Back from Conference

I’m going to ease back into my real life today, so my blog will be pretty informal. (As opposed to how strict I usually am, right? Hardy har har.)

Had a great time in Denver. I think by far the best part was getting to spend face time with my critique group. I had some very encouraging editor meetings, too. The best would be the one where I got a very nice proposal request, then she asked if I had a writing sample. So I pulled out the manuscript I’d just pitched her (see, this is why I always bring a proposal with me!) and she gushed over the writing. Her request turned into a “Yes, I definitely want to read this. Send this right away.” Woo hoo!

So now I’m back home and thinking, “Do I really have to do laundry today? Really? I’m thinking it can wait until tomorrow. 😉 I’ve got a cousin in town I hope to connect with over the next couple of days, and over a thousand emails that have built up. Wanna take bets on how many are real?

For all you ACFWers at the conference, I enjoyed seeing you!

My Friends Choose Awesome Titles!

Instead of spotlighting an author friend today, I’m spotlighting my awesome readers, who have rocked out the title contest. I was truly amazed at the creativity y’all showed, and the lists a few of you came up with.

Several people said they had no interest in the free books, just wanted to play, and some of their suggestions were oh-so-good. So here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m going to pick some finalists. You all are going to vote. The books will either go to the winner or, if the winner was one who didn’t want the books, I’ll divvy them up between the other finalists.

Ready? Drumroll please! . . . .

The Storm Still Raging (my mom)
Awaken the Dawn (Kristen)
Deeper than the Sea (Mary)
Yesterday’s Tides (a rewording of one of Sandi’s)
Tempest of the Heart (Debbie Lynn, though I took out a word;-)

So get voting! And lemme just say . . . you guys warmed my heart with your enthusiasm for the story as well as the contest. This is totally how I’m going to decide on titles from now on, lol.

TITLE CONTEST!

Help me rename my contemporary romance (set at the beach, woo hoo!) and win FOUR BOOKS!

Paper Roses by Amanda Cabot
Love Finds You in Humble, Texas by Anita Higman (signed copy)
Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida by Debby Mayne (signed copy)
Ruby’s Slippers by Leeanna Ellis

I’ll run this contest for a week (or as long as it takes to find a good one, lol). Vote for someone else’s, volunteer your own . . . if I decide to use one, the creator will be the winner. If I don’t use one, then the most popular will win.

Here’s some info on the story (summary reflects current title and hasn’t exactly been fine-tuned):

She says her love is forever. He says she’s stuck in the past.

Louisa hates being a statistic, but one bad decision has forever changed her life. Branded as a biracial, teenaged mother, it’s easy to forget over the years all the potential she once had. And she doesn’t for a minute regret giving up on college to raise the twins . . . but sometimes she wishes she had the courage to tell their father they exist. And when they finally start asking about him the summer before third grade, she knows it’s time.

Rem has a comfortable life in D.C., a great job in the tech department of the CIA, and a beautiful fiancé. But when Louisa sends him a note asking him to come to North Carolina, he knows he has to go. He’s long regretted what happened between them nine years ago. But when he arrives in the Outer Banks and meets his kids, he can’t deny that God had a plan all along.

It doesn’t take long for him to turn Louisa’s world upside-down. She knows she’ll never fit into his, but he wants to give her back some of her dreams. All well and good—except that the thing she wants most is the one thing he won’t give: his love.

As one storm after another rolls through her formerly-peaceful coastal life, Louisa begins to wonder what the Lord’s plan is for her. The man she’s loved so long won’t let her close, her best friend is still determined to make her his wife, and her kids are feeling torn between their world in OBX and Rem’s in D.C. She wants to believe this long night of her heart will soon be over . . . but does anything better wait for her in the morning?

We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Blog . . .

. . . to bring you my birthday. No, got nothing special. Just feeling too lazy to decide which of my awesome friends to write about this week. 😉

Not sure what, if any, plans I have. My party was last weekend (joint party with my dad, whose birthday is the 2nd) and the rest of the extended family is camping, so babysitters are out of range–kinda rules out a romantic dinner. Might have a family dinner out (or brought in) but haven’t decided yet.

And you know what? I’m not gonna worry about it. I’ll just relax today (as much as possible, given the wee ones), do what strikes me as fun (you know, read, write something useless), and enjoy the fact that my nearly-4-year-old daughter bounced out of bed this morning and promptly said, “Happy Birthday, Mama!” Then tacked on, “I’ll just follow you around like a duckling.” (Isn’t she cute???)

I even got my house clean yesterday so I’d be able to enjoy it today. Sweet, eh? Now, off to enjoy my first cup of birthday coffee and a banana muffin fresh from the oven. Have a great weekend, everybody!