Miles Ahead

I've registered for the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention which will be held in Los Angeles this year from Ap. 6-10.  Here is the list of authors attending RT.   I've met so many of my blog readers at this convention and this year, I have new friends from Facebook with whom to hook up.

Who's going to RT?  Would love for us to say hi over a drink or a bite to eat!

I'm 75 percent sure I'm going to New York this year for the RWA (Romance Writers of America) Convention which will taking place in New York from June 28-July 1.  Yes, with July 4 weekend right round the corner! 

Why 75 percent chance, you ask?  Well, I love New York but the convention is very expensive and NYC isn't cheap either.  What with my having to get a new central air system this past Christmas, I've to really watch my budget.

But for now, I plan on going.  It's the conference where I catch up on publishers and publishing news from both editors and writer friends.  Besides, I've been going every year since 1998...it would feel weird not being there.  And New York!  Sigh. Chinatown beckons.

Here is the Conference Events/Schedule link if you live near NYC and wish to attend.  The Signing event is a must because the proceeds go to Literacy.  Some of the biggest names will be there--Nora Roberts, Linda Howard, J.R. Ward, just to name a few.

Anyone plan on going to RWA?  Please let me know!

One thing on my mind is my current disenchantment with the airline industry.  Many of you have read about my famous traveling adventures, especially at the Atlanta Hub ;-), but the last few years have been relatively quiet because I've driving.  It was my protest against all the new charges the airlines were adding to the ticket price, as well as my growing impatience with the really long lines and late planes.

Driving has been okay and I enjoyed most of it, but those locations were on the east coast.  This time, RT is in L.A., so driving there would be a long trip, unless I can find a few driving partners, and in that case, we could make it there in 3 days, if we drove non-stop.  And that's barring any delays from traffic jams or car problems.

So yeah, I'll have to break down and fly this time.  But driving to NYC is still on the agenda, or at least, to my sister's near DC where I could park for free ;-).  I just feel that need to try not to use the airlines if possible, you know?  We'll see how I feel.  Maybe they'll have perfected the teleporting device by then and there's that option available.

Are you, like me, finding air travel more and more tedious these days?  That, unless you're super-rich and can afford first-class accommodations and check-in, everything is just a big hassle?  I mean, it even feels as if the flight attendants hate their job when I'm on board.  All that tension, and you might not even save that much time if you add in the 5 hours at the various airports, and that's with NO delays as well as the 2-plus hours on the road to the big airport, if I were to take a direct flight (which I won't be because there's no way I want to drive to Orlando International unless neccessary).

Yes, I used to fly everywhere all over the world.  Easy peazy. I always had a suitcase already packed.  London, Rome, even Asia.  Sigh.  It's old age setting in, isn't it?

Sniff.

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RWA National Update

For those of you who had planned on going to the RWA Conference (Nationals) which was going to be held at Nashville at the end of July, you'd know that the event has been in limbo because of the massive flooding in the area. The Gaylord Hotel's first floor has water and there is massive damage. If you've been checking out the news, you'd know that the city of Nashville (and Tennessee) is in a state of emergency.

Today, RWA has announced that the conference is taking place in ORLANDO instead:

The Board of Directors is pleased to announce that the 30th Annual RWA Conference will be held at The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Florida, July 28–31.

My heart goes out to all my friends and the people going through the crisis in Tennessee. Having experienced a sudden 14 inches of rainfall over here in Central Florida last year, I know it's going to take a while before everything gets back to normal.

I know the Gaylord Hotel has already started issuing refunds, but I'm not sure how the airlines deal with canceled flights of this nature. You know my current opinion of airlines; I doubt they're going to be of much help, unless some kind soul working for them is quick-thinking enough to just charge a slight fee in the change of destination (plus difference in price). I hope all of you find this person!

Please help out our friends around the Nashville area as much as you can. With flooding everywhere, drinking water is scarce and many people, including the sick and the elderly, had to evacuated to facilities that aren't capable of properly taking care of them. Be careful of online sites asking for money, though. The best bet is to give to the better known charities like Red Cross.

I'd like to hear from you who had been planning to go to Nationals, even for just the booksigning. What are your plans now?

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Airplane Debundling Suggestions

I have been checking out airline tickets to Ohio (Romantic Times Convention). Do you know Spirit Airlines is charging $45 for a CARRY-ON? WTF? Not to mention that airlines are already charging for a piece of luggage not taken onboard. That's about $70 on top of one's ticket, isn't it?

I read that this is called "debundling," as opposed to the stupid cable/cellphone practice of "bundling." Every item will cost the passenger more. Want a pillow? $5 Want a blanket? $10 Food is already gone, of course, unless you order from a menu that cost $10-$20.

You would think that it'd be easier to just give their customers what they want, with a higher ticket price. Because it's going to cost the same anyway. Let's say, instead of pretending that the ticket is $250 roundtrip, just tell me it's $350 and don't hassle me with charges on luggage, pillow, whatnot, okay?

If, in fact, debundling is the only way to make a profit (I so seriously doubt this logic), I have a suggestion to the airlines. They should just go ALL THE WAY with this new policy. Tell their customers that:

1) bringing their own oxygen mask will cost $5 less

2) all passengers bringing a gallon of airplane fuel will get $20 off the ticket

3) charge extra if air attendants are on board. WE DON'T NEED THEM ANY MORE; just put a vending machine in the front and back of the plane for those who need to buy food/beverage, pillows, etc.

4) bring your own seat! Taking out the seats would let everyone of different sizes to have their own space. This would make the plane lighter and less fuel consumption! Hooks on the floor for different ways of clicking on your seat belt. $10 less!

5) in fact, someone who knows how to fly a plane should get plane ticket! That way, pilots can be laid off for certain trips and money taken out of their salary! Save, save, SAVE!

6) for longer plane trips, bring your own plastic cup and paper plate! $5 off.

See? If you see me huddling on the plane floor with my own paper plate and cup, a seat belt tied haphazardly, with only my laptop to keep me company and my security blanket to keep me warm, an empty gallon fuel container by my side, and the flight attendants ignoring me as they walk by to help the Silly Overpaying First Class Peeps, you know I'm flying really, really cheaply.

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Another Orlando Gig

Okay, Canada! I'm warning you! STOP sending cold air down here!!! This is beyond ridiculous; we're freezing our butts off here in Florida. I usually turn my heater on once during our "winter," but tonight and this week will mark the THIRD time I'm doing this. Knock it off!

Grrr. This prolonged frigid weather is really making my mornings miserable. You can always tell the "snowbirds" from the natives. They're the chirpy people walking around in shorts saying, "I'm loving this!" to everyone nearby. The answering growls are from the bundled-up natives who know better. Warning: the next person who comes up to me all bright-eye and bushy-tail to merrily point out that "at least there's no humidity" is going to get seriously hurt.

It gets really cold at the labor compound while I wait for a job for the day. Basically, a bunch of us stand around and stamp our feet a lot to try to keep warm (why would stamping feet create body heat, I have no idea). Me, I try to read a book sometimes but my chattering teeth and shaking hands make it tough. It was kind of funny this morning, trying to get into a vampire story while my body was as cold as the undead. It made the idea of gnawing on a poor sod's neck and sucking up some hot blood quite tempting, quite actually....

Talking about doing normal things in different places, remember the SF Convention, Oasis 22, that I attended last year so I could meet favorite authors John Scalzi and C.L. Wilson? Well, I received an email inviting me to be guest panelist for this year's affair. I was quite shocked. Didn't think anyone knew me there. But I had a lot of fun meeting with readers and fans of the SF genre and certainly enjoyed a number of the panels. It's a good way to promote cross-genre books such as Virtually His to new readers, right? And my Viking Dude is urban/alternative fantasy, so I can talk about that too. So...any of you going to be in Orlando around May 22? I promise the weather here should be much warmer by then.

Here's the website to check out the details of CON:

http://oasfis.org/oasis/index.php

One more incentive to go: JOHN RINGO will be there. I need to put on my OH JOHN RINGO NO! teeshirt for him to sign.

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Virtually, like, Almost Time

I'll be spending much of the week getting ready for RWA in San Francisco next week. Are there any readers who are going? I'd love to meet you at the signing or workshops. Any recommendations of a good Chinese/Asian restaurant? I know there will be hundreds--I'd like to narrow it down to a few favorites.

Speaking of workshops, I'll be captaining the romantic suspense panels in NEXT year's Romantic Times Convention. That's going to be fun. I've invited Karen Rose, Barry Eisler, Christina Skye, Roxanne St. Claire, Rebecca York, and agent Lucienne Diver to join me. More on this after the RWA conference.

I'm excited about meeting my writing friends. It's always wonderful to catch up on news and see how everyone's doing. Also, I get to soak in the magic of creative vibe, especially when a group of authors are sitting there, just throwing out ideas and funning among themselves. It's a blast.

The editors are also friends now too and I feel a bit more confident approaching them if I have an idea or a proposal. It used to be I'd bump into one at the bar or the lounge and then freeze. Then my idiot grin because I would have forgotten about any prepared lines as my brain is shouting "THERE IS AN EDITOR IN FRONT OF YOU! QUICK, SAY SOMETHING!!!" Now, I could actually make a joke. The scary thing is, some of them have read this blog and THEY would joke with me about my dog or Ranger Buddy. Okay, not too scary, but it does make me aware how public everything is, even for a mid-lister like me.

Bad Puppy knows I'm up to something because of the suitcases coming out of the closet. You know I'll be missing him. He's a mommy's boy. Lord knows he's going to try to eat some romance novels for revenge while I'm gone. He knows his competition ;-).

Life's going to be all about packing, books and clothes for the next few days. What about you?

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Fly Like An Eagle

Thanks for the many book recs of old-school romance in the comment area! I knew we Alpha-lovers have a secret stash of politically-incorrect romance hidden in our shelves! Please continue to add to the list, if a title pops up in your head.

I'll be flying into Newark, NJ, this Monday around 1.30pm. It's Columbus Day and Tracey said it might be easier for customers and readers to come by the book store on a holiday. What do y'all think? Want to meet up at the book store around, say, 4pm? Do a signing, and then food and drinks? Yak-yak about books and veges? Or, would Tuesday be better?

I'm looking forward to meeting everyone who can make it!

Nothing else new to report. Oh, except that RB has decided to take me skydiving. I'm psyched. And scared. I told him I have to get a lawyer to write my will first, hahahahhaa. But I'd like to try it so I know what it feels like, especially when I'd planned to write a skydiving scene in one of my books!

Skydiving. Eeek. I think I'm going to do it.

Any of you gone skydiving before?

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Aftermath

Ahhhhhh. My brain is functioning again. And how was your week? ;-)

I tuned back into life and tried to catch up with friends' news and blogs and everyone is preparing for RT in Houston! I'm beginning to panic. I mean, there's a ton of things I need to do! By this time next week, I'll be in my uber author dress and shoes and trying to behave ;-).

Do you know, in the next three weeks, I'll be hitting four states (you got add Atlanta in since my planes stop there enough times!)? Can you imagine my probability of getting into one of my airport predicaments? I'm shuddering.... Yes, yes, I'm going to have to pin ten different IDs on me.

So, next week RT in Houston, then California signing at Roseville the week after, followed by speech, workshop and signing in Denver, CO. Needless to say, blogging is going to be spotty again because I'll be out and about!

Talking about blogging, I was invited to guest-blog at another site next month. So that makes two! And a chat with the lovely Australian readers in mid-May. The wonders of the Internet, huh?

So I was telling the roofers all I still have to do besides my tax adventures this week and you know how they spout wise(ass) sayings. "Never," one of them declared, "let hecticaty dictate."

Short silence. Said wise sayer looking around triumphantly.

"Isn't that a song?" Ranger Buddy chimed in. "Hecticaty dictatoty tock?"

"No, no, Hecticaty was a very famous Spartan dictator," another wise(ass) sayer butted in. "He led a very hectic schedule. Hence, never let hecticaty dictate."

Everyone snickered. The first wise sayer did not get the joke.

Now you know where I get my love of words.

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