RITA ® Award-Winning Author of Fantasy Romance
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Another photo from the Chicago Architectural Boat Tour. That was just an amazing tour – one of the best I’ve taken, anywhere, ever. Many thanks to Lacey Savage/Hunter Raines and Fiona Jayde for inviting me along!
I’m over at Novel Spot again today, for the fifth installment on making the writer thing happen.Today’s is all about perseverance, shopping the novel and selling in unexpected places.
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Today is Day 4 over at NovelSpot’s Behind the Scenes, where I’m talking about that morning-after awkwardness, in the time beyond getting that first book published. What it meant for me was getting serious about craft and writing habits.
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Oh look! A nest with eggs! How wonderful, yes?
Well…
Not so much.
Observe location of said nest:
Don’t see it? Let me show you a better picture:
See that twiggy stuff in the shadows of the upper opening in the tire? Yes, our nest.
This happened last year, too. Only we didn’t notice the nest until we’d been driving the the Jeep around and it was way too late. This time, David saw momma bird fly out of the tire yesterday afternoon. We figure she must have laid the eggs yesterday morning or the night before. A little research told us that the eggs should take two weeks to hatch and then two more weeks for the birdies to leave the nest.
*Sigh*
So, I am attempting relocation. The same research said house finches like to build nests in hanging plants, too. I dug out one of my dead hanging plants from last summer and hung it next to the tire. (You can see it in the big Jeep picture – I don’t normally hang dead plant baskets on the Jeep.) Hopefully momma bird got used to seeing it there. This morning, I put on latex gloves and then washed them, to try to remove as much human scent as I could. Then I relocated the nest to the basket.
I hung the basket on the tire and added an exotic cover for shade and protection.
Hopefully momma bird will find it and continue to sit on the eggs. Then I’ll gradually move the whole thing to the nearby grape arbor.
Think good thoughts!
Also, Day 3 of my Novel Spot history of Me as a Writer is up today. Let me know what you think!
//Just found out that Rogue’s Pawn will be available in audio format, too, from Audible.com. No release date yet for that format – keep checking back here!
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This is my Ellora’s Cave editor, Grace Bradley, sharing a meal and cocktails with me and Laura Bickle. I’m not sure why Laura looks so glowy – must be her radiant spirit.
This week I’m doing a series of posts over at Novel Spot, for their “Behind the Scenes” feature. This series lets authors tell, over the course of seven days, how they got where they are today.
So you can go see Day One: The Before Time and Day Two: Putting It Together, Making It Happen.
It was interesting to write these, to go back over the last twenty-some years and see how my writing career – and my ideas about it – have changed. And grown. Always a good thing to see some growth.
I think you have to register and log in to comment there, which I know is a pain, so feel free to comment here!
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I’m back from convention!
And getting my bearings. While I recombobulate, I have a bit of a contest to offer you.
See, because Marcella, Laura and I are all on the cutting edge of fashion (ahem), we all ended up wearing butt ruffles to convention. I know – it truly boggles the mind.
Highly amused, we decided to take pics and let YOU, our fond audience, determine which butt ruffles belong to which person.
Choose wisely.
Keep in mind we returned burdened with swag and free books. I myself, scored a copy of Anne Rice’s new book.
(You’ll also be glad to know that I didn’t lose my fangirl mind and get lipstick on her or anything…)
Let’s hear those guesses!
////Okay, I got tagged once before and ducked it, but @katiebabs tagged me today. Since I didn’t post to the blog today and likely won’t tomorrow morning, I gave in. I adjusted slightly though to keep it PG. Here’s the deal.
It all started when Thea Harrison posted this on her website:
“Whee, authors are tagging each other to post 7 lines from page 77 of our latest book or current manuscript, starting after the 7th sentence.”
So here’s mine, from the recently completed and sent to my editor, Platinum.
“Come on down, princess!”
She held onto the rail and clicked down the unsteady stairs to find a grinning Steel waiting for her, swathed in his welding coveralls, goggles perched on his head.
“I’m glad you stopped by—I need you.”
“I can’t stay long.” She scanned the room, wondering what he had in mind, but he held up a digital timer, ostentatiously holding his thumb over the start button, the display showing thirty minutes.
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It’s that time of year again: the RT Booklover’s Convention!
I head out tomorrow morning and I will *try* to keep up with pics and gossip here as best I can. (But those of you who’ve followed along before know how well this usually turns out. I always think I’ll have plenty of time and then suddenly it’s Sunday, I’m on a plane home and all I can remember is a blur of faces and one, long, nonstop conversation. I suspect time-warp – I really do.)
If you’ll be there, look me up! Here are some for-sure appearances:
Tuesday, 6:30 pm, Ghost Tour – this should be super-fun. And Cindy Spencer Pape and I will likely be in the hotel bar afterwards.
Wednesday, 2:15-3:15, Panel – SPECIALTY: WRITING UNDER MULTIPLE NAMES: PROS & CONS
PANELISTS: Lynne Connolly (AKA Lynne M. Connolly/Lynne Martin), Seleste deLaney, Jeffe Kennedy (AKA Jennifer Paris), Cindy Spencer Pape (AKA Cian Fey), Hunter Raines (AKA Lacey Savage), LaVerne Thompson (AKA Ursula Sinclair)
Wednesday, 3:30-4:30, Reader Party! – THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE SIDEKICK
HOSTS: Laura Bickle (AKA Alayna Williams), Marcella Burnard, Jeffe Kennedy (AKA Jennifer Paris)
Wednesday, 9:00-Midnight, Party! – ELLORA’S CAVE STEP UP & STOMP
Thursday, 4-6, Signing! – E-BOOK, INDIE PUBLISHER & GRAPHIC NOVEL EXPO
Thursday, 8:30-Midnight, Fairy Ball! – THE CLAN MCFAE PRESENTS A MAGICAL SCOTTISH FLING & COSTUME COMPETITION
Saturday, 6:15-7:30, Party! – FAN-TASTIC DAY PARTY
Saturday, 8-9, Moar Party! – CARINA PRESS COCKTAIL PARTY
Join Executive Editor Angela James, Carina Press authors and other members of the Carina Press team for cocktails during a celebration to thank everyone for their support as we head into our first anniversary!
Saturday, 9-Midnight, Still MOAR Party! – HARLEQUIN DANCE PARTY
Harlequin Enterprises hosts a spectacular dance party and an evening of glamour where you will meet the stars of romance.
I’ll be at workshops and private events here and there, too. Otherwise your odds are pretty good of finding me in the bar. Look for the hat. Feel free to stop by and pull up a chair!
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I’m over at Word Whores this Easter Sunday, mixing up my holidays and talking about the pets of my childhood.
