Trail of Redemption

I bought a laminator yesterday. Yup. A laminator. Just what every writer needs.

Honestly. :)

It’s a great little gizmo and I’ve now got laminated pictures of both my hero and heroine of my current WIP in my wallet. It’s a very nice set-up you see, because the next time I see you and ask,

“Want to see a picture of my characters?”,

you’d better say,

“Yes”,

because I’m now the writer equivalent of the picture toting grandma whose feelings you don’t want to hurt. :)

All right. All right! Enough whining.

I’ll give you an out.

I’ll post their pictures here too, so you can say “I’ve already seen them on your Blog, thanks.”

Damn, I’m thoughtful. ;)

My lovely heroine, Kelly Henricks (actually, it’s Nancy McKeon, but for all intents and purposes, this is what my character nancy mckeonKelly looks like to my mind.

And this handsome guy is Gabriel, Gabe for short (real identity is Josh Lowell — a producer of rock climbing videos).

And for those of you who really are interested in my life as a writer, you could always ask to see them before I offer. I promise, you’ll score some major Brownie points and one day when I’m famous, I’ll remember you in one of my books by naming one of my characters after you (and please God, don’t let your name be Rutabaga Brown).

Deal?

My Good Friend Jenny

JENNY AND HER BEST FRIEND 2cropSo as soon as I found out I was heading to the RWA conference this year, I checked to see if my most favorite author was going to be in attendance, you know…Jennifer Crusie? My good friend, Jenny?

Turns out she was, so you can imagine what that did to my heartrate. I was going to have a chance to meet her!

As it turns out, I met her several times over the course of the conference and after she signed my book for the literacy booksigning and remembered me from the night before, I knew I was going to have to play it cool.

Cooler than I’d ever been before. Waaaaaaay cool because she’s one forthright lady with a huge personality presence.

By the third time we’d met (in what will forever be known in my memory as the “studies have shown” incident ;) I knew in my heart Jenny and I probably weren’t going to be best of friends after all (especially since it seems there was a long waiting list ahead of me and she seems content with the number of friends she has already).

And besides, I’m too low-key and she’s too exuberant. She’d have exhausted me within the first 5 minutes of any real friendship and I probably would have bored her to tears. I’m not writing it off completely, mind you. Just not pinning any hopes on it. There’s always next year in Atlanta, I figure. :)

Regardless, she’s a great writer and there’s no one in my opinion that can nail down characters and dialogue like she can. The lady knows her craft and is always a stellar read.

She’s got a new book due out in 2006. A collaboration with the YEC (yucky emotional crap) hating Bob Mayer called Don’t Look Down. It sounds terrific and I can hardly wait to hold it my hot little hands. :) 

This was my first JC book. My favorite, I think, but then they’re all great so it’s hard to choose just one.

Doing What You Love

tropical-magic-flower-arrangement-002Today I’m wearing my good old college T-Shirt.

OLDS COLLEGE it says in gold letters emblazoned on dark green cotton.

All things said, I paid a good bit of money for this T-Shirt, but the money and experience of the year spent there was well worth it and certainly, the lesson I learned will not be forgotten.

I like plants. I like flowers. I like all things dirt related — even worms — something surely instilled in me by my parents who both grew up on farms and were close to the land.

So following that ideal, I went to school to become a florist.

It was fun. I learned a lot and I graduated in the top 3 of my class. I secured employment with a reputable and admired florist shop in Calgary, Alberta where I lived at the time and was well on my way to achieving the goals I had envisioned for myself.

One such goal was to become the youngest Master Florist in Canada acknowledged by Flowers Canada and I had but one testing level to complete when I realized it wasn’t going to happen.

Yes, the work I did was pretty, artistic and admired, but the problem was that I had no creative flow. It didn’t just “come” for me.

The problem seemed to stem from the fact that I had to think. Too much.

I had to review my colors, my theory, my design styles and yes, while I knew practice makes perfect, I realized for me I would never be a true artist in that area, because while rearranging flowers and plants in the dirt was something I enjoyed and liked, they were not something I loved. There was no passion involved.

Words are my passion. My must have and my true artistic medium. They make me complete. They are a necessity in my life and I must write them. Read them. Speak them.

They are every bit as pretty as the loveliest flower I have touched.

And so much more.

Reno RWA

70 days and counting…

Who: Me and approximately 2000 other Romance Writers Of America (this includes Jenny, Nora, Susan & Suzanne!)

What: Romance Writer’s of America National Conference

Where: Reno, Nevada

When: July 25 – 31, 2005

Why: To celebrate our writing genre and all of its great contributors.

This is my first conference by the way, not to mention my first time away from the girls since…well, since ever, actually (but only if you don’t count the odd trip to Wal-Mart which *really* doesn’t count, trust me ;) and the first time I’ve traveled out of the country (Oh Canada!) since journeying to Europe in ‘92.

I’m excited, but trying to be savvy and cool about the whole thing without wetting my pants in my delirium. Mostly it works. :)

Okay. I’m a geek, but those of you who know me well know I don’t care.

I’m a romantic-going-to-National-learning-my-craft-geek.

AND I’m going to have my picture taken with Jenny. My good friend Jenny. She just doesn’t know it yet ;)