100th Book Party

Every once in a while, you’ve got to cut loose. And I did this weekend.

I gave myself a great black tie party Saturday–to celebrate the publication of CRIMSON MOON. I’ve never indulged myself this way before, but I figured I’d never have another hundredth book, so I pulled out the stops and celebrated. I treated 100 of my friends and relatives to dinner and dancing at Historic Oakland, a beautiful manor house near my home in Columbia. The buffet dinner was fantastic–and catered by Baltimore's Brass Elephant restaurant. My friend, Mary Kilchenstein, helped me come up with a list of great dance numbers. Like That Old Time Rock and Roll and Great Balls of Fire. And I started the dancing with The Wind Beneath My Wings–with my husband, Norman.

My son-in-law Steve Webber is a really wonderful singer. And he agreed to sing and play the guitar for my friends. He and Mary sang City of New Orleans. And he did a bunch of other numbers by himself. I asked for The Green, Green Grass of Home and The Boxer, and he did those for me.

Well, now I’d better get back to work, since I’ve got a book due July 15.

WRW Retreat

I'm just back from the Washington Romance Writers Retreat. What a fabulous weekend. I had a great time hanging out with Angela Knight, Jasmine Cresswell, and Mary Jo Putney and a lot of other friends I don't get to see on a regular basis. I'm thrilled to tell you that at the awards ceremony, WRW gave me The Prolific Pen Award--for publishing 100 books. And Mary Jo presented it to me. As a special treat, I got a tarot card reading from Nora Roberts. Wow. It was fun--and reassuring. I hope the cards are right, and I'm on the right track in my life and my career.

Before the retreat we had a book signing at Turn the Page, the bookstore in Boonsboro owned by Nora and her husband Bruce Wilder. It's not an enormous store, but we had over 200 people--on a rainy day. Bruce has to give out tickets with letters of the alphabet--and let the customers in in groups. He has four big book signings a year. It's worth going if you live anywhere nearby. Or even if you don't. One couple had come from California to attend. (The husband had given his lucky wife a trip to TTP as an anniversary present.)

WRW holds their retreat in Harpers Ferry every year--at Hilltop House. The hotel is in a spectacular location--overlooking the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. The scenery is world class. But the hotel is old and creaky. I can't stand staying there. So my husband and I stayed at a nearby B&B--of which there are many in Harpers Ferry. It was walking distance from the hotel, so I could easily go back and forth. (The rain cleared up by Friday afternoon.)

Rebecca

Hello

Hi! This is my first ever post on my brand new blog. I'm really excited to have this opportunity to talk to you--and join with some fantastic paranormal writers.

I write paranormal romantic suspense for Berkley and Harlequin Intrigue. When I was a kid, my primary reading was fantasy and science fiction. And early in my writing career, I incorporated fantasy/sf elements into my books. For years I wrote what I calld "stealth paranormals" for HI--books where you didn't know the hero was, for example, a 1,500 hundred-year-old space alien until half way through the story. But now I'm out of the closet with my werewolves, were-jaguars, demons and vampires. And I love getting to romp with them.
Rebecca