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    Women’s Expo wrap up …

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    dscn0510.JPGSo, I’m finally recovered from the Women’s Expo last weekend, held in Kingsport, Tenn., and thought I’d share some thoughts and photographs. Events included a meet-the-authors dinner Friday night and even more authors signing throughout the day on Saturday.

    I think I sold at least 20 books on Saturday, maybe a few more. It was so crazy, it was hard to keep track. Here I am with Barry Eisler, author of the John Rain assassin series. Barry was one of the big names at the expo, and he was really fun to talk to.

    One of the best parts about doing events like this is getting to meet other authors. I also got to chat with Shirley Damsgaard, who writes witch-themed mysteries for Avon. A very witty and funny lady.

    dscn0507.JPGAnother great thing about these sorts of events is getting to meet other readers. Because authors are always readers first. At least, I am. Krista, left, is a nurse manager who drove in from Nashville for the event. We talked about Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series and other books we’d read. 

    I also got to meet Chasity, who comments on my blog sometimes. She came down from the Pound, Va. area for the expo. Both ladies picked up advance copies of Hot Mama, which I hope they will enjoy. Several other local folks also stopped by and said hi to me on Saturday during the actual book signing.

    dscn0506.JPGSpeaking of Hot Mama, here it is, along with Karma Girl at a table during the Friday night dinner. Hot Mama officially comes out on Nov. 6, so get ready to  order, read, and enjoy.

    The expo is a yearly event, held the third weekend in October. The organizers, the wonderful Sharon and Lydia, are already making plans for next year. They’re trying to get romance author Nora Roberts to come for the 2008 event and fantasy writer Jim Butcher in 2009. Fingers crossed!

    What about you? Who would you like to see at an event like the expo? Inquiring minds want to know …

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    Authors, authors, authors …

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    So, I guess I should mention what I’m doing this weekend — attending the annual Women’s Expo at the Meadowview Conference Center in Kingsport, Tenn. Tons of authors are going to be there, including Lora Leigh, Angela Knight, and Barry Eisler.

    On Friday night, we’re going to be at a Meet the Authors dinner at Bays Mountain Park.

    On Saturday, we’ll be at the conference center signing books. Cost to get into the expo (which features lots of other events) and book signing is $5 at the door. I’ll be signing books from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 3-5 p.m.

    There’s a rumor going around that some advanced copies of Hot Mama will be available for sale … 😉

    Hope to see you there!

  • A sophomore slump …

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    Is it just me, or is Heroes starting off really slowly this year?

    I know every episode can’t be as awesome as the Homecoming show, Company Man starring Mr. Bennett, or the truly stellar episode set five years in the future. But this season has been disappointing so far.

    I think one of the main problems is too many characters. Does anyone care about the Wonder Twins and their plague-like power? And those scenes with Maya and Sylar in the car this week. If I picked up a strange, creepy man on the side of the road, who said he happened to know a guy three thousand miles away that I was going to see, I think I would find that a little suspicious. Just a little bit. But perhaps that’s just my jaded nature peeking through.

    Then, there was the thing with Matt. As soon as he looked at that picture, I knew his dad was going to be the Big Bad this year, aka Nightmare Man. That didn’t bother me. What annoyed me was when Matt said he left his wife because she was pregnant with somebody else’s kid. In the future episode from last year, Matt looks at a picture his son drew. From what I remember, the kid’s mom was his wife — the same wife he had last year. Continuity issue, anyone? (Of course, the writers could come up with some explanation to weasel out of this, but the heroes saving New York shouldn’t have affected the paternity of Matt’s baby in California.)

    But I suppose my main problem is this — most of the drama on the show could be resolved if the characters just sat down and talked to each other. Seriously, most of them know each other now. Would it kill them to have a cup of coffee and share info about The Company and the murders? Romance authors get bashed for this all the time. Character conflict needs to be more than just lack of communication.

    Ah, well. That’s my TV rant for the week. I’ll keep watching — for now. Here’s hoping Kristen Bell is deliciously evil next week. :joker:

    What about you? What TV shows are still rocking your world this season? Or letting you down? Inquiring minds want to know …

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    The good, the bad, and the ugly …

    9 Comments

    So, last week I teased that I might have some Bigtime news soon. Well, there’s some good news, and there’s some bad news.

    Bad news first: Jinx has been pushed back from April 1 to Sept. 2, 2008. I know, I know, it sucks for you guys because now you have to wait a couple more months to read the story.

    But there is a silver lining: Berkley plans to re-release Karma Girl and Hot Mama as mass market paperbacks. Karma Girl will come out in July, Hot Mama will hit shelves in August, and Jinx will debut in mass market format in September. According to what I’ve read, these kind of back-to-back-to-back releases seem to work well for authors. So, we’ll see.

    Other news: I’ve finished Nightingale, the fourth Bigtime book, and turned it in. So, now we’ll see if Berkley wants to keep the series going. Fingers crossed!

    Still more news: I’ve also finished the first book in a new series and turned it into my agent. Tentatively titled, Live & Let Spy, it’s an urban fantasy about a Druid who’s forced to become a spy and infiltrate a ring of magical terrorists. Sort of like Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, but with a chick. And some really cool spy gadgets. 😉

    Better news: I’m going to be featured in the November issue of Southern Living. It’s a brief blurb, only a couple of paragraphs, but it’s still really cool.

    Best news: Hot Mama is going to be excerpted in the December issue of wait for it, wait for it … Cosmo! That’s right, I’m going to be a Cosmo girl. :ww:

    What about you? What’s going on in your world this week? Inquiring minds want to know …