Every five years or so, I pack my bags and toddle over the North Pole and drop in on London. And this being one of those years, I am about to leave again. I didn’t think I was going to go this year–the difficulties of finding a time to leave the family, the expense, was it the right year to go (okay, is there ever a wrong year?), but like my grandmother always said, when things are right, they will align for you. And so it was this year.

A few months ago, my husband came home and rattled keys … Read more »

You could call this week “Booked Up.” It’s always like that around here the week a book officially drops, or at least most authors like to think of it as a special week, worthy of celebration and events. Or some of us just hide and avoid the computer so we don’t know how it is being received. I’m not having any trouble avoiding the computer as mine had a rather fatal episode last week. Luckily for me, Norm, the guy who can resurrect nearly any Mac, will be able to bring it back to life (He’s sort of a Dr. … Read more »

Yes, the Japanese manga versions of This Rake of Mine and Something About Emmaline have started to arrive, starting with the two volume set of Emmaline. I have to admit that of all the things that have happened in my career, this really tickles me. I don’t know why, but it just does. Perhaps it is just the fact that I sit in my office in Seattle and spin my words into sentences and paragraphs, and now my stories are finding new lives all over the globe. It is humbling and leaves me awe-struck.

Thank you to everyone who has … Read more »

Hey, I’m not going to Orlando for the Romance Writers of America conference next week. I hadn’t planned on going when it was in Nashville, and as I told my editor, I had no desire trade a swamped hotel in Nashville for a hotel in a swamp. But then again, after nearly twenty years of attending RWA National conferences (Gads, I must have started going when I was like, 12) I’ve come up with my Glee inspired Top 5 Tips to keep you from going mad in the rushed, harried craziness that is “National.”

1) Conference is not Sectionals, Regionals … Read more »

After a week in Portland and my second visit down there this year, can I just say, I love Portland? I’ve gone back and forth for years on my own, for booksignings, PLA, reader’s conferences and the wonderful luncheon the Rose City Romance chapter puts on each spring. This time I took the family. And once again, Portland stole my heart. While I’ve gone on in the past about the great food, the accessibility, let me share three more reasons to go there:

1) They don’t call it the Rose City for nothing. And last week the roses were in … Read more »

My friend, Maya Rodale, drops by to talk about: Life in London

There’s nothing like living in a place to really know it intimately, and thus to write about it authentically. Since actually visiting Regency London is out of the question, the next best thing is living in London. I was lucky to get to do that.

Thanks to my graduate school program, I was able to spend 8 weeks in London on an independent research project. Topic: romance fiction, of course. As I was reading early 1800’s gothic romances and other novels, along with conduct guides and things like … Read more »

I have been absent, and my apologies. I am deep into writing right now and settling down to write more just isn’t on the agenda right now. But I took the weekend off to go to my aunt’s memorial service in Idaho, so I feel ready to type again and thought I would put something, anything up here quick before the glow wore off.

I blogged last time about looking for something to read, and not long after that, lo and behold, you would never believe what came in the mail. Yes, something cool to read. Finished copies of The … Read more »

What a fun day! The wonderful folks at the King County Library system have this annual event and it is so much fun–readers from all over and always some fun surprises. This year was no exception. They had us in the main foyer of the Covington Library which is right next to the children’s section and Cherry Adair was the opening speaker trying to tell her camel sex story and at the same time keep in G-rated for the kiddos right next to us. I’ve never seen anyone come up with clean synonyms faster than Cherry did. She had the … Read more »

I’m off to PLA next week–The Public Library Association if you don’t like acronyms)–and since I will have the ear of a room full of librarians, what would you like me to tell them about why, or even why not, you use your local public library? Time to sound off and I’ll compile your thoughts and share them with librarians from all over the country.

Just to get you started:

1) Do you use your local library for your romance reading habit and why? What do you love, what do you wish librarians would do to make their collections … Read more »

Periodically I get these non-descript packages from my editor and I always know what they are: Foreign Language editions. Oh, goody! What language is this going to be in and what will they do to the cover? I find the covers almost as interesting as the title translations.

Look at these wonderful renditions of This Rake of Mine:

I have to admit that when I opened the package yesterday with this Dutch version, I thought for a moment they’d inserted a vampire into the book. Just kidding!

Actually I love how each edition reflects a different aspect of the … Read more »