My Hero

I’ve been craving pizza the last few days. Hubby doesn’t worship at the altar of pizza like I do, so I suggest we go to the mall and eat at the food court where he can have his burger and fries and I’ll get my pizza fix. Naturally my eyes are bigger than my stomach so I order two slices and can barely finish one. Friendly pizza guy wraps up my second slice and refills my drink. Hubby and I wander the mall, me with my hands full, when suddenly I realize my purse isn’t one of the things I’m carrying. Uh oh!

“I left my purse at the food court!” Hubby takes off at a jog and I waddle behind. When I reach the food court, he’s nowhere to be found. Neither is my purse. I grab the clean-up guy and ask if he saw my purse hanging from the chair. He doesn’t understand me and tries to give me a high chair. “No, my purse. It was on that chair!” He shakes his head sadly. I think he’s sad that there’s a crazy lady standing in front of him who can’t figure out how to use a high chair.

I ask friendly pizza guy if there’s a lost and found and he gives me directions to the security office. I rush over there only to be told that no one has turned in a purse. Already my mind is spinning with all the things I’ll have to replace and oddly enough I’m congratulating myself on having accidentally left my phone home. At least those rotten purse thieves won’t get my new Note 4!

I stand by the empty table and chair, feeling desolate. Then I spot hubby walking toward me with a smile on his face, and he doesn’t look any less manly carrying my paisley Vera Bradley purse. purseHeroes come in all shapes and sizes. They handle the little, every-day emergencies as well as the great big life-changing ones, not just on the pages of a novel, but in real life as well. I’ve got mine and he’s a keeper.

I just hope I don’t forget him at the food court one of these days.

Not Her Story

notebookThis is my favorite time of year. The department store aisles are overflowing with bright, shiny new school supplies! I can’t resist all the colorful notebooks, pens and highlighters. This obsession with paper and notebooks began when I was very young. My mother worked for Eastern Tablet in New York and she’d come home with pads of lined paper hot off the printing presses. I’d bury my nose between the pages and breathe in the scent of fresh ink. I don’t even want to think of how many brain cells may have died in the process.

My obsession continues to this day. When my husband sees me contemplating a pretty new notebook, he usually says “Do you really need another notebook?” To which I reply, “Pish-Posh. It has nothing to do with need.” Okay, I really don’t say Pish-Posh, but I think it in my head.

So I’m in the store the other day and this notebook caught my eye. A shiver of delight ran through me. The manuscript I’m working on right now is titled Not Her Story. The cover of the notebook says This is My Story. Yes! Serendipity. Or is it Synchronicity? I always get the two mixed up. Do I need a new notebook? Nope. Do I want it? Yes, oh yes! Did I buy it? You betcha! And that’s my story.

RWA NYC 2015

Romance Writers of America held their annual conference at the New York Marriot Marquis in Times Square and it was an event to remember! I rubbed elbows with some of my favorite authors – Nora Roberts, Carla Neggers, Sharon Sala, Kristen Higgins – and attended workshops with over 2,000 published and aspiring writers.

I was also lucky enough to spend some quality time with my wonderful agent, Linda Scalissi of 3 Seas Literary Agency, and my roommate, the funny and talented Christine Wenger. The workshops were excellent and now that I’m home, it’s time to put all that knowledge to use!

Welcome!

So glad you dropped by my new website. Isn’t it pretty? Makes me want to curl up with a hot cup of coffee and a good book. I have my dear friend Josephine Piraneo of Glass Slipper Web Design to thank for designing it. Jo is fast, efficient and talented. I highly recommend her if you’re planning to update your website or build a brand-new one.