Bewitched, Bothered & Remaindered

Denise Dietz

QUIBBLES & BITS

Once upon a long time ago, a Big Pub House editor asked me if I could write a mystery starring a witch. “Hell yes,” I said. “I wait tables in Manitou Springs (Colorado), where you can find ‘Covens’ in the phone book under C.”

“The thing is,” he said, “your witch doesn’t believe she’s a witch.”

“Not Bewitched?” I asked, crinkling my nose. “Or Margaret Hamilton?”

“Not Bewitched,” he echoed. “Or The Wizard of Oz.”

“Magic is my middle name,” I said, bursting with confidence, already thinking: SERIES!

I had used food in my other crime fiction titles – Throw Darts at a Cheesecake, Beat Up a Cookie, Footprints in the Butter. It was my bloody signature for goodness sake (trust me when I say that I was a lot younger then), so I searched my brain for a witchy title with food in it, and came up empty. All I could picture was the candy corn that people (and probably agents, too) ate at Halloween and, for some dumb reason, chocolate bunnies. I clicked an imaginary remote, switched brain channels, and remembered Macbeth…witches cooking stuff in a cauldron…lots of stuff…holy cow…SERIES. (I tend to think stream-of-consciousness -- doesn’t everybody?)

I called my book EYE OF NEWT, while visions of bat wings, frog toes, dog tails and wolf teeth danced in my head. There were so many Macbeth cauldron ingredients, I lost count. Now all I had to do was conjure up 26 plots and I could be another Grafton.

My Big NY Pub House editor liked the title.

I decided Book # One’s plot would revolve around the death of a rock star named Clive Newton (names seem to pop into my head; if they don’t, I use my high school yearbook). The name of my witch-sleuth was important; after all, she had to carry 26 books! At that time, an internet authors loop was talking about naming characters after your first dog and first street. I figured "Bootsie 223rd Street" would never fly. Neither would "Shaft Route 3." But my Colorado Springs address was St. Charles Street and one of my dogs, an Australian Shepherd bitch, had been christened Sydney.

Sydney St. Charles. Cool.

I surrounded Sydney with quirky characters: two brothers—David Copperfield St. Charles and Oliver Twist St. Charles—and Great-Aunt Lillian, who hadn’t successfully cast a spell since the Beatles invaded the USA, and a parrot, dog and cat (Syd’s “familiars”) named for three Salem witches who perched at the top of the family tree. I wrote 4 chapters (50 pages) and a proposal. My editor, as I now thought of him, gave me an enthusiastic thumbs-up and touted my witch series at the Big Pub House General Meeting.

It was shot down. “The concept is too dark,” the senior editor said.

“My” editor phoned. He used the F-word. A lot. Shortly thereafter, he left publishing.

I shelved the manuscript. But since I was now totally into the paranormal/ supernatural, I wrote THE LANDLORD’S BLACK-EYED DAUGHTER, an historical that includes elements of the paranormal [reincarnation], and FIFTY CENTS FOR YOUR SOUL, about an uptight actress possessed by a promiscuous demon. Landlord was turned down because editors were “uncomfortable” with the paranormal elements. Fifty Cents was published.

Flash forward several years. The supernatural was “in.” Buffy, Charmed, Medium, Charlaine Harris. I dusted off my manuscript, decided the 4 chapters were publishable, and fired up my computer. Before my first cup of caffeine, even, I had an epiphany—a word that’s almost as hard to say [and spell] as “entrepreneur.” Since I loved writing both historical fiction and crime fiction, I’d add a 1692-Salem mystery to EYE OF NEWT. Almost immediately, the naysayers came out of the woodwork. “You can’t do that unless it’s a time-travel,” they said. “Yes, I can,” I said. And did.

Having amicably left my agent of 9 years, I decided to use NEWT to audition new agents. I can write one hell of a query, so the first 4 reps I contacted wanted to see the complete manuscript. Two weren’t “enthusiastic enough” (but that was “only one opinion, and other agents might feel different” – yes, I know it’s ungrammatical, but both agents wrote it that way). One agent liked the contemp mystery but not the historical portion, and one agent, having apparently ignored the cover letter that listed my bibliography, told me I “showed promise.”

Stubborn is my middle name. I submitted my manuscript to 3 presses that didn’t require an agent-submit, and had 3 offers. I chose Five Star Mysteries. While attending a SF/Fantasy con (Fifty Cents For Your Soul is a cross-over book), I strolled through the convention’s art exhibit and saw THE perfect Eye of Newt cover, by artist Mark Ferrari. Mark emailed me a download, I sent it to Five Star, and they purchased the print rights. NEWT came out October, 2004 (nine days before Halloween) to excellent reviews, and within six weeks it had a 90% sell-through. A year later Five Star published a Trade paperback edition [with a new cover].

Last week I was told that the hardcover was being remaindered. There were exactly 209 books left in stock and Five Star offered me as many hardcovers as I wanted at the remaindered price.

Granted, “remaindered” is easier to say than epiphany and entrepreneur, but it’s an awful word. My dictionary has many definitions but, used as a verb, it means “to dispose of.” Ouch!

Surprisingly, this is my first remaindered book. My romances would always hit the stores, then leave the shelves without much farewell-fanfare. My first two diet club mysteries sold out (the verdict’s not in on Chain a Lamb Chop to the Bed, but I suspect it’ll eventually be remaindered too). My saga, The Rainbow’s Foot, sold out. So did Footprints in the Butter and Fifty Cents For Your Soul—although I have copies of all three squirreled away.

So, EYE OF NEWT [in hardcover, but not paperback] is remaindered.

Sydney St. Charles is remaindered.

Mercy the Parrot and Annie the Cat and Chasdick the Dog are remaindered.

In other words, disposed of.

My “baby,” who had such a difficult time being birthed, is disposed of.

Color me sad.

**********NEW**********

QUITE OF THE WEEK: “There’s nobody in the world like me. I think every decade has an iconic blonde…like Marilyn Monroe or Princess Diana…and right now I’m that icon.” Paris Hilton, the famous (for what, exactly?) hotel heiress.

**********NEW**********

From now on, starting today, Sydney or her brother Davy (a “wizard with a webpage) or her great-aunt Lillian will give my blog readers a spell or charm. Aunt Lillian also likes to give Household Hints, which she says are similar to spells. This weeks spell comes from Davy:

A WART OR PIMPLE CURE

To remove warts or pimples, take a small dried bean and rub it against the imperfection. Dig a hole in the ground and drop the bean into it, while saying, “As this bean decays, so will my wart (pimple) go away.” Like all banishing rituals, this one should be performed during the waning moon. Use a different bean for each blemish.

Over and out,

Deni Magic-Stubborn Dietz

PR Basics: The Big Five

by Pari Noskin Taichert

Every once in awhile, it's good to get back to basics.

As I've wandered through websites and listservs lately, I've seen alot of worrying about trivia (what to put on a business card, which bookmarks are the best, what is the most effective giveaway, what to say at a booksigning  etc. etc.)

So, this might be a good time to backtrack and think about the bigger concepts.

Before you do anything else, please take a few moments to answer these five questions. They'll save you bodacious bucks and valuable time.

1. What's my product?
Boy, this one seems simple to answer -- but look closer.
Your product is the thing you're trying to promote. Is it you? Is it your book? Is it a series? Is it a feeling -- a sensation? Is it entertainment? Laughter? Thrills? I think many authors forget to define this at the beginning of their PR efforts -- or they get confused -- and it affects their success from the get-go.

2. What is its story?
This is called your message. Determine what you really want to say about your product right after you figure out #1. What's important about your product? What's fresh? What's different? Why should anyone in the world care?

Guess what? You can have multiple messages.

3. Who am I trying to reach?
Who do you want to care about your product/message? These people, known as customers, are your audience. Customers don't always buy your product, but they help you promote; they affect your efforts in a positive, active manner.

Most products have more than one audience. For example, some of the audiences for my Sasha Solomon series are traditional mystery readers, reviewers, booksellers, women's fiction readers, baby boomer women who like to laugh, New Mexico and SW enthusiasts, people who are curious about NM, reform Jewish lit readers, radio stations, television stations, newspaper features reporters, librarians -- and so on.

4. Does my message matter to my audience?
Look at the big picture here.

One of main messages about the Sasha Solomon series is that it presents a different vision of New Mexico -- one that goes beyond cowboys & Indians and the weird idea that people here don't speak English. Okay, that's great.

But, if I'm trying to sell that message to baby boomer women who like to laugh -- they simply won't care. And it won't matter how I package that message -- on a book mark, a brochure or on custom-printed whipped cream cans; they won't care. (Okay, maybe they would care with the whipped cream -- they might realize that my books have humor with that last approach -- but it'd be another message. That's my point.)

5. Do I need to rethink my message or target audience?
If the answers come hard to questions 3 & 4, you may need to rework something. Better to realize this during the concepting stage than to spend money and effort on ineffective media campaigns, giveaways, events and so forth.

Knowing -- What you're selling, who you're selling it to, and what matters to them,

all goes hand-in-hand. You can start anywhere in the process, but you need to get those three down before you worry about the specifics.

For me, sometimes, it helps to develop a few answers to the What-Who and What-Matters, formula. That way I can play with possibilities and see which ones are the most fun for me to pursue.

Whatever you do, use the five questions above to guide your thinking.

If you work through this process honestly, you'll find it easier to set course and navigate your PR and Marketing campaigns.

(Again, note that this PR advice is just as useful for non-author businesspeople, too.)

Jew Eat Yet? No; Jew?

Jeffrey Cohen

It is an interesting thing to be a mystery author. People you meet will automatically assume you have a macabre streak, that you are an expert in exotic ways to dispose of corpses, and that you are using your imagination to get back at all those people who have in some way wronged you. (And even while that last one is true, it's funny how they know it in advance.)

It's even more interesting to be a Jewish mystery author in America. By "Jewish mystery author," I do not mean an author who writes mysteries that are about Judaism or includes characters who are Orthodox Jews, as someone like Rochelle Krich does so well. I mean an author of mysteries who happens, by happenstance and genetics, to be of Jewish descent.

For the past four years (and counting), I have been a Jewish mystery author. This is especially ironic, as I am not particularly observant--okay, I'm not even a little observant. But people I meet through the books generally expect me to have some authoritative knowledge of the Talmud, what Tu Bishvat might be, and where one can get especially good whitefish on a Sunday morning.

I don't have a clue, I can assure you. But I've known all my life that people will look at my last name (and let's face it, my face) and think, "Jew." This can be a positive thing or a negative thing (or a completely neutral thing), depending on whether you are reasonable person, or Mel Gibson.

What, you may be thinking, does this have to do with writing and marketing? A good deal, in fact.

One of the first things the publisher suggested to me when my first novel, For Whom the Minivan Rolls, was about to be printed was that I look into "the Jewish market." He said that I could find Jewish book fairs and Jewish book groups that might be interested in the book, and I could go there and talk about the book, and they would buy the book.

"But it's really not a Jewish book," I told him. Yes, the main character is a secular Jew, much like myself, but it's not much of an issue in that book. In fact, it barely gets a mention.

"That doesn't matter," he said.

"But, if they expect it to be about Jewish issues, or for the character to be really Jewish, they're going to be disappointed," I argued. I'm really good at arguing with people who are trying to help me sell my books to more people. It's a gift.

"They don't care if the character's Jewish," he said. "You're Jewish. That's good enough."

Well, try as I might to hide my light under a bagel, there was no arguing. So I attended a few Jewish book fairs, and a few more book groups and book clubs whose members were predominantly Jewish.

They were lovely. And they couldn't care less that my books weren't about the "American Jewish experience." Which is a good thing, because while I could go on for days about my experience as a Jewish man in America, I don't by any stretch represent more than... myself, and I'm no spokesman for Americans, Jews, men, or authors. I'm one example, and not an especially good one, at that.

But the groups simply wanted to hear about the books. They laughed when I hoped they would laugh, and they did, indeed, buy a good number of books. I felt a little odd about it, as if I were taking their money under false pretenses, as I'd never considered myself a Jewish Author (I was, in fact, just getting used to the idea that I was an author at all). Nobody seemed to mind.

Since then, I've gotten many very generous emails from some members of these groups, and people to whom they've recommended my books. They've become fans, proving once again that I have no idea what I'm talking about most of the time.

In the second Aaron Tucker novel, A Farewell to Legs, I included a scene in which Aaron runs into a woman whose opinion of us Semites was, let's say, not especially tolerant (there's nothing a member of ANY minority group in this country loves more than being tolerated). I did not include the scene in the book to appeal to Jewish book clubs or groups; I did it because it helped the scene, it gave Aaron a little more depth and maybe it exposed the tiniest fraction of anti-Semitism, something that even those of us who live in especially tolerant areas confront once in a while.

By the time the third book, As Dog Is My Witness, came out, I felt comfortable enough to let Aaron talk about what it's like to be Jewish in America during what has euphemistically become known as the "Holiday Season." Once again, it was not an attempt to pander to one audience--I hope my books will appeal to everyone. But it was a subject ripe for jokes, and that's what Aaron is about: making people laugh.

So maybe I am a Jewish Author after all.

When my new series begins next year, with Some Like It Hot Buttered: A Comedy Tonight Mystery, it will once again feature a main character who is, at least by birth, Jewish. The first book in the series has almost no reference to his ethnicity at all, as it's not something that comes up every day. But there are always possibilities.

I have to go now and decide on a murder victim for my next book. I'm considering a movie star, but that could change...

ON THE BUBBLE WITH TESS GERRITSEN

Oh boy, where to start with this fabulous woman?  You already know she's a NYT Bestseller - an international supernova with TEN Medical Suspense novels under belt-but did you know she also wrote NINE Romantic Suspense novels as well?  And you also know Tess is a physician - but I gotta tell you -that mock autopsy she did with Doug Lyle at ThrillerFest was a show stopper!

Not only is Tess Gerritsen one hell of a stunner - which is easy too see - (so let's just all get over our envy) - she is also warm, generous with her thoughts (check out her blog) - an Edgar nominee- has a terrific laugh and a wicked sense of humor.  I had to keep that in mind whilst I read her latest - VANISH - because that's what she did to my sleep.  It vanished.  I had to finish the book in one evening!  I now have new wrinkles around my eyes thanks to Tess.  What the hell.  But I'll make Tess pay - she owes me a drink next year at ThrillerFest.  But wait!  There's more!  Her latest-keep-you-up-all-nighter - THE MEPHISTO CLUB - will be out on August 29th and is already making huge waves with the critics.  I'll be sure to limit myself to one chapter each night so I can get some sleep.  Yeah, right.

EE:  So, Tess - tell us at what point in your career did you find it necessary to kick of those Manolo's and switch to Nike's?

TG:  I'm too cheap to buy Manolo's.  I'm a girl who's favored bare feet since I was a kid, and would probably break a leg if I tried to wear a shoe with a heel taller than 3 inches.  You'll be able to recognize me as the gal with the ugliest but most comfortable shoes in the room.

Okay, that spy is off the payroll.  She told me...well, anyway -  you looked pretty stylish in Phoenix. 

EE:  Is it true you listen to Perry Como whilst you write?  Do his soothing tones help you conjure such mayhem?

TG:  You're thinking of my mother.

Whoops, there goes another spy!

EE:  Okay, here's an easy one:  What is your favorite retreat?  And what do you do there?

TG:  My own head.  And I do everything there.  Not all of which I can talk about.

Really.  Hmmmm.  Oh, we'll really have to have that drink!

EE:  Everyone has a Walter Mitty dream, what's yours?  75,000 words or less.  I normally say to keep it clean, but after that last answer-I'm intrigued.

TG:  Brad Pitt decides Angelina Jolie just isn't hot enough for him anymore, and then his gaze meets mine across the room, and...   No, honestly, I'm already living my Walter Mitty dream.  I still can't believe I'm getting paid so well just to make stuff up.

Aw, shucks - you had me going there.  But hey, if you're happy?

EE:  Word on the street is that Orlando Bloom is after you to star opposite him in the next 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Quest for Tess'.  When do you see your calendar clear to begin?

TG:  Five minutes ago.  (Will I get to keep the sex scenes?)

There's a slight problem - it's a bit iffy at this point.  But I think I've got everyone conviced you can keep them as long as you promise to get back to work on your next thriller.  See, the powers that be are afraid you might run off with Orlando...but not to worry, okay?  I'm on the case.

EE:  Rumor has it that your medical colleagues asked you to stick to writing suspense thrillers because your beauty is too distracting in the OR.  Well, Tess?

TG:  The real reason my medical colleagues think I'm a natural-born thriller writer is because  they've seen what I look like after a night on call.  That was pretty scary for them.

Oh, will you listen to her?  Doesn't she ever look in the mirror?  I'd kill to look like her! 

EE:  So, about that little tete-a-tete you and Alex Kava had with Dominick Dunne at ThrillerFest last month?  Wanna explain?  Alex hinted that it had to do with body parts and take-out containers - and something to do with next year's ThrillerFest.  How about it?

TG:  I have no recollection of such events.  Why doesn't anyone believe me?

Okay, okay - mum's the word.  My lips are sealed.  Zip.  Zip.  I'll call you later, okay?

EE:  Suspenseville is abuzz about that bunch of good looking new writers surrounding you at the bar in Phoenix.  I mean, all that laughter?  Surely you all weren't talking about those take-out containers.

TG:  Those good looking guys were writers?  I thought they were cabana boys.

Uh, well - actually they were writers - but in disguise as cabana boys so their wives wouldn't catch on.  Like I said - I'll call you.

EE:  I understand you have a habit of dunking croissants in your espresso.  Is this before you add lemon, or just with cream?

TG:  What, do you think I'm a savage?

Hell, there goes another spy down the tubes.

EE:  Okay, forget the stuff those incompetent spies told me - tell me who would be your ideal panel mates.

TG:  Neil Nyren, M.J. Rose, and Jason Pinter.  They know everything there is to know about the business of publishing.  All I'd have to do is sit back and let them talk.

Now that's what I call good planning.  Verrryy astute.  I like that in a woman.  Maybe I should get a seat in the front row?

EE:  I hear that you plan to do a duet with Michael Palmer at next year's ThrillerFest Gala.  Care to tell us what song are you two working on?

TG:  Michael knows what I sound like.  So he'll stand on stage with his hand over my mouth and it'll be his solo.

Um, I hate to break this to you, Tess - but that ain't what he's planning.  I hear he has a Nelson Eddy-Jeanette McDonald type of thing in mind - and he's working on 'Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life' as your duet.  Kinda apropos for two doc's doncha think?

EE:  Whispers are rampant that your publisher has hired two bodyguards to escort you on your next book tour to keep the dozens of male fans at arms length.  Care to comment?

TG:  The first thing I'm going to do is fire the bodyguards.  How dare they try to keep me away from my male fans?

Right!  My thoughts exactly!  The cretins! 

EE:  Okay, Tess - I've been easy on you, but now we want to know which writer would you love to have all to yourself in a cozy oorner of the bar at the next ThrillerFest?

TG:  Joe Finder.  But he already knows that.  Maybe that's why he keeps avoiding me.

I think he's just shy.  But ohh...he is such a hunk!

EE:  Now here's a real dumb question, but what the hell.  What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

TG:  I'd be dead.

I know that every writer reading this will understand that. 

EE:  On a lighter note -who would be your ideal book tour mate? 

TG:  Joe Konrath.  I want to watch the consummate salesman at work.  Besides, he already knows where all the bookstores in the country are located.  But since I'm not a big fan of lice, I get to choose the hotels.

And I'd bet that Joe would be so thrilled to have you with him -he'd even spring for the bill if the publisher balked at Five Star accommodations!  Right, Joe?  Hello?  Joe?  I think we lost him Tess.

EE:  We've heard you're a genuine gourmet cook, so invite for us - six guests - who would they be - and what would you serve?

TG:  Do they have to be living people?  Because Cleopatra and Helen of Troy would certainly be on my dream list.  But if they have to be living, then I'd choose journalists.   Journalists have always been my heroes.  I want them to explain to me what the hell is going on in the world.  I'd invite Seymour Hersh, Christiane Amanpour, Helen Thomas, Paul Krugman, and David Gregory.  And as a sixth, I'd add David Letterman, just to make sure we laugh once in awhile.  What would I cook?  Are you kidding?  I'd have it catered, so I wouldn't miss a single word!

Hey, I can whip up a great spread for you.  I'd even keep my lips zipped if I could hover in the hall and listen in.  You set the date, send out the invitations - and I'll conjure up a menu.  Call me, okay?

And that, boys and girls - is the one and only Tess Gerritsen.  Mark your calendars for August 29th and pick up THE MEPHISTO CLUB!  Oh, almost forgot - Tess has a short story in THRILLER as well.

Thank you, Tess - for joining in the fun and for being such a good sport!

Terror in Music City

JT Ellison

No, not that kind of terror.

The terror that comes from facing an unknown. The terror of speaking in public. The terror that precedes my very first public appearance on the teaching side of a panel at a writer’s conference. It happens tomorrow, and I’m scared to death.

Saturday, August 4, 2006 marks the very first writer’s conference where I’ll be facing an audience. It’s called Murder in Music City and is sponsored by the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. The goal is to help aspiring authors gain knowledge and skills to assist in the journey toward publication. And somehow, someone thought that I’d be a good person to have for this.

What were they thinking? What was I thinking to agree?????

Okay, true confessions time. I have a little public speaking fear. In graduate school, we had to get up in front of a class and a video camera and do a 30 second political spot we’d written. Writing the copy was a no brainer. But as I watched my classmates parade, one by one, up to the podium, launch into their campaign ads, my palms started to sweat. My head started to hurt. By the time it was my turn, I was feeling a little panicky. I got up in front of the group, the light of the camera went on, and I FROZE. Heart in my throat, black spots in front of my eyes, the works. I took a couple of shallow breaths, mumbled my way through and got the hell out of there. Hubby was there (boyfriend at the time) and he was shocked. Here I was, this well put together woman who could jaw with Senators and Congressmen all night, but a little 30 second camera spot unglued me. He should have run then.

I’ve been worried about this for a while. What in the hell am I going to do in front of an audience now? I’ll tell you. I’m going to panic. I may not show it, but my heart will be racing, I’ll stumble over my words – in short, it’s not going to be pretty.

Facing an audience is the one thing I didn’t sign up for when I decided to become a full time writer. I love my computer, my desk, email, the phone. I love critique groups, going to Sisters in Crime meetings. Hell, I had a ball at ThrillerFest (with a little help from my little friend for the first couple of days, if you know what I mean). Just don’t ask me to speak to the group.

So I’ve been fretting for a solid year about this moment. I know myself, once I get used to it, I’ll be fine. Practice makes perfect, all that good stuff. It’s the initial events that are going to be rough. I’m never going to have the style and panache of J.A. Konrath, who can crash a meeting of Sisters in Crime Middle TN Chapter and talk for an hour, off the cuff, about his long road getting published. I’m never going to have the charm and grace of a Tasha Alexander, who captivated an audience I was in for an hour. We wanted more. I’ll never have the laconic coolness of Lee Child, the off the cuff humor of John Connolly, the gravitas of Jan Burke. I don’t even worry about that, really. Why set yourself up for failure, you know?

So here’s the set up. I was supposed to be on a panel with several other SEMWA mystery writers. A bit panic inducing, but my most excellent friend, JB Thompson, was tapped to moderate. I knew I could manage that. I talked myself through it and knew I would ultimately be okay.

The there was a schedule change. And don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled about this, just a wee bit nervous. The esteemed P.J. Parrish (the Kelly Nichols half) is the headliner, doing a presentation on writing thrillers. The powers that be decided that I’d fit better with her, an old pro v. new kid on the block set-up. So it’s the two of us, with a killer PowerPoint presentation, in front of the audience, for 90 minutes.

Can you say stomach cramps?

I’m going overboard here. I’ve never met Kelly but have heard amazingly wonderful stories about both her and her sister, Kristy. She has been so gracious, forthcoming and damn helpful getting this presentation together. She’s a cool cucumber, has done this a million times, and will certainly be able to cover any flubs I might make. Personally, I plan to sit back, click the mouse to change slides and pray no one knows I’m there. Vanna White, anyone?

If you’ve met me, you might not believe this deep rooted fear is possible. I’m a bit chatty, actually. I enjoy meeting new people. I’m generally a pretty outgoing, laid back kind of girl. It’s the audience that scares me.

So I have a favor to ask, my fellow scribes and readers. Can you share some embarrassing moments you’ve had or witnessed? Please tell me I’m not the only one who’s ever had this mind numbing feeling, and I’ll go into tomorrow with my head held high.

And a plastic bucket under the table, just in case.

Wine of the Week: Red Guitar Navarro Tempranillo Garnacha

P.S. For yet another chance to see me flub my lines, KillerNashville is just around the corner, September 15-16. If you're in the Southeast and want a great conference to attend close to home, come check it out. Click here for more information.

BIG P.P.S. Just found out one of my most favorite authors will be the special guest ON THE BUBBLE tomorrow. You DON'T want to miss her. Hints? NEVER! You must come back in the morning for your treat.