Grave Expectations: Howling Happy!

I love the cover for August release GRAVE EXPECTATIONS!

It's not even a full moon yet, but I was howling with joy when I saw it. The blue, the tagline, and especially the quote from Library Journal. Wow! I'm excited. Is it August yet? What do you think of the cover?

Confessions of a Romance Author: The RWA Diaries, Final Day, Final Thoughs

August 1, 2010

Alcohol units: 5 (gasp, really? Yes. But sample sizes.)

Workshops: 0

Ego: Grounded (conference is over!)

7:00 a.m. Awake and ready to enjoy the day! The plan is to shower, dress, finish packing, check out, and bring our bags down to bell services for the day while we (Julie and I) hit the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.

8:00 a.m. Julie has never been to the Magic Kingdom, and I know she's going to love it. I hope she does. What if she doesn't? The bus is on time and we arrive for opening ceremonies. No doubt-- she loves it! We see Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and other characters at the park opening, and we're ready to hit some rides.

Lines are low and crowds are almost non-existent. What a beautiful morning! I take Julie on a little tour, stopping for rides along the way. The theming and details have won her over, but wait until she gets on a ride. We start with Adventureland and the Jungle Cruise, laugh at the corny jokes, and then on to Pirates of the Caribbean, and a surprise-- "no roller coasters" Julie thinks she can handle Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

In fact, she loves it and wants to ride again! But so much to do, so little time. We're off to the Haunted Mansion. A walk through Fantasyland. I convince her to try Space Mountain. Fun, but not on her list of things to do again. It's getting late and we opt to head for Epcot for the rest of the day.

11:00 a.m. Julie has never ridden the monorail, so we catch the resort monorail to the Transportation & Ticket Center and then the Epcot monorail. We're in the park by 11:30, in time for lunch. We're hungry! We meander through Future World and catch the boat across the lagoon to Morocco, close to our destination, France! Lunch in France. We add our names to the list of walk-ins at Chefs de France and shop around France until noon. I buy a beret and French milled soaps for my daughter, extra birthday treats, and we're finally ready to wait to be seated.

Julie has the crepe basquaise, a large crepe filled with smoked chicken. peppers, onions, and a cheese, with a nice French white. I opt for the plat de cote de boeuf au cabernet avec pates, beef short ribs braised in cabernet with pasta, pearl onions, and mushrooms and a glass of French red, recommended by the server, from her hometown. Julie's crepe slightly trumps my beef, but both are delicious and service is wonderful. We finish lunch and step outside, where Julie is instantly enchanted by a little street performance, an adorable Frenchman doing handstands on a tower of chairs.

While Julie is caught up in awe, I pop over to the refreshment stand and buy us each a Grey Goose slush, dessert!

We shop in Morocco, in Japan, and head for Italy. In Italy, the charming server talks us into doing the Epcot Wine Walk, 2 2 oz sample glasses in each country, Italy, Germany, and France for $20. Why not? We take our wine and watch another street performance, this one an Italian clown having a ball with his audience (literally, throwing balls to people, too fun!). Then, on to Germany (more wine) and China (tea!), Norway for the Maelstrom (always too short), and Mexico for the boatride (just right). Time is running out. A brisk walk to France for our final wine samples, and back through the International Gateway for the ride back to the Dolphin to claim our bags and get the Mears Shuttle to the airport and home.

Reflections:

It was a productive, educational, fabulous conference! What I learned: networking with friends can be more informative and helpful than attending workshop after workshop. Publishers want to see more paranormal, historical, suspense, and small town contemporaries. The world is changing fast and with digital sales making up more of the sales pie, brick and mortar bookstores are feeling the crunch. Now more than ever, the author has to be their own promo machine and get the word out.

The Dolphin was a fabulous conference hotel. Great service, well-organized, able to handle a crowd. I wish we could have more conferences at Disney World. One plus is that I got to hang out with friends in a non-business setting, get to know people better as people, not just as authors, and we all had a lot of fun. Big Cheers to everyone who worked so hard for the RWA to make the conference possible.

Looking forward to next year, New York City!

Fun Stuff- Win Books

Agent Extraordinaire Janet Reid is hosting the Slay Me with Laughter: Brains and Janes contest on her blog, running from now until Sunday night. You can win Robin Becker's Brains, Molly Harper's Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs, and Sherri and Charlotte's Jane Slayre. Check it out!

Confessions of a Romance Author: The RWA Diaries, Day Four

Friday, July 30, 2010

Alcohol units: 3

Workshops: 2

Ego deflators: 1 (no cocktail party invites)

Ego boosts: 1 (out of books early at Pocket Signing- woot!)

7 a.m. A little trouble waking up this morning. The conference grind (late nights, not to mention all the running around Disney World) is getting to me. I wanted to make it to a 9 a.m. workshop, but I think maybe I can sleep one more hour...

7:30 a.m. Julie (perky, sunny Julie) is up getting showered and ready to go. I put the pillow over my head and groan. Yeah, I'm not making the 8:30 a.m. workshop...

8:00 a.m. I manage to sit up in bed. (Applause? Thank you!). And check some text messages. Julia London wants a conference update, and I oblige. Julie seems to be waiting around expecting I will find my perky and join her. I left my perky on the bus. Sorry, Julie.

8:15 a.m. Julie goes off to a workshop and I manage to drag myself out of bed to the shower. Julie calls not long after to report that the workshop was a bust (great workshop, but more suited for a beginner) and that she will wait for me in the lobby and oh, she forgot her earrings, please bring them. I decide to get the "hitch out of my giddy-up." (some TX expression I picked up from Dee Davis, but I am probably using it wrong) and go.

9:15 a.m. I am ready and meeting Julie in the lobby with her earrings. We head to Robert Gottlieb's PAN session on literary agents. Informative, interesting. Julie has to leave early, so I take notes for her.

11:00 a.m. Spotlight on Pocket. I'm a Simon & Schuster author, technically Gallery not Pocket. But it pays to keep up with the buzz, and who knows. I meet up with Molly Harper again. I take notes. Big news: Pocket is launching Pocket After Dark, an online community for romance readers and writers. How exciting! Will check that out. Also, editor Lauren McKenna mentions my bff Julia London's amazing books, especially her latest, One Season of Sunshine. Yay! (note to self: remember to text Julia later). And my agent comes over as the session wraps up to say hi to Molly and me, but we'll catch up more later.

12:00 p.m. Time for lunch! I'm meeting dear friends Virginia Henley, Jacquie D'Alessandro, and roommate Julie for lunch at the Dolphin's Fresh Mediterranean Market restaurant. Jacquie and Virginia are colorful and gorgeous as usual. Of all days, I picked today to wear black! Oh well. We're all happy with lunch, but Jacquie is especially thrilled that there's a dessert bar included complimentary with lunch. When she returns with her dessert bar selections, she declares "This really IS the happiest place on earth!"

2:00 p.m. I'd wanted to hit a 2:oo workshop, but I have a signing at 3 and take some time to go back to my room to relax, freshen up, and call home instead. My husband is picking up his new car today and his excitement is contagious. My new car, he reports, will be delivered on Tuesday after I get back from conference. Yay! New cars all around (if only, having an Oprah moment).

3:00 p.m. Show up to sign books at the Pocket Authors Signing. The publisher gives books away, which means lines are long and crowds get crazy, but it's so fun! Fortunately, my worst fears (that people will not even want my book for free, ha!) are not realized. In fact, I'm out of books in less than twenty minutes. I'm the first author to run out! (I had two boxes, forty books. I'm not going to think about how many other authors had and that they probably had more... I will just take my George Costanza "I'm outta here!" grand exit).

3:30 p.m. After the signing, I'm free for the day. All of my other friends are headed to cocktail parties and grand events, but I am free. I stick around to watch people get dressed and see who I can catch in the lobby. I love to see the fancy outfits. But also, it's a good time to catch up with rest, relaxation, or maybe I will head to the Magic Kingdom. Decisions, decisions.

I spend some time in the room alone, then some time catching up with Julie. I watch Julie change and leave, and then just relax some more and change and head to the MK.

I haven't been to the Magic Kingdom yet, and though I have been having a great time at Walt Disney World and at conference, it never feels like I'm really there until I see my favorite resorts (the monorail resorts), the Seven Seas Lagoon, and Cinderella Castle. As the bus pulls up to the MK surroundings, and I see the Contemporary Resort, I am recharged. At last, I'm really here!

I never get tired of the Magic Kingdom. I have a fantasy that I could live at Disney World and vacation for a few weeks at a time in the real world. I manage to fit in a ride on the newly improved Space Mountain (fun!) and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. I must be fueled by competitive drive, because it's just not the same alone. I score a measly 9600 (embarrassing!). My friends call. They're leaving the Harlequin Party and heading over to see me at the MK!

But when my friends (Dee Davis and Julie Kenner) get to the MK, we decide we're all hungry, craving sushi, and opt for a change of plans. We head for the Polynesian. My first monorail ride of the trip! I get a good glimpse of my favorite resort, the Grand Floridian, where I spent my honeymoon nearly twenty years earlier. My excitement builds when we're stopped briefly at the Contemporary, at the Transportation and Ticket Center, and finally, at the Polynesian! We check at Kona Cafe, but the wait is long. There are seats available at the Kona Cafe Sushi Bar, and that's what we're after anyway. While waiting for our sushi (volcano roll for me), we decide to skip the Magic Kingdom and do a monorail pub crawl, a drink at every resort. At the Polynesian, I get a Lapu Lapu (drink in a pineapple, winner!). We sip slowly, get our sushi, and laugh and talk. The volcano roll, delicious, with a creamy spicy sauce. We tell the server, no dessert, thanks. We have other pubs to visit!

Next stop, the boat launch to the Grand Floridian. This involves no wait, as the boat is at the dock, and a slight detour to the Magic Kingdom first before we can head back to the Grand Floridian. But it's beautiful on the lagoon at night, lights twinkling, and a wonderful ride.

When we arrive, I show off the Grand Floridian as if I am showing off my home, and it feels like it. And my friends are impressed. They seem to love it as much as I do. I wish I could show them to a room, and open all the shops, but I'm afraid Disney does not consider the Grand Floridian to be my home quite as much as I do. (Writer in residence, Disney? Call me!). We head to Mizner's Lounge, where we all order the Magic Glow Cocktail (I don't remember the official name, but the drinks are pretty!). We toast each other, yay us! And we keep our souvenir glowing "ice" cubes. You never know when they'll come in handy. Then back to the monorail, headed for the Contemporary Resort.

At the Contemporary, we know we want to go to the California Grill, but the attendant is not at the desk. We walk around a bit, then go up anyway. The woman at the desk tells us that we can go on to a table in the bar. We're all pleased with the view. But the server eventually comes over and tells us last call already happened. We're too late. But if we hurry, we can probably still get service at The Wave. Off we go!

After some poking around in the Contemporary Resort, we find The Wave. The bartender is friendly and welcoming. We order drinks (mine, the Ecotini, comes with a bracelet, cool!). We feel so pleased to have had such a great time together and decide to do a pub crawl at the next RWA. Watch out New York City! Cheers!

Signing at Disney World

If you're in the Orlando area on Wednesday, July 28, please swing by the Dolphin resort to say hi! I'll be one of hundreds of authors signing books to benefit literacy efforts in a fundraiser by the Romance Writers of America. Signing authors listed here.

Park admission is not required to stop by for the signing in the Dolphin's Grand Ballroom, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Three hour parking is available at the Dolphin. You can find authors alphabetically. I'll be in the E row, for Erwin. See you there!

In Loving Memory, Drake 11/02/1999-6/29/2010

In September of 1997, I started sending my youngest child to preschool so that she could reap the benefits of socializing with kids her own age (and not just her older brother), and I could finally devote more time to writing. My dream was to publish my first novel before turning thirty, and that big birthday was looming, just over a year away. Tick tick tick tick...

I'd written two full manuscripts, medieval romances heavy on period drama, and hadn't had much luck at interesting an agent or editor. I decided to try something new, try writing something more like my favorite Jane Austen books, just to see what would happen. At about the same time, I started researching dog breeds to find the ideal pet for my family. We weren't ready to add a dog, but thought we might do it in the next few years, when the kids were old enough to learn about animal care but young enough to really bond. I discovered pugs and added one to my Work-in-Progress, the one that went on to become my first novel, contracted for publication by Dell Books in August 1998 (two months before my 30th birthday, huzzah!). And, with my newfound author confidence, I convinced my husband that we should look into bringing a pug into our lives sooner than planned.

In January 1999, we brought the kids to a local kennel to see some pugs up close and decide if we could make a match. The four of us huddled on the floor surrounded by pug puppies. Puppies everywhere! They wiggled and bounded right into our hearts and we knew we had to bring one home. But which one? My husband's only caveat- choose a female. We have to have a female (easier to train, in his opinion). But the tiniest, most tenacious of the bunch happened to be a male. He bit on to my daughter's flopping shoelace and would not let go. We all looked to my husband. "Please please please! We love him." And so the runty little male became a part of our family.

What to name him? All the way home (over an hour ride), the pug shared my lap and the four of us tried out names. Riley? Munchkin? Peanut? I finally suggested Drake, in honor of a rakish charmer in my first book and the name of our favorite tavern in our favorite vacation spot, the Sir Francis Drake in Wells, Maine. A Drake's Cakes truck drove by as we deliberated, and it seemed like fate. Drake! We had a Drake.

Drake was never the brightest dog on the planet, but he was lovable and so sweet, the most good-natured creature I've ever known. He hated to be alone so much that even as a tiny puppy, he learned to climb over the child safety gate that separated my work space, the kitchen, from his safe space, the living room. Maybe he was brighter than he let on after all. Two years after adding Drake to the family, we added a corgi, mostly as a companion for Drake. Before long, the corgi decided she (yes, a she-- the husband was right about training a male) was boss and Drake was her minion. But he didn't care, as long as he had more company.

About a month ago, Drake started bleeding from the mouth. He still managed to eat (not much could keep that boy from food) but it was gruesome and trying. The vet discovered squamous cell carcinoma in his mouth, and she told me what to expect, and that short of removing his jaw, not much more could be done. I brought him home and told the family, who nearly refused to believe me. But he seems so happy. Look, he's still eating. Maybe the vet was wrong. But I knew.

Some days, he seemed fine. Other days, the blood was overwhelming. Many times, I ended up on the floor, feeding him out of my hand. And then he started skipping meals. And he started losing weight. And then he became weaker, lethargic. His breathing became labored. And... more unpleasant things started happening to poor Drake until finally, he couldn't eat at all. We had one last weekend. The kids finally accepted what was happening. I called and made the appointment with the vet. Drake preferred the floor to my lap. Maybe it was easier to breathe. I almost expected to wake up and find him already gone, but no. There he was, attempting to wag his tail, ready to go out for his walk. As long as I carried him.

I carried him, his precious weight in my arms, all the way to the vet's office while my husband drove the car. I stroked the velvet wrinkles of his forehead as he drifted off, and looked into his chocolate brown eyes. Just like that, he was gone. But he'll always be with me.

The way he used to run into the dishwasher in his haste to get to his food bowl. How he would lick my pants before settling into place on my lap. His occasional attempts at speech that sounded like he was saying "Golf!" The cock of his head as he tried to make sense of my end of the conversation. Drake, my beloved pug. Always in my heart.

Jane Slayre in People!

This week's People magazine:

Jane Slayre on Page 61:

Sherri: Charlotte, I'm a guest this week on author Molly Harper's Blog (Thursday March 25). I've had my hair done for the occasion. Want to see the before and after? Here's the before, on the left.

Charlotte: (yawn) What exactly do they "do" to it? Why not just pull it back in a bun so it's out of your way?

Sherri: Right. The 19th-century governess look is so in.

Charlotte: In what? What is it in? What you do go on about sometimes! Why did I agree to write with you, again?

Sherri: You didn't. Your work is in the public domain so I just-- Never mind. You agreed that we're perfect together, remember? Witty, charming...

Charlotte: Of course I am. But what do you bring to the table? (smirks).

Sherri: Hey, I'm the one who raised the bar for the next generation of monster classics. Ask Library Journal.

Charlotte: You wouldn't have managed the "enthusiastically recommended for all" without my involvement, and you know it.

Sherri: (bows) I concede.

Charlotte: So? What did they "do" to your hair? You never showed us.

Sherri: Here's the after. To the right.

Charlotte: (looks over). It's exactly the same. What do you mean?

Sherri: Not the same. It's shorter. Bouncier.

Charlotte: If you say so. What does it cost to have your hair done?

Sherri: (rolls eyes). You don't want to know.

Charlotte: Not a problem for 19th century governesses. (smoothes hair). A fool and her money are soon parted. (smiles knowingly).

Sherri: Absolutely. I'm also giving away a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble at Molly's blog on Thursday.

Charlotte: Hm. Perhaps I'll see you there.

Academy Awards 2010

Sherri: Charlotte, Bradley Cooper was at the Oscars last night. Here he is, chatting with Ryan Reynolds.

Charlotte: Bradley who? I don't know who you mean. Who is this Oscar fellow?

Sherri: And you can check out some of the Oscar fashions here, here, and here. What do you think? Who was best dressed and who was worst?

Childhood Dreams

Sherri: Charlotte, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Charlotte: (blank stare).

Sherri: Charlotte?

Charlotte: (startles, averts gaze from Bradley Cooper's picture). Hm, pardon?

Sherri: Your childhood dreams? You must have had some. We're talking about them at The Whine Sisters today.

Charlotte: My childhood dream? To survive. Infant mortality was much higher in those days. It seemed a miracle to grow up at all.

Sherri: (rolls eyes). Yes, but--

Charlotte: I'm quite serious. Have you not remarked on Jane's experiences at Lowood? The poverty? The inadequate protection from the cold? The scanty portions of food? Awful food.

Sherri: The zombies...

Charlotte: (casts icy glare).

Sherri: All right, so no zombies.

Charlotte: We faced exactly the same conditions of Lowood at the Clergy Daughter's School at Cowan Bridge, Lancashire. I lost my two elder sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, to tuberculosis there before our father brought me home. It permanently affected my growth and development, I do believe, as it did Jane's.

Sherri: But Jane Slayre learned she had hidden strengths, the ability to fight and kill--

Charlotte: Jane Eyre learned to survive. Charlotte Bronte picked up her pen and created an imaginary kingdom with her surviving siblings: Emily, Anne, and Branwell. Have you not researched? Why does everyone seem to think I've written one book when I have a whole shelf of--

Sherri: Of course, I know about the Anglia Sagas. And the Green Dwarf. The Professor. Villette.

Charlotte: You do? (straightens up).

Sherri: Everyone does.

Charlotte: Everyone? (smiles).

Sherri: (nods) It's just that Jane Eyre has been considered your masterpiece. You have to admit that Jane's story has it all.

Charlotte: Adventure. Intrigue. Romance.

Sherri: Vampyres. Zombies. Werewolves.

Charlotte: Oh, but if one more person confuses my Jane with that insipid Jane Austen again, I'll--

Sherri: Charlotte, now, it's only because Jane Austen is so beloved a literary figure, as is your fictional Jane Eyre, and you're writing at similar times...

Charlotte: Off with your head!

Sherri: Ah, now, that's Lewis Carroll. Alice in Wonderland. The Tim Burton, Johnny Depp movie is opening this weekend. Would you like to come and see it with me?

Charlotte: You expect me to see a film when there are books to read?

Zombies! Oh my!

Charlotte: Ack! It's Abbot! Where did you find her? She is the spitting image of Jane Slayre's Miss Abbot. I would know her anywhere.

Sherri: Well, you should. You created her.

Charlotte: You're the one who suggested she be a zombie.

Sherri: I thought you didn't want to give me any credit.

Charlotte: (shrugs). You might have some good ideas. From time to time. But where did you find her?

Sherri: That's not Abbot, Charlotte. It's Madonna.

Charlotte: The Madonna?

Sherri: Probably not the one you're thinking. Madonna Ciccone. 80s icon? Celebrated pop star? Michigander turned Brit?

Charlotte: Oh, one of your friends from Michigan?

Sherri: (shakes head). No, I only lived in Michigan(Canton) for a few years. And not while Ms. Madge was there, as far as I know.

Charlotte: Madge? I thought you said she was Madonna?

Sherri: (sighs) It's a nickname. You know, like Rochester tends to call Jane "Janet."

Charlotte: So you and Madge are friends, then?

Sherri: No, I've never met her. She's a celebrity. I think the paparazzi made it up. Or maybe she is Madge to friends. I have no idea.

Charlotte: It was so much easier in the old days, before Internet and Paparazzi. But, if she's famous, why hasn't anyone saved her?

Sherri: Saved her?

Charlotte: She's a zombie, isn't she? The sunken cheeks, the pallor? Where are all the slayers? Someone should save her from her mortal bounds and send her soul on to peace.

Sherri: She's not a zombie. It's just a rather unfortunate picture.

Charlotte: Hm. I'll take your word for it. Speaking of pictures, have you any more of that Bradley Cooper fellow?

Sherri: Aha! I knew you liked him.

Charlotte: Ahem. No. It's simply for a character study. I was thinking of writing some more about St. John's adventures in India.

Sherri: Really? Sounds like fun. Can I help?

It's All About the Romance...

(Sherri and Charlotte engage in one of many imaginary conversations.)

Charlotte: About the romance? For you, perhaps. It is really all about one woman's journey. You always get so carried away with the romance.

Sherri: I like romance. What's wrong with love? I get tingly when I think about Mr. Rochester and Jane alone in that arbor. Poor Jane took so long to catch on to his intentions.

Charlotte: You're giving away plot points!

Sherri: Um, Charlotte? I think they know.

Charlotte: They don't know about the vampyres creeping up on them and how Jane has to-- oh. Right. That didn't make it through edits in the original.

Sherri: Exactly. People will get to read that scene in entirety for the first time in April.

Charlotte: April! So many months away. Back to my point. It's not about the romance. That was only one leg of Jane's very long journey to becoming her own woman. Independent. Strong. Self-reliant...

Sherri: And very much in love with Rochester. You were independent, and you were in love. You know how it works. So tell us more about your handsome professor.

Charlotte: I don't know what you mean.

Sherri: (raises brow) You know. The married one. What really happened with him? Did you have an affair? Enquiring minds want to know.

Charlotte: No comment. (looks down, smooths skirts).

Sherri: Fine. Well, I can't help thinking about what might have happened if Jane had stayed with St. John Rivers.

Charlotte: She would never have survived the heat and hardships of India.

Sherri: Are you kidding? Jane? Jane's tough! She survived some major hardships. Starvation. The elements. Being raised with vampyres. What's a little heat next to slaying demons? Jane could live through anything.

Charlotte: I suppose I can't argue with that premise.

Sherri: Besides, St. John was hot. Wasn't he?

Charlotte: India. India is hot.

Sherri: But St. John... purrrr. I imagine he looks a lot like Bradley Cooper.

Charlotte: Who?

Sherri: Brad Cooper? Blond, blue eyes... have a look.

Charlotte: I prefer Mr. Rochester.

Sherri: Yes, I know. Rochester's not bad, either. I'm thinking Clive Owen? Gerard Butler? Joaquin Phoenix (without the crazy beard, though it helps to envision him as... oh right, never mind.)

Charlotte: (rolls eyes) Go read your gossip sites. Imagine how much you would be improving your mind if you weren't always, as you call it, "surfing the web." Oh, pardon. His eyes really are blue, aren't they?

Sherri: Bradley Cooper's? Aha, you did notice.

Charlotte: No comment.

(To be continued).

Christmas with the Erwins: Trimming the Tree

This is the view from my office window. The snow in the road is melted now, fortunately, but it remains on the grass. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

The first or second weekend of December, we go pick out and bring home the Fraser Fir. We used to get big ones, but I have gone smaller through the years (because I'm the one who strings the lights). I have to rearrange the furniture to fit it in to the place of honor between the picture window and the French doors. I play Christmas carols and sip egg nog. My daughter delights in going through the ornaments with me and deciding which order we'll put them on. We assign a few ornaments to the family Scrooges (my husband and son) so that they can say they helped.

We don't decorate with glass balls, a tradition going back to my childhood. We had a "Little House on the Prairie" Christmas one year. We got rid of the artificial tree and got a real one. We hand-strung cranberries and popcorn for garlands, and we had a chain made out of ribbon. And we made yarn dolls to put all over the tree. I made the same kind of yarn dolls with my children when they were little, and they still grace our tree together with the ornaments I've bought to represent each one of us every year. When my children have houses of their own to decorate, they will take their own ornaments with them to start their own traditions. For now, they're still home with me.

What is your tree like? Real or artificial? If you're celebrating Chanukah, do you have a traditional menorah, maybe a family heirloom, or something new that's all yours?

Time for New Author Photos!

Oh-oh. I hate posing for the camera. But it must be done. Gallery needs a new author photo for JANE SLAYRE . Charlotte obviously won't be joining me in this, unfortunately. Misery loves company.

So I have been warming up with Apple Photo Booth. What do you think? Hair straight or curly?

That Is All

JANE SLAYRE available for pre-order.