A Very Happy Hump Day. AKA, Congrats to Susan Adrian!

Look at the smile on this guy!

By Braincricket (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0

Why is this delightful dromedary so happy? Why because he knows my longtime friend and critique partner, Susan Adrian, sold her fabulous book, THE TUNNEL.

Here's the announcement from Publisher's Weekly:

In a second deal coming out of St. Martin’s Press this week, Brendan Deneen bought world English rights to Susan Adrian’s debut, The Tunnel. The YA thriller, which Kate Schafer Testerman at kt literary sold, is set for a summer 2014 release. In the novel, a teenage boy who has a power he calls tunneling—he can decipher where anyone in the world is (and what they’re doing) by holding something they own—is brought to the attention of the U.S. government. Adrian, a former ballerina, lives in Montana.

I can't begin to tell you how well-deserved this is. Not only is Suze a super CP, she is an amazing writer who has worked her posterior off for many years--a testament to persistence. As anyone in the book business knows, talent isn't enough to guarantee publication. Those damn stars have to align, too. And now they have. I couldn't be happier for her.

Or for the reading public in general, because they are going to LOVE this book!

Let's all join Suze in her happy dance!

Congratulations, Suzerooni. I'm so proud of you I could just bust!

Over the RT13 Hump!

I'm baaa-aack...

Boy, was it fun! And exhausting, as a lot of fun things tend to be.

Of course, the main reason I went to the RT Booklovers Convention was to touch base with (duh) booklovers by signing books at the Giant Book Fair. Here I am, sandwiched between award-winning Inspirational Romance writer Winnie Griggs and super-popular Molly Harper, author of the Nice Girls vampire series and the Naked Werewolf series:

(I'd like to say I was intentionally placed in such illustrious company because I'm worthy of it, but alas. Seats were assigned alphabetically, and I just lucked out.)

Notice how my new bff Molly and I both wore tres chic little red jackets. We were instinctively drawn to each other, and have since decided to collaborate on an erotic version of "Hansel and Gretel" (only not creepy, because our Hansel and Gretel would, of course, be all grown up and, yanno, not related). Stay tuned for further developments.*

The best thing about going to the convention is that I got to meet some of my online writer buds in person!

The wonderful Kerry Schafer (author of Between -- penguin Poe is my hero):

The adorable, fun, and talented Trisha Leigh (author of The Last Year series, which is super YA sci-fi), aka Lyla Payne (author of Broken at Love -- an oo-la-la tennis-themed romance):

The marvelous Jessica Lemmon (author of Tempting the Billionaire -- yum!):

Teri Anne Stanley (whose first book is coming out with Entangled Press next year -- you can find her on Facebook here):

The jauntily chapeau-ed Jeffe Kennedy (author of many delightfully, fan-yourself naughty books who turned me on to chocolate-covered bacon and potato chips):

And last but certainly not least, my awesome editor, Melissa Frain, who is way cuter than anyone so smart has a right to be:

Whew! All that excitement plum wore me out! I'm feeling an affinity for this guy:

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Ha! Bet you thought I'd forget all about the Hump Day Camel, huh? No such luck. ;)

That's all for today. More about the conference later!

*Only don't hold your breath on that Hansel & Gretel thing, because I suspect Molly's hands might be rather full at the moment with her own projects. Plus, we may have just been BS-ing around between signing books. Or not. Hmm. Yo, Molly-girl! Buzz me when you can breathe and we'll talk!

Girding Myself to Face Hordes of Book Fans!

I only wish they were mine...

Alas, the vast majority of them don't know who the heck I am. Yet. (Hey, a girl can dream.) Still I can bask in their enthusiasm for books in general. *happy sigh*

Where, you may ask, will this miraculous gathering of Book Lovers be? Well, I can tell you that!

It's The RT Booklovers Convention (RT stands for Romantic Times), this year in Kansas City, MO, May 1-5. Yep, it's starting today. I'm just going for the weekend, though: Friday through Sunday.

The convention is sponsored by RT Book Reviews, a most excellent magazine and online book review site (website). And I'm not just saying that because they were kind to me. Though it doesn't hurt. (Shamelessly promotional link to great "Top Pick" review of In a Fix here. Um, sorry. Apparently authors are supposed to do stuff like that.)

Anyway, I'll be signing books and giving away bookmarks at the Giant Book Fair from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, and mingling with readers and other authors at the FAN-tastic Day Party from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (or maybe a little longer).

Other times I will most likely be found at the bar, where I have been assured by past attendees "all the good stuff happens."

If you're anywhere near KC then, I'd sure love to meet you!

Oh, wait...it's Hump Day, isn't it? I need a camel tie-in. Let's see...camel. Camel, camel, camel...

Okay, got one.

*ahem*

Sadly, I will not be traveling by camel caravan.

Published by Munroe and Francis & C.S. Francis & Co. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

The airplane will probably get me to KC faster, but not with nearly the same style.

So, what's the weirdest form of transportation you've ever used?