Heidi Betts - www.heidibetts.com

question of the week

What is your favorite breakfast cereal?

And, no, you don't have to eat it only for breakfast. You can be eating it at 3am for all I care. :-)

I had Cheerios for breakfast this morning, but I can't say it's my favorite. I actually like Kix & Rice Krispies more, but prefer them with blueberries or strawberries, which are completely out of season at the moment. :-(

And then there's Count Chocula. I don't know if it's the marshmallows or the vampire on the box, but I've loved these since I was a kid. And Lucky Charms. Lucky Charms are another fave of mine, tho I'm not too happy they've been messing with the formula recently. Now there seem to be too many marshmallows in the stuff. They've also come out with a chocolate version...bought a box but haven't tried them yet.

As a side story to one of the reasons Lucky Charms are my favorite...the scene in Susan Elizabeth Phillips's Nobody's Baby But Mine. Have you read this? If not, why the hell not?!? It's fabulous. You must, must, must, if only to find out what I'm talking about. Because in Baby, there's this scene that involves Lucky Charms, & it is hilarious. And because I know Susan, I also happen to know it's based on real events, which only makes it that much funnier, imo.

So go out & buy a copy of Baby, find that scene, & then have a bowl of Lucky Charms...& try not to let milk shoot out of your nose because you're laughing so hard.

raining cats & dogs

It's absolutely pouring outside & has been all day. It's one of those bleary Eeyore days where all you want to do is curl up in your favorite chair and read a good book. I haven't had the chance to do that yet, but I sure would like to.

Instead, I've been using the rainy weather to hole up & write. BEDDED THEN WED is coming right along. In fact, it's getting really good. Not to say that it wasn't good before...ha! like any author would say that about her own work...but I just hit a major turning point, & I love the way the dialogue is pouring out & the characters are reacting. Things are heating up. :-) And getting to a spot like this in a story always speeds up the pace. It's as though my fingers can't type fast enough & the book has a mind of its own. Who wouldn't love that?

My DVD sets of The Pretender--Season 2 & NewsRadio--Seasons 1 & 2 arrived today, too. I just love getting nifty mail! And I'm justifying their purchase by calling them either early Christmas presents or late birthday presents. Frankly, I probably won't get around to watching them until after New Year's, anyway, so I'm not sure it matters. :-p

Back to the bedding before the wedding...

all I want for Christmas...

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, it's time to start looking ahead to the Christmas holiday. Or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or Festivus...whatever it is that you celebrate. (Personally, I'm all for Festivus--just a bare aluminum pole, the annual "Airing of Grievances" & then a bit of wrestling around the Festivus pole. Now that's what I call a holiday! :-))

And I already know what's going at the top of my wish list...Serenity, the Firefly movie.

I just found out that Serenity is being released on DVD December 20th. Ohmigosh, how excited am I? The Magnificent Seven & Serenity both in the same month? Just in time for Christmas? Yahoo!

Oh, & also, vodka balls. At the denist's office last week, I was flipping thru a magazine & found a section with fun holiday gift suggestions. One was a martini glass filled with vodka-induced truffle balls. Yum. They reminded me a bit of Chef's "Salty Chocolate Balls" on South Park or Alec Baldwin's "Schwetty Balls" on that Saturday Night Live skit. LOL Which is why I think it only fair that I get some balls of my own this Christmas...& they might as well have vodka in them. :-D

So my letter begins. Dear Santa...

watching movies till my eyes bug out

How was everyone's Thanksgiving?

Technically, I'm still on Thanksgiving break. I mean, if the kids don't go back to school until Wednesday, why should I go back to work before then, either? Okay, that's not entirely true. I've been writing all thru the holiday, but my brain is still very much in "vacation" mode.

Meaning that I've spent the past few days carrying out my usual holiday routine--sitting around watching movies, occassionally getting up to much on turkey leavin's. And with this three free months of HBO, Cinemax, & Showtime that came with Dish Network, I've got plenty to choose from. I've been watching & recording every movie I've ever even remotely been interested in seeing before they take the channels away from me. :-P

So I've recently watched:

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. I really liked this one. That line about "if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball" still cracks me up. Not to mention, "You guys had me at blood & semen."

Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star. Another of those silly/stupid comedies that so amuse me; but it was cute & even made me sniffle at the end. Besides, David Spade cracks me up 85% of the time.

Daddy Day Care. This one had some really cute moments. Men trying to deal with rambunctious kids is always amusing, isn't it?

The Haunted Mansion. Continuing on my apparent Eddie Murphy kick here. And it was actually pretty good. The romance writer in me really liked the romantic/historical thread.

Along Came Polly. Okay, I usually like Ben Stiller movies, but this one did nothing for me. A couple of cute lines, that was it. Otherwise, I didn't think it was funny at all & was really lacking in decent storyline. :-(

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Am I the only one who thinks these are really decent movies? I'm not saying a person's body can actually move like that, but I didn't expect to like either this one or its prequel & ended up thinking they were both really decent. I could probably even see them again.

The Grudge. Oh...my...God. Why are Japanese horror films so much scarier than American ones? This one just about made me wet my pants. I can't say the story was all that great...I liked The Ring better on that score...but that freaky face coming at you every few minutes was enough to give me nightmares.

I also watched a special with stand-up comedian Richard Jeni that was absolutely hysterical.

But I still have plenty to go...Ocean's Twelve, Elektra, Closer, Chicago, Laws of Attraction, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Mona Lisa Smile, Paparazzi, Collateral, Love Actually...

Boy, I'm going to be at this for a while.

quote of the day

I'm still playing holiday hooky, so here's a quote to hold you over...

"I'm a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man,

I keep his house." --Zsa Zsa Gabor

Happy Thanksgiving

...to my family, friends, & all my wonderful readers!

At this time of year, when I count my blessings, I number you among them.

Enjoy your holiday!

question of the week

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, it seems only fitting that this week's question be related to that holiday. So...

What are you most thankful for this holiday season?

why didn't someone tell me my teeth were crooked?

Boy, it is really getting cold out there. The wind is howling, I'm in a big sweatshirt to keep warm, & we're expected to get snow sometime tonight or tomorrow.

I had a dentist appointment today & the dr. says I need to see an orthodontist because I have an "open bite." It has something to do with my jaw being misaligned so that my teeth set crooked & don't meet when I bite down. I've noticed this, believe me. He also said I could be looking at braces &/or surgery. Yeah, right. Not without dental insurance, I'm not. Besides, I already had braces when I was a teenager--braces for 3yrs, a retainer for 3 more. Doubtful I'll be doing that again. And surgery? No, thanks. But I suppose I'll eventually give in to at least having a consultation with the orthodontist, just to see what he says & find out how big a problem this really is or could become.

Oh, & the artwork for SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION did come thru yesterday, in the nick of time. Whew! I had about 30mins left to get it to the woman in charge of Romance $ells & I just made it. The ad is going to look great. The cover is terrific & they always look so much better than just an author photo or whatever. (Imo, anyway. I don't like my photo or looking at myself. :-P)

Got some writing done in the waiting room at the dentist's office, too. I'm having a little trouble getting thru this scene...it's one of those where I need to get from Big Thing that happens at Point A to Big Thing that happens at Point B...but I'm sure I'll think of something. And so far, the story is coming along pretty well. Thank goodness & knock on wood both. I really like these characters & am hoping you guys will, as well, once all is said & done. :-)

bang, bang, bang

That would be the sound of my head hitting the wall.

I've had a lot of trouble getting & staying online the past few days...thus the lack of posts. I tried & tried to post Saturday, but finally gave up when my eyes started bleeding out of frustration. :-P

Saturday was also the new sink & toilet day! The poor plumber was here all day, when I think he expected the job to only take a couple hours, but the new sink & toilet are installed. They're really nice, too! I love, love, love the new sink. It's so cute...the vanity/cupboard part is much smaller than the old one, so I need to find somewhere else to store half the junk that used to be under there, but the basin part is gorgeous. And the "protruding bowl" doesn't bother me at all--I like it a lot! The toilet is good, too. I mean, it's a toilet, so how exciting can it be? But I'm thrilled with how little water it uses, so I'm really happy with the switch.

Today, I'm trying desperately to get the cover art file for SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION from Harlequin in time for my Romance $ells ad, which goes to the printer tomorrow morning. Gak! Something tells me I'm not going to make it, but I'm still praying. It would be great if I could "steal" the cover from Amazon, since it's been up there for a couple of weeks now, but that image just isn't a high enough quality to reproduce in the magazine. :-(

Keep your fingers crossed that I get the artwork in time!

a new Desire authors website--coming soon!

I have a baby on my lap right now. The little black one, who loves to be held. He's a sweetheart, but it sure makes typing difficult.

A group of Desire authors have been working rather diligently for the past week or two to get our group website re-designed. We haven't been doing the really hard work--we have a web designer for that--but we sure have been tossing around ideas & opinions. And today, finally, I think we landed on something we all love.

I don't know when the official re-launching of DesireAuthors.com will be, but I'll certainly let you know. And I think you're going to like it. The image is of a man in a tux holding out a rose to a woman in an evening gown. It's all shades of black & gray, with only touches of red to draw the eye. Very classy, very senusual & romantic. I wish I could post a sample of the design here for you, but you'll just have to trust me--it's gorgeous.

If you've never visited www.DesireAuthors.com before, btw, you really should. The current look is nothing like the new look will be, but much of the content will remain the same. It's a really nice site to visit for information about the Desire authors, upcoming books, appearances, news, etc.

So pop over now to see what the site currently looks like...& then I'll let you know when the new & improved version goes live so you can drop by again. :-) I think you'll be duly impressed.

my new favorite Blizzard

I think.

Got a free Blizzard coupon from Dairy Queen for my birthday, so I used it yesterday after sink shopping. (Good lord, that was a exercise in frustration. I still have a headache!) So anyway, when it comes to Blizzards, I usually get the Reese's peanut butter cup kind, but this time, I decided to try the Reese's Pieces. I'm a big chocolate & peanut butter fan, can you tell? :-) I debated over getting it with plain vanilla soft serve or going for chocolate, but I was afraid full chocolate would be just too much. So the girl offered to mix it with half chocolate, half vanilla. Mmm, sounded good.

Well, I never expected it to be that good! I don't know if the girl added a little extra peanut butter sauce or not, but it smelled positively divine & tasted even better. I don't think I've ever eaten anything so delicious in my life. Yum! Ironically, the Reese's Pieces didn't taste like much...unless just having them in there, blending with the ice cream, was what made the Blizzard taste so good.

So now the question becomes: Will I ever get another one that good? Even if I go back to the same Dairy Queen. Even if I ask for the exact same mixture. Even if I get the same girl to make it. Hmph. I doubt it.

On the sink front, I hope I made the right decision. It took hours to look at everything & weigh my options. I can't decide if the two stores I visited had too much to choose from...or not enough. :-p But I finally went with what they call a "protruding bowl" design. (Sounds like something you need to be rushed to the ER for, huh?) I think it's kind of cute, & definitely different from all the plain, boring square options. (Oh, they had some very cool colors & designs, but only if you were willing to pay an arm & a leg. I wasn't. I just need a sink--one that provides water, drains, & hides my bottle of mouthwash. :-))

The guy did warn me to be careful of cracking my head on this new design, tho, since a lot of people forget that the sink doesn't line up with the vanity anymore. But I think I can handle it. After all, for that to happen, I would have to be on the floor, on my hands & knees, likely cleaning. Yep, not a problem at all. At most, I'll crack my head maybe once a decade. :-P

question of the week

This week's question:

Do you read your horoscope on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis? Why? What do you get out of it? And, oh, what the heck--what's your sign?

is the universe messing with me?

Ever hear the saying "Man plans. God laughs."? Well, I think God had a nice big chuckle this morning.

My plan was to wake up early & get ready to go shopping for a new bathroom sink. (The guy who's putting in the new toilet said it would be just as easy to install both while he's here the first time rather than making two trips, so my goal is to have a new sink--if I can find one I like--by Saturday when he's set to drop by.)

So, okay, I went to bed early last night & turned my alarm on, knowing I needed to pop out of bed as soon as it went off at 8am. At 7am, I got up to go to the bathroom & saw that I still had another hour to sleep. Yay. I love going back to bed for just a little while longer.

Next thing I knew, the alarm was going off & I popped up, just as I'd planned. But when I looked at the clock, it was 11am! 11am!!! How the heck had that happened?!?

Well, I know how it happened. The other day, when I played hooky from life & slept in until almost noon, I kept setting my alarm an hour ahead, thinking, "Just one more hour. Just one more hour." Did that about three times...& apparently forgot to change the alarm back. Yikes.

Worse than just being late for sink shopping, I was three hours late giving my cat his pill. This is not good. This is never good. Thankfully, it's not life-or-death medication, but it still has a tendency to really throw him off if I'm late with a dose. So I jumped up--as planned, just much later than planned--& ran around trying to set my day back to rights. I'm not sure if I've done that yet or not. :-p

Never did go sink shopping...I'm going to try again tomorrow. LOL And this time, my alarm will be set for the right time, darn it! (I think.)

vampires, anyone?

From Dusk Till Dawn was just on...one of my favorite movies. Yeah, it's partly because George Clooney is so damn hot in that black leather vest with that big black tattoo running down his neck & arm. Hubba hubba. But it's also a really good, fun film.

It's also chock-full of great one-liners. Most of which contain the f-word. But, hey, that's Quentin for you.

Here are a few of my favorites:

(Fair warning--if you're easily offended, stop reading now.)

*"Now let's kill that fucking band."

*"Psychos do not explode when sunlight hits them. I don't give a fuck how crazy they are."

*"Everybody be cool. You--be cool."

*"Yeah, those acts of God really stick it in & break it off, don't they?"

*"And I don't want to hear anything about, 'I don't believe in vampires.' Because I don't believe in fucking vampires, but I believe in my own two eyes, & what I saw is fucking vampires."

*"Welcome to slavery." "No thanks, I already had a wife."

Boy, I'm really going to miss all these great movie channels when Dish Network takes them away. :-((( Even tho I already own half of the films I've been watching. LOL There's just something so fun about discovering a favorite movie is on TV instead of making the conscious decision to dig out a DVD & play it.

it's all about the lightbulbs, baby

Had kind of a lazy day today. Got up early to give the cat his pill, but then fell back into bed & slept until almost noon. Ugh, I hardly ever do that. Then when I did finally drag myself out of bed, it was to start reading. (I finished Like a Knife by Annie Solomon & started Bedded by the Boss by Miranda Lee.) Which means I'll either be up late, trying to catch up on my writing, or I'll go to bed feeling guilty for not getting any work done. :-(

I did put together a new lamp for beside my favorite chair, tho. It's one of those natural sunlight lamps that's supposed to keep you from suffering the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder. I'm not sure I have that...altho I do notice I seem more tired & have less giddyup in the Fall & Winter than in Spring & Summer...but I mostly got it because of the type of lightbulb it uses. Fluorescent, which lasts much longer & uses way less energy than regular lightbulbs. (Thus creating less trash that gets stuck in landfills for all time. :-)) Just about all the bulbs in my house have been switched to these now & they're fantastic. They're more expensive at the time of purchase, but they last forever; I have yet to have one die & most have been running for about 2yrs now. You can also bump into or jostle them without worrying they'll short out & need replaced, & I've found them to be as bright, if not brighter, than regular lightbulbs.

And, to be honest, my old lamp wasn't exactly in top shape. It was a little...finicky. Oh, it still worked well enough, if you consider "working" to be getting electricity to the lightbulbs. And I was happy enough to continue using it, even tho the on/off buttons were stuck in place. I had to twist & untwist the bulbs whenever I wanted to use it. That was okay when it came to turning the light on, but turning it off--ouch, ouch, hot, hot. :-D

I don't know yet if I like the new lamp, but I will say this...that baby is bright! Even on its lowest setting, it's like having the sun shining right over your shoulder. And it's sort of a blue-ish light, instead of the yellow type I'm used to. So we'll see how that works out.

happy birthday to me!

Yesterday was my birthday, which is why I haven't turned the computer on since Thursday. (And before you ask, I'm 29--again. :-D)

Haven't done anything really terrific to celebrate yet, but I did go shopping & out to dinner. What I'd like for my birthday is the second season of The Pretender on DVD, but I couldn't find it while I was out, so I'll probably end up ordering it online. And I may even hold off until The Magnificent Seven is released so I can order them both together. Then it will be a joint birthday/Christmas gift to myself. :-)

I did find the cutest doggie sweater while I was out & about yesterday, tho. Now, I don't have any doggies, but I have a kitty cat who needs to be shaved every Spring to avoid a painful matting problem, & once he's all but bald, he tends to get chilly. Angel also happens to be the size of a small dog, so I think this sweater--which is really more of a jacket--is going to work.

It's adorable...dark brown with a leopard print collar & little gold buttons. Very classy. Angel gets upset if you in any way imply he's not a boy, so we have to refer to the coat as very masculine & handsome. I already tried it on him to be sure it would fit, but now I'll put it away until Christmas. Another nice thing about this particular kitty coat is that it velcros at the neck & belly instead of having leg holes. He'll let me drape something over him & stick it closed, but he'll pitch a fit if I try to hold him down & manuever his legs into anything.

I got the other kitties some mousy & catnip toys so I'd at least have one gift for each. Jealousies will arise if I don't. :-)

So now it's time to get back to writing & make up for lost time. Wish me luck!

and the new title is...

BEDDED THEN WED. I had a feeling that would be the one my editor picked, & I was right. And I do like it, even tho I liked "The Second Mrs. Ramsey" better.

Ah, well. I don't tend to get too attached to titles, so in a week, I'll probably forget this even happened. And she did say she would still use "The Second Mrs. Ramsey" as a shout line, which is nice. At least it will get in there somewhere.

Right now, the most amusing thing is how I've switched to abbreviating the new title on all my files...I call it BTW. By The Way, the title has been changed to BEDDED THEN WED. :-) Got it.

question of the week

I just found out that one of my favorite television shows of all times--The Magnificent Seven--is being released on DVD December 6th. Yee-haw! Could I be more excited? I don't think so. I'm going to make it a Christmas present to myself. I cannot wait! :-D

I also discovered that the second season of The Pretender is out, & that Wings has either been released (in which case, I can't figure out where to buy it just yet) or may be coming out soon. Now, if only Diagnosis Murder would come out on DVD, I could die a happy woman.

But all this excitement about beloved TV shows becoming available on DVD brings me to this week's Question of the Week...

What favorite television show--cancelled or current--are you dying to own on DVD?

Is it available, but you just haven't gotten it yet? Or are you petitioning the studio to release it? And how much longer do you think you'll have to wait?

whoo-hoo! new artwork

Discovered the cover for my February 2006 Desire, SEVEN-YEAR SEDUCTION, at Amazon this morning. Whoo-hoo! I love new artwork. And it's good, too, which only makes it that much better.

The background is lighter than my past covers, but I think that may be a good thing. And it's hard to make out the details on this version, but I think the hero & heroine are standing in the middle of a kitchen, which is perfect for the story. Lots of very sexy things happen with Connor & Beth in the kitchen. :-D

The artwork for the Spanish version of BLAME IT ON THE BLACKOUT was up, too. Last time, for BOUGHT BY A MILLIONAIRE, they re-used the same artwork, but this time it's a completely different cover. I think I see horses in the background, too, which is funny since BLACKOUT is a city-set book, with nary a horse in sight. LOL Hey, what can you do? It's still a good cover, so I'll take it.

the search for a new title

Got a note from my editor today that I need to come up with a new title for my September 2006 Desire. We had been calling it THE SECOND MRS. RAMSEY, but I guess there are going to be a couple other books out around the same time with "numbers" in their titles.

I'm disappointed because I really did love that title, but that's okay--I'm sure we'll come up with something equally good. She suggested BEDDED THEN WED, which I like. Then I sent her a list of some I'd been keeping track of, just in case. Of those, I think my favorites would probably be THE TAMING OF MITCH RAMSEY, A HARD MAN TO LOVE/TAME, & MARRIED IN PROTEST. But there were a few others on there that she might like more.

We'll see. If I can't have my first choice, then I'm open to just about anything.

quote of the day

"Here's all you need to know about men & women: Women are crazy, men are stupid. And the reason women are crazy is that men are stupid." --George Carlin

Laughed myself silly for two hours straight last night watching Bill Cosby: Himself. I remember this stand-up routine from the early 80s, but his humor is still relevant & hilarious to this day.

I also got about four new pages written. Once I get thru a love scene, things usually pick up speed. Thank goodness.

I'm still enjoying the new Dish Network, & am taking full advantage of all the extra channels I only have for a limited time. :-) And I'm astounded that my ears seem to be healing so well from their new piercings. Last time around, they were swollen & sore for months. This time, they seem just fine. Sure, it hurts if I talk on the phone too long or accidentally bump them, but otherwise they're great. I think maybe because, instead of using a Q-tip or cotton ball to clean them, I've been using an eye dropper & letting the antiseptic drip all around the holes. I think it gets in there better & keeps them cleaner. Yay!

Now it's back to work. It may be Saturday, but there's no rest for the weary. :-)

new contest on my website

I have a brand new contest running on my website. I call it "Just in Time for Christmas" because it's a decorative gift box filled with fun & romantic goodies, & I figure if I can get it in the mail soon enough after a winner is chosen on December 15th, she may even be able to use the items as stocking stuffers for her friends.

How terrible is that? LOL But, truly, we all re-gift & we know it. And while the winner may find the majority of items in this gift box to her liking, there are bound to be a couple of things she'll pass on.

The contents really are fun, tho...there are bookplates & a bookmark that look like the cover of a romance novel, a mug with hearts on it & vanilla chai teabags, "Grow Your Own Boy Toy" seeds, an adorable angel pen, reviving herbs, a Quiet Moments journal, Passion lip gloss, & more!

To enter, visit my contest page at http://www.heidibetts.com/contest.html

The cover flat giveaway is still going on, too. Simply send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope (7x9 or larger, please) & I'll send you the cover flats of your choice! You can find details & instructions on the same page as the contest.

Enjoy & good luck!

market news

There are some more changes taking place at Harlequin/Silhouette. Nothing major, but they may be of interest to readers & writers alike.

*First, my very own line, Silhouette Desire, has issued new submission guidelines. You can find the specifics at eHarlequin.com, but suffice to say that we'll be seeing stronger, more wealthy & powerful heroes, as well as a different range of conflicts and storylines. I'm excited about the changes, actually, & am looking forward to seeing what ideas I can come up with that will suit.

*Second, you may have noticed that since the launch of Harlequin Next a few months ago, the books in the line have come out in two different sizes--regular paperback & a taller version. Beginning in February 2006, Next titles will be printed only in the regular paperback size.

That's all for this time!

question of the week

Since Halloween is only two days behind us, I have another holiday-themed question for this week.

I don't know about you, but I love to read "theme" books...paranormals or romantic suspense around Halloween, Christmas tales around Christmas, & even Celtic stories or Ireland-set historicals around St. Patrick's Day. I also love to get in the mood for specific holidays by watching a few similar movies or TV shows.

So what book(s) did you read or movie(s) did you see to get yourself in the mood for Halloween this year?

I didn't see anything in the theatre this year that could be considered a scary movie, but I did end up watching The Butterfly Effect, Fallen, & Taking Lives on television. All three were enough to adequately freak me out. :-)

As for reading, I'm still working on Like a Knife by Annie Solomon & Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling. Also just started the Nora Roberts story in the Moon Shadows anthology, & specifically for Halloween, I read Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb, Club Dead by Charlaine Harris, Derik's Bane by MaryJanice Davidson, Hunting Midnight by Emma Holly, & a couple of stories out of the Moonglow anthology.

How about you?

luncheon notes

Boy, I still haven't gotten used to the fact that it's Fall. At only three in the afternoon, the sky is suddenly much darker, & I can tell it's cold & windy outside. I suspect we'll be getting a storm soon--whether rain or snow, I'm not sure--unless turning the clocks back Sunday means it's going to get dark exceptionally early from now on.

It's also November already--can you believe it? The months are flying by so fast, I can barely keep track.

The trip to Bethesda on Saturday went fine. So much better than the attempted trip to NJ only a couple weeks ago. No traffic jams or wrong turns, & since I left a day early, I sort of shopped my way down. :-) There were lots of fun places to stop, & I was in no particular hurry.

The luncheon on Sunday went well, too. It didn't start until 1pm, so I was up & around in plenty of time, as well as being able to repack & check out of the hotel. I made sure to get to the ballroom where the luncheon was being held a little early because I needed to set up some promotional items & run around sticking books in all the goody bags.

When it came time to finding our tables, I was fortunate enough to be sitting with another WRW member, as well as Nora Roberts's husband & daughter-in-law, who run Turn the Page Bookstore Cafe in Boonsboro, MD. Nora wasn't there, having just gotten home from one of her very long & exhausting book tours, but catching up with Bruce & Stacie was fun. Lunch was good, the company was better, and the keynote speaker--Mary Jo Putney--was fabulous, as always. She talked about the universal commonalities that we voracious readers share, as well as the universal appeal of storytelling. The event was definitely over much too soon.

Then, of course, it was time to head home. The drive seemed longer on the way back (isn't that always the case?) & I didn't get here until about 9pm. The kitties sure were happy to see me. You'd think I'd been gone for a week the way they carried on & wouldn't let me out of their sight the rest of the night. :-)

One of the neatest things happened on the way home, btw... I saw a shooting star. I almost couldn't believe my eyes, but I know that's what it was. It was amazing. And since I wasn't sure about shooting star protocol, I made a wish, just in case. Even if a shooting star isn't one of those "make a wish" situations, it has to be good luck in some way, doesn't it?

And now, thank heavens, my calendar is free for the rest of the year. (Knock on wood.) I'm sure small things will crop up, but I want nothing more than to be able to stay home, curl up with my AlphaSmart, & get some serious writing done. Holidays be damned!

Oh, man, the holidays. I completely forgot. Guess I have to start thinking about cards & gifts & all that fun stuff, too. Sigh.

hiding from the trick-or-treaters

Happy Halloween, everyone!

I'm back from Bethesda. A little tired & trying to catch up on all the stuff I put off before leaving.

But today was "hiding from trick-or-treaters day." It's not that I don't like Halloween (actually, I love it!) or that I don't enjoy seeing the kids in their costumes, but I don't know any of the children in the neighborhood anymore, & I swear they come in by the busload from other towns. It's not nearly as fun as it used to be, when you'd try to guess who the kids were, & when they took their masks off, you actually recognized them. Plus, all the noise, knocking, & opening & closing the door sends the cats into fits. So it's just easier to take off for a few hours, until all the hubbub dies down.

Tonight, I went to Red Lobster for dinner (yum!) & stopped at the mall for a bit, hitting the bookstore, Ross, Goodwill, etc. (Fun, fun.) And now, as I said, I'm trying to catch up.

Tomorrow, I'll fill you in on the WRW Booksellers' Luncheon. And later in the week, I'll post another "Question of the Week," as well as some market news about none other than my favorite Silhouette romance line--Desire.

G'night! Don't let the vampires bite. (Unless they're, you know--tall, dark, sexy... :-D)

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