Book Blogger Appreciation Week is coming up!

I didn't fully participate last year, but this year I'm diving hardcore into Book Blogger Appreciation Week!

In its second year, Book Blogger Appreciation Week runs from September 14th to 18th, and celebrates the contribution that book bloggers and reviewers make to the promotion, celebration, and popularity of literature - of all genres. They're going to have interviews, contests - even Awards for Bloggers in all different categories!

According to the website, you guys still have one week left (until August 15th) to nominate your favourite book bloggers for such categories as Best Romance Blog, Best Design, Best Name for a Blog, Best Reviews, Best Writing, even the Most Chatty (Kristie J was nominated for that one last year). Even if you aren't a blogger yourself, just a fan or a dedicated reader - you can still nominate the bloggers who meant a lot to you and who influence your reading habits!

So go ahead. Nominate a couple!

"Not Quite a Husband," by Sherry Thomas

Alternate Title: Doctor, Doctor, Gimme the News...

The Chick: Bryony Asquith. A celebrated female doctor and surgeon, she fled to India to practice her talents after the annulment of her disastrous marriage. The last person she expects to meet again in this exotic, faraway country is her ex-husband, Leo Marsden.
The Rub: She's still desperately in love with Leo, even after all these years, but she refuses to forgive him for his betrayal. However, since her father's ill, she and Leo must return to England together.
Dream Casting: A slightly younger Jennifer Connelly.

The Dude: Leo Marsden. He fell in love with a woman whom he thought was simply quiet and intense, but who turned out to be heartless and cold, refusing his attentions and annulling their marriage without a reason. However, at her sister's request, he goes to find her in India to let her know that her father is ill.
The Rub: When it becomes clear that Bryony had a very obvious reason for freezing out their marriage, Leo's horrified. Now, as things begin to heat up again between them, Leo has to refuse her attentions - until he's ready to forgive himself.
Dream Casting: Being Human's yummy Aidan Turner. Yes, the hot Irish vampire. No, not the cheesy soap star.

The Plot:
In India...
Bryony: What the hell are you doing here?

Leo: Bringing you back to your sick dad, like your sister asked.

Bryony: I hate my dad, my sister's a liar, and I want you to go away.

Leo: *in head* Cold bitch. Why is your cold bitchiness such a turn-on??

Bryony: *in head* Studly McStud. Go away before your McStudliness thaws my frozen shell of isolation!

Leo: Why'd you break up with me anyhow?

Bryony: Because you cheated on me you ASS.

Leo: *in head* SHIT.

Bryony: *in head* Stupid stupid sexy McStudly cheating ass sexy stud. Dammit!

Travelling through India...

Bryony: Forget what I said! Let's get it on!

Leo: NO!

Bryony: *in head* STUPID MCSTUDLY LET ME GET IN YOUR PANTS!

Leo: *in head* I am a worthless human being who destroyed everything beautiful in my life, I can't destroy Bryony, perfect sexy totally-not-a-cold-bitch Bryony, ever again. Fuck my life.

Indian Rebels: *attack!*

Leo: *in head* God I hope Bryony doesn't die.

Bryony: *in head* God I hope Leo doesn't die.

Indian Rebels: *defeated!*

Leo: Let's get married again.

Bryony: HOORAY!

Romance Convention Checklist:

1 Ice Queen, Slightly Thawed

1 Sexy Math Nerd

1 Indian Uprising

1 Deadly Fever (unsexy AND sexy varieties!)

Several Instances of Surprise! Sleep Sex

Several Cuts and Scrapes

1 Inconveniently Dead Parent

1 Inconveniently Dead Surrogate Parent

1 Inconveniently Fake Dying Parent

1 Pathological Liar Sibling

1 Fancy Microscope

The Word: As many of my readers know (and Sherry Thomas, apparently, too..gah....), I didn't have an overwhelmingly positive reaction to her first novel, Private Arrangements. In fact, I had a downright uncommon reaction to Private Arrangements: it was a perfect "m'eh" grade. I liked the ideas and the story and the execution, but the novel never emotionally or intellectually engaged me and to this day I still can't understand why. So I decided to give Not Quite a Husband a try - because the setting and the characters grabbed me, and now I actually feel incredibly foolish for giving Private Arrangements away because now I want to read it again.

Hey, sometimes you just have to be in the mood. I gave An Offer from a Gentleman a B the first time I read it and an A the second (probably thanks to the fact that I spent six hours in the waiting room of a hospital waiting to be told I had a ruptured ovarian cyst the first time). It's merely enough to say, Not Quite a Husband was good enough to make me want to get another copy of Private Arrangements and give it another try.

The story opens as our heroine, famed female doctor Bryony Asquith, discovers the stress over her ruined marriage to Leo Marsden has turned a streak of her hair white. She still loves Leo desperately, but in an eloquent and heartbreaking inner monologue she equates her feelings with opium addiction - it's weakening and killing her, and she has to get away, and she decides then and there to sue for an annulment.

The novel skips ahead years later, as Bryony is working as a doctor in India. To her surprise and dismay, even in the middle of nowhere her ex Leo manages to find her, although he claims he's been sent by her sister Callista to bring her back to England because her father is dying. Bryony, aware of her sister's various manipulative attempts to bring her and Leo back together, shrugs it off as another trick. However, as Leo's already destroyed her story of being a "widow" to her neighbours (by flashing around their wedding photo), Bryony decides there's nothing better to do and decides to follow Leo back to England.

It's obvious from the start that both Leo and Bryony are still painfully in love with each other, even as each tries to deny it. Bryony is ashamed of her feelings for Leo - she has not forgiven him for how their marriage went sour, and hates herself for loving him anyway. Older than him by five years, she could barely believe, when their relationship first started, that such a young, sexy, and popular Adonis could fall for an overeducated spinster like her. In the present, she feels pathetic about her longing - and pathetically stupid for ever believing it was returned.

Leo, meanwhile, still has no idea why their marriage was annulled in the first place. Well, that's not true - he knows well enough how Bryony became cold and distant the day of the marriage, how she rejected his lovemaking attempts (eventually barring her bedroom door to him), and how she refused to speak to him or answer his pleas. After a year of this, an annulment was par for the course. What he never understood was why she changed so suddenly right when their marriage started. He's spent the last few years convincing himself that all his friends were right, that Bryony Asquith is cold and unfeeling and incapable of emotion, and that he was a fool to fall in love with her - and an even greater fool for still being in love with her.

Sherry Thomas shows us through flashbacks (although fewer flashbacks than Private Arrangements) how they met - and how their relationship deteriorated. In fact, the sabotage of their marriage is rather similar to what happened in Private Arrangements - one of the protagonists makes a Very Big Mistake right before the wedding, and the other protagonist finds out about it but decides to go through with the wedding anyway, with disastrous results. In Leo and Bryony's case, though, I was much more emotionally caught up in the story - feeling and understanding both their pain while at the same time understanding how they both were wrong.

Mild spoilers ahoy: Leo erred first, when, having doubts about his whirlwind engagement to a woman nearly everyone else said was wrong for him, he had a one-night stand with a former lover one week before the wedding. Ashamed of himself, he came out of that experience knowing now more than ever that Bryony was the only woman for him, and all the naysayers could go hang.

However, Bryony erred next when, unbeknownst to Leo, she discovered his infidelity and said nothing. Although repulsed by Leo's sin, she was too ashamed of the humiliating circumstances of her situation (imagine! The dried-up spinster doctor fell in love with the Leo Marsden and actually believed the handsome, popular genius actually loved her back! How droll!) to call the wedding off. The one year of their marriage was spent with Leo begging, pleading, cajoling his wife, trying to find out why she remained frozen and unresponsive, why he couldn't please her, why she didn't love him. All the while Bryony refused to explain, too full of shame and self-loathing to reveal the stupidity of her marriage to a man who didn't love her.

Bryony was an amazing character. From an objective standpoint, I can understand why other readers might find her the hardest to empathize with. When she was a child, she was subjected to a very lonely childhood by the people who should have taken care of her, and so she rejected them, living in an internalized world of her own. She's a very internal, precise person, used to keeping things to herself, used to living in her own world. Thus, on the occasions when she has to go out into the real world, she feels very self-conscious and isn't sure of what to do.

I went through a childhood very similar to hers and I sympathized with her entirely. I didn't have neglectful parents, but I was teased so often at school that after a while I just said, "Fine. Whatever." I figured if no one would try hard enough to be friends with me, than I didn't have to try hard to be friends with them, and I managed well enough on my own. I was the kid who'd sit by the school doors at recess, with a nose in a book. As a result, however, when those kids who'd teased me years ago tried to befriend me later, I laughed in their faces.

I got a reputation for being a bitch that was hard to break - by the time I realized in high school that doing everything by myself meant not being invited to parties or games or dating, and that acting however I wanted meant being rude to other people, and that it wasn't as fun being on my own anymore, I'd stunted my social growth to the point where it was very difficult for me to relate to people and react positively in social situations. To this day, when I'm talking to people I'm always afraid I'm talking too much and boring people or being unintentionally offensive - that's how bad I've become at reading people.

So let's just say, I totally related to Bryony on nearly every level. I completely understood her self-consciousness around Leo, how even at the start of their relationship she couldn't quite believe why an Adonis like him would be enchanted by her. I understood her single-minded focus on her interests, to the exclusion of all else (that was me, too - 90% grade average, no friends). I even got her decision to keep her knowledge of Leo's infidelity to herself because she was too embarrassed to admit how inept she was at understanding people - again.

However, I also understood Leo Marsden as well. We don't often get heroes who cheat on the heroine, and readers can be mighty unforgiving on that score, but in my mind, he got his karmic payback with the year he spent in the emotional-married-wringer with Bryony. And, when he finally does find out that Bryony knew all along, his reactions carried the story and won me over. During their danger-fraught travels, Bryony is the first to break and attempt to re-connect their relationship, and Leo is the one who has to refuse. He adores Bryony, and now he rightfully hates himself for what he did to her, but he knows they can't rekindle their relationship until she is ready to forgive and trust him again, and that can only happen after he can forgive himself.

I loved this - this wasn't a Big Misunderstanding where simply knowing the truth solves both their problems. Bryony has to deal with how her reliance on her emotional self-sufficiency has made it very difficult for her to accept flawed people into her heart, for fear they'll leave again. While she rejected Leo for legitimate reasons, she's rejected others for lesser faults (like her father, whom she's never spoken to after medical school in payment for her neglected childhood). Meanwhile, Leo has to accept the responsibility for his cowardly fall from grace, and convince Bryony that he will never hurt her again.

All the while, Sherry Thomas concocts a beautiful story without once resorting to purple or overwrought prose, one of the things that annoys me most about the romance genre. Her writing is very intricate, unique and descriptive - while I found this distancing for some reason in Private Arrangements, I adored it in Not Quite a Husband. Similarly, her descriptions of setting: this book takes place in India mostly, and she brought the setting to life without taking up too much narrative space. I liked how her depiction of the uprising was subtly integrated into the story - it had its own particular importance but at the same time it didn't take away from the pacing of the romance: even when the bullets were flying, the delicacy of Bryony and Leo's romance took precedence and I appreciated that.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Not Quite a Husband. Even though it had a similar story to Private Arrangements, the characters were much more engaging, for all their flaws, and I cared about them so much more that it was a delight to read how their romance rekindled, even after all the pain. I related to Bryony especially, her loneliness and her social ineptitude, and more than anything I wanted her to find someone who wouldn't leave her alone again. With Leo, even after committing a grave, grave error, Sherry Thomas convinced me that he was just the person Bryony needed.
A

I won an Award!

The wonderful Lusty Reader, whom I met in Washington D.C. during the RWA National Conference, nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger Award! Awesome! This is the first time I've won any sort of blogger award, and I'm so pleased. I have been feeling really Kreativ lately thanks to RWA - I finally started work on my novel's second draft, and I've already finished three chapters (prologue included). Sometimes it's difficult to get started writing. To me, writing is like pushing a boulder down a hill - the initial push is really difficult, the rock looks really big and it's really heavy - but once you go ahead and do it, it's gets easier and easier to keep writing, until whenever you're not, you're itching to go back and do it.

But I can't just sit on my electronic laurels:

The Kreativ rules state that:

Once you receive this award you are to list seven of your favorite things and then nominate seven other blogs.

Okay! In no particular order, seven of my favourite things:

1. Canadian spelling. I'm a bit like Anne of Green Gables - I believe spelling really can affect how romantic or beautiful a word seems to you (to my Nana Ann's dismay, I do think the e on the end of Anne makes it a prettier name). To me, flavour and honour and parlour look so much classier than flavor, honor, and parlor. Plus, it's always a bit of a jolt to read books set in historical Britain that use American spelling.

Pronunciation, too - I'm an Elizabeth with a zed, not a zee.

2. Mary Balogh. Mary Mary Mary Mary. Love her. Love her. I've only read four of her books so far (I'm too damn slow!) but every time she astounds me with how she takes romance cliches and turns them on their ear. Plus, she lives in Canada, only one province away from me (Saskatchewan).

3. Dark chocolate Kit-Kat Bars. Yum.

4. Craig Olejnik. He's a Canadian actor who stars in CTV/NBC's The Listener. Now, when I created the hero of my novel, The Duke of Snow and Apples, I didn't have a particular actor or real-life person in mind. Frederick Snow started out as rather a type of hero I like and rarely see - he's tall, lanky (not beefy), nimble, with dark curly hair and is the complete opposite of tanned (he blushes and sunburns). He also has huge blue eyes that are a source of his secret magic power, but are also his most distinctive and beautiful facial feature. Again, I had no image in mind when I created him a year ago - but then here comes Craig Olejnik and I just went, "Holy CRAP - he's got Frederick's eyes!" Weird. But cool. And pretty.

5. Books. They are my heroin. And RWA was an enormous "Heroin? You like heroin? Have some free heroin!" festival for me.

6. Choral Music. Weird, I know - but this pertains more to singing it than listening to it. I've been part of my University's mixed chorus for going on five years (even though I'm no longer *in* University) and I never fail to feel awed by the feeling of singing these gorgeous, enormous, epic songs with a hundred and fifty other people. Find an example of a choir singing "O Magnum Mysterium" on YouTube and you'll know what I mean. I love being a part of a mixed chorus. I'm a Soprano II, and I usually sit on the far left, and back, because I'm one of the louder voices (I'm the choral equivalent of a linebacker). There's even a video of me somewhere of my solo from The Little Mermaid medley we put on in 2007.

7. Instrumental Film Scores. I love movies, and I know some scenes just wouldn't be the same without the score. I have a great time imagining scenes from my novels when I listen to them. I love the bombastic themes by Danny Elfman and John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith (love the Rudy soundtrack!), although the subtler ones are good too (particularly James Newton Howard's theme for M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable).

Now, for the bloggers! Lusty Reader's already nominated a bunch I already know and love, so I nominate (again, in no particular order):

1. Ramblings on Romance. Not only do I love Kristie J's take on romance (and So You Think You Can Dance), but she's a truly amazing woman in person, too!

2. The Misadventures of Super Librarian. Wendy is an inspiration in so many ways - first, I love her blog and her lightning reviews, but she also writes about the importance of romance in libraries (my public library, for all of its good qualities *cough*booksales*cough* has a sucky romance section it does not organize). Is also super-rad in person.

3. The Booksmugglers. Love these gals. They blog about three of my favourite genres - romance, fantasy, and YA. Their reviews are hilarious and often spot-on (although we've disagreed on things before). They asked me to do a Guest Dare and instantly turned me into a Linnea Sinclair fangirl. One of my favourite blogs ever!

4. Babbling about Books, and More. I got onto her blog thanks to her posts on Ramblings on Romance and Powerpuff Reviews with the Booksmugglers. Seriously awesome - and she's also a romance blogger who's trying to make it as a romance author (like me).

5. Leslie's Psyche. Just an all-round excellent blogger, who reviews both fantasy and romance, my main genres. At the same time, she also does reviews of much older books, which is very interesting to me, who is just getting into the genre and can usually only find the newer books. She's the one who piqued my interest in Westerns.

6. The Book Binge. They always impress me with the sheer number of reviews they do, always one or two a day. This means I always check in with them, even if a good chunk of the romances they review tend to be outside my circle of interest.

7. Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. Last but certainly not least - are these gals. They don't review too often on their site anymore, now usually posting news in the industry and discussion topics, but these are the women who got me started in romance. They're the ones who suggested the first romance novel I ever read (Jennifer Crusie's Bet Me), back when they were still called The Smart Bitches Who Love Trashy Novels, and they got me hooked. I can't even remember what website I was originally on when I clicked the link to the Smart Bitches, but the beautiful site design attracted me, and the hilarious reviews that kicked bad romance novel ass while celebrating wonderful, intelligent romance inspired me to start reading a genre I'd never thought of trying. They're pretty much the reason I am where I am today.

So that's about it! A big thank you to Lusty Reader and all my reader fans!

AnimeJune's Big-Ass RWA Post: "Final Booty Call"

WARNING, the content of this post might be construed to seem like I'm bragging. I'm not bragging. I'm just stating the honest facts - okay yes I'm bragging. But not in the bad way. This is the bragging the warrior does after he's combed the chilled forests of the hinterland, taken down a rampaging bison with his bare hands, and hauled the enormous carcass home to feed his village. "Look at how BIG that bison was!"

Okay, so what I did took a lot less blood and pain (although I might have accidentally elbowed a few people at the crowded book signings) but this is probably the closest I'll ever come to big game hunting. I faced the heated battlefields of the booksignings, the lines to the ballroom, rival fangirls, riveting workshops, and now UPS has finally brought back my hard-won spoils. If you would indulge me, please let me hang the literary equivalent of a huge bison pelt on my wall. A huge bison pelt that I will eventually review all of, by the way.

What I mean to say with all this blathering, is that UPS finally delivered the box of books I shipped from RWA Nationals! So (as I mentioned I would in my other posts), let me detail the full extent of my RWA National Conference Bounty. I'm not doing pictures of them all, because that would take a long-ass time to load, but I will describe what made me choose certain books, why I'm excited to read them, where I got them, and who was lovely enough to sign them.

The short, quick and dirty version: these are all the books I got at RWA. 11 were bought at the Literacy Booksigning, 3 were bought with the $25 I won at the RWA Online Chapter party, and 69 were free of charge. The majority of these had to be shipped, thanks to the unfair restrictions in both luggage weight and volume. I think it's safe to say that it's not going to be very hard to refrain from buying books (with exceptions made for going to the Library sale with my Granny in September and spending book certificates given as gifts at Christmas and birthdays, etc.) for the next year to save money for Nashville. At least I won't have to tighten my belt.

Long version (in alphabetical order, and I'm not mentioning the books I got at the Literacy signing because I already did in a previous post):

The Summoning, by Kelley Armstrong.
I found this one while at the Avon book signing. At first she didn't have any books at the signing which I thought was weird, but more were brought in. It turns out her original books had been stolen (along with Melissa Marr's and some others that were all held in the same room at the Marriott), which makes me hopping mad. Otherwise, I was glad to try her new YA book. I've read most of the Women of the Otherworld series (I got them for free by being an employee at Chapters), and she is one of the rare paranormal authors whose work I've read and enjoyed.

Tangled Up in Love, by Heidi Betts.
The knitting cover reminded me of How to Knit a Wild Bikini, but Betts assured me at the St Martin's signing that her book was better. We'll see about that - but the story does sound nice.

One Reckless Summer, by Toni Blake.
A BIG thank you to Katiebabs and her endless generosity - she allowed me to grab this out of her box of unwanted books. I've been wanted to read this since I read the blurb - small town romance! Interclass relationship! Hooray!

Dangerous, by Monica Burns
No idea about the story or the author, but I won a copy of this trade paperback at the RWA Online Party.

Passion for the Paranormal, by Shannon K Butcher, Emma Holly, Alyssa Day, Nalini Singh, Christina Dodd, Jessica Anderson
Okay, so technically this is a book of excerpts, but it's big enough to be considered a real book in my eyes. I wrote off paranormals years ago after burning out on a couple of bad or m'eh ones for The Green Man Review (turns out I don't like Patricia Briggs, so sue me - her first book had huge-ass info dumps and the plot was convoluted and made no sense, so why should I try her other books?), but it's still a huge genre so while I can get examples for free I might as well try more.

Never Trust a Scoundrel, by Gayle Callen.
Found this at the Avon signing, where I first discovered that Gayle Callen is fantastic and superfly and gives bad-ass workshop advice. She was also offering her Julia Latham medievals, but I chose the Regency one. She told me she wrote medievals under a different name so she could have more books out at the same time. Seems like a good plan to me!

Homicide in Hardcover, by Kate Carlisle.
I won this as part of the Orange Country Chapter's prize at the Literacy signing raffle. I'm not familiar with the author, but a "bibliophile mystery" sounds intriguing.

Paradise Valley, by Robin Carr.
Found this at the St Martin's signing once it had cooled down a little and the crowds had thinned. I've heard good things about her work and I love love love small-town romances so I snatched this up quick as I could.

Plundered Treasure, by Charlotte Carter.
I won this hardcover book in the raffle prize. The title made me giggle before I read it and found out it's more of a mystery.

Charmed and Dangerous, by Toni McGee Causey.
Can you forgive me for reading the title and expecting a paranormal? Picked this up at the St Martin's signing and discovered it's more of a suspense a la Stephanie Plum (author's words).

Undressed, by Kristina Cook.
I found this in the Goody Room, but what a weirdly marketed book it is. Go to Amazon or Chapters.ca and find a picture of the cover. Everything about the cover screamed contemporary - the sleek cartoon piece of very modern underwear on the front, the jolly (instead of handwritten) font, even the title, made it sound like a chick-lit-y read. Only by reading the back did I discover it was a historical. *headdesk*

Confessions of a Duchess, by Nicola Cornick.
Found this at the Harlequin signing, and historical + pretty cover + free is pretty much catnip to me.

Tumbling Through Time, by Gwyn Cready.
I found this at the Pocket signing, and picked it over Seducing Mr Darcy - partly because I liked the idea of falling in love with your own romance hero and partly because I'm proud and prejudiced against books that screw around with Jane Austen because they always seem like fan fiction to me - I respect fan fiction, but don't think it should be published.

Start Me Up, by Victoria Dahl.
Found this book at the Harlequin signing. I've heard oodles of positive press about Victoria Dahl, and I'm glad I got the chance to pick up one of her contemporaries as opposed to one of her historicals. Don't get me wrong, I love historicals - but I made a very conscious choice to pick up a lot of contemporaries and paranormals to make sure I don't OD on empire-waist gowns.

Eve of Darkness, by S.J. Day.
Part of the raffle prize I won, donated by the Orange Country Chapter. Awesome cover, non-Caucasion heroine, religious subtext? Yes please!

Wild, Wild Women of the West, by Delilah Devlin, Layla Chase, and Myle Jackson.
This was a part of the prize package I won in a raffle, donated by the Orange County Chapter of RWA. No idea what it's about, but I've been thinking about getting into westerns.

The Girl Most Likely To ... By Susan Donovan.
Caught this one at the St Martin's signing - it sounded like an interesting contemporary. I like the idea of reuniting sweethearts and small towns.

Sins of a Duke, by Suzanne Enoch.
I already know I like her books, so even though I bought Always a Scoundrel at the Literacy Autographing event, when I saw she had another book at the Avon signing, I snatched it right up.

How I Write, by Janet Evanovich, with Ina Yalof.
This was on every chair in the ballroom during the opening session where the Stephanie Plum author gave her speech. Somewhat unsettled by the fact that the famous author didn't write her How I Write book alone.

Wild Blue Under, by Judi Fennell.
A surprising find at the Sourcebooks signing: a merman hero. Count me in!

Suddenly One Summer, by Barbara Freethy.
Found this in my RWA registration goody bag, and was instantly attracted to the beautiful cover and the plot that takes place in a small town. I am a total sucker/addict for small-town stories.

Halfway to the Grave, by Jeaniene Frost.
Found this at the Avon signing, and decided to take advantage of the free book opportunity to give the paranormal and urban fantasy subgenre of romance another go. This one sounded good, and Katiebabs loves it, so that's a firm recommendation.

The Diaper Diaries, by Abby Gaines.
I won this in the raffle. I'm mostly unfamiliar with category romances, but since I got this for free I might as well try it.

Teaming Up, by Abby Gaines.
Also in the Orange County Chapter raffle prize - it's a Nascar romance. Colour me intrigued.

The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor, by Diane Gaston, Deb Marlowe, Amanda McCabe.
Met Deb Marlowe at the awesome workshop with Sabrina Jeffries about making a single title romance series, and discovered I'd demonstrated remarkable foresight in picking up her book at the Harlequin signing before I'd met her.

Tangled Up in You, by Rachel Gibson.
Got this at the Avon signing to dilute the pure estract of Historical I was tapping from the event, entirely unaware that I was choosing this one over the book that eventually got her the RITA (Not Another Bad Date).

The Blue Zone, by Andrew Gross.
Found a huge stack of these books in the Goody Room, grabbed one. No idea who this guy is or how he writes but I guess I'll find out one way or the other.

Any Given Doomsday, by Lori Handeland.
There's been a lot of buzz surrounding this paranormal series, so when I got the chance at the St Martins' signing to get a free copy of the first book, I took my chance.

Talk of the Town, by Karen Hawkins.
Found this book at the Pocket signing, and I was interested in trying her stuff. I chose her contemporary (rather than the historical highlander romance that she was also signing) because I need to balance my diet of historicals with contemporary and paranormal and other genres, otherwise I tend to go a little nuts.

A Hint of Wicked, by Jennifer Haymore.
HOORAY! I'm so pleased I discovered this was part of the raffle prize from the Orange County Chapter of RWA! This has been on my wishlist for forever. The only regret is that Canadian Customs, when they opened my box to inspect the contents, ravaged the shit out of the cover. It's still readable though!

In Bed with the Devil, by Lorraine Heath.
I met her at the Avon signing, and the story (girl hires "devil earl" to murder a dude) sounded both enjoyably implausible and interesting, as well as being the first in a series, inspired me to pick this book up.

Forbidden Moon, by Elysa Hendricks.
When I went to the Gathering (the party for the FF&P chapter of RWA), there were goody bags on every chair - one seat at our table wasn't claimed, so the rest of those seated divided the spoils. I was given this because, as one of my tablemates said, "You're the newbie, take every opportunity for books that you can." Initially, I wanted to refuse. Why? Because it has an ugly cover. And I mean ugly. I'm talking about cheap computer graphics, an unnecessarily phallic symbol on the front, a publisher I don't know. I took one look and thought DO NOT WANT. But how fair would that be? It's not the author's fault her book looks like ass. So I'm going to make myself read it anyway.

Immortal Warrior, by Lisa Hendrix.
I've been trying to get back into paranormals, and this book sounded amazing - a Viking cursed to be an eagle in the daytime who marries a lady and has to keep it a secret. Sounds a lot like Ladyhawke. I love Ladyhawke. Thanks to the Barnes and Noble giftcard I won from RWA, I got this book free of charge!

Too Good to be True, by Kristan Higgins.
I was delighted to find this in my RWA registration goody bag! I'd heard fabulous things about her books, and the story for this novel in particular (girl makes up a pretend boyfriend to make her ex-fiance and her sister feel less guilty for falling in love with each other) really intrigued me.

Death Angel, by Linda Howard.
This was given to every attendee of the Thursday RWA Luncheon, where Linda Howard was the keynote speaker. Honestly, Linda Howard's speech was hilarious and inspirational, so I'm actually looking forward to trying the romantic suspense genre with one of her books.

Don't Bargain with the Devil, by Sabrina Jeffries
I found this in my RWA goody bag at registration. I was tempted to write Jeffries off after my lukewarm response to One Night With a Prince, but after getting this for free and really enjoying her Series Story Arc workshop, I'm definitely giving her a second chance.

Outcast, by Joan Johnston.
Found a huge pile of these in the goody room. Sounds intriguing (hero with mental issues?).

Sins of a Wicked Duke, by Sophie Jordan.
I discovered the last copy of this in the Goody Room, thanks to my preternationally-good timing, I suppose. The cover is gorgeous, and the story is about a girl who disguises herself as a footman. I'm both intrigued and wary - footmen are supposed to be tall and have sexy calves. How sexy are our heroine's calves going to be, exactly? And how tall will she be, since I doubt any image-conscious duke worth his salt would hire a short, slight footman.

Lord of Legends, Susan Krinard.
Harlequin signing. The hero is a unicorn. 'Nuff said.

The Concubine, by Jade Lee.
I won this at the Gathering by asking a question of the Q&A panel of Prism winners. I'm really excited to read this one - it's a Harlequin Historical set in ancient China, and Jade Lee in person is AWESOME. It pissed me off to no small degree to hear from Lee that the sales for this book tanked because the setting was in Asia! GRRR!

Since the Surrender, by Julie Anne Long.
I count this as a free RWA book because I ordered it with the money I got trading in my $25 Barnes and Noble gift card I won at the RWA Online Chapter party, and boy am I glad I did! Can't wait to read it!

Blood Magic, Jennifer Lyon.
Actually, I honestly can't remember where I found this - either in my goody bag or in the goody room. Either way, it has witches in it. Witches can be good.

Windswept, Ann Macela.
I won this at the RWA Online Party - or rather, I traded my $25 Barnes and Noble giftcard (the first one I won) for it, because we don't have Barnes and Nobles in Canada. I'm excited for this one - it has a gorgeous cover!

A Warrior's Taking, by Margo Maguire.
Picked this one up at the Avon signing because it was the first in a series by an author I was unfamiliar with. Maguire later took part in a workshop I attended about the high-concept historical. Cheesy cover aside, the time-travel-historical story could be interesting.

The Bride Price, by Anne Mallory.
Avon signing. Pretty, pretty, pretty cover.

For the Earl's Pleasure, by Anne Mallory.
Katiebabs let me have this from her pile of unwanted books at RWA. She was dismayed that it was a paranormal (not that she doesn't like paranormals, but rather this book is obviously marketed more as a historical - there's no mention of magic even on the back blurb), but now that I know this in advance, maybe I'll enjoy the book more.

Gentlemen Behaving Badly, by Michelle Marcos.
Found this at the St Martin's signing. Sounded good, even with the mantitty cover that looks really, really similar to the cover for Meredith Duran's Bound By Your Touch. I tend to dislike mantitty covers, I think they demean the genre a bit, but a jovial fellow conference-goer expressed her respectful disagreement by pretending to lick the cover. To each their own, I suppose.

A Highlander of Her Own, by Melissa Mayhue.
I picked this one up at the Pocket signing, mainly because I'd met Mayhue at her workshop for creating a good paranormal world. Reading Sir Walter Scott has given me such a horror of phonetically-spelled Scottish accents that I've avoided all Highlander romances, but that's not exactly fair, so I'm starting with Mayhue.

Labor Day, by Joyce Maynard.
Never heard of this author, but I found a hardcover copy of this in my RWA goody bag.

Bedding the Heiress, by Cathy Maxwell.
Snatched this up at the Avon booksigning. I've heard of Cathy Maxwell but I've never read any of her books. This is what I ultimately enjoyed about the booksignings - not just the free stuff, but the chance to try a lot of new authors at once without breaking your bank account.

Four Dukes and a Devil, by Cathy Maxwell, Elaine Fox, Jeaniene Frost, Sophia Nash, and Tracy Anne Warren.
This is an anthology I found at the Avon signing, and I don't try too many of those, although heaven knows I should - it's a great way to discover several new authors at once. It sounds good - a good mix of historical with a touch of paranormal in for kicks.

Scandal of the Black Rose, by Debra Mullins.
I picked this up at the Avon book signing. I hadn't read any Mullins before, and the blurb, with its secret spyness plot, grabbed me.

To Ruin the Duke, by Debra Mullins.
I won this in the Orange County Chapter raffle prize - so now I have two Mullins books to try.

Never Resist Temptation, by Miranda Neville.
I've never read her books, but I saw her at the Avon signing - and within days of the conference's end she Friended me on Facebook! Can't wait to read her book.

A Scotsman In Love, by Karen Ranney.
I normally have a prejudice against Scottish romances, but something about the story just drew me in, and when Katiebabs let me snag a free copy from her box of unwanted books, I couldn't say no!

Rescue Me, by Christy Reece.
This, along with Death Angel, was given to attendees of Linda Howard's luncheon. I'm not at all familiar with romantic suspence, so I'll give this one the ol' college try.

The Professors' Wives' Club, by Joanne Rendell.
Found this baby in the Goody Room. The Goody Room, while not completely comprised of free books like the popular myth, does often have books in it - the problem is that they tend to go SUPER FAST so it's usually the luck of timing.

How to Knit a Wild Bikini, by Christie Ridgway.
I think this may have been part of the raffle prize I won from the Orange County Chapter of RWA. I'm excited, because I've read one of Ridgway's books and really enjoyed it.

Awaken Me Darkly, by Gena Showalter.
I found this at the Pocket signing (I think), and I picked it up because I was interested in Showalter's series about the Lords who are cursed with the demon imbodiments of human frailty (Wrath, Pain, Doubt, etc. etc.), but she only had her Alien huntress series on the table. Still - sci-fi romance can still be good (as Linnea Sinclair has proven).

Hope's Folly, by Linnea Sinclair.
Found it in my goody bag at the Gathering. YES YES YES YES! Too bad Linnea Sinclair couldn't make it to RWA - I'd love to have met her.

Bad to the Bone, by Jeri Smith-Ready.
Found this one at the Pocket Book signing, and since I'd met Jeri Smith-Ready beforehand at the Gathering and really loved her contribution to the Q&A panel afterwards, picking it up and asking her to sign it was a no-brainer. It is the second in her series, but she assured me it wouldn't leave me lost.

Storm Glass, by Maria V. Snyder.
I was surprised as hell to find this at the Harlequin booksigning, but pleased - since the Book Smugglers wuv her very much.

Heart of the Wolf, by Terry Spear.
It came with the RWA Harlequin tote at registration. Another chance to try an interesting paranormal.

Rewriting Monday, by Jodi Thomas.
This book caught my eye a while ago and wouldn't let go. Small-town setting? Check. Editor/publisher hero? Check and check! Thanks to the Barnes and Noble giftcard I won, I ordered this as soon as I got back from Washington.

Sin and Scandal in England, by Melody Thomas.
I picked this up at the Avon signing, because I looove historicals. It was either this, or Wild and Wicked in Scotland - and even though Scotland had the prettier cover, my terror of having to translate dialogue like "I dinnae ken why ye et so muckle haggis" kept me away.

Winter Heat, by Vicky Lewis Thompson, Jade Lee, and Anna DeStefano.
I got this one at DeStefano's workshop about revising and editing your manuscript. I'm a little ashamed of this one because I whined for it. Everyone who asked a question was supposed to get a book at the end, but by the workshop's end there was a mad dash and no books left. I moped a bit about how I'd asked a question, and someone very nice and very tolerant of my whining childishness offered me their copy. I have very low social skills and read people's emotions very poorly, and I tend to blow my social mistakes out of proportion so I'm not sure if I was a whining baby or if someone at RWA was just really nice.

The Panther & the Pyramid, by Bonnie Vanak.
I came over to buy her latest book, The Lady and the Libertine, because Kristie J had raved about her - and she gave me this book absolutely free, just because it was Kristie J's favourite!

Tempted by His Kiss, Tracy Anne Warren.
Avon signing. PRETTY PRETTY PRETTY pretty pretty pretty cover. Also - I liked her workshop about getting six-figure deals selling historicals.

The Lady Flees Her Lord, by Michele Ann Young.
I caught a copy of this at the Sourcebooks signing. I'd had no idea Sourcebooks published any historicals that weren't Georgette Heyer's, so colour me surprised and delighted.

And that's about it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've suddenly become really really REALLY behind in my reading.

"His Every Kiss," by Laura Lee Guhrke

Alternate Title: Explicit Violins

The Chick: Grace Cheval. Destitute and alone thanks to a scandal in her past, Grace is close to losing her home when licentious composer Dylan Moore offers to hire her as a governess to his daughter. Although a thousand pounds and a cottage of her own are thrown into the bargain, she knows Dylan has more improper designs on her.
The Rub: Dylan makes it obvious he also wants her to be his mistress and artistic muse, and while Grace finds him attractive - she's dealt with unstable artist types before, and she wants no part of the erratic mood swings and blame she's sure will come with the position.
Dream Casting: Scarlett Johansson.

The Dude: Dylan Moore. A famous composer who was cursed with tinnitis after a fall from his horse, the constant ringing sound in his ears has prevented him from composing for five years and he's been drowning his sorrows in drugs, booze and women. However, when he hears the first few bars of a potential symphony in his head after meeting Grace, he knows he has to have her near him to help him compose again.
The Rub: While Dylan is desperately attracted to Grace, he feels he cannot love her, or anyone - as a composer and musician he believes his art's called dibs on all the love he has.
Dream Casting: Eric Bana.

The Plot:

Dylan: I'm going to kill myself!

Grace: No, you're not.

Five Years Later

Dylan: You're going to be my mistress!

Grace: No, I'm not.

Isabel, Dylan's Secret Baby: You're going to be a real daddy!

Dylan: No, I'm not.

Grace: Yes, you are.

Dylan: Yes, I am. *sees paintings of Grace* You're going to leave me house - NOW.

Grace: Fine.

Dylan: Wait - aren't you going to be contrary? Come back! I'll marry you!

Grace: Hooray!

Romance Convention Checklist

1 Stymied Artist

1 Precocious Child and Secret Baby

2 Irritating Older Brothers

1 Very Bad (But Initially Very Good) Husband (deceased)

3 Nudie Paintings

1 Constant Ringing Sound

Several Doses of Laudenum

1 Pipe of Hashish

1 Inspired Symphony

The Word: What's pretty awesome about this book is that I was reading it while I went to the RWA National Conference, and I actually got to meet Laura Lee Gurhke in person and ask her about it. According to her, she came up with the idea for His Every Kiss when she overheard an interview with William Shatner in which he revealed he suffered from tinnitis (a constant ringing or whine in one's head) after an explosion on the Star Trek set and had at one point contemplated suicide. She used that story to explain that a writer should always keep one's ears and eyes open because you never know when you might find the seed for your next story.

And what a story this one turned out to be! The novel opens as Dylan Moore, England's most brilliant composer, walks into an abandoned theatre intending to shoot himself. A fall from his horse and resulting concussion left him with a constant, painful, maddening off-key whine in his head that refuses to go away, and he hasn't been able to compose. Without music, he's nothing. Before he can pull the trigger, he's interrupted by the theatre's charwoman who's playing one of his pieces on her violin and gives him a belligerent, patronizing and entirely unsympathetic scolding about what a stupid ass he is to try and kill himself, that nevertheless works. Dylan loses his drive to commit suicide, but to his astonishment, hears a few bars of potential music in his head, the first such notes he's heard since before his accident. Unfortunately, the charwoman vanishes before Dylan can find her.

Five years later, they find each other again. The woman, Grace Cheval, is playing violin in drag at a fancy party for some extra cash. Desperately poor, she survives by selling oranges and taking what musical gigs she can get, and she still doesn't have enough money to keep a roof over her head at the end of the week.

Dylan, meanwhile - while he's lost the balls to kill himself outright, he's spent the last five years living like a man with a deathwish, trying to find something, anything, to distract him from the noise in his head before he goes completely crazy. He drinks to excess, he takes laudanum and hashish, he gets about 3 hours of sleep for every five days he's awake, he gambles, and he sleeps around.

He's also at the same party as Grace and he recognizes her despite the disguise and the years between them. After the party, he propositions and seduces her, and while Grace physically reciprocates at first, eventually she refuses him and leaves. But Dylan will not be denied - for the first time in years, he hears those precious first notes of a potential symphony, and if he needs Grace to give him that music, then so be it.

When he gets home however, he receives a much bigger shock when a Catholic nun leaves a little girl named Isabel on his doorstep who claims he's her father. There's too much of a resemblance (in both looks and musical ability) to doubt her parentage, but her presence provides an unexpected boon: when he tracks down Grace, he offers her a job as Isabel's governess. If she remains with them for a year, he'll give her a thousand pounds and the dream cottage she's always wanted. While he fully intends to use every one of those 365 days to seduce her as well, perhaps her presence alone might be enough to help him finish his symphony.

Grace has no choice but to accept - she's broke and can't pay her rent. She agrees, but with serious misgivings and a determination to refuse any sexual advances. Grace ruined her reputation and disgraced her family when she ran off with an artist, only to watch their marriage sour as her painter husband's erratic moods and melodrama made him blame her for his inability to paint more masterpieces. Her experience left her convinced that artists are too much trouble to deal with, and that they are incapable of loving anyone more than their art - and Dylan's initial behaviour does little to disprove her suspicions. While she needs the money, she has no desire to be anyone's muse - a false icon who's inevitably blamed when it eventually doesn't work out.

It was interesting to read this right after One Night With a Prince, as both are stories where the heroine is forced into close proximity with a man who intends to make her his mistress, and in both the heroine refuses which makes the heroes have to try harder.

Ultimately, though, why I adored this novel while Prince earned merely a "m'eh" was thanks to the characters. Dylan definitely wants to bed Grace, but he's less of an ass about it than Prince's Gavin. This is primarily because he is more intrigued than confounded by Grace's refusal. She's a challenge and a mystery. Also, his attentions are divided between Grace and his long-lost daughter Isabel, an eight-year-old hellraiser piano prodigy. This isn't a story about a bad boy turned good thanks to good sex - this is a story where a bad boy is challenged on two fronts (by the woman he loves and the daughter who looks up to him) to become a better person, and I loved reading how he reacts differently to both Grace's and Isabel's expectations.

Laura Lee Guhrke's characterization of Grace just blew me away. She's no orgasmless innocent - she's not only familiar with sex, but great sex (with someone other than the hero? Le gasp!) with a man she initially loved passionately, devotedly, and happily. So when Dylan seduces her, she doesn't have this "what is this magical feeling happening to my body isn't sex supposed to be boring and loveless the way my limpdick husband did it?" reaction, but rather a "Oh God, I missed this."

But her motivation for staying strong and out of temptation was brilliant as well. I loved reading her backstory of being the proudly virtuous girl in her small village before her virtue had ever really been tested, and once it had been, she'd ruined her family. Even though her family has long since cast her off, she doesn't want to fail again and whenever she's with Dylan there's the constant fear that she might be repeating her old mistakes. This added some nice tension to the escalating heat between the two characters.

Still, one of the pervading conflicts in the novel is the importance of Dylan's music - can he possibly allow anyone to take up as much space in his heart as his music? Should he? Would that make him a worse musician? Does being a musician hamper him as a lover? As a father? Such is the recurring conflict throughout the novel and Laura Lee Guhrke describes it beautifully and realistically without copping out or compromising the importance of music to Dylan's character.

This novel makes me feel guilty for not reading more of Guhrke's work (I was a bit dimmed by The Wicked Ways of a Duke), because I loved loved loved this book. The writing was lush without being purple, the conflict (both external, internal, and implied) was realistic and well-written, and the characters exquisitely rendered. Dylan is definitely the darker character, reduced to whoring and drugs, but I could understand his desperation and despair, thinking his life is ruled by only one thing and so without it he's trapped in a living death. His passion really is a double-edged sword but being around Grace helps bring about the, er, good edge.

Romantic, passionate, and yet well-grounded in reality, His Every Kiss is a flat-out amazing book.
A+

My Nashville Resolution

Okay, I'm kind of an obsessive person. I also tend to overplan, as both Kristie J and Barbara have discovered, so you can bet that a week after the 2009 RWA National Conference in Washington, D.C. I'm already looking at the website for the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee where the 2010 RWA National Conference will be held.

The rooms are cheaper, and I mean cheaper, than the Washington Marriott's rates - and those rates were RWA discounted. Plus, now that I've met all my awesome blogger and writer friends in person, finding a roommate shouldn't be the scary proposition it was this year. A little voice in my head is already saying "Go again! Go again!" But - but - but .... I have tuition for Library school to consider (should I be accepted). I have the general price of airfare to consider. I have 12 months of time in between with all the crazy accidents of fate that are bound to happen to consider. WHY AM I THINKING ABOUT THIS NOW?

Because I don't want this only to be about going to Nationals. I want this also to be about my writing. About setting a deadline, improving my discipline, and nurturing the proper attitude for a writer who finishes her work on time and is willing to pitch and market the everlovin' shit out of it. So I'm creating a Nashville Resolution - a list of things I want to accomplish or improve about myself to truly earn a trip to Nashville to experience the RWA National Conference again. Are all of my resolutions realistic? No. But I ought to aim high. I might never end up going to the 2010 RWA National Conference, but even if I don't (or can't), the idea of going again might help me to become a better writer ... and prepare me for the 2011 RWA National Conference (see you there, Barbara??).

1. During the Year Leading to Nashville, I will either have made my First Sale (so that I get the pretty ribbon!) or have a Finished Manuscript.
And by "finished manuscript" I mean second, third, fourth, fifth-drafted, polished, critiqued, edited. It has to be shiny. It has to be done. It has to be ready to Pitch. It has to have a Pitch, a Hook, a Query Letter, a High Concept of 25 words or less. In two days, I finished the prologue for the second draft of my novel, so that's a start!

2. During the Year Leading to Nashville, I will not buy a Motherlovin' amount of books and will Save My Money.
Not buying any books at all isn't realistic - but I have to be a writer first, a reader second. Thank God I stocked up this year's RWA!

3. During the Year Leading to Nashville, I will participate in my RWA Special Interest Chapters, Network with other Authors/Bloggers, and Join a Critique Group
I'm an anti-social person at heart - I love talking (and talking and talking and talking) to people when they're in front of me but I am really lax in keeping up correspondences, especially in e-mails. So I'm keeping every one of the business cards I got at RWA Nationals and try to keep up correspondences with as many people as possible. It's good to have a network - you never know how you could help someone else or how someone else could help you. And I really need to participate in my chapters - I only lurked at first because I didn't feel I had much to contribute since I hadn't finished my manuscript yet, but now that I've met so many members in person I know that's hooey.

4. During the Year Leading to Nashville, I will budget for Shipping Costs
Nashville is a hell of a lot farther from my town than Washington DC. Poor UPS. Poor TBR.

5. During the Year Leading to Nashville, I will Apply for the University of Alberta School for Library and Information Sciences
I'm working at a movie rental place right now, and while I'm passionate about film and the free movies are nice, it's not a stable job and it's not a career. There's a determined and loud part of my brain that says, "I don't want any career but a writing career! I want to write for a living!" but I have to realize that realistically the point where I can make a decent and regular living writing novels is a long way off - too far off to consider working at a rental place until I make it. I need another job that I like just as much but will pay the bills in a regular fashion as I write.

I thought about applying for the SLIS years ago but I chickened out because I had the wrong idea about what librarians did (loving books isn't the #1 requirement) and when I found out otherwise (it involves information management, cataloguing, archiving) I got spooked and thought it would be dead boring and/or beyond my skills. But I was wrong again. I had a great experience working as a Materials Processing Assistant at my University's library. Also, talking to other librarians (and especially Wendy the Superlibrarian) there are many directions you can go in as a librarian - if you don't like monotony and want to face new challenges every day, you can become a public librarian; if you love YA and children's books and want to create programming to encourage children to read, you can become a children's or a young adult librarian; if you're a masochist and love making something from less than nothing, you can become a school librarian; on the other hand, if you love monotony and are shy about dealing with people but love to organize and have an attention to detail, you can become an archivist or a cataloguer. So it's an open field and there's lots to choose from when I apply. But the deadline is February so I have months and months to do more research.

So this is My Nashville Resolution. Here's hoping.

"One Night With a Prince," by Sabrina Jeffries

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AnimeJune's Big-Ass RWA Post: Sunday - "Afterglow"

Sunday I crawled out of bed and caught the last-minute shuttle to BWI. Both plane rides went without a hitch, although as I landed in my town, I discovered I'd missed a historically-huge windstorm for which I am supremely grateful (I was NOT amused by the severe turbulence going into Minneapolis on the way to RWA).

Next up came Customs. Ha, hahahaha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. While I was smart enough to have listed all the things I received in the US beforehand, uh, well it was an experience to have to read it all out to the Customs officer. Let's see - estimated 50 books shipped over the border, 12 in my bag, 65 bookmarks, 12 cover flats, 11 postcards, 1 rubber duck, 1 license plate holder, 1 flashdrive, among other sundry items, all of which were free.

I still had to estimate the cost of all these items, so it turned out to be something like The Price is Right, only in hell. All in all, though, from RWA I received an estimated $833 worth of free merchandise. Wow. Not bad for a conference with a $525 registration fee, eh?

I will post a full description of my book loot (I've since given most of my coverflats and postcards away) once my package arrives from UPS. Now it's back to book reviews. I'm tired from posting today, so I'll start working on my review for Sabrina Jeffries' One Night with a Prince tomorrow.

AnimeJune's Big-Ass RWA Post: Saturday - "The Forbidden Fire Alarm and the Angry Marine's Virgin Blogger Mistress"

So, the Saturday post - last day of the conference. Lots of magic and wonder. There was still so much to do that I never had a moment to pause and think "Oh God it's almost over I don't want to go home waaaaaaaaaaaaaah".

First things first, though - my books. Yup, that's them, from the Literacy signing, the raffle prize, and the three booksignings I attended. The day before, I called the Baltimore-Washington International Airport to see what their luggage weight restrictions were. BWI's response: "50 pounds. No exceptions, and no fees. It's either 50 pounds or less or it doesn't go on the plane." Well, on Friday (I forgot to mention this in my previous blog post), I packed all my books onto my suitcase and brought it down to the hotel's shipping room to be weighed and it clocked in at 42 pounds. Well. I could probably manage if I didn't accept any more free books or go to the rest of the signings but how likely was that, right?

In a brilliant move, I discovered that RWA and the Marriott had arranged a satellite post office station to be set up on Saturday for anyone who wanted to ship their books home. What a great idea! But - well, there's an attention whore in me that secretly wanted to be able to pack all my books so that I could open my suitcase with a dramatic flourish to show off all my loot at once. I realized it wasn't going to happen so first thing Saturday morning I stacked all the free books I got up to that point and took a picture before I eventually shipped them off.

After that, I went to the Continental Breakfast, which went a lot better because the staff knew me by now and my special breakfast was ready - since I couldn't eat the pastries and bagels, I got eggs, potatoes and bacon. Yum, yum.

After that, it was off to the Learn to Rewrite: Finishing the Manuscript Is Just the Beginning workshop by Anna DeStefano. She takes a lot of notes and does a lot of stuff to her story, and while I appreciated what she was telling us to do, I knew it probably wouldn't fit my style (she writes on the computer, I write longhand, she prints out a hardcopy and uses doodles and post-its - I do my second draft on the computer and only on the computer).

Next was a choice between the NAL or the Ballatine/Bantam Dell book signing or Unveiling the Mystery of How Book Covers Come About. It wasn't even a choice for me - I, who always complain about the horrid covers in romance, simply HAD to find out their process. The workshop was hosted by Deeanne Gist, an inspirational author for Bethany House. And wow, are her covers gorgeous. I've never read inspirational romances, but I am a Catholic so maybe I should - her covers certainly make me want to. The workshop was very enlightening - with everything from tidbits (Gist's daughter was the model for A Bride in the Bargain cover), to sound advice (write your pitch, synopsis, and query letters carefully - because these are the pieces of information that the artists, photographers, or artistic directors receive when they're designing the cover).

Next up was From Hook to Happy Ending: Using High Concept and Conflict to Make Your Historical Novel Rock, hosted by Paige Wheeler (agent, and not in photo - she was late thanks to agent appointments), and (left to right) Margo Maguire, Gayle Callen, and May Chen. I walked in thinking I knew what a high concept was (that is, an original or difficult concept) and was quickly corrected (high concept = a basic hook or glint of your awesome idea that is used to attract editors and agents - all in a very short 25 word sentence). This was a very interesting workshop. Gayle Callen was AMAZING. Such a friendly and open and opinionated personality! That's the thing about RWA - you come away thinking "I need to get all these books" not because you've heard anything particularly good about them but because you've met the authors and they're such fantastic people.

After this, I decided to use the lunch break to ship my books back to Canada. The US Postal Service was the only way to go - I couldn't put them all in my bag and FedEx cost $150 for 25 pounds. It took longer than I thought it would, though. By the time I brought all my books down to the shipping room and had them packaged and paid the postage (which wasn't bad), I'd used up the entire lunch break and missed half of the workshop Our Favorite Flavors: What it Takes to Succeed in Some of Today's Most Popular Romance Subgenres which was a shame.

As I decided to take a look at the Goody Room again (it's always good to check at least once a day because they change the stuff around by the hour), flashing lights came on with the fire alarm. I filed through the emergency doors with some other people (one of whom turned out to be Joanna Bourne!), but we ended up having to go down eight flights of stairs because we were in one of the hotel towers that was on a hill - what was the ground floor for the other towers was the eighth floor for this one.

We dashed out and weren't allowed back in - not that that stopped some people. As seen in the first photo (left to right) Carrie Lofty, Ann Aguirre, and Smart Bitch Sarah continued their Digital Marketing conference right outside the hotel doors. I kept walking, and, thanks to the magic of RWA, met up with two total strangers and had a perfectly lovely lunch in an Irish pub next to the hotel (see second photo).

By the time we finished lunch, people were allowed back into the hotel. Rumours abounded about what had caused it - a grease fire, a false alarm, even a bomb threat (probably stirred up by the bombings in Indonesia, which had also hit Marriott hotels filled with Americans). I still don't know what happened, but was relieved I got back in time to line up for the St. Martin's and Sourcebooks' signings.

But boy, oh boy - St. Martin's did not organize their book signing properly. In the whole conference, I think Avon's was the best organized but St Martin's didn't come close. At first, there was a huge crush of people - not even people in line. Just people lining up and looking around. Why? No one had thought to put up signs or things that indicated which table held which author, and in the mad press of people you couldn't see who anybody was until you got to the front of the line! I backed out and went to the Sourcebooks signing instead, which, since it was a smaller publisher, was more successful and I picked up some really interesting finds (like a Merman romance!). I spoke with the publicist for Sourcebooks and they said they're expanding and will accept pretty much any genre and I could definitely tell - they had historicals, paranormals, contemporaries. There were only about 12 authors at that signing but they were all writing different genres.

I'm glad I went to Sourcebooks early because they didn't have a lot of books and so ran out fast. After I was done with Sourcebooks I went back to St. Martin's and found much easier to manage. I picked up some contemporaries and paranormals (to cleanse the palate of the massive amount of historicals I picked up at the Avon signing - historicals are my favourite genre but if I read too many back to back they drive me nuts).

After that, I went to the supremely helpful The Birth and Feeding of a Series Story Arc workshop hosted by (left to right) Sabrina Jeffries, Deb Marlowe, and Claudia Dain. Why supremely helpful? Because they gave me some great advice that spoke straight to what I was doing with The Duke of Snow and Apples. My novel (in theory) is the first of a series that in my wildest, most ambitious imagination is seven books long, and these women helped me a lot. First of all, they helped convince me to cut my character list waaaay back in my first book (in my first draft, all seven Dowagers [whose offspring and great-offspring serve as protagonists for future books] are in residence, as are all of their future-protagonist children, as are all of my hero's belowstairs servant buddies). As these wonderful authors pointed out, it's fine to pepper your first book with a few future protagonists and some continuing storylines, but you need to sell the first book before you can sell book 4 and 6. Meaning, don't hamper your first book by overplanning for your future books.

After this, I met up with Aymless and Katiebabs, the latter of whom was insanely generous enough to let me raid her Box of Books She Doesn't Want (One Reckless Summer! For the Earl's Pleasure! Hooray!) before she brought it down to the book exchange. Since Aymless and Katiebabs weren't going to the RITAs (and I needed to eat fast enough to get ready for the RITAs), I glommed onto Janine from Dear Author and author Meredith Duran, and we ended up going out to an Italian restaurant together. I mean, it sounds so casual now but if I'd known I'd be doing this before I went to the conference I think I might have psyched myself out. I mean, everyone's heard the "authors are just people too" but it's hard to think of them that way when you read their books without meeting them in person. I would have been afraid I'd make a fool of myself and be too loud or speak too much or bore them. But somehow it worked out - it was great talking to them over really good Italian food.

After that, it was off to my hotel room to change for the RITAs. Here's a blurry picture - sorry I can't do better, but my camera can't focus worth a damn in uncertain lighting. It was a fun show, though - Anne Stuart hosted it and she was so goofy and pleasant - "Here in Washington DC, where we will be celebrating the power of love, instead of the love of power". I cheered very hard for Joanna Bourne when she won. Watching the RITAs really brought home what a great support network RWA is - for every person who won, everyone would cheer, but there'd always be one small section that cheered extra loudly, and you could tell those were the women in the author's chapter.

And at the very end of the RITAs we got to see the logo for next year's conference, which will be held in Nashville. It's pretty, but I have to say the logo for this year's conference was really stellar. Afterwards was the RITA reception, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. I met Janet Mullany, who wrote The Rules of Gentility and because someone at the Literacy Signing had suggested talking to her because she is a veritable wealth of historical information, I struck up a conversation about servants and she was delighted to oblige. She also said she'd e-mail some great sources, so I'm looking forward to that.

After the RITAs, I wound up in the hotel bar with Julie James, Colleen Gleason, Aymless, Katiebabs - and Marines. Honest to God Marines, with the jarhead haircut and everything. They were in town to unwind before going back to Afghanistan, so they were hitting on a few of us (myself included). But ... but but but. They were stuck in a bar with 2000 women, all yelling, so everyone had to shout to be heard. Let me tell you, dear readers, that a Marine's shout is an entirely different creature from a regular person's shout.

Marine #1: I'M SORRY IF I'M COMING OFF AS REALLY INTENSE. YOU ARE A VERY BEAUTIFUL CANADIAN GIRL.

I asked him if he ever wanted to write anything, and then I was subjected to a very angry, loud, and intense rant from him about Marines who hook up with ghostwriters and write negative books about wars they volunteered for. He then proceeded to tell me in detail how hard his job was, how many people he'd killed, how everyone in his unit depended on him and if he screwed up once he lost their loyalty forever whereas romance writers (his words) could write a shitty book but then follow up with a brilliant book and win readers back. Honestly, I was a little unsettled, but felt proud I didn't back away very slowly when I had the chance. I'm unused to getting hit on by even regular guys, so being yelled at by an angry (although not at me) and physically imposing Marine was an unfamiliar and not necessarily pleasant experience.

Marine #1 then proceeded to hit up Katiebabs, and turned out to be way creepier than either of us suspected (I'd say the details, but really that's Katiebab's story to tell). Marine #2 (younger, prettier, waaaaaaaaaaay more normal and laid back) expressed his delight that I, unlike the seemingly thousands of women in the bar, was not wearing a wedding ring (or being shouted at by Marine #1). I earned a few laughs by explaining that being in a bar with 2000 romance writers wasn't a bad thing - after all, there had to be a whole Harlequin line dedicated to hot Marines.

I next had a conversation with Julie James and Colleen Gleason (whose The Rest Falls Away I read and stupidly didn't review even though I liked it), which was a huge ego boost as Julie was pimping my blog to Colleen - particularly the post I made about sex in romance.

After that, I headed up with Katiebabs to the Smart Bitches' blogger party in their suite. In this photo, we have Julie James, Meredith Duran, and Sherry Thomas, to name a few. I also met a Tor editor and Jane from Dear Author. What an amazing time!

It was so cool to meet SB Sarah and SB Candy. Meeting Sarah, she said, "OMG you're AnimeJune! NO WAY!" Recognition, *lol*! Seriously, such a fun party. I didn't even mind staying up until 1 in the morning (I had to be up by 5 to catch my flight, aaaaaah). So many great conversations, how could I describe them all? I think the funniest and most awkward for me was when I saw Sherry Thomas:

Me: Sherry Thomas! I liked Private Arrangements!

Sherry: Really? Because I remember your blog post said you didn't.

Me: .......

Thankfully the conversation turned more to how I did enjoy her creative and unique writing style but that the book didn't click for me emotionally (I seriously wasn't butt-kissing but was trying to tell her how impressed I was with Private Arrangements) and we had an interesting talk about reviews. She's scary smart. All the authors are. While there's a part of me that says, "They're normal people like me! I can be an author too!" there's an equally loud part of me that says, "They're so much smarter than me! I'll never be published like them!" It's a painful balance.

Eventually, though, the time came to say goodbye. To Kristie J, to Barbara, to Aymless and Colleen Gleason (hugging in the picture). I had to be up for my plane at 5. Even though RWA was now coming to a close, I still was on such a Writer/Blogger/Fangirl high that I didn't even have time to feel sad that it was ending.