Quickie Spy Ketchup

Hiya, missed your favorite uber-roofing spy?

I just returned from a great spying trip in Reno where I met 120 booksellers from all over the country and 22 other great authors. Most of these authors weren't from the romance genre, but the great Christine Feehan and Heather Graham were there and I got to schmooze with spies with whom I seldom get to meet, such as David Dun, Barry Eisler, John Lescroart and many others.

Pamela Britton, Roxanne St. Clair, Leslie Kelly and Brenda Novak were such a hoot--wonderful ladies who had funny stories to tell, some too classified to tell without permission, heh. If you ever get a chance to listen to the story of how Christine Feehan grabbed the male writing half of Toni Carrington's crotch, first make sure you're sitting down and NOT drinking.

It was also interesting to listen to other authors from different genres talk. I know some of them were quite surprised that the romantic genre had so many fans, judging from the phenomenal line at Christine Feehan's table. A few started wandering around after the signing and David Dun picked my book up and said he's going to "try" it. LOL. I was amused by the "try," like it was something exotic. Heehee. What will he think of a suspense that starts with a note tied around a SEAL's private part, I wonder? I can hear the conversation between his circle of authors about the romance genre after this weekend. ;-)

I managed to procure a lei from a bookseller from Hawaii, who graciously parted with it when I told him that I needed a reward for signing 120 books. LOL. watching how much fun the book sellers were having picking up books and talking to authors, it's good to know that people who manage/sell our books are just as enthusiastic about reading as us. We often hear about book store people who have no interest in reading or don't even know their authors/genre, so here was a good behind-the-scene watch-and-learn couple of days for me, getting to see the managerial side of things.

At the end of dinner, we were given a small bag with four quarters so we could go try our luck at the tables. People, Pam Britton is the one-armed bandit goddess! She instructed me on the best machine to use, at the best location, with the best lighting, etc., and then I played the quarters and VOILA! I won enough to pay for my hotel room! I was in awe. Now that's a good spying trick I want to learn!

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