Monday, July 31, 2006

This Month At Romance Divas

Wow! What a month we're having at Romance Divas!

Author of the Month : Gemma Halliday – Contests workshop from the Golden Heart winner


Aug 5-7: Paranormal Event with Carrie Vaughn, LA Banks, CT Adams/Cathy Clamp, Gena Showalter, and Kelley Armstrong.
Aug 11 Jessica Faust: Bookends-inc agent in the Chatroom. 9 Eastern
August 8-18 :: Getting To Know The Voices in Your Head Workshop with Jo Ann Ferguson/Jocelyn Kelley

Aug 18 :: Theresa Meyers: PR/Promo in the Chatroom.
August 25 :: Ann Christopher, Patricia Sargeant, Maureen Smith and Sophia Shaw Multi-cultural Authors Chat
(Tomorrow we'll return to Atlanta adventures)

Sunday, July 30, 2006

Home From RWA Atlanta

Many stories & photos to share. After I reintroduce my body to sleep.

Stay tuned for such fun blog topics as:

*The Night of the Broken Cigarette
*Crashing the Harlequin Party
*Name Those Boobs

And many more!

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Adopt A Soldier While I'm Gone!

Author Mary Stella blogged about this site recently and I decided to adopt a soldier for my own. As many of you know, Hotrod (the DH) is retired Air Force. I have a soft spot for those who wear a uniform in the defense of this nation.

http://www.soldiersangels.org/

To make it interesting, anyone who adopts a soldier and posts in the comments here that they did, will be entered in a drawing for a package of books and other goodies from Nationals. I'll pick a winner at random from the posters when I return (I leave today).

As Martha would say, it's a good thing!

PS. Feel free to donate to my 3 Day Walk while I'm gone, too. Hey, if I'm going to walk 60 miles in 3 days, the least you could do is through a few bucks towards it, don't you think? :o)

Monday, July 24, 2006

Shopping Update

Found a FABULOUS dress. Amazing. Love it. Totally me. To die for. Yum! And so on sale it was practically free.

But I also came home with shoes. Now wait, before you shake your head and roll your eyes...they're new sneakers so that when I get home I can start training for the 60 mile Walk for the Cure thing I'm doing in Oct. So settle down.

Wish Me Good Hunting

I'm headed out on one last dress finding mission. Yes, I have a dress for the awards ceremony but I'm not madly in love with it. It's not THE dress, it's just a dress. You dig? I know you do.

I will not buy another pair of shoes, I will not buy another pair of shoes, I will not buy another pair of shoes...

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Great. I think I glow in the dark.

I was a little overzealous with the hair lightening kit yesterday. If you see me at Nationals, don't be surprised if my hair looks um...excessively blonde.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Things To Do Before Leaving For Conference

1. Decide on outfits
2. Whittle down pairs of shoes to take
3. Organize promotional items for RD
4. Print out all flight info, contact info and party info
5. Pack
6. Lose 20 pounds

You?

Friday, July 21, 2006

The Best Advice

When I was a newbie writer (had yet to complete my first book, but I was writing furiously toward that goal), Hotrod (as my DH shall now be known due to his love and collection of American muscle cars) and I had to attend a "dining out". For you civilian folks, that's a military term for a fancy dress diner where punch is served from toilet bowls. I'm not lying, that's how the Airforce does it. Sela can back me up on this. Look it up if you want to know more.

Anyway, the special guest speaker that night was Orson Scott Card. I was all atwitter like a diabetic in a candy store. Hotrod had spent the better part of the day with him as part of his DV contingent and proclaimed him "a really cool guy." I'm like, "Duh. That's Orson Scott Card!"

Hotrod swept me up to meet him. "This is my wife. She's a writer, too."

Ahem. I had not yet finished a book at this point. This man wrote Ender's Game. ENDER'S GAME. But I digress.

OSC: "Great, nice to meet you." Shakes my hand. "So you're a writer?"
Me: "Uh-huh." I could barely see beyond the stars in my eyes. "But I've only just started."
OSC: Smiles like a father looking at a child. "Writers write. What have you written?"

WHAT HAVE YOU WRITTEN?

Now there's a question for the ages. I proceeded to blather on about Heart of Fire, my fantasy romance work-in-progress. OSC was very nice (translation: he listened without his eyes glazing over) and very encouraging.

I wished so very much that I could have answered his question by telling him I'd completed my book. His "What have you written" question compelled me to sit down and write every day. I never wanted to be asked that again without being able to answer it more successfully. It became a sort of mantra for me.

That was my best "advice", the nugget of writerly wisdom that kept me plugging away on the days when crap was the highest form of prose I could manage.

How about you? What was your best writerly advice?

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Gushing In Progress

I'm not one to gush. If I don't like something, I have a very hard time pretending I do. The artful lie is just not one of my skills. Hair, clothes, food, books. Nothing is safe. When a restaurant manager stops by our table to see how things are, my husband cringes because I don't ever say "fine" when things aren't. If I got a rotten tomato in my salad, don't expect me to tell you things were peachy. Same goes for shopping with me. You try on a dress that makes you look like Attila the Ham Smuggler and I'm going to tell you that dress is not for you. Why would I let a friend walk around in any less than fabulous?

Which brings me to a book I read yesterday. It just might be the best piece of women's fiction I've read in the last ten years. Or ever. I can't think of a book in this category that I like better. This book even made me cry and - hello - I am NOT a weeper.

The book is Jane Porter's Flirting With Forty and it is fan-freaking-tastic. I read it in a matter of hours.
But there's more to this book than its entertainment value. It makes you think. About your life, about what personal happiness means, about how you see yourself, about how others see you. Don't be fooled by the cover - this isn't some fluffy chick lit (no offense intended, I love fluffy chick lit).

If this book doesn't move you, you might be dead. Read it and see for yourself.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Blog Round Up

Today's Questions:

*Why is Diana drinking Dos Equis with celebrities? And who are these celebrities?

* What breakfast food is Bonnie? You?

*Who's a single, cat-owning librarian? And is that such a bad life?

*Where are those hot new covers coming from?

*When will men learn? And do the cows have anything to do with it?

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

The Secret is Out!!!

Secret Society Girl by Diana Peterfreund is OUT TODAY!

Secret Society Girl takes us into the heart of the Ivy League’s ultra-exclusive secret societies when a young woman is invited to join as one of their first female members.Elite Eli University junior Amy Haskel never expected to be tapped into Rose & Grave, the country’s most powerful–and notorious–secret society. She isn’t rich, politically connected, or…well, male.

So when Amy receives the distinctive black-lined invitation with the Rose & Grave seal, she’s blown away. Could they really mean her?

Whisked off into an initiation rite that’s a blend of Harry Potter and Alfred Hitchcock, Amy awakens the next day to a new reality and a whole new set of “friends”–from the gorgeous son of a conservative governor to an Afrocentric lesbian activist whose society name is Thorndike. And that’s when Amy starts to discover the truth about getting what you wish for. Because Rose & Grave is quickly taking her away from her familiar world of classes and keggers, fueling a feud, and undermining a very promising friendship with benefits. And that’s before Amy finds out that her first duty as a member of Rose & Grave is to take on a conspiracy of money and power that could, quite possibly, ruin her whole life.

A smart, sexy introduction to the life and times of a young woman in way over her head, Secret Society Girl is a charming and witty debut from a writer who knows her turf–and isn’t afraid to tell all....

Monday, July 17, 2006

I Want Your Money

Seriously.

Hey y'all! I just signed up to walk in the 3 Day Walk for the Cure (Breast Cancer) in Atlanta in October as part of the Knight Agency team. I have to raise $2200 to even participate so the begging for funds begins now. Please support me because if I die doing this, you'll feel very guilty if you didn't. (How was that for a guilt trip? I'm sure if I was a mother I could do better.) Click Here to see my personal page. (And make a donation!)

Click Here to see my team page.

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Amazon Reviews

PERMISSION TO FORWARD

Calling all Authors!

Tired of being trashed with no recourse? There may be something we can do to minimize the effects of mindless reviews.

I am sending a cache of letters to Amazon's corporate office requesting that all reviews be ordered according to their stars. Five stars at the top. One star on the bottom. The reader can choose which order she wishes to read the reviews in, but the best will always be at the top. This may cut down on the deliberate trashing of books because the trashers review wil always be at the bottom and not the first thing prospective buyers will see.

Please send your letters made out to Amazon requesting this change in how reviews are presented to:

Jennifer St. Giles
PO Box 465654
Lawrenceville Georgia 30042

Deadline for final mailing will be Aug. 31 St 2006 but depending on the response I may send several batches. Spread the word.

Thanks, Jennifer

Friday, July 14, 2006

Random Things

Me in front of the Poison Garden - a special section of the Alnwick Castle gardens (no wonder they filmed Harry Potter here!) This garden contained things that could: kill you in a variety of ways, cause your stomach to bleed, raise a rash on your skin, burn out your sinuses just from inhalation, addict you, blind you - both temporarily and permanently, give you diarrhea, stop your heart, eat holes in your brain...I could go on, but you get the picture, right?

The whole gang at the Scottish border. It was such a beautiful day! From left to right - Allyson, Michelle, Sasha (the little one), Rick and me.

Ah, the haggis. Isn't it pretty? And so tasty! Who would've thunk it? Mmmm...haggis...

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

The "Wildlife"

Who knew sheep were so good at staring? They were very suspicious of the woman with the camera. Get baaa-ck in your car, lady!
This swan was one of probably 100 occupying a small lake near the North Sea. Quite beautiful to see so many of them gliding along together. This fellow was more interested in seeing if we had crackers.
Although you can't tell from the picture, these cows graze right beside a section of Hadrian's Wall - one of the oldest Roman built structures in the world. And as I was standing in that field with them, I can tell you that huge doesn't begin to describe their size. Or aroma.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

The Castles - Part One

Edinburgh Castle
Bamburgh Castle - on the coast of the North Sea

The portcullis at Alnwick Castle. This castle played the roll of Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films.
Raby Castle
Another of Alnwick

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Home!

We're back from England and had a huge blast! It was a great trip, and there are many stories to tell. I'll be doing pics and such all week.

Some of the highlights?
* Backing the rented Mercedes into a post in an Edinburgh car park
* Eating haggis
* Getting a ride from two British highway patrolmen
* Having tea in a treehouse
* Naked chicken dancing

Want to know more? You'll have to stop back this week!