Tuesday, October 25, 2005

My Horrible Memory

Well, I knew it would happen. I was sooo tired when I returned home from the Expo, and still so overwhelmed by all of the nice, wonderful people I had met over the weekend, that I forgot one group. The staff and volunteers of the Kingsport Times News couldn't have been any nicer or more accomodating. We were privileged to have some of them attend the dinner, and of course they worked extremely hard during the event to make everything as smooth as possible for us. Without them, the event would not have been possible.

Monday, October 24, 2005

2005 Women's Expo

The 2005 Women's Expo in Kingsport, TN was an absolutely wonderful weekend! I finally had the chance to meet Lora Leigh, and it was like getting together with an old friend. And of course, I did get together with an old friend, Sally Painter. Both of these ladies are great! I'm going to need some serious reading time to get snuggly with their books!

The other authors who attended were also great. Heather Graham is an angel. She purchased all the stock our bookseller had of Ghost Walk and gave them away for donations toward hurricane relief -- all while her own home was being threatened by hurricane Wilma. She was a first class example of what every writer should strive to be with their success.

I think they estimated that there were somewhere between 6000-7000 people at the Expo, and we got to meet a majority of them who stopped by our booth to check out the books and chat. It was such a pleasure to get to talk to so many readers about the books they like to read and their favorite authors, and to share the growth and evolution of the romance novel with many who hadn't read one on years. Several readers were surprised by the selection of genres within the romance market, such as the romantic suspense, comedies and erotica.

I shouldn't end this before I mention the other attending authors, they were such gracious guests and nice ladies. They deserve our appreciation. Rita Herron, Jennifer St. Giles, Debra Webb, Laura Marie Altom, Winnie Griggs, Robyn DeHart, Susan Crandall, Carolynn Carey, Donna Wright, Kate McKeever, Erin Katz & Trista Ann Michaels.

Last, but certainly not least, was all the hard work the Knoxville Area Romance Readers Group, headed by the fantastic Christy Haynes, put into this event. Thanks for everything you did for us this weekend.

Also, Waldenbooks were wonderful to work with and keep the bookselling end running smoothly for the authors.

It was a great weekend, and I'm already planning for and looking forward to next year.

Peace,
Jessie

Monday, October 10, 2005

Time

Well, [i]Spellbound[/i] is out the door and on my editor's desk. Probably one of the most nail-biting things I've done in a while. Definitely worse than my last job interview.

I've totally redone my website, set up a newsletter group at Google, and am going nuts trying to get everything ready for the Meet the Authors Dinner and Expo. I've also got a trip to Alabama planned for this weekend. Oh, and in my other life, the one where I sit behind a desk and work as a legal assistant, it's going to slam me this week. But do I have time for all of this? No, of course not. I've got at least two other projects I want to finish before the end of the year, and I've got to start on the Raineri anthology at some point. Oh, and I'm sure the edits for Spellbound will fall somewhere in the middle of all the chaos.

Thank goodness for my puppy. He reminds me that life should be simple, and that play time and lazy time are perfectly acceptable.

Peace,
Jessie

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Finally Finished

Spellbound is finally finished, and after a quick beta read, will be on it's way to my editor. I'm very excited about the next steps in the process. The edits, the cover art, actually seeing my name on the cover. I'm sure in time, I'll probably learn to hate it as much as the multi published authors, but for right now, I'm drinking it all in while it lasts. I'm only giving myself a few days to take a break, do some more work on the website, and then I'm hitting the keyboard again to finish Lord Night and another unnamed project I have brewing.

I'm also getting ready for the Dinner/Expo on October 21-23. I'm making baskets and other goodies to give away. I can't wait to meet with so many readers!

I'll be sure to let everyone know when the novella will be available.

Peace,
Jessie