No More Nice Girl!

I'm taking my white kid gloves off, getting down to the nitty and the gritty! I have a book to sell!

When I broke into print publishing back in the dark ages (okay, the 80's), when I asked what to do to promote my book, I was told, "Nothing, dear. Just write another book." That book sold over 250,000,000 copies worldwide in a little over ten years, in English and four translations. That same book, BUILDING PASSION, is being re-released by Awe-Struck E-Books on June 23.

With e-books, we have to do our own promoting. Our publishers do some of it, like sending the book to reviewers, etc., but we're on our own to get clever. And I've been burned before -- ah, we won't get into that.

So I'm going to warn you here and now, you're going to hear about BUILDING PASSION, and if you're a romance reader, I hope you'll decide you want to read it. You'll know all about the heroine who builds houses in Florida and raises her brother and sister while being responsible for keeping the company she inherited from her parents together. You want to read about the drop-dead gorgeous hero who has troubles of his own.

But you'll have to wait until June 23 to buy the ebook from Awe-Struck E-Books!

Gardening Details

I've recovered from the trip to San antonio enough to start weeding the garden. Last week's weather wasn't conducive to rolling up sleeves -- and th wind this week isn't much better, but at least it's not raining -- yet.

There are certain things about this time of year that make me sad if I miss them.

I love the smell of hyacinths in the house. I pick a bunch of them and put them in a little vase on the windowsill over the kitchen sink and they smell so good. The soft blues and pinks blend together with purples and whites and just fill the room with scent and beauty.

I love watching the different types of daffodils and tulips cheer each other into bloom, then bow out in favor of the newcomers. The narcissi and multi-flowered daffodils are last -- they are barely showing buds now. When they are gone we are into serious gardening time.

I love discovering that things have made it through the winter. They generally were supposed to, but it is always heartening to know that they did. This year I see if the snapdragons, dianthas and foxgloves I nursed along last year will actually bloom this year.

I just love growing things!

Boy, Are My Wings Tired!

Getting to San Antonio was okay -- right on time -- not all that many problems.

Getting home was another story. DFW Airport was experiencing bad weather in fits and spurts, backing up flights both in and out. A flight I had that was supposed to leave SA at 5:30 didn't get off until 6:25, and got into DFW minutes before the takeoff of the next flight. Although I hurried to get to the gate as fast as I could, it was a long distance, and I needn't have stressed myself. The flight scheduled for 8:18 didn't back away from the gate until 12:15, and stood in line a long time.

There was a lot of turbulence in the air because there was a bad storm -- and our plane was so small. The captain announced that we were going to put down at Little Rock for fuel -- and repairs. There appeared to be snow on the grass at Little Rock.
The repairs were done is pretty short order, then the refueling. We had to wait for paperwork! Okay, I know the Gov. is involved in things like that, but I was getting sleepy.

Moments after we were airborn, I could see snow on the leading edge of the wing. Suddenly being so close to the emergency exit was not that comforting. I PRAYED a lot on that flight.

A flight that should have gotten in at Knoxville at 11:30 got in around 6:30 the next morning. My son had waited all night and was particularly troubled when the number of our flight had been removed from the screen int he waiting area.

Anyway, details of the EPICon later -- I'm not rested up yet!

On My Way Out The Door

I'm about to leave for the Electronically Published Internet Connection's (EPIC's Annual conference in San Antonio,TX. It's going to be a much larger "do" than was originally thought. We were hoping for 75 participants -- we've got 104. Generally, there are a few companions along -- this time we have 35 or so.

We held a writing contest for Middle and High School kids. We didn't get a lot of entries, but we got some good ones and two of the kids are coming a great distance to pick up their awards. We hope that the New Voices contest will grow to national recognition over the years to come.

But it is the quality of participants, not the quantity, that makes a great conference. If this is anything like other years, even jaded old authors like me will learn something.

So I'll get back to you sometime in the middle of the week (It takes a while to stop laughing and catch up on my sleep!) with a report!

Origami!

Did you see the sneak preview of the Bill Gates offering to the gadget-obsessed? Oh, I can't wait to see one in person. You can download things from the internet onto it, and even use it as a GPS.

Do you know what this means to E-Books? You could be sitting outside your kids' school, waiting to take them from school to soccer or piano lessons and download one of my books to read during your long boring stretches of downtime.

I understand there are two other gadgets about to come out, too. E-Books are going to take off! I just know it! Those of us who have been in on the bottom floor will be vindicated.

Getting Ready for a Trip

For the next few weeks I'm still President of the Electronically Published Internet connection...and our conference is in San Antonio March 16-19. Now, as some of you may have guessed, I'm pretty much a home-body. Not by choice, may I add. If I had lots of bucks, I'd be traveling every time the spirit moved me.

Traveling, however, involves details, particularly if you are flying. High on my list is dressing so that it will be fairly apparent I don't have explosives secreted on my body, yet being relatively modest. So far, I've been lucky.

But there are a couple of things that happen every time I schedule a trip. I always notice that I need new underwear. Now, I've heard that there is one traveling executive who takes his old undies with him and throws them away after he has worn them, giving himself a little extra room for souveniers on his way home. Balance that with having one's luggage searched and I am in a quandry! Granted, all my unmentionables are white cotton, but one does like to show some decorum.

One of the other constants is that my deodorant always runs out. It's hard to know how much you have left with the modern packaging. When it came in a little glass jar, you knew. When it was a spray can, you knew. With the solid stick, you don't.
Two days before you are scheduled to leave, the little plastic shows up...just when you don't have time to go to the Dollar Store.

Then there is always something you forget! With me it is toothbrushes. I hate having to break in a new toothbrush away from home. Bummer!