who was going to be signing, told me just to come with her. I suddenly became her "assistant" and went into the room with all the other Avon authors. As any good assistant would do, I helped hang the poster in front of her table and made sure she had everything she needed before moving over to Susan Elizabeth Phillips' table.

I managed to snag an autographed Susan Elizabeth Phillips novel for you guys! It's trade size and since I collected two boxes worth of books to giveaway, the title escapes me. As usual she was friendly and gracious. I was feeling particularly fortunate that I didn't have to wait in that long line to enter the room and then the line to meet her!


I was very excited to see Kinley MacGregor would be signing in the Avon room. I had heard her speak at the Rose City Romance Authors Readers Luncheon in 2007, but the lines were just too long to meet her. She emanates warmth and friendliness. Later I saw her by the elevator and asked how she writes with children in the house! I'm trying to figure out how other authors do it and if I can figure out a schedule that will work better for me and the kidlets.

I saw Jane Porter at another signing where I picked up even more books. One of her books, Flirting with Forty, will be a television movie (Lifetime, I believe but I may be wrong) staring Heather Locklear. I can't imagine how excited it would be to have a book made into a movie! Only in my dreams!!!

After I dropped off all the books, it was off to Lovejoy's Tea House in Noe Valley for the Harlequin Romance authors tea party. I couldn't believe when I received the invitation because I mention Lovejoy's in my blinddatebrides.com book! Imagine being invited there by Mills & Boon editors!

The interior of the tea house was very cozy and eclectic. Lots of chintz and lace, mismashed tea cups and teapots, old pictures and other knick knacks. It was just as I imagined it would be when I checked out the pictures on the website when writing the manuscript.

Each table had a special reservation on it. Our tables were reserved for Queens, but here's a picture of the sign for the Princesses.

While we were there, two young girls walked by wearing princesses dresses. One even had sparkly fairy wings on. I couldn't help but think of my two daughters and how much they would love having tea there.


Here I am with Claire Baxter and editor Suzanne Clarke. I had ridden over in a taxi with Claire, Linda Goodnight and Melissa James. I realized when we arrived at the tea house that I'd left my camera on the back seat of the cab. Luckily the driver had given me the number of the dispatcher so I called and he was sent back with my camera!

Just like last year, the Mills & Boon editors attending the San Francisco conference are so nice. It'll be fun to see them on the dance floor at the Harlequin party.

Here's a picture of Lucy Gilmour. She recently married like so many other of the editors in the Richmond office. I wonder if any of the brides took advantage of our Wedding Planner tips at the beginning of each book!


We were served high tea. I drank vanilla tea and apricot tea. Trish Wylie thanks we Americans should be prosecuted for our tea. The air in her mouth tastes better than the teas over here. And cold tea is a sin against mankind. I did not add quotation marks, but those are her exact words.

The tea tray contained delicious scones, sugar cookies, tea sandwiches and cole slaw. The scones were my favorite!


Here's a group shot taken outside of Lovejoy's of the Harlequin Romance authors and the Mills & Boon editors who attended the Harlequin Romance Tea.






Instead of taking a taxi back to the Marriott, a few of us decided to ride the trolley. This is something I'd never done even when I lived in the city! It was so much. Here are Carol Grace, Linda Goodnight and Trish Wylie.




The other editors had to get back for appointments, but Linda Fildew decided to join us on our little trolley adventure!






We were rewarded with beautiful views and also got to chat with riders who wanted to know what Harlequin was because some of the writers were wearing their conference badges. A few riders started pitching story ideas to us. And we had one man recited his poetry to Carol for easily five stops.


We enjoyed a nice walk back to the hotel. A great finish for a wonderful lunch with the other authors and the four editors!

Tonight is the Harlequin Party! I can't wait.