Caridad Pineiro® Romance Author
NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Romance Author
It’s always fun to meet your online buddies up close and personal. Catherine and I became friends by starting a conversation on the Internet. We started chatting and exchanging ideas. Catherine was awesome and even hosted a video chat with me. It was really exciting for me to get to meet her face-to-face at a convention and I’m so proud and excited for her at how well her career has taken off!
Whether you’re up or you’re down, friends are there to help or cheer. Today’s Writing Wednesday is all about friends, including all of you who make my day with your e-mails and comments.
The one best thing about my writing has been making so many new friends. It’s just been absolutely awesome and the source of so much joy, knowledge, fun and inspiration.
So today I’m sharing just some shots of the buddies I was able to meet at RT this year. You can click “See on Pinterest” to check out more photos!
I wish that Google+ photos actually allowed you to do a slideshow. For the life of me, the little create slideshow link just isn’t showing up! So, you can go to visit the album here, but in the meantime…
I headed out on Saturday with my friends Melinda Leigh and Rayna Vause for a writing retreat weekend! Our destination: The Inn at Boonesboro and the Turn the Page Bookstore where we got to meet Nora Roberts as well as a number of authors.
I got up at 5, was on the road by six and picked up my friends shortly after 7. We hit the road and got to Boonesboro just before 11. It was the open house day at the Inn so we got to visit all the rooms, but first we met my friend Lora and then headed to the book store to pick up our books and get ready for the signing. Here’s a picture of my buds in front of the Inn.
At the bookstore, we got our purchases and since Vesta’s pizza was packed, headed to Crawford’s Guns, Ammo and Restaurant for a bite before the signing. Where else can you pick up ammo, check out the rifles and get some delicious sweet potato fries?
Then it was time for the signing!! I had my books for research (nothing better than Eve and Roarke to get me inspired!). I also had a J.D. Robb “book lamp” that I had made and Nora was so nice and signed it as well. Here’s me and Nora!
Then we were back to the Inn for the open house. Such gorgeous rooms and bathrooms. I loved the Galahad pillow on the chair in the Eve and Roarke room! The rooms were totally romantic and did any of you guess which room I would choose for Rey and Paola from AMAZON AWAKENING?
If you guess that it was the Westley and Buttercup room you were right. I could so imagine a big bed like this made of a sustainable rainforest wood like Ipe.
After that we headed for a walk through Boonesboro and then to dinner. We returned to the site of the Inn with all its lovely Christmas trimmings.
Ducking inside the inn to take off the chill, we had some wine and cheese and also celebrated my friend Melinda’s debut book (more on that on Thursday!).
In the morning, we headed to the Antietam battlefield for a bit of history and research. Since Ryder from THE CALLING/REBORN Vampire Series was a physician during the Civil War, I’m toying with the idea of bringing back someone else from that era. You may remember that Samantha Turner from TEMPTATION CALLS knew Ryder back then (and was the one who turned him). Not sure whether this someone is a hero or villain, but walking/driving the fields of Antietam certainly gave some ideas for a new character.
I even managed to climb the Observation Tower! The trip up was quite a hike, but the trip down was interesting as my fear of heights kicked in. Luckily Rayna lent me her shoulder to hold so I could keep my face to the wall and not see the big open scary hole in the middle of the stairs!
I hope you enjoyed this little travel journal!
Also, if you need some tips on writing short fiction, come and play with me today at my friend Catherine Bybee’s blog where I am talking about how to move from writing long fiction to short!
Please welcome today my friend and fellow author, Catherine Bybee! I am so excited to have her here today to chat about her latest release. If you’re like me and your guilty pleasure is plunking down with a stack of Silhouette Desire novels, then Catherine’s book is one you are sure to love and since it’s an Amazon bestseller, I think others also agree.
Without further ado, here’s Catherine!
In the giving spirit, I’m going to offer a copy of Wife by Wednesday to a random person who leaves a comment on your blog today. All they half to do is answer one question. What do you think about authors self publishing their work?
My very first Indie published book, Wife by Wednesday has been out less than two months and already I’ve reached so many new readers. I think people need a light contemporary read this time of year. Something to help them escape for a few hours. Wife is #2 in Contemporary Romance one Amazon Kindle this week. I couldn’t be happier with my reviews.
Here is an exclusive excerpt of Wife by Wednesday:
A Contemporary Romance with a dash of humor and a whole lotta sexy…
Rich, titled, and charming… And in need of a wife by Wednesday so he turns to Sam Elliot who isn’t the business man he expected. Instead, Blake is faced with Samantha Elliot, engaging and spunky with a voice men call 900 numbers to hear.
Owner of Alliance, her matchmaking firm, and not on the marital menu… That is until Blake offers her ten million dollars for a one-year contract. All she needs to do is keep her attraction to her husband to herself and avoid his bed. But Blake’s toe-curling kisses and charm prove too difficult to combat. Now she needs to protect her heart so she can walk away when their mercenary life together is over.
After several minutes of packing, Samantha forgot all about the cameras and found her head deep inside her dresser. She grabbed a simple band and tied her hair back out of the way.
“Should I be worried about all these shoes in here?†Blake asked from her closet.
She laughed. “You’re the one who told me to go shopping,†she teased.
“Looks like I’ll be hiring a handyman to build another walk-in just for you.†There was laughter in his voice.
“Women love clothes.â€
“And shoes, apparently. God, I didn’t think anyone needed this many.â€
Samantha tucked her panties into a box and reached for more. “I’m short, in case you haven’t noticed. I need heels to see how the rest of you live.â€
Blake’s voice moved closer. “You’re not short,†he said.
She turned to see him holding a pair of four-inch pumps.
“Vertically challenged, then.†She stood to prove her point. “See?†Beside him, the top of her head met his chin. “Short!â€
His eyes seemed to drag her into his frame. “I wouldn’t change anything about you,†he told her. Blake reached out and tugged the band from her hair. His fingers brushed over the ends and Samantha forgot to breathe. The closer he moved into her personal space, the less air was available for her lungs. She tilted her head as he moved in and allowed his mouth to move over hers.
To order WIFE BY WEDNESDAY, just follow any of these links:
Amazon Download:
http://amzn.to/pus1jM
Smashwords:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/94015
Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wife-by-wednesday-catherine-bybee/1106329395?ean=2940013652019&itm=6&usri=catherine%2bbybee
For more information on Catherine and her novels (did I mention she also does time travel stories?), check out Catherine at www.catherinebybee.com.
I’ve got a slightly different Guilty Pleasures Monday for you today – an interview with my friend and fellow author Catherine Bybee! Catherine writes a number of different paranormal romances that she is going to share with us in a very special way today – via a video guest blog! So sit back and enjoy this interview with Catherine.
If you can’t see the video, you can click here for the Catherine Bybee interview.
For more information on Catherine, you can visit www.catherinebybee.com. Catherine will be popping in during the course of the day, so feel free to leave any questions or comments for her to answer.