I’m at that RWA conference and just back from the Harlequin party at the Waldorf Astoria in Orlando. Super fun (as always)…but when I got back to my room I realized that I hadn’t set up a blog.

Sooooo…let’s talk setting. There are so many authors who set their books in a town or an area that comes alive for their readers.

For a chance to win one of the new books that I’m bringing home from the conference, please tell me about a book you’ve read where the setting was so real and vivid that you felt like you were there..and you’ll be entered for a chance to win!

When Anne Mallory blogged with us (we miss you, Anne!), she would often celebrate LOL Cat Friday. I think it’s time to celebrate again.

” alt=”LOL Cats” />

Which is your favorite?

Okay, so this post has nothing to do with Cheech and Chong, or Dave for that matter. As you’re reading this me, and many other Jaunty authors are at the Romance Writers of America’s annual conference. So technically — I’m not here. Man. Since it’s *almost* the weekend and I’m next door to the Happiest Place on Earth, I thought I would simply leave you with the following:

Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester on the CW’s ‘Supernatural’. Fave show. Fave smarta*s hero. You’re welcome.

When I think of summer, I think of concerts. It seems like every summer, I’d go to numerous concerts. I lived in Houston as a teenager, so my friends and I would go see all our favorite groups at Southern Star Amphitheater in Astroworld. Sadly, Astroworld in no longer. It’s just a field on the side of the freeway.

The first concert I saw was when I was in sixth grade. I went with my dad to see REO Speedwagon and Cheap Trick. Remember “Can’t Fight This Feeling”? I loved that song, and I’m sure all the other sixth graders did.

One of the first concerts I saw without parents was Depeche Mode. That was in 1988. Let me tell you, the guys from DM made an impression. I thought they were the coolest thing ever. I went out the next day (or rather had my mom drive me to the mall) and bought their Black Celebration album on cassette. No CDs back then.

I started dressing in all black and listening to bands like The Cure, New Order, and The Smiths. I remember one summer I saw Heart, New Order, and Erasure at Southern Star. At fifteen, I was a little surprised to see a man in a pink tutu on stage (Erasure), but for me, anything could happen at Astroworld. It was a place of discoveries.

I never did see The Smiths. I guess they didn’t come to Southern Star or maybe Morrissey was on his own by then. I would have liked to hear “Meat is Murder” live. That was my favorite song and one reason I became a lifetime vegetarian.

My musical tastes now run more toward the Newsboys, TobyMac, and Chris Tomlin, and if you were to peek in my CD player in my car it would probably have a Baby Einstein lullaby CD in it. But that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten those days of black lipstick and Depeche Mode.

What about you? Any concerts you wish you’d seen?

In the interest of full disclosure, this blog was previously posted at the Casablanca authors site. But I liked it so much, I had to share with you too!

I still get excited about going to Disney World (though up to now I’ve only visited Disneyland.)  When I was five years old, I got my first “Mickey ears”, and yes, I still have them.  Walt Disney did create a Magic Kingdom with that first theme park in L.A. because when you walked through those doors, you saw his world of imagination through a child’s eyes. 

And make no mistake the Magic Kingdom is geared for children from the array of kiddy rides to the many movies characters who stroll the park.  But there is also a great deal of adult appeal there as well.  Everything that Disney created, from the theme parks to the wide variety of caroons and movies, speaks to all ages – if you just listen. 

The reality of his dream became so globally huge that it’s hard to believe he started his first cartoon, called Alice’s Wonderland, in his second floor studio in Kansas City.  From the 1920s to the 1950s, Disney made many animated films and short cartoons that won countless awards.  The characters from his imagination became real around the world.  Mickey, Minnie, Dumbo, Pinocchio, Snow White, Cinderella, Bambi, just to name a few.  

Because he was always looking for a new creative mountain to climb, he turned his talents toward an amusement park.  Built in 1955, Disneyland was the place where parents and children could have fun together.  But Disney promised that his park would never be completed “as long as there was imagination left in the world.”

It’s been added to over the years, and before Disney’s death in 1966, he bought land in Florida to build a park that would dwarf Disneyland.  His brother Roy finished Walt’s dream in 1971, naming the new park Walt Disney World. 

And that’s where I am now!

Romance Writers of America is having their annual conference here this week.  What an awesome place to see the world through a child’s eyes again!  Are you a Disney fan?  Have to been to a Disney park more than once?  What’s your favorite Disney place?

Janette will be signing copies of her latest books at the RWA Literacy Signing Wednesday, July 28 from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort, Pacific Exhibit Hall, in Orlando, Florida.  All proceeds are donated to charity.

Nope. Not Christmas. (Though, don’t get me wrong. I’m a big fan of that too.)

And–despite those brilliant office supply ads–I’m not talking about school starting again either. (My daughter starts kindergarten this year, so I’m more tramatized than excited.)

Fellow Desire authors Jules Bennet, Emilie Rose, Ann Major and I at last year's RWA (I'm in the middle in the black and white dress)

The most wonderful time of the year that I’m talking about is the RWA national conference. That magical time when two thousand or more romance writers descend on one unsuspecting city and spend five days geeking out about writing and books. Yes, most of us are women. And all of us in a room together can be pretty deafening.The air is always thick with the scent of body lotions and Starbucks coffee. Not to mention buzzing with creative energy. The conversations you over hear at national range from strange to downright bizarre.  And I’m pretty sure more murders have been planned there than anywhere else in the country. Except maybe James Paterson’s house.

I leave tomorrow and still have a ridiculous amount of packing to do. In fact, I’m pretty sure there’s no way I’ll get it all done. And, my house is a mess. Oh, and I have a conference call with a new editor get notes about some revisions. What genius set that up? (Um … me. I know, not my

Me and a bunch of other writers from Austin, all dressed up for the Ritas.

smartest move.) Oh, and my nails aren’t done. But it will get done. Some how it always does. (Though two years ago, I was so behind on my packing, Robyn and her mom drove up the night before to help me get it done. I’m in  better shape this time. I think.)

I know some (maybe most?) of the other Quills will be there too. What about the rest of you? Are there any other writers out there who will be heading to Orlando? If not, what is your favorite time of the year?

The winner of my drawing for The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance is Lois M. So, Lois – please contact me — margomaguire@yahoo.com — and I’ll get your book out to you next week. (Because I think I’ll get my copies sometime in the next 10 days).

This weekend (and next) I’ll be in Florida for the Romance Writers of America national conference. I have to go out early because I’m on the Board of Directors and we meet before the conference begins.

Since I won’t be around much, I wanted to issue a challenge to you. If you comment today (Saturday) before 7 pm Central Time and make your response look like you’re writing your own blog (at least 200 words) AND you’re one of the first ten people to do this, then you will win a book. Yep, as easy as that. I’ll be bringing back a lot of books from the conference plus I have a lot of new ones around.

I won’t be back in town until August 4th, but if you qualify, email me through my website and I’ll get the book in the mail!!

Summer usually comes with a rash of great new movies.  This year, I’m not so sure. We’ve seen a few, but I’m wondering what you’ve seen and loved – and what you’re looking forward to seeing.

My husband and I saw The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and thought it was a lot of fun. It was a good story that held up well, and the kid who plays the apprentice was perfect. I was afraid he was going to be too goofy, but no. Well, yes he was goofy, but just right, I thought. My kids are not Nicholas Cage fans, so they’re not really interested in seeing it, even though it’s a Jerry Bruckheimer film.  They all went to see Inception, which I think my husband and I will catch at the IMAX. Why not? if you’re going to bother with a 3-D movie, then GO for it, right?

We haven’t seen Despicable Me, which is getting great reviews. Maybe when I get back from conference next week, we’ll catch that one. Has anyone seen the latest Twilight movie? I admit I haven’t even seen the first one, so I have some catching up to do before I can watch the newest release.

I’m not an Angelina fan, so I doubt if I’ll see Salt. What about you? The premise of the story looks interesting, so maybe we’ll go. Along the suspense lines, my book club has been reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and we’re going to rent the movie and see it at my house next month (before we discuss the book). That should be fun.

What about Harry Potter? Is everyone waiting with baited breath for the final two installments? Is anyone else really peeved that Part 2 won’t be released until nearly a year from now? It’s not that I don’t know how it all ends, but WHAT are they thinking? Maximizing profits, no doubt…

There aren’t really a ton of movies I’m anxious to see this summer. How about you? When I think about all the great books I’ve read – especially the romances with their strong characterizations and plots – I just don’t understand why Hollywood doesn’t adapt more of them into movies. Tell me what book you’d like to see as a movie and I’ll draw one name to receive The Mammnoth Book of Regency Romance, an anthology that features stories by over twenty different authors, including Robyn DeHart and me. I won’t receive my copies until next week – but I’ll send one out to the winner as soon as I get them!

In less than a week, more than 2,500 romance writers, editors and agents will gather in Orlando, Florida for the Romance Writers of America’s 30^th annual conference!   If you’re in the Central Florida area be sure to stop by the Walt Disney World Dolphin hotel on Wednesday, July  28  between 5:30-7:30 for the annual “Readers for Life” autographing.  The event is open to the public, and it’s your chance to see more than 500 of your favorite authors and have them sign the books you love.  Best of all, 100% of the proceeds will benefit literacy. Most of the Quills will be there. So, please stop in and say hello. It’s a fun time and it helps a worthy cause.

Then on Saturday night, there’s the big Rita and Golden Heart awards ceremony that we’ve been talking about for a couple of weeks.  It’s only open to registered conference attendees, but we’ll let you know how it all shakes down.

In the meantime, I’d like to turn the spotlight on the Rita nominated books in the Strong Romantic Elements category. RWA describes books in this category as, “A work of fiction in which a romance plays a significant part in the story, but other themes or elements take the plot beyond the traditional romance boundaries.”

One this is certain, all the nominees sound like winners!

The Better Part of Darkness by Kelly Gay  

Charlie Madigan is a divorced mother of one, and a kick-ass cop trained to take down the toughest human and off-world criminals. She’s recently returned from the dead after a brutal attack, an unexplained revival that has left her plagued by ruthless nightmares and random outbursts of strength that make doing her job for Atlanta P.D.’s Integration Task Force even harder. Since the Revelation, the criminal element in Underground Atlanta has grown, leaving Charlie and her partner Hank to keep the chaos to a dull roar. But now an insidious new danger is descending on her city with terrifying speed, threatening innocent lives: a deadly, off-world narcotic known as ash. Charlie is determined to uncover the source of ash before it targets another victim — but can she protect those she loves from a force more powerful than heaven and hell combined?

Scandal Sheet by Gemma Halliday

Gossip columnist Tina is stopped in her tracks when she learns one of the celebrities she’s reported on wants her dead. Teamed with an oversized bodyguard, a bubbly blonde, and an alcoholic obituary writer, Tina sets off to find out which juicy piece of

Hollywood gossip is worth killing over.

Red’s Hot Honky Tonk Bar by Pamela Morsi

Unruly Red knows she’s no one’s idea of a sweet old granny. But with one long-distance phone call, the fortysomething bar owner with the tattoos and tight jeans is suddenly responsible for two young grandchildren she hardly knows.

Red’s rowdy friends, late-night lifestyle and tiny apartment above her San Antonio saloon definitely aren’t kidproof. And Red’s pretty sure the hot young fiddle player she’s been dallying with will run for the hills when he learns she has a daughter, let alone grandkids.

But Red is about to learn that age doesn’t necessarily come with wisdom. That a nine-year-old girl can be as exacting as the strictest parent. That the school of hard knocks never had bake sales. And that her boy toy is more of an adult than she is.

The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O’Neal

When Elena Alvarez is offered her dream job of executive chef at an upscale Aspen restaurant, she quickly accepts. But beneath her excitement about this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Elena is haunted by tragic memories of a car accident that killed those closest to her twenty years ago, and the ghosts from the past that follow her wherever she goes. As she forges new friendships and creates enticing cuisine in her new surroundings, she begins to place her trust in others, and finally learns to confront her past, accept love, and truly heal.

Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn

Despite his admonitions to stay away, Lady Julia arrives in Yorkshire to find Brisbane as remote and maddeningly attractive as ever. Cloistered together, they share the moldering house with the proud but impoverished remnants of an ancient family: the sort that keeps their bloodline pure and their secrets close. Lady Allenby and her daughters, dependent upon Brisbane and devastated by their fall in society, seem adrift on the moor winds, powerless to change their fortunes. But poison does not discriminate between classes….

A mystery unfolds from the rotten heart of Grimsgrave, one Lady Julia may have to solve alone, as Brisbane appears inextricably tangled in its heinous twists and turns. But blood will out, and before spring touches the craggy northern landscape, Lady Julia will have uncovered a Gypsy witch, a dark rider and a long-buried legacy of malevolence and evil.

The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax

Mallory, Tanya, Faye, and Kendall are best friends-and veterans of the cutthroat world of New York publishing. So when Kendall gets writer’s block, they all collaborate on her new novel, using their own lives as fodder. And what a bestseller the truth makes.

The Virgin’s Daughters: In the Court of Elizabeth I by Jeane Westin

The story of Elizabeth I, as it’s never been told before-through the eyes of two ladies-in-waiting closest to her…

In a court filled with repressed sexual longing, scandal, and intrigue, Lady Katherine Grey is Elizabeth’s most faithful servant. When the young queen is smitten by the dashing Robert Dudley, Katherine must choose between duty and desire-as her secret passion for a handsome earl threatens to turn Elizabeth against her. Once the queen becomes a bitter and capricious monarch, another lady-in-waiting, Mistress Mary Rogers, offers the queen comfort. But even Mary cannot remain impervious to the court’s sexual tension-and as Elizabeth gives her doomed heart to the mercurial Earl of Essex, Mary is drawn to the queen’s rakish godson…

Lakeshore Christmas by Susan Wiggs

The prim librarian is finally getting her chance to direct Avalon’s annual holiday pageant, and she’s determined to make it truly spectacular. But it might just require one of those Christmas miracles she’s always read about.

The problem is her codirector is recovering former child star Eddie Haven, a long-haired, tattooed lump of coal in Maureen’s pageant stocking. Eddie can’t stand Christmas, but a court order from a judge has landed him right in the middle of the merrymaking.

Maureen and Eddie spar over every detail of the pageant, from casting troubled kids to Eddie’s original — and distinctly untraditional — music. Is he trying to sabotage the performance to spite her? Or is she trying too hard to fit the show into her storybook-perfect notion of Christmas?

And how is it possible that they’re falling in love?

******************************************************************************************************************************

Be sure to check out Nancy Robards Thompson’s Silhouette Special Edition, Accidental Father. RT Book Reviews gives it 4 ½ stars and says: “…This heartwarming story with strong, genuine characters and a strong plot to match is definitely hard to put down.” Available July 2010.