I'm off to RT today! This year's conference looks to be bigger, badder, and more awesome than ever, and I can't wait to see my friends, meet some readers, and sign some books! Here's the conference website so you can check out all the cool parties and events, but if you'd like to stalk me in particular, here's where I'll be:
Thursday, April 29th This is unofficial, but from about 6:00 on, I plan to be in the bar at the Hyatt Regency. : )
Friday, April 30th 10:00 - Save the Contemporary Panel with Smart Bitch Sarah, Jane from Dear Author, and a whole bunch of contemporary readers and writers! Just a gab fest about what we love, hate, want to see more of, in our favorite romance subgenre.
11:15 - Agent Expose with Deidre Knight, the other fabulous ladies of the Knight Agency, and some of their clients, talking about the agent/author relationship and how to have a good one.
12:00 - The View with Nancy Berland, in which I'll be featured in the last fifteen minutes or so, talking about book marketing, online PR, and how to get your name out there so people who will love your books can find them!
2:45 - The Contemporary Voice, a panel on writing contemporaries, and what makes that voice so special and different from other genres.
Saturday, May 1 11:00 - 2:00 THE RT BOOK FAIR! This is the big one, folks, and the only one you don't need to be registered at the conference to attend. Come one, come all, and meet some amazing romance writers (several of whom better watch out, because I plan to fangirl all over them when I see them.)
5:00 - As part of Women's Fiction Day, I'll be doing a cocktail demonstration, which includes free drinks, signature Recipe for Love champagne flutes to take home, and an interactive sangria-making lesson! Should be fun times, and we've already got about 100 people signed up. We're capping it at 120, so be there early if you want to get in.
7:00 - 9:00 Lady Jane's Salon, another chance to get one of those Recipe for Love champagne flutes, and hear some cool headline authors read from their latest books, mingle with other romance readers, and just generally be down and groovy. The Lady Jane's folks always put on a good party, so you don't want to miss this one.
I've been thinking a lot about book trailers lately. Specifically, how to do them well and make them cute, interesting, original, and effective. I've definitely seen some fun ones (and some so awful they make me cringe) but have I ever seen an effective one? Have you? And then I came across Tessa Dare's video for her upcoming new Stud Club trilogy.
I laughed and laughed, got totally intrigued by the premise of the trilogy, and now I can't wait to read the books! I'd call that effective, wouldn't you?
So what are some of your favorite book trailers? Do you watch them at all, or give them a pass?
For the next week, I'll be over at Novelspot talking about how I became a romance writer, in seven easy steps! Okay, so it wasn't easy. But break any process down into seven steps, and it seems simpler than it is. If you want to learn how I got to be the author of the Recipe for Love series, come on over and check it out. Today is all about the first step any author takes: reading.
I'm going to my first ever outdoor music festival tonight--Coachella Music Fest! Stinger and I are in Palm Springs for his dad's birthday, but when we realized one of our favorite bands would be playing at this festival tonight, we had to score some tickets. And now we're going to see Muse! I could not be more excited. Well, maybe if it were My Chemical Romance. Or the Ramones. But Muse is plenty thrilling! Full report later...
Don't miss the fabulous in-depth article in Florida Today, all about romance and why we love it. It made me so proud to be a romance writer! (You heard it here first, bodice-rippers are GONE!) Check it out, and be sure to watch the video. I tried to embed it, but it came back as unavailable. : ( Technologyfail, I am the queen of it.
I've got at least two outdoor weddings this summer, which means exactly one thing: espadrilles. And since I live in the boonies, I do most of my shopping online and now I have piles of shoe boxes filled with black patent leather strappy espadrille wedge sandals, and I need to narrow it down to just one! Yikes.
After a lot of wandering around my house in hiked-up pajama pants and fancy heels, I've got the choices down to a final three. I'm hoping you, my dedicated readers/shoe lovers, can help me make the final selection.
Here they are, two angles on each pair:
These are the least comfortable of the three, but also maybe the cutest. In the battle of style vs. substance, I usually go for style without even blinking an eye, but in this case, there are other good options, so I'm torn.
These are the most casual, and also the most comfortable. They tend to make me clomp like a Clydesdale, but would that really be noticeable on grass or gravel?
These are both a more moderate heel than the first pair, but dressier than the second pair. There's something kind of cool about their wide straps, and the way the strap extends down the sole makes me think of the classic espadrille that wrapped and tied around the ankle.
This should have happened yesterday, so I could've called the post Twofer Tuesday! That's me, a day late and a dollar short. Sigh.
But really, who cares what I call it, because what I've got for you today is two very different blog posts, and two different chances to win fantastic prizes!
One is a post about the most unexpectedly romantic meal of my life, and the other is a super fun behind-the-scenes interview with the characters from my Recipe for Love novels! That's right, Katiebabs asked the crazy Market kitchen crew some probing questions. ; ) To check out their answers, and the fabulous prize, go here.
Books and market totes and aprons, oh my! I'm in such a giving mood today. Better come and get it while it's hot!
I'm about ready for church, then it's home to bake the two savory vegetable tarts I promised to bring to our family dinner. I'm going with one Tender Tomato Tart and one Fresh Herb Tart (with goat cheese), both from the Deborah Madison cookbook, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. To be clear, these are my contributions for the benefit of another guest who's vegetarian--Stinger and I officially broke our Lenten fast after the Easter Vigil service last night! I'm serious, we came home from that sucker at 11:00 and raided the fridge for stuff like beef jerky and prosciutto. It was nuts--but also delicious. I'm really looking forward to that roast leg of lamb today! I can only hope they don't overcook it. Sometimes, for me, being the guest is way more stressful than being in complete control of what goes on in the kitchen. Do you ever feel that way?
I grew up in Virginia, went to school in Philadelphia, spent five years in Manhattan, then moved to a teeny town in Ohio. Now I live in fabulous, funky, fun Austin, Texas, which is very inspiring...
Once an editor of romance novels, now I'm writing my own. My Recipe for Love series combines contemporary romance with my love of food, restaurants, and smokin' hot chefs!
