New Experiences

Today DH and I are attending a wedding reception - but not just any wedding reception. This will be a new experience for us. You see, this will be the first lesbian wedding reception we've ever been to.

I was at a loss about what sort of gift bag and card to buy, since it's not an actual legal wedding in this state, but I went ahead and got a traditional bag with wedding themes and a regular wedding card. Frankly, I think all this couple wants to do is be like any other couple, with one obvious exception. The weird thing is, the last time I went to a party hosted by "the bride," it was a housewarming for her and her then hubby. DH tells me we'll probably be the only straight couple there (she works with DH). And I'm okay with that - I think. You see, I'm a pretty liberal person with this sort of thing, but events such as this definitely push me to the limits of my comfort zone. I know I SHOULD be comfortable attending the party, but since it's a new thing for me, I hope I don't say the wrong thing. Maybe I'll just stick with the tried and true, "Mazel Tov!" What about you? Have you taken a stroll outside your comfort zone lately?

On Supporting Other Authors

Today is the release day for my friend Katie's very first book, City of Secrets, and I'm soooo excited for her. Not only is Katie as sweet as she can be, but she's one of those people who is so supportive of every other author in our RWA chapter. So, first thing this morning, I bought her book. I hope everyone reading this does too, because not only am I sure it's going to be a great read (I've read the prologue so far and I'm already hooked!), but she deserves to see her name on the Wild Rose Press' best seller list.

Yesterday my RWA chapter hosted our annual Bookseller/Librarian Tea and we had nearly 20 local booksellers and librarians in attendance. It was great, and opened a dialogue that will yield speaking engagements, book signing and who knows what else. It's one of those things none of us could have done alone, but by each lending a hand, we'll all benefit.

OK - I'll step off my soap box - for now!

My friend Katie Reus, author of sexy romantic suspense from http://www.katiereus.blogspot.com/ has given me an award! The Blogging with Purpose Award! Katie is an awesome blogger herself and I can't wait to read her upcoming release - her very first - because I know it'll be wonderful! So now I get to hand off the award to 5 bloggers who have not received the award yet for their contribution to Blogdom. There are so many good blogs out there, it's hard to choose just 5!

The rules are:
1. Nominate 5 blogs which haven't had this award before
2. Each of the blogs must have a purpose
3. The nominated blogs must make a link back to this page
4. The logo from the award must be put on their blog and it must link back to this blog.

Here goes:

1. http://pinkheartsociety.blogspot.com/ All sorts of great info for writers - just love it!

2. http://www.jenniferonwriting.blogspot.com/ Lots of good stuff about many aspects of the industry.

3. http://www.jennabayley-burke.blogspot.com/ Jenna Bayley-Burke's blog with all sorts of tips and heads ups. Jenna is so sweet to share all things related to helping other authors learn and grow - love her!

4. http://www.barbarasamuel.com/blog/ Author Barbara Samuel's great blog all about the mental process of creating, her travels, etc.

5. http://kelleynyrae.blogspot.com/ Author Kelley Nyrae's blog features reviews, news and all sorts of interesting tidbits. Kelley's a doll, too.

Book Club Fun

I had a really fun evening this week. A local book club chose The Kitten Club as their May reading selection and invited me to join their meeting, held at a really cool wine bar called, The Vineyard. The ladies were all very nice, very bright and had lots of thought provoking questions for me. They also picked my brain for my thoughts on the book's characters and themes. After a few minutes of neighborhood news (they all live in a swanky development in the south of Orlando), they all jumped in, discussing the reader questions I'd given them a few weeks earlier and giving their opinions on the characters' motivations and development. The very coolest thing was listening to people talk about my characters like they were as real to them as they are to me. That's one of the best parts of being a writer to me, creating a world that readers willingly step into.
What about you? What's your favorite thing about writing fiction? As a reader, do you always immerse yourself in the world of a book, or is that something that only happens once in a while?