I have instilled a great love of reading in each of my children, so much so that my two-year-old has taken up reading to the foster kittens. I am particularly tickled by her choice of book. She knows her audience! (On the off chance you find yourself smitten with one of these little guys, they will be available for adoption through CARMA. I can vouch for the fact that they are unfazed by crazy kids, dogs or Game of Thrones twists.)
I am up to my eyeballs in research for my latest manuscript. It takes place on an island in the South Pacific, and while you might think that opens one up to a variety of culinary delights, you would be wrong. My characters have limited resources, and frankly can't cook for s#*t. (I put a little of myself into each character :) ) That means if I want to accurately describe what they're eating, I need to cook the food they have on hand using the tools they have access to. This promises to be interesting to say the least.…
I enjoyed our Orange County chapter's April meeting for RWA on Saturday. Well, I mostly enjoyed it. I brought in a never-before-used insulated coffee canister and within seconds of sitting down for the meeting I spilled scalding hot cocoa all down the front of me. OUCH! My bottom lip blistered and my chin was red, but after frantically applying ice for a while it eventually lessened to a mild discomfort. As I type this, three days later, my bottom lip is still numb, and the skin has hardened into a stiff line. Lesson learned; never assume you know where the…
Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the grand opening of The Ripped Bodice, a brick and mortar bookstore dedicated entirely to romance books! I first learned of TRB a few months ago at the LARA chapter of RWA. Bea Koch was in attendance and told us of her Kickstarter campaign. Naturally I said, "TAKE MY MONEY!!!" Fortunately, many others said the same thing, and the project was successfully funded. I am delighted by the backstory of the store. It was founded by two sisters, Bea and Leah Koch. You can read all about their journey on their website.…
The ol' sexy librarian cliché is a cliché for a reason! Yesterday I attended yet another romance related event at a local library. Maybe libraries like to capitalize on the whole Valentine's Day tie-in? I dunno. This event took place at Brea Branch Library. It was very nicely done. They had refreshments provided by Friends of the Brea Library, Sprouts and The Corner Bakery Café. There was plenty of comfortable seating, and there were a bunch of authors!! (What is the plural collective of authors? A gaggle of geese, a murder of crows, a pandemonium of parrots - apparently I…
I realize that the title I chose for this post might be misinterpreted to mean I thought Cherry Adair bombed during her amazing talk to my RWA chapter yesterday. I actually mean it as quite the opposite! She drops bombs wherever she goes! This woman is fierce. She is vivacious, and full of such frenetic energy you can't help but be motivated just by sitting near her and soaking up her aura. The meeting hall was packed with eager disciples of Adair. True to form, she kept us entertained and got our wheels turning on our goals and WIPs. She's…
I attended a reading by Tessa Dare at Yorba Linda Public Library last night. I adore historical romance, and Tessa Dare is one of my all-time favorite authors. I enjoy her tongue-in-cheek humor and how she doesn't take herself too seriously. She spoke on her methods, what she struggles with as a writer, and agreed with the overall opinion in the room that Netflix or Hulu or (insert your favorite content provider) should jump on making historical romances into movies or series! Um, hello? OUTLANDER anyone? Don't tell me there isn't a market for it. There was a pretty good…
