Cyber Conferencing

Newsflash! We have another winner: Christine H! Please drop me an email through my website with your snailmail info. Thanks to all who left a comment on this post.

If RWA hadn't moved its venue from Nashville, I'd be packing my bags today and getting ready to fly out to Nationals. When flooding forced the move to Orlando, I was given a chance to re-evaluate my trip to the convention. The panel I was scheduled to appear on was cancelled. Since I have 6 novels and a novella to deliver by next summer, I didn't really need to pitch another project. My time will be better spent writing and my money better spent hiring a pro to redesign my Mia Marlowe website before the books come out next summer.

I know it's the right business decision for me this year, but I'm going to miss the jazz of Nationals. The buzz of that many creative people who love books in one place is electrifying. I'll miss seeing my writing friends. So I decided I could have a little taste of the convention here by inviting another writer who's also missing Nationals to join me.

Please welcome Elysa Hendricks, one of my fellow Leisure Books authors, who's agreed to be my guest blogger today. She'll be speaking in italics. Take it away, Elysa!
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This last weekend I finally succumbed to the Internet gods demands I join the billions of Facebook drones. Resistance was futile. Now, I'm wondering where this new adventure will lead me. So far, I'm being cautious, only friending people I know. Darn, I can't believe how easily I'm seduced by this new world I've entered. Since when is "friend" a verb? Pretty soon I'll be texting - well, maybe not too soon. My phone is OLD and even if I could figure out how to do it, it costs me a dime for each text. All I want my phone to do is be a phone. Make and receive calls. Phones shouldn't be books, TVs or written message centers. It goes against the laws of nature.

As you can probably tell I'm hardly a techno geek. It seems like only yesterday my hubby dragged kicking and screaming me into the world of Windows. My wounds from all that broken glass have yet to heal and now I'm treading new ground. Actually it feels like I’m barely treading water here.

Fortunately the characters in my books are much more comfortable with the future technologies I’ve dreamed up for them. They travel through space without getting lost or losing data. They’re also much younger, stronger and better looking than me. Guess that’s why I love putting them through so many challenges and difficulties before I let them have a happy ending. If my life is going to be complicated by computers, phones and the like I’m certainly not going to let my characters off scott free. There has to be some reward for breathing life into them.

Emily here again. Part of the fun of Nationals is getting to know other writers. Here's Elysa's Bio:

When the heroine in my first story turned out to be a winged, telepathic alien, I decided I enjoy writing stories set in different places and times. Someday I'd like to compose those stories on a laptop while sitting on a tropical beach with cute cabana boys bringing me drinks. In the meantime I'll keep warm during the cold midwest winters by writing sizzling love scenes.

And here's a blurb about her current release:
STAR RAIDER

Ten years ago, to capture a notorious space smuggler, ASP (anti-smuggling/ piracy) agent, GREYSON DANE betrayed the woman he loved. Now he needs her help to capture a pirate, one whose activities threaten Earth’s safety and future.

After her father’s arrest and her lover’s betrayal, SHYANNE KEDAR fled to the Outer Worlds and slowly found a way to rebuild her shattered world. Now she captains her own small crew of smugglers. When Greyson reappears in her life she’s disturbed by her continued attraction to the man who destroyed her life. His plea for her help in saving Earth from destruction along with his offer of a pardon for her and her crew tempts her to comply, not for herself, but for her son – Greyson’s son.

As they work together to capture a pirate, Shyanne and Greyson must also find a way to recapture the love they once shared.

If you'd like to learn more about Elysa, please visit her website: http://www.elysahendricks.com/

Another great thing about Nationals is all the freebies. I usually come home with a carry-on full to bursting with books. So today, Elysa is giving you a chance to win a free book too. She's giving away a copy of her contemporary fantasy:

THE SWORD AND THE PEN

She’d never been his to control. After penning ten popular sword and sorcery novels, Brandon Alexander Davis was ready to move on. Ready to stop hiding in his fictional world. Ready to start living life. There was just one problem: as he plotted the noble death of Serilda D'Lar, his warrior-woman creation appeared in his study, complete with sword, skimpy leather outfit, badass attitude—and a quest. Was she nothing more than a crazy fan, or had Brandon finally cracked? This woman, so strong yet vulnerable, was both fantasy and reality. She was an invitation to rediscover all he once knew—that life is an incredible, magical journey, and for love, any man can be a hero.

So for a chance to win The Sword and the Pen, be sure to leave a comment or a question for Elysa. I'll kick things off with a discussion topic. Are you an anti-techno person like Elysa? Or could you give her some pointers on how to make the most of her new Facebook account?

Be sure to check back tomorrow to see if you're the winner!