1) Who’s your favorite Disney character?

2) If you’ve ever been to Disney, what’s your favorite ride?

3) How many times have you been to Disney?

4) If you could transport yourself to Disney World for just one hour, what would be a must-do?

~Elizabeth

I also forgot the little wire thingy that hooks my camera up to my computer. :/

So…photos to come next week!

~Elizabeth

Or, perhaps, signing books at the Literacy Signing…grinning.

Or meeting up with my friend, Lynn…grinning.

Or simply wandering around the conference resort…grinning.

Yep, that’s right. I’m excited about this trip. Very excited. It’s an action packed four days with meetings (editors, agents, publishing folks), parties (pajama party, karaoke party, cocktail parties, balls, award dinners, etc), and much-needed time with one of my very favorite pals (translation: girl chat…all night long).

You see, being a writer is fun. It really is. But it can be rather isolating at times. So, when an event like this comes along (especially one such as RWA that is a tough act to follow in all regards), it’s a chance to get out and talk with people who actually want to hear about my day. It’s a real boost.

I’m taking my camera this time. And I’ve even promised myself I’ll actually take pictures at all the events (I’m wonderful at bringing my camera, not so good at remembering to use it).

In the meantime, is there something you look forward to each year (either at work or home)? Something that takes you away from the norm for even just a few glorious hours?

~Elizabeth

If you could have dinner with five FICTIONAL characters (can be all from one book or different characters from different books/authors…but they should be some of your favorites), who would you choose and why?

Cool, huh?  I’ll be back with my guest list soon!

~Elizabeth

Do you dream? Do they tend toward happy or scary? And have you ever had a dream that ended up being a deja vu later?

~Elizabeth

Ready? Here we go…

1) What’s your favorite candy bar of all time?

2) What’s your favorite snack food?

3) What was your favorite dinner growing up?

4) Your favorite dinner now?

5) What’s your favorite meal of the day?

6) Are you a fast or slow eater?

7) In terms of dining, what’s one country you’d like to visit?

8 ) Have you ever tried a recipe you wish you hadn’t? What was it?

Have a great weekend, everyone!

~Elizabeth

Take a chocolate shop for instance. If you worked there, you could eat chocolate all day long (that would be a best). Yet, if you did, you’d run the risk of a) wearing what you eat and/or b) becoming a great big giant zit (a correlation I made in high school).

Then there’s being a fitness instructor. If you had this career, there’d be no reason to be out of shape (another best). Ever. Yet, everyone would expect you to be in shape (a worst).

And so the story goes. One job after the other.

Being a mystery writer is no exception. Let me offer a few exhibits in the “best” category:

1) You can stay in your jammies all day if you want. 

2) If you come across a personality you don’t like, you can poison (or strangle) them and cover your tracks.

3) You have an excuse to read (because everyone knows that reading translates to better writing).

4) You get to travel for book events and meet lots of amazing people.

As for the “worst” column…

1) I tend to snack on junk food (candy corn) during the final few weeks of a deadline even though I know it’s bad.

2) Money is sporadic.

3) No matter how many wonderful reviews you get, the nasty one or two always hurts.

4) You’re very isolated during the writing process unless you go elsewhere to work (but, even then, it’s still really just you and your computer).

So how about you? What’s the best and worst parts of your job (bonus points to those of you who can refrain from telling us what you do for a living yet describe it so vividly via your bests/worsts that we can guess, anyway)?

~Elizabeth

I remember that moment like it was yesterday. It was completely unexpected and more than a little scary. I was, after all, a mom (with a then 7 and 11 year old), and things like that aren’t supposed to happen when you’re a mom.

Or so I thought…or, rather, thought in terms of me.

I quickly found out I was wrong.

The next year was a little nuts with a number of things going on in my life at the same time (with denial about the disease being near the top of the list). I knew what M.S. was and I knew what it could do.  Yet I still felt that if I put off the decision on meds and stayed far away from the countless internet sites on the disease, I could pretend it wasn’t real.

Wrong again.

Eventually, I pushed past the denial and made the decisions that needed to be made. The second year, then, became about learning…and adjusting…and accepting. Once that second year was over, it was on to forging ahead (while simultaneously moving halfway across the country).

Which brings me to now. There are times, when I think back, that I can’t help but be proud of where I am–I’m feeling great, my career is better than ever, and my life, overall, is pretty darn good. But there were some mighty rough seas to charter to get to this place.

For some of those choppy waves, I had a hand (friends willing to listen or nudge when needed). For some, though, I simply swam alone.

But even when I swam alone, I had certain images that kept me moving. One of those images was a fellow writer I’d never met (still haven’t to this day) yet had been put in contact with by a mutual friend. This man had (has) M.S., as well, and was able to answer the kinds of questions I needed to ask. Those email exchanges helped more than I can ever say. Yet it went beyond that, too. This man helped me by simply being. 

A few weeks ago he biked in his first 600K  (to read about his journey, click here).

That’s right. A 600 K. With M.S.

 Keith was a life raft for me in many ways, making me believe in me again. And I will be forever grateful to this man I’ve never met.

Recently, I had my chance to be a life raft (something I hope to be many times over) when I got an email from a co-worker of a librarian I met at a conference a few years ago. This co-worker has M.S. and needed an ear. So the librarian sent her in my direction and we’ve been emailing ever since. 

I don’t know that I’ll ever accomplish a 600 K ride in my lifetime (mainly because I’m not–nor have ever been–much of a biker). But I hope that something about me and my drive will help this woman in the way Keith has helped me.

It’s about paying it forward, I guess.

So how about you? Have you ever had (or been) a Keith in your life?

~Elizabeth

If you follow the link above to Keith’s piece on his 600 K, you might find yourself wondering what a brevet is (I know I certainly did).  If so, check this out:  http://www.veloweb.ca/randopage.html

First, I’ll give you the basic back jacket copy…

Darcy Rhone thought she had it all figured out: the more beautiful the girl, the more charmed her life. Never mind substance. Never mind playing by the rules. Never mind karma.

But Darcy’s neat, perfect world turns upside down when her best friend, Rachel, the plain-Jane “good girl,” steals her fiancé, while Darcy finds herself completely alone for the first time in her life . . . with a baby on the way.

Darcy tries to recover, fleeing to her childhood friend living in London and resorting to her tried-and-true methods for getting what she wants. But as she attempts to recreate her glamorous life on a new continent, Darcy finds that her rules no longer apply. It is only then that Darcy can begin her journey toward self-awareness, forgiveness, and motherhood.

And then there was this blurb on Giffin’s website that I thing is worth noting:  ” SOMETHING BLUE  is a novel about one woman’s surprising discoveries about the true meaning of friendship, love, and happily-ever-after. It’s a novel for anyone who has ever, even secretly, wondered if the last thing you want is really the one thing you need.”

Let’s consider that again. “It’s a novel for anyone who has every, even secretly, wondered if the last thing you want is really the one thing you need.”

So what do you think? Has there ever been a time in your life when you thought you wanted/didn’t want something in particular only to find out that it’s the one thing you regret most/should have reached for all along?

~Elizabeth

Cool thought, huh?

~Elizabeth