There are a few things I rarely do-- like check amazon numbers. I mean, what's the point, right? You could be hovering down around 700,000 somwhere and one book gets bought and all of a sudden, you're back up at 35,000 or something.

I also very, very rarely google myself or my books. Frankly, I forget to. Usually if a good review comes down the pike, I have enough friends who will slap me upside the head and say, "Yo, doofus-- someone said something nice about you."

But thing is, since I finished BREATHE and fulfilled my workshop commitment at the Southern Magic conference, I haven't had a whole lot to do. I'm taking a creative breather until we hear back on some projects and honestly, I think I'm a bit creatively crispy. There are plenty of RL things going on, of course, some potentially big ones on the horizon, but in terms of the creative part of me, NSM. So after browsing all of my usual online shopping haunts and reading up on the opening week of the baseball season, I got a bug up my behind to google Adiós.

Well, then. Who knew?

Thank you, all of you lovely people who've said such lovely things about my Little Book That Could. Especially in the wake of the Rita finals. I mean, I know I was extremely proud about making it in a more traditionally adult category, but I didn't realize there would be other people out there noticing. There's also been some extremely interesting discourse on the YA category not making it in the Ritas and why that might be. (In some cases quoting me and my big mouth *g*)

Anyhow, here's where you can find mentions of Adiós along with links to other reviews (such as Little Willow and Dee & dee).

Fellow Cherry, Darla

Librarian Jackie

Mindy, who reviewed for the Cybils

Another YA librarian, Trisha, who hasn't read Adiós, but who provides an interesting blog post about how many romance authors are moonlighting in YA and why YA couldn't muster the 25 entry minimum to make the Rita category. Some good thoughts there-- especially about the divide that exists between romantic YA and what people consider to be the more traditional YA.

Shana, who won the book when I guested on Literary Chicks (IIRC), wrote a lovely review.


And now, I'm going to go back to living in my little cave but for heaven's sake, if y'all come across something, lemme know, wouldja? (Provided it's nice.)

So the lovely Alison Kent has been renting out her blog for the low, low price of FREE as she dives deep into deadline mode.

Be a fan of bargains of all types, I jumped at the opportunity (well, and Alison said, "I want you to blog about your writing experience and the Ritas).

Anyhow, it's up today--go, visit, make snarky commentary. In other words, treat it as you would this blog.

Visiting Alison's blog.

WE INTERRUPT THIS BLOG POST FOR THIS LATE BREAKING UPDATE!

Guess what? I'm interviewed over at the lovely Amy Garvey's (amy37) blog.

Amy interviews ME!

I suppose I should take the time to respond to each of your lovely responses to my previous post, but man, how many times can you possibly say, "Thank you, thank you, thank you," before it begins sounding smarmy? All I can say is thank you so very much, from the bottom of my heart. So many of you have been along for this entire nutty ride, some of you have come along more recently and always, always, you guys have been so supportive and such wonderful cheerleaders. (Then there's vicnoir with her "Told you so," but she's an inveterate pain in my ass. *g*)

And cherryredd, this year's roommate is none other than Madame Alesia, who I'm sure will have a Rita finaling paranormal romance next year. :-)

In the meantime, I will confess, I've not only been on a cloud of shock, it's also been laced with a healthy dose of disbelief. Until I saw it on the Official List on the RWA website, I wasn't quite sure, you know? I mean, for all I knew, it could've been bad Splenda in the Diet Coke, right? But there it was, and all I could think was, "Wow... they remembered to put the accent on the 'o' in Adiós. It must be real."

But still... not quite certain over the whole thing until just a few minutes ago when FedEx dropped of a lovely little package with two equally lovely ladies enclosed.

It's really REAL.



As far as what I'm wearing?

Heh... I'ma plotting as we speak. And if it works the way I hope it will... well...

Never mind. You'll see.

P.S. I am proving vastly amusing to my husband with my penchant for breaking into some variation of Numfar's Dance of Joy while chanting "Double Rita Finalist." He says he can't remember the last time he saw me quite this loopy and unrestrained with joy.

The little book that could just keeps going on.

I just got a phone call.


ADIÓS TO MY OLD LIFE JUST DOUBLE FINALED IN THE RITAS!!

Categories: Best Contemporary Single Title

Best First Book


I did it.

So, online registration is open for this year's Romance Writers of America National Conference and true to my anal-retentive nature, I'm already all registered.

Dallas again. Feel my joy. Not. Location aside, though, I love Nationals. It's a full week of hanging with other like-minded individuals, as well as running into individuals who simply don't get you. True to my perverse self, I enjoy those encounters as well. But most of all, it's the rare opportunity to get to hang out with a huge number of my writing posse, all in one place. (And wear cute clothes) I always come home a giddy combination of utterly drained, yet creatively fired up and ready to go. And of course, the last two years, I've had the good fortune to room with Rita nominees (and ultimately winners!) I'll confess, I'd hoped this would be my year, at least for a nomination, but the likelihood of that happening now is pretty slim, seeing as my original category didn't make it due to lack of entries.

C'est la vie and all that poetic stuff. The Ritas aren't the be-all and end-all-- just one of those nice "recognition from your peers" sorts of things.

It won't dilute that Nationals is going to be a ton of fun. I think there are something like five bars in this hotel. Works for me. ;-)