Whew. Just flew back from conference a few hours ago, and boy am I exhausted. Exhilarated, but exhausted. I think it’s safe to say we all had a fantastic time seeing each other and giving our combined workshop. And even better, we got to meet some of the Jaunty posters – like Andrea, Lacey and Crystal! – though I missed Crystal! I tried to find y’all after the signing, but ended up wandering around the Grandstand Lounge and Garden Level to no avail. I knew I should have grabbed Jenna to reaffirm the location before running out of the signing to hit the loo – the three hours got me! But I’m looking forward to seeing the pictures from the get together.

Here are some pics from this weekend. Can’t wait to see everyone’s!

*waves to Tessa*

Jaunties unite! Anne, Shane, Robyn, Cindy, Margo and Shirley at the Avon Family Dinner. (I snuck Kim in the corner…we missed her!!!)

May’s Jaunty Girls – Anne, May, Robyn, Sophie and Shane

Jaunty Sophie Jordan and Shane

Anne at the Literacy Signing

Robyn at the Literacy Signing

Shane at the Literacy Signing

Margo at the Literacy Signing

Shirley at the Literacy Signing

Jaunty Jenna at the Literacy Signing – looking fab in her Avon shirt

Jaunty Andrea W – she had the greatest t-shirt that said “Everybody loves a Regency Girl”

Mystery feet at the Golden Heart and RITA Ceremony….you know who you are…

I’m time-traveling today, in a sense. As you read this, I’m on my way home to Oregon from RWA’s National conference in Atlanta.

By now, I hope to have sold many books at the Literacy signing, met a few of you in person, re-connected with old friends and formed new bonds, had face-to-face meetings with my editor and agent, survived having four roommates instead of the usual three, imparted something useful during the workshop several of us Quills presented on Saturday, and oh yeah, learned something new at the various workshops I attended.

I’m sure the other Quills will be sharing some of their experiences from Atlanta this week, as will I. Just as soon as I’ve had a chance to nap. So much to do at conference, there isn’t much time to sleep.

In books, friends can be a great way to help the reader get to know the H&H better. Sometimes they have such strong personalities or backstory that they threaten to take over the book. These are characters that often end up with a book of their own.

This got me to thinking about friends in my own life. Some, I’ve known seen I’ve been a teenager, some are more recent acquisitions. What’s interesting is how these friendships change. There are some women that I used to feel very close to….but now it seems we don’t have much in common. I’m not sure if it’s me that has changed or them. I like it that we’ve shared so much over the years, but lately I’ve been wondering if it’s worth the effort to try to keep the relationship going. Have any of you faced that problem? How did you resolve it? Any insights would be appreciated!

As some of you may know, we Jaunty Quills, as well as about 2000 other romance writers, are in Atlanta this week for the Romance Writers of America national conference. So far it’s been a total blast. We plan to take lots of pictures to share with you when we get back.

But like most trips, not everything has gone peachy. I woke up on Wednesday morning to the sound of pouring rain. A quick peek out my window confirmed that it was flooding on my street. Of course, every time it rains for more than five minutes my street floods, so this was nothing new. It was more like an omen.

On top of the driving rain, I was having technology issues. I got a new cell phone the night before and foolishly decided to go ahead and cancel my old service and switch my number over. Ultimate Sportsfan had done it the week before, and the switch only took two hours.

Well, my switch took considerably longer–like 12 hours longer. In fact, Wednesday morning when I was supposed to leave for the airport, the cell still wasn’t working. What’s the point of having a cell phone if it doesn’t work when you’re traveling halfway across the country and probably really need a cell phone for once?

So I left for the airport in pouring rain without cell phone service, and as you can probably guess, my flight was delayed.

For over an hour.

Which wouldn’t have been so bad except that I happened to be seated among about ten people who all knew each other and were clearly way over caffeinated for nine a.m. After sitting for an hour listening to them scream and laugh and the guy beside me sing “I’m in love with a stripper,” I was either going to hijack the plane and fly it myself or jump out one of those tiny windows.

I’m not stuck in an airplane or under arrest, so obviously the plane finally took off. Yay! I could turn on my iPod! No more off-key hip-hop!

I survived the flight, the baggage claim (I have way too much luggage), and the shuttle, and finally arrived at the hotel. I still had an hour and a half before I had to be down at the literacy signing. I was going to make it!

I think you know what’s coming next…

That’s right. The hotel didn’t have my reservation. They’d lost it or deleted it or — something. But for some reason, the hotel had both of my roommates’ names in the system. I’d tell you how we resolved this, but I think that might cause me or the hotel some liability, so suffice it to say that somehow I ended up in my room. I was tired and cranky and hungry. But I had a bed.

And now for the good part. I met the best people at the literacy signing. AndreaW and Crystal from the Avon authors’ board stopped by to say hi, and then we all met up after the signing and chatted more with a few other authors.

And that’s what makes it all worth it — all the travel and the hassle and the inconvenience. None of that matters when you meet great people who love reading and writing. That’s the awesome thing about being here in Atlanta. I’m surrounded by people who do what I do and love it as much as I do. So, hello, Atlanta!

As RWA National gets under way in Atlanta, I find myself looking back fondly on my own memories of conferences past and the wonderful experiences I’ve had as an attendee. As Robyn said in her blog entry, there is truly something for everyone, from the aspiring author to the multi-published, bestselling scribe. There are informative workshops galore as well as parties, dinners, and other get-togethers sponsored by publishers and RWA chapters. National also offers the perfect opportunity to meet face to face with crit partners or your writer friends, to mix and mingle with your own favorite authors. Where else will you find such a large gathering of romance authors signing books under one roof than at the literacy autographing? And we mustn’t forget the glitz and glitter of Rita/Golden Heart award night!

Of course, the most memorable conference for me was Dallas 2004. Why? Well, not only had I just recently sold my first book to Avon and was actually going to able to attend the publisher-sponsored Avon dinner as an official AUTHOR, but I was a finalist in the Golden Heart Contest in the Best Long Historical category. Award night is always a rather surreal experience where everyone gets dressed up in their fanciest duds and gets to feel like royalty. (Think Oscar night, but with fewer males in attendance and no red carpet.) That year, however, it was especially poignant for me. When my name was announced as the winner in my category, I was thrilled and overcome by emotion. I can still remember crying and laughing at the same time as I went up on stage to accept the award. (That’s me above after the awards ceremony with my wonderful editor, May Chen.) Not only is that my best memory from that conference, but it is one of my best memories ever. Next to getting The Call, of course. It even topped the memory of getting to sit at the same table at the Avon dinner with the likes of Victoria Alexander, Debra Mullins, and friend and fellow JQ Shane Bolks/Shana Galen, though not by much. Needless to say, it was a very eventful occasion!

So, what is one of your best memories? Obviously not everyone here is a writer, so it doesn’t have to be RWA or writing related. But if it is, that’s great.

I’m leaving in a few hours to drive down to Atlanta for RWA’s National Conference. It’s always one of my favorite times of year, especially when so many of my friends are attending. National is something to behold. 2000 women (well there are a handful of men mixed in there) converge on a hotel and eat, sleep and breath romance writing for 4 days. It is, at times, overwhelming, moving, exhausting and exhilerating. And regardless of how little sense it makes, we all work very hard to primp and polish until we look all shined up for each other. Case in point…in the last few days I’ve had my hair done, my teeth cleaned, my eyebrows waxed and my fingernails and toes done. I’m coordinating my jewelry and bringing far too many pairs of black shoes with me. Yep, multiple pairs of black shoes. I know you ladies understand. I also know that no one at the conference will care one ounce how I’m dressed or whether or not my earrings match perfectly with the print in my blouse, but we’ll all have on our finest. And for a group of people who rarely make it out of work-out pants and bathrobes, this is a vast improvement. Some have gone on their annual pilgrimage to Wal-Greens for a 4-day supply of pantyhose. I chose open-toed shoes instead. Because, frankly, it’s too hot to wear hose in the south. Regardless of the fashion parade, National is a wonderful experience. No matter if you’re a new writer who’s still a little wet under the collar, or if you’re a seasoned multi-puliblished author, being with other writers is a special time. So while I hate to leave you all, I must go and finalize my packing and get myself to Atlanta. My sisters are calling…

Romance Writers of America’s annual conference kicks off tomorrow in Atlanta, Georgia, and most of the Jaunty Quills will be attendance. (With the exception of yours truly. Sniff sniff) Anyway, I’m hoping that my fellow JQ sisters will pop in throughout the week to keep us updated on what’s happening. And here’s a good luck wish for our very own Shane Bolks, who is a nominee for a Rita award for Best First Book for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Men I’ve Dated. We’ll be cheering for you on Saturday night, Shane! Take lots of pictures, JQers!

And to all of you who may be attending, I want to wish you a safe and fun trip.

We sailed for a week through the Cyclades in Greece, hitting Paros, Naxos, Iraklia, Ios and Antiparos. We ferried to Mykonos afterwards and tried to go to Delos, but no ferries would make the Delos journey (*sob*) due to the high winds. Each island had its own local color, its own richness and pizzazz. Some were quiet and quaint, others rough and rowdy, but they all had the same great food and beautiful beaches. Well, ok, some beaches were definitely better than others!

No sailing pictures to show, in order to protect the innocent (aka the other 8 people who sailed), but there is one of our sailboat below, a Bavaria 44. We self-captained and crewed, so it was our very own adventure. And happily, nothing went too screwy. Our sailing days ranged from placid to Force 7 winds (9-13 foot waves), so every day was different. A highly recommended choice of travel for anyone interested in venturing out in the Greek Islands! And if sailing isn’t your thing…the ferries run nearly everywhere.

The Acropolis, fuzzy style

A long shot of the Parthenon from up top.

Parthenon – up close and personal.

Our lovely vessel (in front).

A cropped shot of the water – Aegean blue, for Robyn. Yes, it is that blue!

The waterfront at night in Naxos.

Our Motorino line in Naxos — a great way to tour the islands!

An octopus on a line in Antiparos.

A building in Lefkes, Paros – a fantastic town of walking streets.

A small beach in Mykonos – away from the winding streets that were built to confuse marauders (and tourists).

Mykonos – living on the edge.

Wow, it’s so hard to figure out which pictures to post!! Hope you enjoy these!

The new addition to our family has settled in. We even named him! Dakarai (pronounced duh-CAR-ray; it’s Egyptian, means “happy”) went to the vet for a check-up on Tuesday. I learned the importance of wearing a shirt with a collar instead of an open V. He’s bonded enough that I was the safe place in the scary exam room where they do rude things (“You’re going to stick that thermometer where?!?”), so he wanted up under my chin in a hurry. But there reached a point where there was no fabric for traction. The scratches are healing nicely.

According to the vet’s scale, our little guy gained 12 ounces in the 18 days since we first brought him home. Even with his huge energy output, running and playing at full tilt, he’s still gaining two-thirds of an ounce every day. He likes the fishing lure the best, an interactive toy that gets him doing incredible leaps and flips. In the middle of a manic play session, he’ll race to the bathroom for a trip to the box, eat some kibble, drink water (always in that order) and come racing back. If one of us leaves the room and returns before Dakarai does, all we have to say is “he had to gas up.”

We’re trying to teach him “time for bed” means quiet time, not time to attack bare toes or fingers. He’s now big enough he can get up on the bed in the morning to let us know he wants food and or to play. As soon as I return from the conference in Atlanta, we’re getting him a playmate. We can’t always time our departure to his naps, and he has these big blue eyes…

We’d already noticed that he stops playing with his solo toys if we leave the room. And, like most cats, he needs to be the center of attention – I was able to proofread galleys last week only by moving him from one side of the page to the other. Friday night, my crit group met at my house. Three of us sitting at the dining table were able to laugh and watch his antics as he played with his solo toys in the foyer. I wondered why he didn’t go in the living room where I could hear my husband flipping the kitty lure. Later, I realized Dakarai was playing where he had the biggest audience, visible to all four of us. Let’s face it, our kitty is a ham.

The next day, my mom was helping me sew the last piece for my smuggler costume (which I plan to wear at the big literacy signing in Atlanta Wednesday night) and I told her about his latest showing-off. Mom gave a wry smile and said, “Typical male.”

I was wondering today if most readers know that in a romance a HEA (Happily Ever After) is guaranteed? It’s what I’ve always liked about romance. But in so many books that readers “think” are romance, there is no HEA. You see it some in Chicklit (that tends to have a “hopeful” ending) or in Women’s Fiction, which can have a romance in them, but a HEA isn’t guaranteed.

The HEA thing comes up when a reader will say…I was so worried they wouldn’t get together. But, in a romance they “always” get togther. That said, I know what they mean. When I’m in the middle of reading a story and all seems lost…a part of me says the same thing. I would be so disappointed if I was reading a story, thinking it was a romance only to discover they didn’t get together in the end. What about you? HEA required or is Hopeful ending okay?

My daughter went to see the new Jennifer Anniston movie. She is one that likes hopeful endings (says they’re more realistic) but she said she walked out of the movie depressed. Said the couple fought the entire movie and then broke up (again) in the end. No overriding theme that she could pick up on. I told her I don’t think I’ll be seeing it….I like to feel good when I leave the theater after spending the time and money to go to a movie.

Enough rambling…I’ll be in Atlanta next week for the national Romance Writers of America conference and am looking forward to see the other Jaunty Quills there!