About Books

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    A good time …

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    So I attended the book events that were part of the annual Women’s Expo in Kingsport, Tenn. this weekend. There was a dinner Friday night and then a book signing Saturday. (Some folks also signed books Sunday, but I was busy working on Assassin 3).

    I got to meet several authors, including Julia Quinn and Teresa Medeiros. They both write historicals, and both of them were super-nice. Very funny too. Lora Leigh was also there, but unfortunately, I didn’t really get a chance to talk to her, and I only got to talk to Kay Stockham for a few minutes before the signing on Saturday. (If you’ve ever seen Kay in person, you know how gorgeous she is). I’d always like more time to chat with folks. Ah, well. Maybe at the next event I see them at. 

    I also got to speak with some readers and other folks I know, like fellow Smoky Mountain Romance Writer members Jessie Verino and Trista Ann Michaels. And then, I got to talk to folks at the expo who stopped by the table where the book signing was.

    I thought the dinner on Friday night was especially fun thanks to the guest speakers Valerie Ramsey and Joanna Campbell Slan. After raising her kids, Valerie got into modeling — in her 60s! And Joanna reminded us all how very blessed we are with her funny talk. Seriously, Joanna was hysterical and had everyone laughing out loud. If her books are as funny as she is, you will be giggling the whole time you read them.

    Overall, it was a very fun time. I plan on attending again next year (it’s always held the third weekend in October). Jim Butcher is scheduled to be the big guest author next year, and the organizers are hoping to bring in some more urban fantasy writers. If any author or reader out there wants more details, just send me an e-mail, and I’ll get you in touch with the event organizers.

    Note: I actually took some photos this time, but for some reason, WordPress isn’t letting me upload them. Grrr! 👿

    What about you guys? Did anyone do anything fun this weekend?

  • One more reminder …

    I forgot to mention there’s going to be a meet-the-authors dinner on Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. at Golden Corral on North Eastman Road in Kingsport, Tenn. There are some speakers lined up, and the cost of the dinner is $20. There will also be time for book sales and signings after the speakers. This is a preliminary event to the annual Women’s Expo at the Meadowview Convention Center in Kingsport on Oct. 18. For more info on the dinner or to sign up, call Sharon Robinson at (423) 676-5564 or Lydia Wiley at (423) 782-6356.

    Should be a good time. 😎

  • Just a reminder …

    That I’ll be signing books on Oct. 18 (this Saturday) during the annual Women’s Expo at the Meadowview Convention Center in Kingsport, Tenn.

    The event starts at 10 a.m. I should be there for most of the day (although I will be taking a lunch break at some point). Other authors scheduled to attend include Julia Quinn, Teresa Medeiros, and Lora Leigh. Should be a good time.

    Also, I’ll be signing books on Nov. 1 at Mountain Empire Comics in Bristol, Tenn. Not sure about the time yet (got to figure out my work schedule first). More details to come.

    Hope to see you there! 😎

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    Unstuck for now …

    So I did some work on Assassin 3 this weekend. I didn’t get a lot of writing done, mainly because I got stuck — and basically rewrote the same three chapters three different times. Sigh.

    I usually don’t do that. I just go on my merry way, keep writing, and make a note to fix it later. But this time, I felt like I couldn’t go on without fixing the scenes — right then and there. I needed to know what I was doing with the story at that point so the rest of it would flow smoothly. I was stuck, in other words.

    So how did I change it? Well, first I had Gin (the assassin) eating dinner in a restaurant while she’s waiting for a guy at another table to go the bathroom so she can kill him in there. Boring, I thought. I needed a better setting than that. So I changed the restaurant to a riverboat casino. Much more unique and interesting, and much more in keeping with the Southern flavor of the series.

    Which, in turn, meant I had to change who Gin was eating with from her love interest to Finnegan Lane (Gin’s best friend/handler). Only since they were on a riverboat now, they weren’t even eating dinner. I’ll stop here to keep the confusion to a minimum. But the changes went on from there.

    But now, I feel like I’ve finally gotten a handle on things and can write the rest of the story. At least until I get stuck again. :rolleyes:

    What about you guys? What do you do when you get stuck on something or at work? Do you plow on through or spend time fixing it until it’s just right?