Still here and plotting! And a sincere thank you.

Mar13

I’d planned on writing today, but a 4:30am sounding of alarms and sirens due to a fire half a block away caused that plan to vanish. At noon, the fire seems finally out, but the smoke lingers. While I’m tried and cranky from lack of sleep, I’m not nearly as exhausted as the fire fighters of the New Orleans Fire Department. They are amazing, from maneuvering those huge trucks down these narrow, car-lined streets to keeping a huge house fire from spreading to other properties. 

Thank you, NOFD. You did a great job this morning. 

So much happening!

Mar6

In mid-February, my Rebel Ink Press story Basically Bad released. Y’all, it put a happy face on my Mardi Gras. Not that it’s difficult to be happy during the biggest party in the US. 

This past weekend, I spent two days at the FF&P conference here in New Orleans. I tried to think of the best part, and I can’t. Maggie Shayne gave a great keynote address. Tears. Love. Writers. She said that our fellow writers will be our best friends. I’ve got others that are close to me, but I agree. They know what we go through to produce something that many people sneer as beneath them.

Just before that I got the galleys of Behaving Badly, my soon to be released story with The Wild Rose Press. And, the cover…it’s love. Even my male friends agree that it’s a good one. You know that had to hurt for them to say it. (I kid. These guys are awesome.)

Today, I’m staring at the computer trying to get a plot to work, but he headache is getting in the way. So, I’ll rid myself of the pain with some coffee and cleaning. 

Fabulous Fantasy on the Bayou

Mar4

I remember the first conference that I attended. Lost is the adjective that described me. Yes, I pitched my story idea and got requests, but then, my writing wasn’t ready.

I remember my second conference, and at that time I knew so much more. I’d say that there I was with friends and felt comfortable. We had to tell the bartender how to make a certain cocktail. (All of us being ladies from the New Orleans area.)

At my third conference, I didn’t want to be there, although I did want to be there. I felt terrible. I only got through the first day due to ibuprofen and a few glasses of wine. The next day filled me and allowed me to grow as a person.

The Fantasy on the Bayou conference of the FF&P RWA chapter gave me a very different vibe. This weekend, relaxation and confidence described me. I pitched a story to four people, and there wasn’t one inch of me that truly felt nervous. I know that I can write a story. It’s finding the right place for that story that is the goal. Some people are going to say no. Those rejections don’t sting. It is just how it is. 

I also gave a talk, and while my audience was small, they were engaged. For that, I am grateful. Thanks, FF&P for the conference. 

Fantasy on the Bayou Writers Conference

Feb29

I hope you’ll join me at the Fantasy on the Bayou Writers Conference this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Marriott on 555 Canal Street in New Orleans. Maggie Shayne is the keynote speaker, and there are lots of great agents and editors attending. I’m giving a class on the science of love and lust on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday from 9-11am, there’s a book signing with lots of authors. Come on out if you can.

The quiet of a fish camp

Feb22

image

That photo isn’t upside down. It’s the reflection in the water as I sit on the dock of our fish camp. We’ve escaped from New Orleans for a few days, and here we hear the birds chirp, fish jumping, and the breeze rattling the needles of the pines. It’s our way of getting back to the basics.

After the glitter and gloss of Mardi Gras we need it. Jackie, the main character in Basically Bad needed the escape as well. She took a chance that Vince could be the one even if he wanted her to leave the trappings of New Orleans behind. Find out if she did relax at that fish camp in Louisiana. The story is available at most ebook outlets.