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Never lacking for something to say, Elizabeth shares everything from All My Children to Writing and all the life that’s in-between . . .

What Authors Shouldn’t Do . . .

August 18, 2008 – 4:41 am

So last week I talked about how great you all are, and this week I’ll share what authors are usually up to before a book comes out. Really, if you think we are all successful, well-adjusted and basically lofty individuals and you want to hold onto that delusion, please read no further. It only gets ugly from here.

Now most authors I know spend the two weeks before their book comes out fussing. Not just fussing, but pacing around. Waiting. You see we’ve spent months, years even waiting for this book to come out, for this story to get told and the closer the date gets the more anxious we get. All the excitement over the new contract, the thrill of starting a new book, the sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing and mailing it in all sort of take a vacation. Or basically end up in that dead letter bin that I am sure we all have in the back of our heads. No, you’d think we’d be filled with excitement, filled with pride to see our work on the bookshelf. I hate to tell the truth, but mostly we just act up. Or throw up.

Because through all that time, doubts have crept into our confidence, and when the good intentions go on vacation, oh those doubts just have a field day. And of course, instead of telling ourselves that this book is great, special, or even reminding yourself of how much you loved it, even saying, “Heck Elizabeth, you cried when you were writing it,” we instead just resort to feeding those doubts. By surfing.

Now I have a stock rule that I don’t Google myself, I don’t read online reviews and I don’t go looking for trouble. But all bets are off just before a book comes out, because I just can’t help myself. I was over on the Rhapsody site the other day on the pretense of seeing if they had Tempted by the Night up yet (Well, of course they did. And I knew they did. But did that stop me? No.) Because they also have reviews oLLG about to set me straightf my other books up there. Before I got into the back handed compliment world of “I don’t really like this author, but this book was good” online chatter, I called my friend Laura Lee Guhrke. The conversation went something like this:

EB: My book is coming out.

LLG: Are you online? (Laura is like that, right to the point and more importantly, on point.)

EB: No . . . Of course not . . . Well, maybe . . . Just Rhapsody.

LLG: Elizbo, step away from the keyboard, take your hands off the mouse.

EB: Just one click. I just want to see one thing wrong with my books and then I’ll be better.

LLG: Don’t make me come to Seattle and slap you upside the head.

And she would. That’s why every writer needs a friend from Idaho. Those Boise girls are tough. The best sort of wing-man a writer can have. But then again, in about 30 days, my sensible, level-headed friend will be out on that ledge of insecurity, fussing over the cover, the title, the font of her next book, Secret Desires of a Gentleman. Yes, we even fuss over the fonts. Well, maybe Laura doesn’t, but I do.

Of course to spread the wealth of doubts and insecurity, I spend the two weeks before my book drops driving my website team crazing asking them to fix every little nitpick I can find or imagine on my website. Because I’ve been surfing and looking at everyone else’s sites. Luckily Wax doesn’t mind that I believe in spreading the love . . . or the angst around.

So please, it isn’t sucking up to tell me how much you want the book to come out, I adore hearing it. But I’ll get back to you after the 26th. In the meantime I’m feeling the urge to visit Google.

How do you act up before something important happens in your life? Who’s your Idaho buddy that talks you off the ledge? And they don’t even have to be from Idaho . . .

Remember to keep commenting. Every comment before August 25th is an entry into my Contest.

P.S.  Sometimes Google does turn up something good–like this review of Tempted by the Night done by Andrea Williamson for Romance Novel TV.  Drop by and leave a comment there–just because it’s good karma.

By Elizabeth | Posted in Tempted by the Night, Life, Reading, Writing | Comments (12)

What Readers Do . . .

August 14, 2008 – 3:51 am

Is come out of the woodwork and comment like crazy. Wow! Was I overwhelmed at how many of you took the time to enter my contest. Keep those comments coming because they all count. What also overwhelmed me was that so many of you have said that you can’t wait for Tempted by the Night to come out, and believe me I really, really appreciate hearing that. You don’t know how much such bubbly praise makes an author’s day.

Nor should I tell you that I have a copy of the book sitting on my desk–I usually get a few early copies–because I really don’t want to start a housebreaking riot here in my neighborhood. So rather than incite a mob to resort to larceny, I thought I’d share an email I got from Rachel this week. We were chatting about knitting and crocheting and our respective grandmothers and she said (without any prompting from me),

I’m sure I’ll enjoy Tempted!! It’s going to be my way to unwind after a frenzied baking spree, since my husband’s birthday is the 24th, and my other grandmother’s and brother-in-law’s birthday is the 26th. My family recently designated me the Official Birthday Baker, so I’ve promised the DH and Grandma Boston Cream Pies (at their requests), and I need to figure out what will ship well from northern Pennsylvania to the D.C.-area of Maryland for the b-i-l. So my plan is either to grab Tempted the morning of the 26th and take breaks whilst things are in the oven, or stop by the bookstore in the evening and enjoy it with a bath and a cup of tea after the celebrations are over and the kids are asleep. We’ll see how the day goes. But it’ll almost be like an un-birthday present for me, amidst everyone else’s birthdays, lol.

Now I’m no expert on baking Boston Cream Pies, let alone shipping them, but what really got to me was that Rachel, bless her heart, amidst all that mayhem was planning on how she was going to get her copy of Tempted by the Night and wedge in the time to read it. I’m lighting a candle to the patron saint of bakers (Saint Honorius) and postal workers (Gabriel the Archangel) that Rachel’s pies turn out fabulous and ship perfectly.

Keira also mentioned that the 26th was her birthday in my last posting, so we all know she’s celebrating the date as well. And Keira, if you want to think that HarperCollins chose the date just to commemorate your natal anniversary, I won’t argue the point. We should all be free to celebrate any way we choose. Bubble baths, cake (preferably chocolate), bubbly drinks, or just a few quiet moments after the kiddos are down for the night.

So to get the comment party started, tell me how do you celebrate when you get a book you’ve been waiting for? How do carve out that time?

Preview: Today I covered what Readers Do, and On Monday I’ll go into the angst ridden world of writers and tell you, What Authors Shouldn’t Do

By Elizabeth | Posted in Tempted by the Night, Friends, Reading | Comments (19)

My Conference Excess is Your Gain

August 11, 2008 – 4:00 am

When you go to the RWA conference there is a ton of free stuff to pick up. Everywhere. Books, bookmarks, pens, pencils, publisher’s tchotchkes, and more books. This year I exercised due restraint, mostly because I knew the DH would be around when I was packing up and I’d have to hear the complaints of “why are you bringing that stuff home?” Okay, he’d probably call it all junk, but he’s a man and just doesn’t get it.

But quite honestly, I just don’t have the room for more books and goodies, so my over-stuffed, downsized office makes for a good blog contest. So here it is, the Conference Goodie Giveaway, with these very simple rules:

1) Who’s going to win? Some lucky, random commenter on my blog between August 1st and before noon PDT on August 25th. All you have to do is leave a comment. Comment every day if you like (well, at least try to say something relevant, but if you want to start an entire discussion, that’s cool too!). Want an extra entry? Reference my blog in your blog or on your favorite message board and track back to this blog entry and you get a double entry. Basically, tell all your friends.

2) So what’s in the box? Well, a bunch of books that I got at conference, (including an autographed copy of Love Letters from a Duke) some bookmarks I snuck into the suitcase, bookmarks for Tempted by the Night, some Elizabeth Boyle pens, Avon Fortune Cookies, a lipstick USB drive, and since there was a little space in the box, I tossed in

a hand knit clutch that I made a few months back and thought I would take to conference. I forgot to take it, so I thought someone else might like it, and they might like a little purse for all the conference essentials (pens, room key, coffee money.)

So there it is. Easy, cheesy. Comment, be the lucky number and win. And if you don’t win, don’t worry. On August 26th there is a great consolation prize. Tempted by the Night comes out at a bookstore near you. You can weep all over your copy.

By Elizabeth | Posted in Bookmarks, Tempted by the Night, Freebies, contests, Conference, Love Letters From a Duke, Romance Novels | Comments (77)

I Wasn’t the Only One

August 7, 2008 – 4:34 pm

I’ve found myself having a hard time coming down from the conference this week. I just didn’t want the fun and energy to stop. To prolong the love, I’ve been reading everyone else’s posts about the SF RWA conference and thought I’d share them, along with extending my own posts about the conference:

My First Time - Oh, get your mind out the gutter, it wasn’t that first time. But it seemed to be a lot of folks first time at conference, including Abi at Waxcreative, Ciara Stewart (who, BTW, for someone who went for the first time and claims to be shy, well, folks that girl rocked the conference with her networking and smarts) as well as Rachael, who I found through RavelryPreview » and her very cool sweater and I swear I met her at conference, or maybe it was at the yarn shop. I remember my first conference (Chicago in the early 90s) and wish I’d had half these women’s savvy and coolness. I was such a nerd back then.

Also in this category is author Joanne Bourne, (The Spymaster’s Lady, My Lord and Spymaster) who was having her very first booksigning at the Literacy signing. She confided in me before the mayhem started that she was nervous that no one would come by to see her. I just laughed because we’ve all heard the buzz about her wonderful books, and people, I’ve done this for a, ahem, few years, and I knew she’d be just fine. Notice the line of people that NEVER went away the entire signing. Watch this lady–her books are great and readers know it.

But beside the blogs out there, I’ve been cleaning up the suitcase, which always comes home a jumbled mess, and sifting through photos and emails and notes from folks and smiling as everyone shares their thanks and hellos and well, the love that comes with being with so many smart, wonderful ladies.

My New Glasses - I’ve gone for years wearing contacts and hating them. They are a pain in the patootie, IMHO. So last year, I ditched them in favor of glasses and finally got around to getting new glasses. I have to say that a lot of people didn’t recognize me. It was sort of hilarious to walk past someone you’ve known for years and say “Hi!” and have them do the double take as if to say “Who the heck was that?!” Also hindering my incognito status was the short do, instead of the big mane of unruly hair. So thanks to Christina Arbini for snapping this photo at the signing.

Hand Knits - You might also notice the sweater I am wearing which I knit in 5 days before conference. It was fun to wear, but more fun was that whenever I was wearing the handknits (this one and a black one I managed as well to get done before conference) I ended up meeting tons and tons of fellow romance writers/knitters. Sort of like big wooly flair, if you know what I mean. I discovered my agent knits as well. Always knew she was good people.

Friends - What is the point of all this if coming to conference isn’t about seeing the friends? I had to laugh when I ran into Melissa McClone in line for the Avon signing. I grabbed her up and made her cut the line, telling her if anyone asks, “You’re my assistant.” She laughed, was a good sport and then promptly ditched me for Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I was feeling the love and didn’t blame her in the least. (Check out Melissa’s conference diary reports–she had as much or more fun than I did!)

I had lunch with Laura Lee Guhrke, caught up with Nicole Burnham, yakked with Abi Bowling from Waxcreative, and then totally muffed my category when I presented the RITA for Best Paranormal. Jinxed myself by earlier in the day saying with all my usual humility, “Oh, presenting is so easy.” Until you have to say Kara Cesera. Three times. And screw it up each time. Sigh. At least I didn’t trip.

But the best part was sitting next to Julia Quinn as she won the RITA for the second year in the row. I will humbly say I am her good luck charm. And like last year, I got the picture of her new RITA riding home in style.

PS - I also came home with a bunch of books and goodies that I have no room for. My overstuffed closet is your gain because between now and August 25th, I’m having a blog contest and someone will win a box of conference goodies. Just leave a comment. More on the loot and contest on Monday.

By Elizabeth | Posted in Romance Writers of America, RWA, contests, Booksignings, Conference, Romance Novels | Comments (19)

I left my heart in San Francisco, but I did bring my husband home

August 5, 2008 – 9:26 am

It is so hard to come back from conference and distill it down into one blog. Okay, sort of impossible. Because I have to admit, I’ve never had so much fun at conference as I did this past week. (Well, with the possible exception of the first NYC conference–remember Diane?) From the Yarn Crawl with Debbie Macomber and company, to the tea with John Charles, to the meetings with Waxcreative–my wonderful web team, to the workshops I gave, to having my DH come down Friday night and spend time with him, to presenting one of the RITAs. It was a blur of excitement and fun.

One of the cool parts of the conference was being right smack in the middle of downtown San Francisco. The cable cars were just a few blocks away, the street cars were right there, and the BART was the best way to get back and forth from the airport–other than having to sort of toss my suitcase over the turnstile, in a very ladylike, dignified manner, I assure you. There was shopping all around us, great places to eat on every corner. Like John’s, where I had dinner and a lunch with Laura Lee Guhrke. The glance of a beautiful rib eye on a plate was all it took to lure the two of us in. When it turned out to be the haunt of Dashiell Hammett’s Maltese Falcon, we knew we’d come home.

Then there was the staff of the Marriott. A huge shout out to Regina at the front desk for being the Queen of the Hotel–she rocked at straightening out my reservation and then when Friday came and I shuffled rooms, she found me a great, quiet, private room for the DH and I. The room was lovely and so is she! (Or as I said to my roommate of the week, Nicole Burnham, “I can’t pack quickly enough and get to my new room.” Even she agreed I’d gotten “the bomb” of a room from Regina. But really, everyone I encountered at the Marriott was kind and helpful and friendly. A great place for a conference.

More on Thursday. If you went, what did you love?  If you just love SF, what is your favorite memory of the city by the bay?

By Elizabeth | Posted in Romance Writers of America, RWA, Booksignings, Conference, Travel, Writing | Comments (11)