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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 to Pack

July 5, 2010 – 4:09 pm

I have a friend who when she goes away, has her suitcase packed a good two weeks ahead of time. That has always seemed a little too much fore-planning for me, but at the same time I admire her certainty. She knows exactly what she needs and what she is wearing and in it goes. There are two reasons why I can’t do this: I can never make up my mind what to take and I don’t own enough bras and panties to stash away a week’s worth in a suitcase. That’s probably TMI, but there it is.

But the main problem is that I dither about what I am going to wear. What I should pack. Which shoes. And then there is all the promo stuff that needs to have its spot in the suitcase. Bookmarks or notecards or both. How many people are going to be at the event. Do I have to bring a “giveaway”? Okay, I just sort of dither. I make lists, thinking that will help ease the indecision. Then I change my mind. I am sure there is some subconscious sort of denial about leaving home or some other nonsense that my Jungian psychologist grandmother would have gleefully offered to explore.

Some trips are easier to pack for than others–a reader’s luncheon. Easy. One nice outfit, travel clothes, jammies, etc. But when it is something like RomCon this week, with multiple events then I really just throw up my hands and want to give up. Then I consider Anna Campbell who is coming all the way from Australia and who is going to RomCon and the RWA National conference, and plus a bunch of stops in between. Shudder.

Then again I could just wear my jammies, and be that writer. You know, I think I might be comfortable with that. Sure would save on the extra suitcase fees.

By Elizabeth | Posted in Conference, Life, Travel | Comments (1)

Three Reasons to Love Portland

June 30, 2010 – 7:34 am

After a week in Portland and my second visit down there this year, can I just say, I love Portland? I’ve gone back and forth for years on my own, for booksignings, PLA, reader’s conferences and the wonderful luncheon the Rose City Romance chapter puts on each spring. This time I took the family. And once again, Portland stole my heart. While I’ve gone on in the past about the great food, the accessibility, let me share three more reasons to go there:

1) They don’t call it the Rose City for nothing. And last week the roses were in bloom. Everywhere. It was just heavenly and lovely.

2) This is a city with lots to do, especially when you have kids. From the zoo, to OMSI, to the walkway that runs along the river, to just riding the Tri-Met train, there is plenty to do with kids. And Portland is a very walkable city–at one time or another we all took long walks along the river, through the downtown streets and around the neighborhood where we stayed. If walking isn’t your cup of tea, the kids loved this–the aerial tram that runs from one part of a hospital to another up on a hill. So we jumped on for a ride and a spectacular view. Word of warning, if you don’t like heights, don’t get on. Yikes.

3) Powells. I’ve always loved this place, and I took my book loving eleven year old there, just because that was all he wanted to see in Portland. And when we went into the cafe, he said, “Hey, mom, there you are!” I thought I was going to find one of those unflattering security camera monitors where you get to see yourself from above–shudder–but no, there was the cover for How I Met My Countess larger than life and right where everyone was going to see it when they came into the cafe for a latte. Oh, Powells, I “heart” you as well.

So tell me, what is your favorite city to visit and why?

By Elizabeth | Posted in Life, Reading, Travel, Vacation | Comments (2)

Taken Unawares

June 28, 2010 – 3:57 am

Every week I take my son Matthew to speech therapy and when we come home we drive through this neighborhood that runs alongside the freeway and take this little off-ramp out of nowhere up onto I-5. All spring, as I’ve driven up this ramp,  I’ve watched a plant growing atop one of the pylons that supports the freeway. Imagine my delight when the other week it went and did this:

Yeah! It bloomed. Isn’t that the most delightful thing you’ve ever seen. Flowers growing out of nothing but cement and whatever else is up there. It made me smile and suddenly merging into the afternoon traffic wasn’t  such a chore, with that cheery image filling my thoughts.

Last week we went down to Portland with Matthew for Bike First, and after four days of camp, he had yet to ride a bike. We drove over to Concordia University the last morning, Friday, with heavy hearts, because we all wanted him to succeed and I didn’t want to think that I had invested so much time and money and effort for nothing. Sometimes it is so hard when you have a child with disabilities, making those decisions on what to invest in for his future.

Stopping at Starbucks, I went to get a coffee, a little fortification, and inside was an older man who obviously had disabilities. And he’d come in with his bike and was telling one and all about how much he loved to ride and how he loved his bike.The sight of him brought tears to my eyes, because I felt it was like a giant hand came down and tapped me on the shoulder and said, “See! See that! You made the right choice.”

Then the barista asked the man if he wanted “his usual.” Apparently this fellow with his bike is a regular, and he laughed and said “yes.” Then came the unexpected. You see, the universe wasn’t done with me yet.

The man pulled out a packet of Swiss Miss, and the barista mixed it up for him. This man rides his bike to Starbucks every day so he can have his Swiss Miss. The barista laughed, the pair shared a corny joke and the man sat down with his bike to enjoy his cocoa.

Because you see the unexpected also comes in gentle compassion, understanding and faith.

As for Matthew, about an hour and a half later, he was riding on his own all around the tennis courts of Concordia University. And when the morning was done, he got his picture taken with the Bike First graduates, along with the wonderful volunteers who share that same beautiful generosity I’d witnessed over a cup of cocoa.

By Elizabeth | Posted in Autism, Life, Travel, Vacation | Comments (8)

Maya Rodale Drops By

June 22, 2010 – 4:58 am

My friend, Maya Rodale, drops by to talk about: Life in London

There’s nothing like living in a place to really know it intimately, and thus to write about it authentically. Since actually visiting Regency London is out of the question, the next best thing is living in London. I was lucky to get to do that. P1000811_2

Thanks to my graduate school program, I was able to spend 8 weeks in London on an independent research project. Topic: romance fiction, of course. As I was reading early 1800’s gothic romances and other novels, along with conduct guides and things like “letters from a duchess to a young lady.” I was, as a writer is wont to do, making up stories that incorporated everything I was learning and experiencing.

The books became my Writing Girl Series, featuring women that write for the Regency London’s most popular and gossipy newspaper, The London Weekly. The heroes are the dukes and earls we know and love. Being a writing girl living in London, I incorporated some of my experiences into the novels. For example…

1. Walking, everywhere! The tube is expensive, so are cabs, and I was a grad student/romance author, two notoriously impoverished categories. Walking was the way to go. It seemed like I nearly got hit by a vehicle every time I tried to cross the street (they drive on the wrong side over there). This also happens to my heroine Miss Sophie Harlow, but then she is saved by The Duke of Hamilton and Brandon.

2. Gold, everywhere. Everywhere! The gold chandeliers, the massive ornately carved, gold leaf picture frames hanging on damask wallpaper, which then has gold detailing on the moldings and then on the ceiling! And then all the silver just to liven things up, and more gold on the furniture and in the fabrics and for lord’s sake I never thought I would be sick of gold but it happened. I think I was too traumatized by this for it to make an appearance in the book.

3. Newspapers. I did live across the street from the offices of The Guardian, but it’s the gossipy, frivolous, decidedly not serious newspapers I’m interested in. Whether I needed to or not, I always went out at the end of the workday and walked down to the subway to pick up my free copy of the totally trashy newspapers handed out free.

I also spent a lot of time at the Colindale Newspaper Library reading actual newspapers from the 1820’s. Some lasted for decades, others for a month. They had titles like Town Talk, The Age, John Bull, Cobbit’s Weekly Register and they were all delightful. The sheets are long, totally flat, yellow with age, the print is tiny and they have that faint musty book smell.

4. British men. I’m marrying one, which I think is all I need to say on that. A Groom Of My Own—funny, that!

Thanks to Maya for sharing! Her new book, A Groom of My Own, comes out June 29th.

By Elizabeth | Posted in Friends, Interviews, Life, Regency, Research, Romance Novels, Travel | Comments (0)

This Manga Rake of Mine

June 16, 2010 – 6:50 am

If you had told me, all those years ago when I started writing, that one day a book of mine would be redone as a comic book in Japan, I would have probably thought you were off your rocker. I kinda thought my agent was off a bit when she sent me the news. A comic book? Really? Of my characters?

Then the kid in me took over. OMG! I’m going to have a comic book!

So for all of you, here is the first sneak peak of Jack and Miranda from This Rake of Mine as manga characters:

Click for larger version

I think it is so much fun–Jack looks so dashing. And for those of you who haven’t read This Rake of Mine, you might want to pick it up over the summer and get caught up. My September book, Mad About the Duke features Jack’s brother, that stickler for propriety, James Tremont, the Duke of Parkerton.

Maybe after James finds his true love, he might be open to a little manga adventure?

By Elizabeth | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (8)