Marilyn Brant's Blog, page 14

The City/Conference That Never Sleeps

One of the major reasons this particular RWA National Conference was different from the seven that came before was not only because I got to visit my publisher's offices for the first time or even because I was a Women's Fiction Mini-Con speaker...but because my husband and son came to The Big Apple with me. Here are the two awesome men in my life standing in the middle of bustling Times Square about an hour after we arrived in NYC.

There was enough visual and auditory stimulation in the heart of Manhattan to throw me into information overload within minutes, but who could resist snapping a photo of a dancing Hershey's Kiss, hmm?!



Our flight touched down at 10am on Sunday morning and, by noon, we were already walking from our hotel toward the Metropolitan Museum of Art. On the way, we saw Radio City Music Hall and a B&N that I vowed I'd return to later...




I hadn't been to the Met since 1996, so this museum was at the very top of my Must-See Sites in NYC list. It was a place I'd fallen in love with on sight back then because of its awe-inspiring collection and sheer massiveness.



I'd been in grad school that year, in the middle of writing my thesis on "Creativity and Culture" and, aside from studying brilliant authors like Jane Austen and musicians like Mozart, I also focused on certain painters, my favorite being Renoir. So, I couldn't wait to see the Met's Impressionists again. Just look at those gorgeous blues!



These instruments were on display, too, and you may not be able to tell from the photo, but they're very small. They were used for instruction and were so fascinating to see in miniature.



After almost four hours of looking at art (and, in my son's case, armor!), we meandered back through Central Park (see those cute little sailboats on the lake) and finally gave in to our son's desire for a cab ride back to the Marriott Marquis.



Monday morning found us visiting Rockefeller Center and going on a tour of the NBC Studios, including the soundstages where David Lettermen and Dr. Oz have their shows, as well as where Saturday Night Live hosts theirs. (We weren't allowed to snap photos in any of these, though!)



We also went up to the top of 30 Rock and got a great glimpse of the Empire State Building from 70 stories high.



Next up, I had a chance to visit Kensington and chat with my lovely publicist (I have a photo of her further down the page at the Lit Signing), as well as a few other very kind staff members, and then I got to trek down to Greenwich Village to the Penguin building to meet my friend, the absolutely wonderful Lydia Hirt (see photo to the right). After two years of emails and phone calls, it was such a pleasure to finally get to talk with her in person!!


Lydia and I visited Washington Square Park and the famous arch that I remembered and loved from one of my all-time favorite films, "When Harry Met Sally..." So cool to see it right in front of us!


Then to dinner at a delicious little Thai place Lydia knew about, complete with mojitos, which were minty and very tasty. Even they couldn't top the wonderful night of conversation, though ;).



The evening sped by and it was Tuesday before I could blink twice. This was a day I had long been anticipating, the RWA-Women's Fiction Chapter's first ever Mini-Conference, and it was FANTASTIC. Organized by Maggie Marr and the RWA-WF board (see Michelle Diener and Therese Walsh in the picture with me to the left), we had a terrific two-hour story structure workshop with Michael Hauge. Following this, literary agents Kristin Nelson, Meg Ruley, Andrea Cirillo and editor Shauna Summers spoke to us about the state of women's fiction in the industry today.


I was fortunate to be included on the author panel after that with Megan Crane, Jane Porter, Therese Walsh and Barbara Samuel O'Neal, which was great fun! And, after a break for the Lit Signing and the annual meeting, Juliet Marillier gave an inspiring talk to our group that ended with a truly delightful cocktail reception. There, I got to meet author Erika Robuck for the first time (see photo on right) and chat a bit longer with RWA-WF chapter president Therese Walsh and fellow GH Bond Sister/Kensy author Kristina McMorris. I also finally met Karen Doornebos, Jael McHenry , Ellen Meister and lots of sweet and enthusiastic writers of women's fiction. What an exceptionally well run event!


At the annual Readers for Life Literacy Autographing, I signed copies of Friday Mornings at Nine and gave away According to Jane postcards, excerpts from On Any Given Sundae and excerpts and special luggage tags for A Summer in Europe. It was pretty busy once I got to my seat, but before the big crowd came in, I had a chance to make a couple of quick stops and wave to a few friends.


Fabulous ladies Angi Morgan and Laura Moore were signing side by side.



Chicago-North chaptermates Sarah Shulman and Blythe Gifford look so cute in this photo amidst all of the conference chaos!



I managed to get a quick shot with my good friend Simone Elkeles, who was a RITA finalist this year -- her 3rd time! Who wouldn't love to get one of those cool blue flags?!



Seekerville sweetheart, longtime online friend and Love Inspired author Tina Radcliffe stopped by and I was thrilled to finally get to meet her in person!


Kensington's awesome publicists, Vida Engstrand and Karen Auerbach, paid me a visit and gave me chocolate (for energy, I'm sure!) before they dashed off to share goodies with the other authors.


My son surprised me by popping into the signing (along with my husband) and insisting on helping me get the book excerpts and luggage tags in the hands of passersby. What was originally supposed to be a five-minute visit to say hello turned into three-quarters of an hour as I watched my extraverted son display his sales skills and tap into his inner Vanna White as he showed off my cover flats. Every author should be so lucky to have such an advocate ;).


After Steve Berry, Diana Gabaldon and Tess Gerritsen brightened our Wednesday morning with their humorous opening session panel, we had an impromptu Chicago-North gathering near the stage. (Pictured left to right: Cici Edward, Nkeiruka Mbah, Pamala Knight, me, Clara Kensie, Karen Dale Harris and Erika Danou)


Wednesday night brought two exciting parties -- the first was the Kensington party held at the office building. Between the gift bags (with books and treats!), roses for all, the chocolate-covered cheesecake on a stick (how did I miss taking a picture of those?!), the fun conversation with authors and staff, and the VERY attractive men serving us things like macaroni-n-cheese truffles (so good it actually rivaled the cheesecake...), the evening was off to a great start.


I got to see Vida Engstrand there (see left), who was majorly involved in organizing the event. And I walked over to it with a group of really lovely ladies, including Addison Scott, Jackie Ivie, Kristina McMorris, Mingmei Yip and Kate Douglas (pictured with me above).


Kate, Kristina and I headed over to the Algonquin Hotel after that for the PASIC party -- and round two of delicious drinks and desserts, along with some good conversation and a chance to catch up with a few people I'd seen just in passing. I enjoyed chatting with editor Peter Senftleben, Barbara Vey from Publishers Weekly (she and I kept running into each other everywhere!) and Stephanie Klose from Romantic Times, whom I'd loved working with back when I was an RT reviewer. It was a fun but very late night!


Thursday morning came and I was starting to get a little bleary-eyed from all the activity. There weren't many occasions for breaks, but when I had a half hour here or there, I visited with my peeps, including good friends Karen Dale Harris, Laura Moore and Erika Danou. (We went out on the town for a Chinese dinner one night that was just scrumptious!)


My Magical Musings pals had a Thursday breakfast together, and it was wonderful! I so enjoyed getting to chat a bit more with Michelle Diener, who'd flown in from Australia (!!) and to finally meet in person Amy Atwell and Liz Kreger (all pictured left). I found myself wishing our whole MM gang could be together that morning, though... Edie Ramer, Misty Evans, Cynthia Eden, Karin Tabke Harlow, Lori Brighton, Dale Mayer and Maria Geraci -- we missed you all!


Thursday afternoon was our Spencerhill Associates agency party and a chance to meet some very warm and funny authors. On Friday, I got to listen to an inspiring PAN workshop (given by Jenny Crusie) with two fabulous women and talented YA writers, Jennifer Echols and Maureen McGowan. So glad to get to talk with them again! (They're pictured with me on the right. They look great. I look ready for a nap. ;)


That night was the long-awaited Golden Heart and RITA Awards Ceremony, and our Chicago-North friend Ruth Kaufman was up for a GH in the Inspirational Romance category...and she won!! We couldn't have been more excited for her! (Pictured on left: me, Karen Dale Harris, Ruth Kaufman, Erika Danou, Laura Moore and Beverly Long)

Also at the ceremony were literary agent Kristin Nelson and her assistant Anita Mumm, who both looked gorgeous!


Karen, Erika and I also caught up with Michael Hauge following the ceremony and had fun getting in a few last questions on novel structure before we ladies headed up to The View restaurant and bar at the top of the hotel.


Upstairs, we met up with our friends, two of the young adult RITA nominees of the night, Heather Davis and Simone Elkeles. (Pictured to the right: Heather, Simone, Karen, Heather's agent Stephen Barbara and her editor Julie Tibbott)


The four of us -- after midnight -- ambled downstairs to say goodnight and wish each other safe travels for our separate journeys home.



On our last morning (Saturday), my husband, son and I went to that B&N I'd wanted to visit on Fifth Avenue, I found my latest novel there and I got to sign stock in Manhattan before flying to Chicago. Whew!! It was a really incredible (enjoyable, exciting, exhausting...) trip and I am -- I'll admit -- glad to be back home, if only so I can finally get some sleep!!

And so ends another RWA National Conference...until next year in Anaheim...where I'm hoping I might see some of you whom I didn't get to hug in person this year. Hope you all had a wonderful week, too ;).

I'm baaa-ckkk!

Though seriously sleep deprived!

NYC was, not surprisingly, an amazing experience. I've got LOTS of pictures and will be putting together a photo-packed blog post about the RWA conference that will go up this week. But, for now, I have 2 quick announcements before giving in to my overwhelming need to nap:

1. The wonderful Leah E. Krygowski from Chicklit Club, read On Any Given Sundae and wrote a lovely review for it, which is here!

2. Tomorrow's the 4th of July... For everyone celebrating in the States, Happy Independence Day!!! Hot dogs and apple pie for all ;).

Hope everyone had a great week and looking forward to sharing news of the trip soon!!

Start Spreadin' the News...

...well, I'm not actually leaving today, but I will be on my way to New York, New York pretty soon for the RWA National Conference. The last time I was in Manhattan it was in the summer of 2003 for my very first RWA conference.

A lot has happened since then ;).

I knew very few people in the publishing world eight years ago -- mostly just a handful of Chicago-North RWA members that I'd chatted with a dozen times or so in the nine months leading up to the conference. I'd completed just two manuscripts at that time -- my first (so dreadful it can't be saved!) women's fiction book and my first (eventually, after a lot of revision, not too bad) contemporary romance novel. It would be almost 4 years before I'd win the Golden Heart and another year beyond that before I'd finally sell a book. Back in 2003, I hadn't even thought of the premise for According to Jane yet...

Sometimes I get too caught up in the trials and tribulations of the present day. I'm overwhelmed by the challenges with the current WIP or with the proposal I recently finished (and, yes, those are two different projects -- publishing has such long, long timelines), the ever-shifting changes in the industry, print sales and ebook sales and upcoming bookseller orders and advertisements and reviews... Sometimes I can't see the forest OR the trees -- just lots and lots of leaves with details I know I'm supposed to pay attention to right now.

But, sometimes, like this week, I'm reminded of how many steps I've actually taken on this thousand-mile journey. Too often, I'm focused on looking ahead -- at all the perilous hiking yet to come. Today, though, I'm taking a moment to glance over my shoulder and sneak a peek at the path I've already walked. To say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who's been walking with me over these past several years.

You're appreciated.

Next week, I will wake up for several consecutive days in "the city that doesn't sleep" (and, depending on the reception my temperamental cell phone gets at the hotel, it may also be "the city with severely limited Internet access"), but I will be back. And I will bring stories and pictures to share with you. Until then, hugs of gratitude to you all...

What will you be doing next week?

p.s. I just saw an absolutely lovely review author Joan Reeves put up on her Sling Words blog today for On Any Given Sundae -- thanks so much, Joan!!

Chocolate Sunscreen

I'm over at the Girlfriends Book Club for the day talking about juggling multiple story ideas in a post called The Writer's Menu -- please stop by!

And, also, I just came across this happy health tidbit, thanks to the Real Age docs, which praises an unknown (at least to me) benefit of chocolate:

The best 100-calorie splurge this summer may be a little candy indulgence that acts like built-in sunscreen: dark chocolate.

Yep, in a recent study, people who snacked on a tiny bit -- just 100 calories -- of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate every day seemed to be more protected from ultraviolet (UV) radiation by the end of the 12-week study.

No one needs to tell me twice!

Here's wishing you all lots of sunshine and dark chocolate this summer ;). And, btw, what are a few of your favorite warm-weather places? Is it your homestate? A tropical island? A distant continent? I always seem to fantasize about being on Maui...

Contest Winner & A Visit to Austen Authors

First of all, a big congrats to my newsletter contest winner, Anita L. from Florida , who won the signed hardcover book-club edition of Friday Mornings at Nine. Anita, you should have already received a message from me sent to your email beginning "extexg..." Please just confirm your address with me when you have a chance. And, to everyone who entered, thank you!! I so enjoyed getting all of those wonderful emails and, yes, the correct answer to my question ("What is the fictional hometown of my characters in On Any Given Sundae?") was Wilmington Bay, WI.

BTW, all day tomorrow, Friday, June 17th, I'm hosting a one-day-only contest on Austen Authors. Anyone who stops by and leaves a comment on my post there about Jane Austen and ice cream (*grin*) is entered to win a digital copy of On Any Given Sundae, either as a Kindle ebook or as a PDF file. The post isn't up yet (it'll appear just after midnight tonight and will run for 24 hours), but if you'd like to be included in the drawing, please visit tomorrow. And for anyone who's curious about the story, you can read the entire Chapter One of the book posted in The Writer's Block.

Wishing you all a wonderful rest of the week & weekend!

Judy's Winner & A New Sundae Giveaway

Just did the random drawing and got...(drum roll)...PAMELA CAYNE as the winner of Judy Croome's gift voucher! Congrats, Pam!! (Will email you with the deets. :)

Also, today I'm at Magical Musings talking about On Any Given Sundae, ice cream and the joys of National Dairy month and, also, hosting a chocolate giveaway over there -- please stop by!

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend!!

Judy Croome's Dancing in the Shadows of Love (+ giveaway!)

Due to the long geographical distance between us, I've not yet had the pleasure of meeting Judy Croome in person, but I've loved her thoughtful blog posts these past few years and couldn't have been more delighted when her first independently published novel, Dancing in the Shadows of Love (available on Amazon and Smashwords), was published recently. I snagged her at once for an interview so we could learn more about her book! Judy lives and writes in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her short stories have been published in ITCH magazine and "Notes from Underground Anthology". She was recently shortlisted in the African Writing Flash Fiction 2011 competition.

Welcome, Judy!

Marilyn, thanks so much for inviting me to your blog. (I'm delighted to have you here, Judy. ;)

Please tell us a bit about your book, Dancing in the Shadows of Love: The story explores the sacrifices people make in the pursuit of a love that transcends everyday existence. Lulu's quest, and that of Jamila and Zahra too, is to find the divine love that will fulfill their hopes and save their souls...if they can recognise the masks of those who seek to lead them astray.

What inspired you to write this story? There's a Hebrew phrase "Tikkun Olam" which means 'repairing the world' and denotes the restoration of the right order and a true union; a correction of our spiritual selves to be made whole again. Kabbalists see a tikkun as a special healing: they experience themselves and each other as the Divine sefirot (Divine potentials; planes of God made manifest.) This act of healing connects across differences, without becoming the Other. In essence, for a person to find inner peace, there needs to be a healing (a sacred union) of the inner fractures of the soul which create dualities such as racial or gender divides (black vs white, male vs female.)

This phrase lies at the heart of my story. As an ordinary person, happy in my ordinary little life, I've always tried to be a "good" person. But South Africa's tragic history, as revealed by the TRC, left me questioning so many things about myself . I came to the conclusion I just don't have the warrior personality that wants to change the world. That made me wonder what I could have done to prevent or heal the wounds of our past.

Through the eyes of three very different women, Dancing in the Shadows of Love explores how an ordinary person, one who doesn't have what it takes to be hero, can also find a way to repair the fractures of a broken world.

Dancing in the Shadows of Love is being published independently. These days publishers require their authors to do a lot of the selling and promotion themselves. How much more work (and risk? and funds?) do you think it takes to publish independently? With the changing face of the publishing world, budding writers have never had it so good! The creative freedom is exhilarating. But there are as many risks in independent publishing as there are in traditional publishing. The difference lies mainly in where the buck stops. With traditional publishing, the buck stops with other people (the editor, the marketing department.) With independent publishing, the buck begins and starts with the author. So, unless you're willing to take total responsibility for your book, don't even consider independent publishing. There may be the potential for much greater financial rewards, but there are as many risks—and much more responsibility—than the traditional route.

The eBook edition is being released before paper. Do you think this is going to become the norm, regardless of being published independently or traditionally? Yes. Amazon has recently announced that, for the first time, eBooks have outsold print books. eBooks are the future, and the future is now. A caveat, though, is that sweeping changes take time to filter through as an accepted part of life. There are still many people who enjoy the feel and weight of a paper book in their hands. Paper books have not died yet, but their demise may come quicker than expected. I'm still weighing up the option of doing a print version of my novel, as I'm getting quite a few requests for a print version.

You've made a lovely book trailer for Dancing in the Shadows of Love. What inspired this idea? Book trailers are common on the 'net and when blogging friend Damaria Senne asked me who was doing my book trailer, I decided I'd try to make one. You can read how I did it on my guest post "12 Easy Steps to Make a Book Trailer" on self-publishing guru Joel Friedlanders' blog. (View Judy's wonderful book trailer HERE!!)

The life of a writer is full of ups and downs. What (or who) helps pull you up from the pits? Meditation is my most important tool for keeping centred. I also have fantastic support from my husband Beric, my Mom and Dad and the rest of my family.

Marilyn, thanks so much for hosting me here. I really enjoyed my visit and, to say thanks, I'd like to ask you to draw the name of a random commentor, who will win a US$15 gift voucher (from their preferred choice of Amazon or Barnes and Noble).

Thank you, Judy! Wishing you much success with your novel. I'll use random.org to select a name on Thursday night after 10pm (June 9th) and will post the winner's name on Friday morning. Good luck, everyone!!

$2.99 Ebook Deals & a NEW Ebook Release!

Okay, this totally took me by surprise yesterday (in a good way), but I found out that According to Jane is part of a special Kindle sale -- called Sunshine Deals -- for "numerous bestselling and award-winning authors" (yes, I had a squeee moment at that description!) between now and June 15th. If you don't have it on Kindle and would like it for $2.99, you can get it here!!

One of the reasons I was so stunned was because I'd been up until 2am the night before trying to puzzle through the uploading-a-novel process at Amazon, Smashwords and B&N. I've had this little side project in the works for months and I was preparing to announce it this week, so to have Amazon unexpectedly include my debut novel in their June promotion...well, it couldn't have come at a more exciting time.

Why, you ask?

Well, because as of today, I have my first ebook-only release up at Amazon and Smashwords (B&N is coming soon, too). I'm thrilled about it -- and, as always, a little nervous! It's a book I wrote several years ago, around the same time as According to Jane , but it's a short romantic comedy geared toward what was the Harlequin Flipside line (R.I.P.), which I'd loved. Two of my good friends -- Simone Elkeles and Sara Daniel -- read it and critiqued it. I revised it. And revised it some more. I had an RWA pitch appointment scheduled with one of the editors of the line when, two weeks before the conference, we all found out Flipside would be discontinued. Sigh.

So, six years went by.

This winter, when I read through the story again, I still loved the characters and the quirky little community they lived in, and I couldn't wait to play with the manuscript again...to update and polish it now that I'd gone through the process of editing so many more novels. It's a tad lighter in tone than my women's fiction books and shorter, too (about 57,000 words), but a part of my writer's heart will always love short contemporary romances as well as those longer relationship novels. It's called On Any Given Sundae , and it's the story of a shy dessert cookbook writer and the high-school football star (turned successful restaurant owner) she always had a crush on. The two of them end up running an ice cream parlor for the summer and, well, it is a romantic comedy...so love is in the air, along with the delectable scent of hot-fudge sauce, caramel and whipped cream...

You all know me too well to be surprised that I'd write a whole book based around ice cream, right? *grin*

The great news is that it's priced at only $2.99, too, and very much a summertime read for those who'd like a light romance with a little steaminess and a lot of dessert love. The talented Kim Killion designed my book cover last month, and I was delighted with that as well. (I want one of those strawberries!!) And I owe big hugs to awesome authors Edie Ramer and Marie Force for answering my endless questions about ebook formatting -- thank you, ladies!

Now, I'm throwing virtual confetti in the air in celebration and trying to hand out massive ice cream sundaes to all of you before they melt... What's your favorite sundae topping?! Would you like whipped cream -- yes or no? Sprinkles?

Happy June, Everyone!

Books, Books & More Books!

My TBR pile is TOWERING... Actually, it's several towers (!!), although it's helped from a space perspective that I've been buying more Nook books this past year. Finding time to make a dent in my enormous stack (whether paper or electronic) is another matter, of course, but I've been enjoying delving into my recent book purchases in every format they've come in -- hardcover, trade paperback, mass market and ebook. This spring, I discovered some excellent stories, and I've listed a handful of them below -- alphabetically by author's last name. Hope you'll give a few of these a try:

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton
Five women, one passion, and the unbreakable bond of friendship... When five young mothers–Frankie, Linda, Kath, Ally, and Brett–first meet in a neighborhood park in the late 1960s, their conversations center on marriage, raising children, and a shared love of books. Then one evening, as they gather to watch the Miss America Pageant, Linda admits that she aspires to write a novel herself, and the Wednesday Sisters Writing Society is born. The five women slowly, and often reluctantly, start filling journals, sliding pages into typewriters, and sharing their work. In the process, they explore the changing world around them: the Vietnam War, the race to the moon, and a women's movement that challenges everything they believe about themselves. At the same time, the friends carry one another through more personal changes–ones brought about by infidelity, longing, illness, failure, and success. With one another's support and encouragement, the Wednesday Sisters begin to embrace who they are and what they hope to become, welcoming readers to experience, along with them, the power of dreaming big.

Operation Sheba by Misty Evans
Hotshot spies never die. They just slip undercover. Julia Torrison-codename Sheba-is keeping secrets. Seventeen months ago she was a CIA superagent, tracking down dangerous terrorists with her partner and lover, Conrad Flynn. A mission was blown, literally, when a bomb Julia built exploded early and Conrad died. Yanked back to Langley and given a new identity, she is now the Counterterrorism Center's top analyst, spending her days at CIA headquarters and her nights in the bed of her boss. Her former life as a secret agent has been sealed off. Like her heart. Conrad Flynn-codename Solomon-has his own secrets. For starters, he's not dead. Going under the deepest cover possible, he faked his death to save Julia's life. Now he must tear her life apart and ask her to help him hunt down a traitor: her new love. Is Con a rogue agent or just a jealous ex-lover? To find out, Julia will have to enter a web of seduction and betrayal to play the spy game of her life using nothing more than her iPod-and her intuition. Julia warns: "Beware of sexy spies bearing gifts. Trust no one and sleep with a gun under your pillow." Conrad warns: "Sex, lies and tantalizing suspense.don't worry, I'll protect you."

Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer by Maureen McGowan
In this thrilling story full of adventure and romance, Sleeping Beauty is more than just a lonely princess waiting for her prince—she's a brave, tenacious girl who never backs down from a challenge. With vampire-slaying talents that she practices in secret, Sleeping Beauty puts her courage to the test in the dark of night, fighting evil as she searches for a way to break the spell that has cut her off from her family. In a special twist, readers have the opportunity to make key decisions for Sleeping Beauty and decide where she goes next—but no matter the choice; the result is a story unlike any fairy tale you've ever read! Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer is an entirely new type of fairy tale–one that will keep today's kids guessing and offer them hours of magical fun.

Evenfall by Liz Michalski
In life, Frank could've had any woman he wanted. In death, he'll try to win back the one that mattered... Frank Wildermuth always regretted a mistake he made as a teenager: choosing Clara Murphy over her sister Gert. And like a true Murphy woman, Gert got on with her life, never admitting to heartbreak. Not even now, decades later, with Frank dead-dead, that is, but not quite gone. Now, Frank's niece, Andie Murphy, is back in town to settle his estate, and she sees that things have changed in Hartman, Connecticut. Aunt Gert still drives her crazy, but Cort, the wide-eyed farmboy she used to babysit, is all grown up-with a whole new definition for the word "sleepover." Even freakier are the whispers. Either Andie's losing her mind, or something she can't see is calling out to her-something that insists on putting right the past.

The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate
Holly Maguire's grandmother Camilla was the Love Goddess of Blue Crab Island, Maine--a Milanese fortune-teller who could predict the right man for you, and whose Italian cooking was rumored to save marriages. Holly has been waiting years for her unlikely fortune: her true love will like sa cordula, an unappetizing old-world delicacy. But Holly can't make a decent marinara sauce, let alone sa cordula. Maybe that's why the man she hopes to marry breaks her heart. So when Holly inherits Camilla's Cucinotta, she's determined to forget about fortunes and love and become an Italian cooking teacher worthy of her grandmother's legacy. But Holly's four students are seeking much more than how to make Camilla's chicken alla Milanese. Simon, a single father, hopes to cook his way back into his daughter's heart. Juliet, Holly's childhood friend, hides a painful secret. Tamara, a serial dater, can't find the love she longs for. And twelve-year-old Mia thinks learning to cook will stop her dad, Liam, from marrying his phony lasagna-queen girlfriend. As the class gathers each week, adding Camilla's essential ingredients of wishes and memories in every pot and pan, unexpected friendships and romances are formed--and tested. Especially when Holly falls hard for Liam . . . and learns a thing or two about finding her own recipe for happiness.

Still looking forward to reading more (and more!) this summer, including Friendship Bread by Darien Gee, Maid for Love by Marie Force, The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller, Dolci di Love by Sarah-Kate Lynch, The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen, Ash Wednesday by Ethan Hawke (yes, the actor :) and I Love the 80s by Megan Crane.

What about you? What have you been reading? What are you looking forward to picking up this summer?

Halloween...in May!

Every once in a long while an experience comes along that's a combination of surprising, heartwarming, funny and so fabulous that trying to explain it defies words. Thankfully, I had my camera with me last Friday night, which is the only thing that gives me a fighting chance at describing the incredible book club I visited.

My first clue that it was going to be a really unique evening should have been the big Halloween decoration on front door. But Claudia was hosting the event, and she's an artist. Her house is filled with lots of cool crafts and gorgeous paintings. So I thought, "Maybe she just kept it up from the fall because she likes the look of it or, maybe, she forgot to put it away." I could totally relate to that. One winter I put up these snowflake window clings and I just never got around to talking them down. And then it was, like, September, and my son said, "Mom! Why are there STILL snowflakes up?" And all I could say back was, "Ohhh, yeah, those (sheepish shrug). Well, we're getting really close to Christmas again. It's gonna snow any day now..." So, you see, when I spot hanging jack-o-lanterns up on doors in mid-May, I don't judge.

Turns out, though, that Claudia hadn't been forgetful. And it wasn't any kind of a nod to the spookiness of the date: Friday the 13th. Nope. Because when I rang the bell and the door opened, there were three people greeting me -- Claudia, her sister Allison, and their long-time friend Terri -- who were in costume. (And so was Lily the dog!) And they were dancing...to the sounds of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours CD. That's when I finally understood what these awesomely creative ladies had done: They'd brought to life my book's Halloween party!! (Pictured right: Marty, Marcie, Allison, Claudia and Terri)

For those of you who've read Friday Mornings at Nine, you're familiar with the big party (for adults only) in the middle of the book. It had a fairy tale theme, so most of the food served had a name twisted to fit. Like the "Three Bloody Pigs in a Blanket," the "Jack and the Bean Dip" and the "Headless Gingerbread Men." Well, they recreated the food, too (!!), plus made up a few dishes of their own. Terri, gorgeously dressed in retro 1970s red, even concocted a version of my "Witch's Brew," which I strongly suspect was more potent than the stuff I'd envisioned for the novel's party chapter. (I was feeling a little lightheaded after only half a glass!) Take a peek at all the fabulous treats:

Yum! Loved trying these delicious foods. (FYI: they tasted a lot better than their names would indicate. ;)

More yum!! Gluten-free pasta with pesto, vegetarian and non-vegetarian pigs in a blanket, hilarious headless gingerbread men...

Check out the adorable Halloween napkins and plates, too.

Very strong drinks with the inspired addition of sour gummy worms. Wish I would have thought to add those to the Witch's Brew mix in the book -- they were perfect!

And there were even wrapped Halloween candies taped to the wall -- just as I'd written it in the story. At different moments during the night, one of us would pull a Kit Kat or a Snickers off the wall and eat it. At other times a Butterfingers would spontaneously drop to the floor and *someone* would have to grab it and devour it at once... It was the best!

Here (pictured right) are Terri, Claudia and Beth at the table with our spook-tacular feast.

Janet (pictured left with Claudia) brought a photo album along with pictures from her wonderful European trip and, also, shared a story with me about her "battle with Betty White" in the bookstore to get my novel, LOL. Loved that!

(Pictured left: Claudia, Allison and Dori) And, finally, Dori showed up wielding an ax for, um, the "beheading" scene. (Hee!! It makes sense in context. ;) Claudia was the instigator and Allison -- the book club's president -- was the unwitting victim. I. Couldn't. Stop. Laughing.

Truly, they thought of everything. I half expected my characters to slip in through the back door, sit down at the table with us, unwrap a Twix from the wall and join us in a debate about relationships and Stevie Nicks. I loved every second of Friday night, and I can't thank this wonderful book club enough for giving me one of the most memorable evenings I've ever had as an author. Claudia, Allison, Terri, Marcie, Marty, Beth, Janet and Dori: XOXOXOX (Can't wait to name characters after you all. :)

However, I'm seriously craving a mini Hershey bar right about now, and I've been humming "Dreams" nonstop all week... What's going on for all of you??