I'm leaving...on a jet plane...

I'm off to Reno tomorrow morning! I'm nervous and excited. I'm sure I'll have lots of great stories to tell and tons of fun pics to share when I get back.

Stay tuned!

And Rebecca, if you're reading this...I promise some great pics of the earrings and bracelet you made me!

I'm Off!

Off my rocker? Off my nut? Off to frolic? No, none of those. Okay, maybe one of those but I'm not saying which.

I'm gone for a week. I (foolishly?) agreed to mind a friend's jewelry store the week before conference so they could go to a family wedding. What was I thinking? I wasn't. That was the problem. But I keep my word and a deal's a deal.

So, I'm headed to Maryland today. At least I can see the ocean from the store. It's beachfront. And they've promised me it's quiet during the day so I'm looking forward to reading the ARC of Candace Havens' Charmed and Dangerous. Can't wait!

Who knows, I might even get some writing done. I do plan to work on pitches for Reno. At the very least, I'll be surrounded by jewelry. For those of you who know me, you probably just started praying for my husband.

See you in a week!

Imitation Isn't Always Flattery

If you haven't read this warning post from Deidre Knight, you need to. Go check out the sad, pitiful scam that's being perpetrated using her name (and reputation): http://knightagency.blogspot.com/2005/07/extremely-important-warning-regarding.html

Conference Questions

1. Are you going to this year's RWA conference in Reno?
2. How many other RWA conferences have you been to?
3. Which one was your first?
4. If you've been before, what events are you most looking forward to?
5. Are you sharing a room or bunking alone?
6. How many suitcases will you be bringing?
7. Does the thought of conference make you nervous? If yes, what part?
8. Who, if anyone, are you hoping to meet?
___________________________
1. Yes
2. Only one
3. Last year's in Dallas
4. Spotlights, Literacy signing, Moonlight Madness (because Romance Divas has a table this year), the St. Martin's publisher party (woohoo! I scored invites!), and of course, the RITA/GH ceremony so I can see if I won or not.
5. Sharing with Jax
6. Probably two checked bags (one with my clothes, one with RD merchandise) and a carry-on.
7. Yes. My editor/agent appointments. Eek!
8. Hmm...I've met a lot of my favorite authors, so I'm gonna have to say I'm most looking forward to meeting all the other Divas who are coming to conference!

Your turn!

Inside The RD Mailroom

Although I'm not the Book Review Editor, I do distribute the books that come in for review to our reviewers. Fortunately, I have several assistants who help me with the many Romance Diva related mailings I have to do. I thought you might like to see them in action. Or rather inaction.

My staff aren't exactly what you'd call early birds. It's hard to get them motivated. They nap a lot and try to hide from me. Sometimes they do both at the same time.

They also like to play dead, thinking I'll give them the day off.

When I finally get them up, I get dirty looks. (Cranky employees aren't that productive, let me tell you.)

Occasionally, I do get some work out of them.

But usually they pass out in the middle of a big project and I end up doing it on my own.

I thought about looking for a new staff, but it's hard to fire family. Plus, they're a fat bunch of snugglers and mama's babies. LOL

I'm A Purse Junkie, Too

On a recent shopping expedition to find a wrap and evening bag that would do justice to my fabulicious new gown for the RWA conference, I found myself distracted by the other choices in the handbag department. There were so many yummy bags! I almost hurt my neck twisting around to look at them all. I love all the colors but I really love the classic looks of black and white. I may be a junkie, but I'm a practical junkie.

One bag in particular wooed me with it's sleek lines, impressive hardware and extra interior pockets. I picked it up. Nice heft. Not too heavy but not so light it made you wonder what you were spending your money on. I've had my eye out for a studded doctor bag but nothing really clicked until this bag came into view. Sure, I'd given several a second glance but they'd all had silver studs. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a gold girl.

I slid the purse up my arm and over my shoulder. Good fit. I inspected the bag further. Michael Kors. Score! Checked the price tag. Slight eek. Not awful but considering this would purely be an impulse buy, not great either.

I couldn't part with it so I hung on to it while I shopped around for the items I'd actually come in for. No evening bag or wrap that would work. Time to go. I took another look at the purse, ran my hand over the mock croc leather and sighed. I wanted it but knew I shouldn't.

Reluctantly, I put the purse back. I tucked it way behind some ugly purses, hoping no one would buy it in case I changed my mind in the next few days.

And change my mind I did. It just so happened that although I couldn't get back to the store my husband did. By cell phone, I walked him through the handbag department to where I'd hidden my scrumptious Michael Kors find. He couldn't find it. I panicked. Maybe someone else had discovered it and snatched it up!?

I made him search the whole department. At last - success! He found it, purchased it and brought it home to its rightful owner. Me.

Isn't it delish? Ignore the price tag. That's retail. I rarely pay retail. Thank you, Marshalls!

Confessions Of A Shoe Addict

I shop, therefore I am.

Shoes are sort of an obsession of mine. Hasn't always been that way. I used to hate shoes. See, I've worn a size 10 since about the sixth or seventh grade. I specifically remember these awful brown wedge heel oxfords my mom bought me. Wasn't her fault, they were all she could find in my size at the time that fit my school's dress code.

Fast forward a couple of decades and shoes have become my friends. When did we make up? I'd have to say it was in college, when I was 18. My parents made the silly mistake of giving me a credit card for emergencies. I don't know why they didn't think the thigh-high black suede boots weren't an emergency. I did. You might not think such a pair of boots would be practical but I wore the crap out of those boots. So much in fact, I had to have them resoled a few years later.

I've been known to buy the same pair of shoes in several colors if I really love it. Or two pairs of the same shoe so I can put one pair away for when the first pair wears out. But I've resisted the urge to go "designer" until now.

My search for shoes to match my RITA/GH awards ceremony dress proved tougher than I imagined. (I abandoned the red satin dress I previously blogged about. Couldn't find the under-architecture to make that dress work. Yet. The new dress is a freakin' knock out though!)

I didn't want to spend a fortune on shoes. Already did that with the dress. But alas, I couldn't find a pair of shoes that lived up to the fabulousness of the dress! Until I did some online shopping, a little foray into designer land.

Here's what I found:

Sweet, huh? Charles David. Hot stuff. Check my feet at conference if you want to see them in person. I'll be sure to blog about their comfort level when I get back.

HAPPY FOURTH!

Have a wonderful, safe day, y'all! And don't forget to say thanks to a service man or woman today for the sacrifices they make to keep our nation free.

FREE Online Workshop

We're offering a wonderful, career building workshop at Romance Divas this month. Author Jess Michaels will be hosting her "So I Wrote This Book... Now What?" workshop in the Forum. Just register to become a member and you're eligible for the workshop and the books Jess will be giving away. The workshop starts July 18th.

If you haven't checked out Romance Divas, what are you waiting for? It's the place to be online if you're a romance writer. See you there!

Crisis Averted!!!

Not sure how it happened or who's responsible but the RD Forum is back up and running! Yeah!

I'd like to kiss whomever fixed it. Unless it was Jax and then I'll just hug her. I don't think our friendship is ready to move into the Britney/Madonna stage. *Gag*

Just What We Needed

Some stupid, braindead, jerkwad, dirty-diaper-scented idiot has hacked into the Romance Divas Forum and corrupted it. Thanks a whole freakin' lot, you flea-ridden, pus-infected moron.

What kind of complete and utter jackass gets his kicks from destroying other people's hardwork? I guess he had run out of kittens to torture and old people to steal social security checks from.

If I ever meet this fetid gob of pond scum, in this life or the next, I will go Old School Sicilian on his sorry hide.

*Deep breath*

I truly hope this can be fixed. I'll keep you posted.