For the past four months, I’ve been devoting my Thursday blogs to asking some of my favorite authors and good friends to give up five things about themselves that you might not know. I thought it would be a fun and unique way to introduce new authors to all of you.

This is how it works: I email a bunch of victims, er, good friends, acquaintances, authors I’ve read and enjoyed, and ask them to pick five questions out of a list of 10 (or to make up their own) and share the five things they think is interesting or … Read more »

This is a quick, Happy Labor Day, hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend of fabulous weather post. But if you are inside–what?–and on your computer (get yourself outside, summer isn’t going to be around much longer) but before you go do as I bid (right now I feel so powerful), why not hang around for just another minute and enter my new faboo contest.

Someone is going to win a Nook. Not just any Nook. A Nook color. Too cool. And it will arrive just before Christmas.

So hop over to my Contest page. Enter and then enjoy this … Read more »

As I wrote last Saturday, I made a plea to my fans over on Facebook that the well had gone dry on what to talk about over here on my blog, and they in turn offered up a bucket load of questions. Here is what I have plucked out today from this treasure quest of “I want to knows.”

Today’s questions are courtesy of: Erica Lynn Thrasher and Janelle Wilbanks.

Erica asked:

Do you find that you have time for social life when a deadline is approaching?

A social life? What exactly is that? To be honest, I’ve taken … Read more »

I had planned this blog to have a bunch of pictures of all my favorite things: the flowers in my yard, a big bowl of Rainier cherries, the beach near my house–all the stuff that makes summer so much fun. Excerpt there is one problem this year.

Summer has yet to arrive in Seattle.

Here was the view from my windshield on Saturday as I sat and waited for the ferry on my way to Hood Canal:

Believe it or not, there is a ferry boat arriving at the end of the dock, but it was nearly impossible to see … Read more »

I may lose my knitting mojo during the summer, but for some reason, I crank through the reading pile. Coincidence? I think not.

But this summer I’ve got a dilemma. I am in the process of finishing up a book which means . . . I tend to avoid reading historical romances for a bit. I just like to keep my head focused on my story and not have someone else’s words invading the process. So I am diving into my stash and reading all over the place. Here is what is on my list or currently being devoured:

The … Read more »

I will be entirely honest: I tend to choose my RWA conference attendance by virtue of where the conference is taking place. San Francisco? Oh, yeah. Orlando? Not so much. No offense to Orlando, but here is the real deciding factor: what is there to see and do in the host city that is just outside the hotel door and doesn’t require a rental car. And in NYC, there is everything.

As evidenced from the view of hectic Times Square from my hotel room:

Amazing huh? And I love this HUGE billboard. This poor fellow was trapped out there all … Read more »

Over the years I’ve gone to a number of RWA conferences. I’ve pitched. I’ve gone to workshops. I’ve sat in my room and wondered what I was doing there. I’ve signed books. I’ve collected books. I’ve met agents, editors, publicists, professionals that I now call friends. I love conference. I loathe conference. All for the same reasons. So here are the quick links to the blogs I’ve written over the years with advice about going to conference:

1) My GLEE Inspired Conference Tips. Even if you have never watched Glee, there is advice here to that should be taken … Read more »

Recently, a clerk in the store was truly helpful and just wonderfully nice–this doesn’t always happen when you shop and have a child with autism, so I made a point of finding the manager and telling them what a fine job the clerk had done. To which the manager said:

Really? I never hear anything nice–I thought you were here to complain.

That sort of set me back. No kidding? No one ever takes the time to say something nice, but they will go out of their way to complain. Her confession really bothered me.

When I mentioned this to … Read more »

This weekend was such a whirl. Trip to Portland, a booksigning, come home and then over Puget Sound to Silverdale for the last signing. I can’t believe how fast the time went. But I thought you might like to see some pictures from all these adventures.

Powells

Julia Quinn and I were there for a duel event–the booksigning and the Romance Live event–which when they post it, I’ll share a link, just in case you missed it. Let me say, it was way too much fun. Great questions from the audience and via the online folks. I hope Avon plans … Read more »

Bracing myself for the week ahead. Three events, four if you count that this morning, Lord Langley goes on sale! Huzzah! Hurray! Yee-hah! I think that covers it.

Since I am usually a stay at home mom who has been known to drive through carpool pick up wearing her slippers, being trussed up, er, dressed up for three events (one of them in front of a live stream internet audience) is rather daunting. But I will survive if only because A) I get to meet so many of you, and 2) I’m hanging with my good peeps, Julia Quinn… Read more »