I was a tad slow in sending our review copies of Maid in Montana. Here's a great review from Elizabeth at Bella Online. If you don't know about Bella Online, you should check it out. Elizabeth is an avid reader who reviews a good many books every month. She also has a reader forum that's fun and informative.
Here's the link to the review!
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art62365.asp/zzz
Also, the Pink Heart Society blog review is up. This blog is run by a group of romance novelists who post some really fun blogs. If you're in the mood for some entertaining reading, this is a great blog to visit.
Here's the link.
http://www.pinkheartsocietyreviews.blogspot.com/
susan
Monday, July 27, 2009
Wedding Planners Blog still up and running!
Fans of the Wedding Planners contunuity series will be happy to know that we've decided to keep the blog up and running!
We plan to recycle a lot of the wedding related blogs, especially blogs by experts so that people planning weddings, brides, moms of the bride, sisters of the bride and engaged people, can have access to the wealth of information we ammassed last year when we put the blog together!
That's it for this week. I'll be working like crazy these next few days, trying to meet an August 1 deadline. I'm close but not quite there. So cross your fingers.
I'll post again next week!
susan
We plan to recycle a lot of the wedding related blogs, especially blogs by experts so that people planning weddings, brides, moms of the bride, sisters of the bride and engaged people, can have access to the wealth of information we ammassed last year when we put the blog together!
That's it for this week. I'll be working like crazy these next few days, trying to meet an August 1 deadline. I'm close but not quite there. So cross your fingers.
I'll post again next week!
susan
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Back from the RWA National Conference
Well, I'm back and I seriously don't even know where to begin to tell you about it. The literacy book signing was fun and I got to see my friend Elizabeth who drove down from Lancaster to get some books. She's one of my favorite people so it was great to see her!
The real highlight of the conference for me was the tour of the Washington Post arranged by the London Editors. I never thought I'd be the kind to be impressed by a tour of what is essentially a business, but the choice of front pages hung as art work on the walls basically was a history of the United States. We met a Pulitzer Prize winner and sat in on an editorial meeting. Very cool.
We also had a chance to speak with Kim Young, our senior editor, in a more informal setting. Even the ride on the Metro and the giant, scary-steep escalator to the Metro was fun.
Kim and I discussed some potential future projects, so readers may be in for some real treats in 2011!
The Harlequin signing on Friday was a trip! Imagine giving away a hundred books? No one tells you "No. Please don't give me a free book!" LOL And everybody had a great story to tell either about one of my past books or one of my workshops.
I met some wonderful people!
The Harlequin party was, as always, amazing. Great gin and tonics! LOL Fun dancing. And an opportunity to see some friends whom I kept missing in the press of the crowds in the conference hotel.
Sadly, the second highlight of the week for me was sitting at the hotel pool. LOL. I attended Kim and Sheila's workshops, but really decided to order the tapes on any other workshop I might want to hear. LOL
Why did I waste somuch time at the pool? Because I don't have a pool. I've wanted one my entire life but my husband is ... well, not really against it, but not really a fan of the idea. Frankly, a trip to the beach usually shuts me up when I'm begging for a pool. So I think he might think that not getting me one is win/win. (He's a beach fan too.)
Anyway, that was why the pool called to me. I read a Cindy Girard book under the shade of a huge tree...and I came home fairly rested.
Though I did come home with a slight limp from one of my new pairs of shoes. LOL
So to recap the highlights, I ate, I drank, I saw some old friends and met some new ones and I sort of have something of a light tan from my pool time.
Oh...and for those of you who like these things...I got the cover for the November book! THE MAGIC OF A FAMILY CHRISTMAS is one of my favorite books! It's posted right below this.
susan meier
The real highlight of the conference for me was the tour of the Washington Post arranged by the London Editors. I never thought I'd be the kind to be impressed by a tour of what is essentially a business, but the choice of front pages hung as art work on the walls basically was a history of the United States. We met a Pulitzer Prize winner and sat in on an editorial meeting. Very cool.
We also had a chance to speak with Kim Young, our senior editor, in a more informal setting. Even the ride on the Metro and the giant, scary-steep escalator to the Metro was fun.
Kim and I discussed some potential future projects, so readers may be in for some real treats in 2011!
The Harlequin signing on Friday was a trip! Imagine giving away a hundred books? No one tells you "No. Please don't give me a free book!" LOL And everybody had a great story to tell either about one of my past books or one of my workshops.
I met some wonderful people!
The Harlequin party was, as always, amazing. Great gin and tonics! LOL Fun dancing. And an opportunity to see some friends whom I kept missing in the press of the crowds in the conference hotel.
Sadly, the second highlight of the week for me was sitting at the hotel pool. LOL. I attended Kim and Sheila's workshops, but really decided to order the tapes on any other workshop I might want to hear. LOL
Why did I waste somuch time at the pool? Because I don't have a pool. I've wanted one my entire life but my husband is ... well, not really against it, but not really a fan of the idea. Frankly, a trip to the beach usually shuts me up when I'm begging for a pool. So I think he might think that not getting me one is win/win. (He's a beach fan too.)
Anyway, that was why the pool called to me. I read a Cindy Girard book under the shade of a huge tree...and I came home fairly rested.
Though I did come home with a slight limp from one of my new pairs of shoes. LOL
So to recap the highlights, I ate, I drank, I saw some old friends and met some new ones and I sort of have something of a light tan from my pool time.
Oh...and for those of you who like these things...I got the cover for the November book! THE MAGIC OF A FAMILY CHRISTMAS is one of my favorite books! It's posted right below this.
susan meier
Monday, July 13, 2009
Wedding Weekend
I know I said I wouldn't be posting until after Nationals, but my niece got married over the weekend and it was a wonderful wedding. My nieces (and two of my younger sisters) did the music for the ceremony. It was perfect. We certainly have some talented people in our family.
My next-to-the-youngest niece, Madeline, was the flower girl. She wore a dress similar to the bride's and a matching tiara and she was in child heaven! LOL. My daughter was also in the wedding, along with my niece Amy...and two other nieces, the bride's sisters Kate and Jessica. Our family was in total agreement that the bridesmaids we were related to were the prettiest. We're biased, but seriously they were the prettiest.
My brother Steven, his wife and son tried to sneak into the church through a side door in the clothes they'd worn to Scotty's early morning Little League game, but I was waiting on the other side of the door with a camera.
My sisters and mother made about...240 dozen (yes, dozen) cookies for the reception. The groom's family also made cookies. There were boxes of leftover cookies at the "open the gifts" picnic yesterday. And they were still fabulous. We will, however, been seeing lady locks and caramel cups in our sleep. (Gosh, I love a good caramel cup. Wish I wasn't dieting...I'd have taken them all home...which is probably why I have to diet.)
The reception was a hoot! I sat with my brothers John and Art and their wives Mary Jo and Shirl, and my sister Helen and her husband Frank. The pictures I took at the table didn't come out well. Actually most of the pix I took after we got to the reception and began sipping mixed drinks came out fuzzy. That's all I'm saying about that. LOL
With newly 21-year-old niece Stephanie leading the way in crazy dancing, we all had a great time. My older sister Helen can still shimmy up a storm...and I'm afraid there's embarrassing video of us dancing in a circle doing the one-finger John Tavolta disco point. Even my brother John and his wife Mary Jo danced!
Also danced with cousins Connie and Gerry (who are sisters), Sharon and Mary Kay (also sisters) and Kim, whose sister didn't come. Weddings and funerals are about the only times I get to see a lot of my cousins. So it was good to see Butch and Pat, Joel and Renee, Sharon and Donny, Mary Kay and Theron, Oh, good grief now that I've started this I realize there are lots of cousins and spouses who attended and I seriously can't list them all since I'm afraid I'll miss someone...so just let me end this section by saying it was wonderful to see my Aunt Mary out and about. She came with her son Dan and his wife Rita. But she's been under the weather for a few years so it was wonderful to see her looking so well.
My own mother looked especially good in a bright blue dress. My sister Diana, the bride's mother, had on a stunning yellow dress. Most of us, however, wore black. We laughed about how a few years ago it was a no-no to wear black to a wedding...something about hints of funerals and sadness that should be avoided. Then the fad of having a black and white bridal party hit and now it's okay to wear black. I still frown on white, though. That's the bride's color. We should leave it for her and the deliriously happy flower girl. LOL
My son brought a date, which shocked a few guests. But not all. Alexis is very pretty and very nice so she won high marks from the family. We're hoping to continue to see her at family events. I can say that because Spunky doesn't read my blog. I can even call him Spunky. Some nicknames never go away. So if you're young and still having kids remember this warning.
Nephew Bud also brought a date. She was also a lovely girl. Trevon was dateless, which is good since he's a bit young. Davie danced with his mom. Which is even better since he's definitely too young to date. My sister Mary's situation is kind of funny. Mary's an introvert, who married an extrovert. Nothing wrong with that. Opposites attract because they balance. But the funny party (incredibly funny part) is that Mary's kids are all extroverts. Mary would be perfectly happy to calmly dance in the crowd, but her kids drag her to the center of the circle and make her the center of attention. Luckily, she looked absolutely fabulous in a bright blue, form-fitting dress. Good figures abound in our family...except for mine because of those damned caramel cups!
My sister Tammy's three remaining munchkins (See above: Maddie was the flower girl) stole the show with Jessica's two boys, Gavin and Owen (who were ring bearers...No blog would be complete without the mention of how Owen wouldn't carry a pillow and stalked up the aisle to the altar looking like he was on his way to the line up for a football game...can you say Rarrrrr...) Anyway, Tammy's kids are always cute, but on Saturday they were adorable. Jack, the oldest, danced a bit. Jake enjoyed taking his Aunt Laura's time and attention, upstairs in an empty space where the kids played that we dubbed Romper Room. And -- as Alexis pointed out -- 18-month-old Lainie's feet never touched the floor. She was so cute everybody wanted to hold her. My brother Brian seemed to have her a good bit of the time. She loves Brian. It's not unusual to see Lainie, sucking her ever-present nookie, as she contentedly sits on Brian's arm. I think she likes it there because she can see everybody from that perch. It's the same reason I wear really high heels.
My niece Lea looked particularly stunning in a black and white dress with turquoise beads and shoes. Niece Lindsay had on a sensational red dress that sort of stole the show! Mandy and Becky, my sister Janette's daughters, also looked gorgeous. And let's not forget Nikki and Andi! Nikki, I believe, got the votes for the best shoes and Andi looked stunning in a black dress. As my nieces creep into adulthood, and their dresses get prettier, I feel older and older! LOL (Which is fine because my feet still thump after a few hours of dancing. I'll never totally pass the dancing torch, but I may choose to take my shoes off earlier.)
I've put so many silly things in this blog that I'm now wondering if I should hit "publish". But, there isn't a whole heck of a lot of people who read my blog so we'll just keep the silliness between us!
Oops! Almost forgot...the bride and groom, Carissa and Mike also looked wonderful. Carissa was probably the happiest bride I've ever seen...which bodes very well for Mike. LOL
Now, seriously, I have to get off the Internet and pack for Nationals. Everybody cross their fingers that my clothes fit!
I'll be posting next week!
susan
MAID IN MONTANA (That makes it sound like I was made in Montana and I wasn't...but that's the book that's out. Go buy it!)
My next-to-the-youngest niece, Madeline, was the flower girl. She wore a dress similar to the bride's and a matching tiara and she was in child heaven! LOL. My daughter was also in the wedding, along with my niece Amy...and two other nieces, the bride's sisters Kate and Jessica. Our family was in total agreement that the bridesmaids we were related to were the prettiest. We're biased, but seriously they were the prettiest.
My brother Steven, his wife and son tried to sneak into the church through a side door in the clothes they'd worn to Scotty's early morning Little League game, but I was waiting on the other side of the door with a camera.
My sisters and mother made about...240 dozen (yes, dozen) cookies for the reception. The groom's family also made cookies. There were boxes of leftover cookies at the "open the gifts" picnic yesterday. And they were still fabulous. We will, however, been seeing lady locks and caramel cups in our sleep. (Gosh, I love a good caramel cup. Wish I wasn't dieting...I'd have taken them all home...which is probably why I have to diet.)
The reception was a hoot! I sat with my brothers John and Art and their wives Mary Jo and Shirl, and my sister Helen and her husband Frank. The pictures I took at the table didn't come out well. Actually most of the pix I took after we got to the reception and began sipping mixed drinks came out fuzzy. That's all I'm saying about that. LOL
With newly 21-year-old niece Stephanie leading the way in crazy dancing, we all had a great time. My older sister Helen can still shimmy up a storm...and I'm afraid there's embarrassing video of us dancing in a circle doing the one-finger John Tavolta disco point. Even my brother John and his wife Mary Jo danced!
Also danced with cousins Connie and Gerry (who are sisters), Sharon and Mary Kay (also sisters) and Kim, whose sister didn't come. Weddings and funerals are about the only times I get to see a lot of my cousins. So it was good to see Butch and Pat, Joel and Renee, Sharon and Donny, Mary Kay and Theron, Oh, good grief now that I've started this I realize there are lots of cousins and spouses who attended and I seriously can't list them all since I'm afraid I'll miss someone...so just let me end this section by saying it was wonderful to see my Aunt Mary out and about. She came with her son Dan and his wife Rita. But she's been under the weather for a few years so it was wonderful to see her looking so well.
My own mother looked especially good in a bright blue dress. My sister Diana, the bride's mother, had on a stunning yellow dress. Most of us, however, wore black. We laughed about how a few years ago it was a no-no to wear black to a wedding...something about hints of funerals and sadness that should be avoided. Then the fad of having a black and white bridal party hit and now it's okay to wear black. I still frown on white, though. That's the bride's color. We should leave it for her and the deliriously happy flower girl. LOL
My son brought a date, which shocked a few guests. But not all. Alexis is very pretty and very nice so she won high marks from the family. We're hoping to continue to see her at family events. I can say that because Spunky doesn't read my blog. I can even call him Spunky. Some nicknames never go away. So if you're young and still having kids remember this warning.
Nephew Bud also brought a date. She was also a lovely girl. Trevon was dateless, which is good since he's a bit young. Davie danced with his mom. Which is even better since he's definitely too young to date. My sister Mary's situation is kind of funny. Mary's an introvert, who married an extrovert. Nothing wrong with that. Opposites attract because they balance. But the funny party (incredibly funny part) is that Mary's kids are all extroverts. Mary would be perfectly happy to calmly dance in the crowd, but her kids drag her to the center of the circle and make her the center of attention. Luckily, she looked absolutely fabulous in a bright blue, form-fitting dress. Good figures abound in our family...except for mine because of those damned caramel cups!
My sister Tammy's three remaining munchkins (See above: Maddie was the flower girl) stole the show with Jessica's two boys, Gavin and Owen (who were ring bearers...No blog would be complete without the mention of how Owen wouldn't carry a pillow and stalked up the aisle to the altar looking like he was on his way to the line up for a football game...can you say Rarrrrr...) Anyway, Tammy's kids are always cute, but on Saturday they were adorable. Jack, the oldest, danced a bit. Jake enjoyed taking his Aunt Laura's time and attention, upstairs in an empty space where the kids played that we dubbed Romper Room. And -- as Alexis pointed out -- 18-month-old Lainie's feet never touched the floor. She was so cute everybody wanted to hold her. My brother Brian seemed to have her a good bit of the time. She loves Brian. It's not unusual to see Lainie, sucking her ever-present nookie, as she contentedly sits on Brian's arm. I think she likes it there because she can see everybody from that perch. It's the same reason I wear really high heels.
My niece Lea looked particularly stunning in a black and white dress with turquoise beads and shoes. Niece Lindsay had on a sensational red dress that sort of stole the show! Mandy and Becky, my sister Janette's daughters, also looked gorgeous. And let's not forget Nikki and Andi! Nikki, I believe, got the votes for the best shoes and Andi looked stunning in a black dress. As my nieces creep into adulthood, and their dresses get prettier, I feel older and older! LOL (Which is fine because my feet still thump after a few hours of dancing. I'll never totally pass the dancing torch, but I may choose to take my shoes off earlier.)
I've put so many silly things in this blog that I'm now wondering if I should hit "publish". But, there isn't a whole heck of a lot of people who read my blog so we'll just keep the silliness between us!
Oops! Almost forgot...the bride and groom, Carissa and Mike also looked wonderful. Carissa was probably the happiest bride I've ever seen...which bodes very well for Mike. LOL
Now, seriously, I have to get off the Internet and pack for Nationals. Everybody cross their fingers that my clothes fit!
I'll be posting next week!
susan
MAID IN MONTANA (That makes it sound like I was made in Montana and I wasn't...but that's the book that's out. Go buy it!)
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Busy Week!
I'm a little late with this week's post...but for good reason. My niece is getting married this weekend. That requires a pedicure, a trip to the beautician, and the dentist. Toss in a mamogram and an MRI, and a book that's due August 1 and I've been a bit busy.
But on top of all of that is preparation for RWA Nationals. I leave the Tuesday after Carissa's wedding. This year the event is held in DC, which is close enough to drive so though I'm leaving the same day that I normally leave, Tuesday, I'm not leaving at 4:00 a.m. which is the time I typically have to leave for Nationals.
Plus, I can't go away for five days without some new clothes. Then I have to pack and create a schedule in Excel. Packing will be a frantic endeavor on Tuesday morning. Shopping is ongoing until the very second I leave...and even then I may stop at the mall. But the schedule...that's a work of art.
First are the emails. I email friends to see if they're going. I get emails from friend asking if I'm going. Lunches and dinners are planned. The London editors have a cockatail party for their authors...and a lunch. I've been invited to participate in a focus group. I'm signing books at the Harlequin "publisher" signing on Friday morning. Plus, I belong to a group which has both an Annual General Meeting dinner and a party called Death by Chocolate...Can't miss that!
Most of the publisher events come with a room assignment and a time. But for the breakfasts, lunches and dinners with friends, I'll need a cell phone number and a date and time.
You can see the need for a spreadsheet.
So you won't hear from me at all this week, but look for me July 20th, when I hope to have a condensed rundown of the fun I had!
susan
MAID IN MONTANA...Still available at eHarlequin and Amazon.com.
But on top of all of that is preparation for RWA Nationals. I leave the Tuesday after Carissa's wedding. This year the event is held in DC, which is close enough to drive so though I'm leaving the same day that I normally leave, Tuesday, I'm not leaving at 4:00 a.m. which is the time I typically have to leave for Nationals.
Plus, I can't go away for five days without some new clothes. Then I have to pack and create a schedule in Excel. Packing will be a frantic endeavor on Tuesday morning. Shopping is ongoing until the very second I leave...and even then I may stop at the mall. But the schedule...that's a work of art.
First are the emails. I email friends to see if they're going. I get emails from friend asking if I'm going. Lunches and dinners are planned. The London editors have a cockatail party for their authors...and a lunch. I've been invited to participate in a focus group. I'm signing books at the Harlequin "publisher" signing on Friday morning. Plus, I belong to a group which has both an Annual General Meeting dinner and a party called Death by Chocolate...Can't miss that!
Most of the publisher events come with a room assignment and a time. But for the breakfasts, lunches and dinners with friends, I'll need a cell phone number and a date and time.
You can see the need for a spreadsheet.
So you won't hear from me at all this week, but look for me July 20th, when I hope to have a condensed rundown of the fun I had!
susan
MAID IN MONTANA...Still available at eHarlequin and Amazon.com.
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