Unaccustomed as I Am to Public Speaking . . .

Just got an email from my agent. Looks like I'll be speaking in Tennessee this summer. Our panel for Nationals has been accepted!

I'll be joining a terrific group of writers to talk about:
Writing As: The Trials of Being A Schizophrenic Author, for Romance Writers of America's 30th Annual Conference at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN from July 28 - 31, 2010.

There are so many authors out there who write under multiple names, we're coming out of the closet to talk about the why's and wherefor's. Even though it can be confusing, there are times when taking another pen name makes good business sense.

But Nationals isn't the only speaking engagement on my calendar. Here's what's on my list so far:

Feb 14th ~ LOVE IN THE LIBRARY
Spend Valentine’s Day with three published members of Romance Writers of America – Emily Bryan, Marie Force and Dalton Diaz – at the Duxbury Free Library, 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14. We'll discuss the elements of the romance novel and our experiences with writing and publishing. The library is at 77 Alden St., Duxbury, MA.

April 17th ~ Maine RWA Chapter, Brunswick, ME

April 24th ~ Connecticut Fiction Fest

April 26-May 1st ~ Romantic Times Convention, Columbus Ohio
If you're coming early for the Aspiring Writers workshops, I hope to be working with both Bobbi Smith's and Judi McCoy's groups!

Speaking to other writers, sharing what I've learned about writing and publishing, is one of my ways to give back to a genre that's given so much to me. Hope I'll see you at one of my stops along the way.

Question: If you could ask a published author anything, what would it be?

Booksigning & New England RWA Chapter Conference

This weekend is the start of my whirlwind of travel and speaking engagements. On Friday, the New England RWA's LET YOUR IMAGINATION TAKE FLIGHT Conference begins at the Natick Crowne Plaza in Natick, MA. I'll be speaking on Saturday morning, giving my plotting workshop (What a Novel Idea!), and then pitching my romantic suspense and paranormal to an editor. Later I'll take part in the mass book signing, which starts at 4 PM. If you're in the area, please stop by! The incredibly talented Susan Wiggs will be joining us.

Then on Monday, I'll be flying to Pittsburgh for the Romantic Times Convention. Monday afternoon, I'll be giving my characterization workshop (Meat on the Bones) for Bobbi Smith's Aspiring Author Boot Camp. Then later in the week, I'll be on a historical panel. USA Today Best Seller, Joy Nash invited me to join her for a brainstorming workshop (Book in 3 Minutes!) which should be great fun. The main thrust of that session is that in order to have a good idea, you need to have LOTS of ideas.

Along with 400 other authors, I'll be taking part in the mass signing on Saturday the 19th from 11-2. If you're in the area, please join us at the Pittsburgh Hilton. You'll see lots of your favorite authors. I'm looking forward to seeing some of mine!

Then I'm home for a week. My parents are visiting from the midwest and our week together will culminate in a trip to NYC and a Broadway show. I hope to drop by Dorchester Publishing while I'm there and visit my editor for a bit.

The rest of April will go by in a blur and somehow I still have to meet my page count for VEXING THE VISCOUNT, which is due August 1st. But as frenetic as my life will be in the next few weeks, I'm feeling extremely blessed. In spite of the jitters associated with speaking and pitching, I'm living my dream and that's no small thing.