Quote for the day........
 So we're all getting bombarded with politics these days....and Hey!! Don't Panic! Not ever going political on my little corner of BlogWorld.......but I do have a great quote from a former President.
Harry S. Truman, that's him on the left there....took a lot of crap from people when he was in office. Of course, I think that's part of the gig. WHY does anyone want to be President??
Anyway...........Harry's quote??
A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.
I think he was onto something. We've all known people like this...Especially writers. If an editor asks for a partial--to hear the writer tell it, they've just been sent to the Seventh Level of Hell. What will I do? How will I get it done? I can't send this in!
Ahhhh....but the multi published writer (the one who is going to keep selling), will get a rejection and think, Fine. They don't like that part of the proposal, I'll change it, then she'll love it.
So take your difficulties and make them opportunities...........
History Day........
 Ahhh.... History Day again! As you can see by the picture on the left, August 25 was a big day during WWII.....Today, in 1944, Paris was liberated by Allied forces after four years of Nazi occupation! Good thing they had lots of wine........
And in other news:
1718, hundreds of colonists arrived in Louisiana, a lot of them settling in what is now New Orleans
1819, Allan Pinkerton was born.......the man who brought us spies, private detectives and was also hired by Lincoln as the first Secret Service Officer. He actually saved Lincoln's life the first time an assassin made a try for the President. Too bad he wasn't around the day Lincoln went to a play.
1875, Captain Matthew Webb became the first person to SWIM across the English channel. His trip took up today and tomorrow, really since his time for the swim was 21 hours 45 minutes. (Is it just me, or wouldn't the ferry have been faster??)
1916, The US National Park Service was created. Celebrate. Go hug a Ranger!
1921, The US signed a peace treaty with Germany. Quick....somebody guess how long THAT lasted!
1950 President Harry Truman ordered the Army to take over the nation's railroad system in order to avoid a strike. I'm thinking that worked.
1981 The US spacecraft Voyager came within 63,000 miles of Saturn's cloud cover, sending back pictures and data about the ringed planet. (talk about a telescopic lens......)
1984, Cabbage Patch kids and Trivial Pursuit were replaced by the latest craze for kids... Transformers.
Ah yes, and Ivan the Terrible was born today in 1530..........
Okay guys, let's hear it. What've you got??
Quote for the day........
 Well, I'm getting a late start today posting my quote for the day! But sheesh, such a day I've had.. The bank?? While I'm in there, they get an email alert saying a nearby branch was robbed...well, that'll slow things down. Then I go to the next bank, where there are no tellers, just hysterical laughter coming from the break room! Glad they're having fun at work, but come on people! Then to Target--Dear God, shopping at Target. Went in for FOUR things....came out with a cartload and still not sure if I got what I went in for......then to the grocery store.....ah, good times!! Men should not be allowed to shop ALONE in grocery stores. They don't know the rules. They block aisles, they wander, they stop without wondering if anyone's behind them.........sigh........a million dollars later, I'm unloading everything from the car and racing in to answer the phone...... Do you read any mention of actual WORK getting done today?? No, I didn't either...... ANYWAY....for the quote, we have the uber-talented Stephen King.....look at that picture. Doesn't he make you think he knows something you don't? This man is just an amazing writer and I like his attitude, too.......Here's his quote...... Talent in cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work. He's so right.......and I'm ashamed to say that today, Mr. Stephen King no doubt got a hell of a lot more work done than I did!
History Day........
 It's History Day again at the ol' blog........... And as you can see by the picture on the left, this was a BIG day for women in the U.S.!!! 1920, The 19th ammendment to the Constitution, giving the vote to women, was ratified when Tennessee became the 36th state to approve it.........so hey, let's hear it for Tennessee!!
And in other news..........
1227, Genghis Khan died.....wonder if anyone missed him?
1587, Virginia Dare, the first child of English parents was born on American soil on what is now Roanoke Island, N.C.
1914, President Woodrow Wilson issued his Proclamation of Neutrality, aimed at keeping us out of WWI......(Nice try)
1958, the novel Lolita was published in New York by G.B. Putnam & Sons
1969, Woodstock was concluded by a mid day set by Jimi Hendrix (the dh's favorite guitarist ever)
1983, Hurricane Alicia slammed into the Texas coast leaving 22 dead and causing more than one BILLION dollars in damage.
1988 Dan Quayle was announced as the VP running mate to the FIRST President Bush. (Okay, not even going there........)
1991 Soviet hardliners launched a coup attempt aimed at toppling Gorbachev, (who was on vacation in the Crimea. Ain't it always the way though??)
Okay guys, let's hear from you!
Books, books, books........
 So, I've decided Fridays are going to be BOOK days....... What're you reading? What do you WANT to read? What do you look for? And for those of you writing.......what kind of book are you working on? To start us off, I'm doing a little bragging.........that's the cover of my January NAL release there on the left! Is that gorgeous or what?? When I first saw it, the cover was all a deep pink color, which was pretty.......then my new editor saw it, said, I think we can do better and went to the art department asking them to make the people POP on the cover. Boy, did they do a wonderful job! I just love this cover. The guy is amazing looking (and apparently a real person, not a composite, which makes me think he's being followed by love struck women everywhere he goes).......... The story.......ah yes. This book is a funny paranormal. The hero, Culhane, is a Warrior of the Fae and our heroine Maggie, is just a human with a little Fae blood who finds out she's destined to defeat an evil queen and save not only Otherworld, but her own world, too. Naturally, nothing comes easy for Maggie Donovan--so learning not to float and learning how to kill demons and weird ass Fae who keep coming around trying to steal the new power she doesn't know how to use yet is problematical. Add in a 2000 year old snarky pixie and a 12 year old niece and a sister who's so busy dusting off her chakras she doesn't notice that her new boyfriend has a few secrets of his own.............and I think you get the picture. It's fun, it's fast and I'm hoping you'll all love it............. So what do you guys think? Paranormal here to stay? Already fading? Dark or light? Funny or grim? Let's talk books............
Quote for the day.........
 It's Wednesday, so that means Quote for the Day........Today's quote is from one of my personal heroines....I've got a few, just like everybody else. And this one was just an amazing woman. Pearl Bailey broke color barriers because she never acknowledged them. She loved people. ALL people. And did everything she could to help wherever it was needed. A great entertainer (which is where I found her when I was a kid, in old movies), she was also US Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations, worked with Barbara Bush for the Literacy Foundation, spoke out about AIDS before it was politically correct to do it and worked for child abuse prevention. She was awarded the Living Legacy Award from the Women's International Center in 1989. Her quote??? No one can figure out your worth but you. So, don't doubt yourself. Go for it. Make your life exactly the way you want it to be. Finish that proposal, send in that book, and don't let anyone stop you from making your dreams come true.
History Day..........
 Here we are back on History Day! The picture at the left is Alcatraz.....Looks gorgeous doesn't it? But I'm guessing the prisoners who lived there didn't much appreciate the view! Alcatraz took in its first prisoners today in 1934.....and let's not forget, Clint Eastwood actually escaped from there! Talk about a swimmer.......
And in other news--
1874, The hero of kids in summer everywhere , Harry S. Parmelee received a patent for the sprinkler head. Let's all take a moment and remember all those hot days when running through a sprinkler was the best time ever!
1896, Harvey Hubbell received a patent for the first pull chain electric light!! What a genius. Pull the chain, light comes on. Pull it again, light goes off! Three cheers for Harvey!
1909 the internation distress code SOS was first used by the American ship Arapahoe off Cape Hatteras.
1951, CBS became the first network to televise a basebal game in COLOR! A double header between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Braves....
1954 A formal peace took hold in Indochina ending 7 years of war between the French and the Vietminh
1956, Abstract artist Jackson Pollack died in a car accident
1965, the Watts Riots began.......wow. How old does it make me that I remember that???
1968 National Apple week in England and the Beatles launched their new recording company, APPLE. Coincidence? I think not.......
1992, The Mall of America opened in Bloomington, Minnesota, it was the largest retail and entertainment facility in the country
1999, A rare tornado touched down in Salt Lake City, killing one person. The only recorded death by tornado in the state's history!
How about you guys? Anything to add???
More conference.......
 Probably my last conference post......Just so you know, if you're getting bored, it's almost over. The shot on the left is of one of the giant screens in the ballroom at the San Francisco Marriott. RITA night. Saturday, the last big hurrah of conference. Where all the writers who live and work in jeans, sweats and tee shirts all year pull out all the stops, throw on the tiaras and come out to play! Below, there's a picture of me, Susan Mallery and Kate Carlisle, all prepared for the big night. We were sparkly and ready for fun. Nope, I didn't get the RITA that night, but I had a great time anyway.  Of course, the festivities (party wise) get off to a big start on Friday night. Publisher Party Night is almost as big as RITA night. And the best party, hands down, every single year, is thrown by Harlequin! NOBODY misses that party... This year, it was in the ballroom at the Four Seasons and they'd really pulled out all the stops. The decorations were amazing and the chocolate fountain was once again the favored place to be! Plus, I got a prize this year. A pin for 50 books at Silhouette. Love badge jewelry! And if any of my friends actually got a GOOD picture of me getting that pin, I promise to post it!! Next week, it's back to History Monday, Great Quotes and on Fridays, it's gonna be Book Day...
More Conference Fun.......
 Yep, still talking about conference! This picture is me and one of my oldest friends, Jill Shalvis which is one of the best things about conference. The chance to sit around and catch up. And on the subject of sweet Jill, if you want to start your day out with a laugh every morning, go to Jill's blog and read about her adventures in the Sierras..... Conference was crazy, as always. My friends and I usually arrive on Monday, to get acclimated, figure out where all the conference rooms are going to be and to avoid the hurry-hurry of a couple thousand women registering at the same time! So by Wednesday, when conference starts, we're already in high gear. This year, the workshops were great--I was even on a panel with NYT best selling author Susan Mallery and Teresa Southwick. We were talking about how to run a successful plot group which is something we know, since we've been doing it for more than ten years. But oh my, if you've been reading this blog for any length of time at all, you know how much I loathe speaking in front of people! LOL......still, it came off pretty well and I didn't ramble too much. I hope. There was talk, of course. What houses are looking for, are vampires dead (pardon the pun) and are historicals making a comeback? (Hey, I didn't know they went anywhere, but that's just me) The upshot is, just like always, the newest trend hasn't been spotted and no one knows for sure exactly what's getting HOT. So the secret......as I've long suspected.....is simple WRITE A GOOD BOOK AND SOMEONE WILL BUY IT. Which, you've got to admit........is sorta comforting!
Home Again.........
 So, San Francisco conference is already slipping into memory......What isn't blurring, I mean.
It's a fast paced week, with almost no sitting down time and as a writer, that's what I'm best at. Sitting, I mean. All this standing and walking can't be healthy!!
At least, we did get the chance to sit for meals....Usually hurried, but in the case of the picture on the left, a nice, long, fun filled lunch with really good friends. That's me, Kate Carlisle, Jennifer Apodaca (aka Jennifer Lyon) and Michele Cwiertney We were at Annabell's Bar and Bistro and the food was as fabulous as the company!
What I love best about conference is it gives us all a chance to spend a lot of time together. Most of us stay in touch all year by phone and email, though these three friends and I get to see each other at our local chapter meetings once a month. Still, at conference, you're all in the hotel. You're not working, answering phones, paying bills or taking care of the family. It's a chance to talk writing. To talk books. To delve into plot ideas, character notions and the whims of the publishing industry, all with people who understand exactly why it all makes you nuts.
RWA National Conference??? Priceless.
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