I’m a little rushed this week as I get ready to go to the Romance Writers of America conference in San Francisco, so here are some quick links for all of you that I thought I would share.

If you are going to the conference, then check out these:

1) Map of the area. Niki Burnham sent me this link and it is fabulous. Click to go to the Union Square neighborhood, and then click on the link that says “Map”. You’ll get a pdf file of the neighborhood, the sort of detailed map that tells you all the shops, restaurants and sights within walking distance of the hotel. I’m doing like Niki and printing several of them to take along.

2) If you are pitching a project to an agent or editor, here is the link to my blog from last year, The Sure Thing. Read it before you go and save yourself a lot of stress over these appointments.

3) Don’t forget to drop by the autographing on Wednesday and say “hi!” All the details are on my Events page. I’m also speaking Friday at 11 am on Writing for the Historical Market, and on Saturday at 2pm with my husband on The Plan: Project Planning for Writers.  Please stop by and and fill up those seats.  Nothing worse than talking to an empty room.

If you aren’t going:

1) Then you’ll want to do one little thing for me and win a free book. There is going to be a live, call-in radio show from conference on Friday afternoon (3:30 Pacific time, 6:30 Eastern time) hosted by Michelle Buonfiglio of Lifetime TV’s Romance: Buy the Book. I’ll be answering questions along with fellow Avon authors, Jenna Petersen, Sophie Jordan, Lorraine Heath, and Gayle Callen/Julia Latham. All the details are on Michelle’s blog, under the posting Lock and Load. But before you rush over there, I’d like to ask all of you to call in and pepper me with great questions (hopefully about my new book)because everyone of you who gets through and gets a question on air for me, open your question by introducing yourself as someone who reads my blog and I’ll send you a free autographed book. If you can’t get Michelle’s site to load, the phone number for Friday is: (347) 826-9686. Call and win!

2) Come back on Thursday and you’ll find my reviews of a bunch of movies (in the theater and out on DVD) that I indulged in this past weekend. Most of the boys were out Cub Scout camping so it was a girl’s weekend to watch whatever this girl wanted. (When you live in a house of men, having control of the remote is a rare and privileged moment). dFind out which movies made me cry, which one made me cringe and close my eyes and the one I can’t decide whether to call a guilty pleasure or just cringe over it. I might be out of town and away from my computer, but I never run out of things to say.

Okay, another book is done. Pippin and Dash have their story. And I am no longer chained to my office and computer. I’ve spent the last few days blinking owlishly at the world and of course, shopping for RWA’s national conference in San Francisco next week. Shoes, a couple of new dresses, makeup, the usual stuff. I asked my editor if she stresses about going to conference and what to wear, then we laughed over it, because she actually has her work clothes, so for her the clothes aren’t the problem, but apparently getting all her shoes in the suitcase can be a bit tricky.

Now for me, clothes are the problem. And the shoes (more of a lack of than too many) and don’t even venture into my poor selection of makeup. And since I can’t wear my standard Target issued Mommy wear to Nationals, hence I have to shop, something I liken to going to the dentist or having a pap smear, or both at the same time. You know what I mean by Mommy wear–the bleach stained jeans and ratty t-shirts, which are my usual daily wear. I’m afraid I’m not one of those carpool moms (CPMs for short) who heads out to school with her car full of children with properly packed lunches, their homework double checked and her face perfectly made up . . . just in case another CPM wants to meet up at 909 or Starbucks for skinny soy lattes. No, I’m the one who’s late, the kids have some semblance of lunch (God, I hope they do) and their homework is somewhere on the greater North American continent. So they aren’t pressed and ironed, but they know their geography, all from me saying, “Where the hell is your homework?”

But I digress, and I still have nothing to wear. Whatever I wore last year became my standard issue for everything else I did over the last twelve months and I’ve worn it into a frazzle. So it is time to reload. I wish I had been born with that shopping gene, but it missed me entirely and instead I drag myself through the stores with my list of events and things I need to attend and consider what I want to wear for each–business casual, business formal, dressy, some mix of whatever I can get away with. I shouldn’t stress over this, but I do, so there it is.

In the end, I go to Nationals, hunker down with friends and get all caught up, drink lattes and chat, go to parties and feel awkward, go to parties and discover a long lost friend. And when I come home full of all sorts of ideas, and inspiration, and memories, I really never remember what I was wearing. Expect perhaps for the new shoes . . . if they’ve left my feet all blistered. But I always remember my friends and how good it is to see them.

How is your closet? Good to go or like mine?

I’m trying to finish a book right now (in the final week stretch) and while I am editing the draft I run into words I’ve shoved into the story that are either: a) creatively spelled or b) I’m not positive they mean what I think they mean. Or it’s old slang that I’ve used to give the story that period feel. But all in all, I need a good dictionary when I edit to make sure I’ve got it right.

I really try hard to get it right. Let’s put it this way, last night —really, last night–I had a nightmare that I was locked in a room with a group of writers who were sitting around a table saying in nonchalant and uncaring ways that “they never did research” and they “didn’t care if it was right or wrong.” I woke up in a fit, a cold sweat (or maybe a hot flash) and had twisted the sheets all over. Arrrggh! Not do research? Not want to get it right? I won’t be able to sleep for a week.

So a few books ago, I started debated buying the OED. The high queen, you might say, of all dictionaries. The OED? That’s the Oxford English Dictionary to the rest of you folks. But getting the big one, the real one, the one that comes in multiple volumes is expensive, not to mention the shelf space it takes up. So I went round and round whether or not to buy it. After a lot of googling and shopping, I discovered that you could can subscribe to the online version! Very cool, says I, (thinking all that saved shelf space that I don’t have) but still even online, too pricey for how much I would use it. My husband suggested using the copy at the library–but that would mean flagging pages and then trotting them all the way to the regional branch where they have the big, huge voluminous version that I need. You’ll watch the kids, right honey?

Then in one of those rare moments of frugality and common sense (at least the DH says they are rare) I wondered if my library subscribed to the online version, and if I could access via their website. Click, click, and there it was, before me, the holy grail of writers. My own personal access to the OED online. For the price of my free public library card. It was like being let loose in a word candy store.

God bless librarians, one and all. Now I’ve got my night-rail hyphenated just right.

I’ve been hankering to get a dog for months now. I had a dear kitty for seventeen years, and she passed away about two years ago. Last winter I started getting the pet bug again, but I ran into two obstacles. The husband and my youngest. The husband objects because he didn’t grow up with animals and just doesn’t understand. Oh, he loves animals, but doesn’t really get the whole “let’s get a dog” passion I have right now. And the other obstacle? My youngest, who is terrified of most dogs. My husband is convinced I’ll never get Matthew past the “NO DOGGY!” panic, but I’m no quitter and I know he’d love a dog if I could just get him past it, (besides all the research that shows how wonderful a dog is for a child with autism) so I got us a loaner dog.

Yes, a loaner dog. I knew I could crack both my problems with just a little help. And as it always is with life, when you need something . . . a week ago a friend asked me to look after her dog for a few days.  Of course I jumped on the chance and said “yes.” So meet the best dog alive. Olive. She’s mellow, happy and loves, I mean ADORES kids. I hear the walls falling all around us. I mean who could resist such a sweet face?!

I have a feeling there will be four sad people on Saturday when goes home, but I’m pretty sure I’ll have won all the arguments by then.

I thought I’d tease you further with an edited letter from Valarie, a reviewer who was lucky enough to get to read an early edition of the book. Her email is edited because she shares a HUGE spoiler in it and I know that none of you would want to have the book spoiled by seeing too much. So here is what Valarie wrote:

Hi Elizabeth,

WOW! Loved it, Loved it, Loved it, and let me just say again, LOVED IT!!!!!!!!

You’re right, I never expected THAT. I loved both Rockhurst and Hermione, but I never would have guessed what Rockhurst was when you were giving me those little hints at the luncheon. The paranormal elements were perfect, and I can’t wait to see what you do to Griffin.

Although, I understand why you did it, but really, did you have to —-This is where I’ve deleted the spoiler, but if you can’t stand it, and really, really have to read what made Valarie cry, click here—–but I will forgive you this one because of the situation. 🙂 🙂 That scene and the scene where Hermione—again deleted to save you, and if you still haven’t taken a peek, you can still ruin the book by clicking here—- made me cry (on the train and surrounded by people, no less).

This was (in my humble opinion) your best book.

Thanks, Val! Your email made my day. Especially the part about making you cry. I love it when I do that. I just sobbed when I wrote that scene, but made sure that I did it at home and not at Starbucks. They think I’m odd enough down there.

And for those of you who clicked through for the spoilers, what did you expect? Okay, now go spend your time reading the excerpt for Tempted by the Night and mark your calendars for August 26th. Then you can report back whether or not you cried.

Go ahead. You don’t have to read anything more today. Just the excerpt from Tempted by the Night. ‘Nuff said.

Had a babysitter for last night and we had planned on taking a long bike ride, that is until the mercury crept up to nearly 90 degrees. At that point, seven plus miles of pedaling lost its appeal. So we went and saw Wall-E instead.

While we missed last summer’s Ratatouille (which by the way, whoever in Marketing at Pixar and Disney that agreed that making a movie about a rat was a good idea, should be fired. I mean, a rat? One big Yuck and a double Shudder. Do you really want a rat in your Happy Meal toy? Or do you want your child sleeping with his stuffed Rat? Buzz Lightyear, yes. Ugly rat? Not so much.)

Okay, enough of that little aside and let’s get on to their new latest venture, which is Wall-E, the story of a little robot left on earth to clean up the polluted planet while the rest of the population is on vacation. It’s a rather long vacation (about 700 years) and little Wall-E has developed his own unique personality. But mostly he is lonely and longs for love. And right then and there you know it is going to be a love story.

Now I love the geek hero, the Beta man who finds his inner strength to rise above his usually staid existence and become a hero. Hey, I’ve written several such heroes. Think Mason St. Clair in No Marriage of Convenience, or Alexander Denford, the Baron Sedgwick in Something About Emmaline. Poor Sedgwick, he really thought himself quite the lady’s man, but even his own grandmother knew the truth: he was a bit of a geek in need of some serious shaking up. And the same is true with mild mannered and overly curious Wall-E.

Then along comes a probe robot, Eve, searching the Earth for something, and what she finds is Wall-E. Here is the sort of kick-ass, shoot from the hip (and with Eve that means literally) sort of female robot to shake up Wall-E’s existence. She’s Riley to Mason, or Denford’s imposter wife, Emmaline. And in return, Wall-E inspires Eve, not always intentionally, to see life beyond her directive.

By nearly the end of the movie, I was all choked up, nearly in tears and clutching my husband’s poor hand. Would they find true love? Be together forever? Could their adventures have been too much for poor Wall-E?

Well, like I said, it is a romance. And this time, completely rat-free, Pixar got it utterly right.

So this week has been filled with, like the title says, a little bit of everything. I usually am not huge on tooting my own horn, but I’ve gotten sent this from a bunch of people, so I thought I’d share, ’cause I’m sort of proud of it. This came through in the Romantic Times Newsletter:

Elizabeth Boyle is our lead Clubhouse for September. We were inspired by our senior historical romance reviewer, Kathe Robin, who read her latest book, TEMPTED BY THE NIGHT, and immediately called us to rave about it. We just love it when a book grabs our reviewers’ attention! In her relatively short career, which began in 1997, Boyle has been nominated for an RT award every year and in many cases she has won. She is an amazing talent.

Yeah, and I didn’t put that “amazing talent” part in, those are their words. But blessings on Kathe Robin, who has been so kind and so generous over the years with her reviews of my books. She’s been one of those wonderful partners in this career of mine, always giving such wonderful words of praise and urging people to give me a try. Besides, I’ve been a little nervous about Tempted by the Night since I wrote it. It’s just not my usual book, at least I don’t think so, but I loved writing it and it was a story that had been burning a hole in the back of my brain since I wrote His Mistress by Morning. So it was gratifying to see such a nice plug for it and I hope you give it a try and find it fun. Or even amazing.

Now on to the rest of the week. I am still writing on Pippin’s book and am about 50 pages from finishing the draft. For those of you who are also writing on The Plan, I’ll have you know I’m only about a week off from my intended schedule, but in good shape for making my August 1st deadline. But that really isn’t what I wanted to tell you, rather I wanted to let you know that I am still being chased by pirates wherever I go. I was sitting in Starbucks, minding my own business, writing away, when I looked up to find this t-shirt mocking me:

What is it with these darned pirates? Following me everywhere.

Oh, and one last thing.  Finally, Zach on All My Children found his pair and got medieval all over Ritchie.  I swear the writers had neutered poor Zach, because he’s been like a pug on leash for ages and not at all the gangster, hunky, dangerous man I’ve always thought was so hot.  Come to think of it, now that he’s found his lost machismo, he’s someone I wouldn’t mind seeing in a pirate suit and stalking me at Starbucks.  Better than the weird guy who sits in the corner and scribbles his manifesto on his cup.

Now I know you think I am going to share some wild and crazy thing I did last week, and you would be right. I am going to share. You see I did something many women don’t do and should do every year, which is see to their physical well-being. We make sure the kids get their annual visits in, get them to the dentist and ortho as scheduled, heck even the cats and dogs get more regular care than we give ourselves.

But when was the last time you had a mammogram? When was the last time you took your girls (and you know the pair I am talking about) for a little photo op? If you start hemming and hawing about all the reasons you haven’t, or don’t want to, imagine me giving you a virtual thud in the back of the head and saying “no excuses, girlfriend.” Because there is no excuse for not managing our own basic and essential care. So what was I doing last Thursday? Trooping up to Pill Hill (as it is called in Seattle) and getting my mammogram done, then upstairs for the rest of my “girl parts” inspection. We’ll just call it the Big Squeeze and the Big Peek.

So if you haven’t done your BS/BP in the last 12 months, make those phone calls, get them on your schedule and just do it. And don’t let it slip off your calendar for any reason. Whatsoever. No excuses. This isn’t like the commercial where Sarah Jessica Parker tells you to listen up because her hair color information is very important, this is your life we are talking about.

And I ask you, where would your family be if you weren’t there to care for them? So your continued good health is as important (or more essential) to your family than anything else.

While October is usually the month we all nag each to get this essential appointment done,  I’m starting now in hopes that you will all arrive at October 1st with a very big smile, a healthy pair up front, and can say with all honesty, “Mammogram? I had mine my a few months ago.”

Not that I would ever, ahem, talk trash about Rita Finalists, I am not above sharing some:

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Rita Finalists
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Hilarious, eh?