May 4, 2010 | RT Convention, Travel |
There will be an RT2010 post with pictures very soon, I swear. But today I've been recovering from the travel ordeal of yesterday (not to mention the non-stop pace of being at a conference, attending workshops, meeting people, having impromptu interviews, etc). Kimberly Lang and I drove up to Nashville, left a car, and boarded a flight on Tuesday of last week. You can pretty much figure out what happened on Sunday.
With the Cumberland River overflowing, the interstates shut down, and Nashville dealing with a torrent of water, flying into the city quickly became impossible. Kim and I had an evening flight, so we were spending our time in the Hyatt and the convention center in Columbus, surfing the web, watching the news, and waiting until it was time to go to the airport.
When we got the text message that our flight was canceled, we grabbed our bags and headed for the airport. The very helpful man at the Southwest counter, a gentleman named Russ, went into action when we told him all we wanted was to get close to Huntsville. Within moments, Russ had us booked into the last two seats to Birmingham, via Baltimore. He helped us rush our bags straight to TSA, told us there was a good chance they wouldn't make it to Birmingham when we did, and then called the gate to tell them we were coming.
We made it to the flight, which was late boarding, made it to Baltimore, and then had another delay. Finally, the Birmingham flight boarded (both flights were jam packed) and we were on our way. We made it to B'ham in a driving rainstorm where Kim's husband picked us up, then had to drive about an hour and a half home (did I mention the driving rainstorm?). I still have a car in Nashville; I've been told the long-term parking at the airport didn't flood, so hopefully it will be fine when I can finally get it.
Kevin Smith may not like Southwest, but I'm very happy with them for doing their damndest to get us home. They succeeded–and the bags made it to B'ham when we did. I can't complain at all. Southwest really does love bags. 🙂 (You will notice there were no trains in the story, but it wouldn't have surprised me if there had been. It was that bad trying to get home.)
I made it home by about 11, then fell into bed and slept like a rock. There's nothing like being back in your own bed, is there?
Apr 26, 2010 | Readers, RT Convention, Travel |
This has been one jam-packed weekend! There was much packing to do, much shopping to get done, and an unscheduled trip to the doctor. The hubby made me go see a doctor about this cold. Turns out I have a sinus infection, and I now have industrial strength drugs to see me through the week. Thank goodness the hubby cares, right? 🙂 Otherwise I'd have probably developed walking pneumonia or something during the next week, because I kept thinking it was just a cold that was going away soon.
This is my first RT Convention. I'm looking forward to meeting with readers and other authors, dressing in costumes, and getting to sign my books at the Giant Book Fair on Saturday. I hope I packed enough clothes. Hubby would say I over-packed, but you always need extra outfits, right? And shoes. I typically travel with at least 5 pairs. Not sure how many I packed, but it's hovering around 5. Might be a little more when I finish tomorrow. I love my shoes.
But it's not all play. I have a book due June 1st, and I will be taking my computer along so I can work on it. If you're going to be at RT, look me up! I'd love to meet you. 🙂
Apr 5, 2010 | Travel, Books |
Spanish Magnate, Red-Hot Revenge is coming out in Italy! In May, you can find Scottante Ripicca, which seems to translate to Hot Revenge, at the Mills & Boon Italian site.
I am *ridiculously* excited about it! First, the book came out in Germany, where I used to live, and now it'll be out in Italy, a country in which I've spent many a lovely day. I wish I could go to Italy to celebrate. I could stand to hit the shops in Florence. All that lush beautiful leather! I'd love another gondola ride in Venice, and maybe dinner on the terrazzo of the Hotel Daniele. A stroll in the Piazza San Marco after would be nice too.
But, alas, I am here in the U.S., working on another book and enjoying the spring weather we are finally getting. If you could take a quick vacation, where would you go?
Mar 4, 2010 | Research, Writing, Travel, Photos |
For the writers amongst you, I've put the links to my series on how to write a Harlequin Presents in the sidebar. Scroll down to the “For Writers” category, and all the posts are listed there to make it easier to find in future. Hope you enjoy. 🙂
I'm still buried in this Russian book, but things are looking better. I was browsing the web for images for my inspiration file, and I came across these that I want to share with you. (Yes, these were taken by talented photographers who are not me.) 🙂
I believe this is from the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, but I'm not quite sure. (It might also be from the Smolny Convent.) Years ago, and I won't say how many, ahem, I had the privilege of traveling to Russia. We flew to St. Petersburg first (still called Leningrad, if that gives you an idea), and spent 3 days there before boarding an overnight train to Moscow, where we spent another 3 days. It was an amazing trip. The palaces are beautiful, and the landscape was prettier than I expected it to be. Fortunately, we were there in May, and it was quite warm. It also never got fully dark at that time of year.
This next picture is of Peterhof, Peter the Great's palace on the Gulf of Finland. We got to tour it, and I have a photo of me standing on one of the bridges over the canal with this palace in the background. It's an amazingly beautiful place, full of gilt and art and antiques. My hero also has a palace, but it's not this grand. And of course he had to buy it back from the State after the fall of communism. But looking at these photos gives me an idea of what his palace is like, though on a smaller scale.
This is the Winter Palace, also known as The Hermitage Museum. It's a gorgeous palace on the banks of the Neva river. We spent hours wandering through the galleries. I see this photo as representing my hero's home. The Winter Palace is actually quite grand and vast, but this small slice of it makes it look like it could be a grand house on an estate somewhere. I especially love the snow capped trees.
More info on the Winter Palace here.
I love finding photos for inspiration. It's one of the most fun parts of beginning a new book. Thank heavens for Google! You can have photos at your fingertips and start writing about a place you've never been in a matter of hours. Yes, I've been to Russia, but I've never been to Argentina (The Devil's Heart, July 2010 UK) or the Arabian desert (Kept for the Sheikh's Pleasure, Sep 2010 UK). As much as I'd like to go to these places for real, I'm grateful for the tools that bring them to my fingertips. Even with Russia, it's been a long time and I needed a refresher.
Feb 15, 2010 | Travel, Photos, General, Fun |
My hubby recently got to go on a business trip to Rome. Talk about jealous! I would have gone with him, but for two things: first, it was last minute and flights were more expensive; and, two, I carelessly let my passport lapse quite some time ago. 🙁
I've had a passport since I was seventeen, and it's always been current, but once we moved back to the States permanently, I didn't feel any sort of urgency to renew it when it finally expired. Duh. I mean I filled out the application, had it with the passport, and kept planning to go get photos so I could mail it. But I never would get around to the photo portion. Finally, last week while Hubby was enjoying himself in Rome, I went and got those photos and marched down to the Post Office. The next time he has to go to Europe on business, at least I'll have a passport! I may not be able to control the flight prices, but I've got half the equation covered now.
So, he was supposed to get back on Friday, but once he landed in Atlanta, he was stuck because of the snow. All flights to our neck of the woods were canceled, though we didn't have a bit of snow here. He had to stay overnight and drive back on Saturday. But, he brought me lovely presents!
Though I didn't get to go, I did get to do some vicarious travel though his photos. I've been to Rome before, but it's been a long time, so these pictures really brought it all back for me.
Ahh, the Coliseum. When I was there, it was over run with cats. Hubby says there aren't so many cats now. I don't want to know what happened to them. 🙁
Don't know precisely what it is, but it's pretty!
Recognize this from “Angels and Demons”?
Remnants of an aqueduct.
Would a trip to Rome be complete without a visit to the Trevi Fountain?
No, this isn't Chicago. It's Atlanta. This isn't supposed to happen in Atlanta. It's the South! It's Hotlanta! Where did all this snow come from?
I enjoyed my vicarious trip to Rome, but a real trip would be even better. Then I could think up a to-die-for Roman hero, give him a spunky heroine, and plop them down in Rome. What fun! Speaking of heroes and heroines, I better get back to the current WIP. It's yucky and cold out, and we even have a little bit of snow on the ground, so it's a good time to dream. Too bad I picked snowy Russia as a setting. Brrrr!
Aug 26, 2009 | General, Writing, Travel, Life |
A friend sent me an email that basically said, “Hey, why aren't you blogging?” Well, I am blogging, but I've had so many guest blogs recently (and another one coming on Saturday at the Pink Heart Society!) that I've not put up too many new posts. And yet, I'm also betting there's a tiny bit of confusion with the contest post being at the top of the page. People see it and think there's nothing new — but it's a sticky post, meaning it stays at the top until I change it. And I don't want to change it because I want people to easily find the contest. 🙂 (Scroll down, my lovelies, scroll down!)
Perhaps I need to work with my web designer on a static contest page. It's something I'm considering, but first we'll see how this contest goes. Thanks for everyone who has entered thus far! I hope you enjoy the excerpt and the potential goodies you could win. 🙂
So what else am I up to? Well, I'm working on two books at once. Since I'm waiting to hear back from my editor on the proposal for Book 4, I decided to work on my idea for Book 5. I've written the first scene, and it was a blast! But I can't tell you what any of it is about just in case my editor doesn't like any of it. I'll just say that #4 is set in Buenes Aires. I have ordered Argentina guidebooks and I've been having a marvelous time reading them! And now I want to go to Argentina. Who wouldn't want to learn how to tango or eat beef so tender you can cut it with a spoon?
What is your fantasy travel destination at the moment? Where would you like to be if you could go anywhere?
