Removing Web Footprints

Like my phone booth? It screamed, "Pick me! Pick me!" while seeking out the new and different. I suppose, like everyone, I'm looking more ahead than behind this time of year. We'll see if the booth takes me where I want to go. Not sure if I'll keep him just yet. Is it me or is there a reflection of a face on the left side?

At my request, The Wild Rose Press has returned rights to me for "The Lost Highway," part of the Love, Texas Style anthology. To those of you who had the opportunity to read my time travel romantic short over the past two years, thank you. It was the perfect way to dip my toes into the publishing pool. To those who haven't read it, I'll still be giving away the final few copies from time to time. As I'm removing the cover art from my web-carbon footprints, I can't help but wonder how many of the 665 views on YouTube might have been from outside my mother's abysmal circle of knitting friends who can navigate cyberspace or Bon Jovi fans on a drunk-click binge. Some of them might have actually stayed for the home-grown promotion. Some day this will evolve into a 10 second prime time spot where I'll promise to kill off my bestselling hero if you do not buy my latest, ala James Patterson, but for now, I'll hold fast to my delusion that it was riveting. Meanwhile, seeking a place to give "The Lost Highway" new publishing life is on my 2010 to-do list.

What's on your 2010 list?

Many Thanks

A huge thanks to everyone who came out to the book signing yesterday. The staff at Barnes & Noble, especially Georgette, were all amazing and gracious. Not only did they donate all proceeds from the sale of Love, Texas Style to the North Texas Romance Writers of America's scholarship fund, but added giveaways and prizes for our readers to make the day a huge success. Thank you!
As promised, I took my camera and captured this moment in front of the impressive culinary hardback display. Shanni, a dear friend and avid reader, has the distinction of being one of my first beta readers on several projects. She provides an amazing perspective, much valued, and once uttered my name in the same breath as Dean Koontz's. A true girl-squeal moment.

Three anthology authors who've never had a mug up here on The Vortex. (from left: Arline Todd, Jen Fitzgerald and Beth Shriver)

Tomorrow: Two time travel Hollywood movie deals in the past week AND one must-see student documentary.

Booksigning Tomorrow

Hey gang...I'll be signing Love, Texas Style, along with co-authors Nancy Connally and Christine Crocker, tomorrow at the Books 'n Authors 'n All That Jazz festival tomorrow in Weatherford, Texas. The event runs from 9am-3pm and includes over forty local authors and free writing workshops. Find inspiration and say hello all in one event. See you there!

A View from the Other Side

Friday night's booksigning was surreal. For the dozens, maybe hundreds, of times I'd stood on the other side of the table to support authors, the view from behind the stacked books and name placard rivaled any on this journey to date. Few times have I broken free of the tangled forest that's so isolating along the way and been able to enjoy such an intoxicating vista. A heady taste of what's to come should I stay the course.


A huge thanks to Sherry, Melanie and Mary for allowing me the diva crown for the night, to my fellow Love, Texas Style authors: Christine, Nikki, Mary, Gina and Jen for their support and friendship, and to those readers who came out to sample a little romance, Texas style.


Above (l-r): me, Sherry Davis, Gina Lee Nelson

At left: Love, Texas Style authors (bottom l-r: Nikki Hollaway, Christine Crocker, Mary Malcolm; top l-r: me, Gina Lee Nelson)

Two sick days (and no, it wasn't Friday's celebratory martinis) later, I'm back on course with Sherry's writing challenge. Daily word count. No excuses.

No, Larry Hagman Won't Be There

Who knew Southfork had a hotel?

When I was eighteen and I sat down for dinner with my host family in Munich the first night, I remember their only frame of reference about Texas was the show Dallas. Apparently, we all rode around in cars with personalized plates and threw each other in the pool during heated cat fights (or was that Dynasty?). The horns-as-hood-ornament thing had also bled over from a Dukes of Hazzard episode. I don't remember the Ewings being that out-there.

Tomorrow night from 7-9pm, I'll be signing Love, Texas Style with Gina Lee Nelson, Mary Malcolm and Nikki Hollaway, alongside some pretty heady company:

• Sandy Blair
• Ken Casper
• Jax Cassidy
• Kristin Cast
• P.C. Cast
• Judy Christenberry
• Kresley Cole
• Connie Cox
• Gretchen Craig
• Jana DeLeon
• Leanna Ellis
• Lori Foster
• Tracy Garrett
• Jane Graves
• Amie Stuart
• Nancy Haddock
• Lorraine Heath
• Ashlely Kath-Bilsky
• Karen Kelley
• Celya Bowers
• Kara Lennox
• Dixie Cash & Anna Jeffrey
• Nina Romberg
• Gena Showalter
• Terry Spear
• Sara Thacker
• Colleen Thompson
• Carolyn Williamson
• Alisha Paige

The buzz with all these talented writers will be amazing. A portion of all sales will benefit the South Collin County Habitat for Humanity and Women Build charities. Admission is free, so drop by and say hello.

A Little Kuntry and a Little Bestseller

It's amazing what the open road can do for the tired mind. We drove south, hugged up next to the piney woods of east Texas--so far removed from my daily landscape, I'd almost forgotten how a thick canopy of trees can trap the imagination and a scent rivaled only by the unwrapping of a cardboard air freshener. Tuesday's rain brought with it volcanic ash and a trapped dust storm from Mexico, leaving an apocalyptic dust on everything. And, I found, quite possibly, the most delicious hole-in-the-wall diner. Ever. One of those places you're scared to sample, but you follow the locals, en masse, and have a little faith. Within those dated, wood-paneled walls, pure Southern culinary heaven and enough character study to fill the next three novels.

Today's Thursday and that means a third "happy"(as the regulars of the Kuntry Kitchen would say) in the Lost Month of Giveaways. A $10 Wild Rose Press gift certificate is on its way to an entrant who submitted the correct color of the '59 Thunderbird in The Lost Highway's book trailer. Two awesome prizes still to come in March--a two-pack bundle of my favorite time travel movie and novel and a $25 Visa gift card. Enter here, if you haven't already.

Lastly, Love, Texas Style reached #1 on The Wild Rose Press bestseller list this week. That means someone besides our collective moms must think it's pretty special. Thanks again to everyone who made it such an e-book success.

Aloha, Elvis, from Texas

Happy Lost-Month-of-Giveaways Thursday! Last week's Texas-themed basket went to someone who'd never stepped foot in the state, a great way to celebrate new friends and the inspiration for Love, Texas Style.

For this second week of prizes, I'm needing more room in the top drawer of my desk. Amongst the white out tape rollers, singing cards of encouragement from my peeps, a fancy pen from my brother for my first booksigning I can't figure out how to use(doh!) and enough lime and pink scribbled post-its to checkerboard one wall, sits Elvis. At this point, he must leave the building or risk drowning in a sea of clutter. I'll draw tonight at midnight, so there's still plenty of time to enter to get your piece of the King and the rest of the awesome prizes.

Thanks so much to everyone who's shown interest in my writing through the contest and elsewhere. If you've read Love, Texas Style and would like to leave a quote for us on Amazon, we'd love to have your review. Don't forget, we know a few Texas boys that'll open up a can of whoop ass if you one-star us. Kidding. Really.

Oh, and today is my day to post at Sparkle This. It's all CSI and fainting time-travelers and corsets.