These posts are from my Last week I attended the Left Coast Crime conference in Sacramento, California. Imagine my surprise when, some weeks back, I was invited to be on a panel, “Where the Palm Trees Meet the Pines,” even before TWISTED VINES is to be released in August. The panel of Northern California writers provided me an opportunity to jump start promotion for my book. Thanks to our moderator, Margaret Lucke, and the rest of the panelists, I had fun and was able to answers questions without stumbling all over my words. Everyone in my critique group attended, offering cheers and smiles and lots of encouragement.
With my new promotional postcards in hand that Penny Warner’s daughter designed for me, I was able to spread the word about TWISTED VINES. Left Coast Crime gave me the opportunity to meet other Five Star authors, make lots of contacts, and pick up writing tips from other panels. I came home with tons of books, which probably means I won’t get much of my own writing done. Next year, Left Coast Crime will be in Colorado Springs. With a little luck, I’ll be there promoting the next book in my SHAKESPEARE IN THE VINEYARD mystery series.
Shilo, my adorable dog and favorite writing companion, excitedly greeted me at the front door when I returned home from the conference. While I was away, she hid under the bed, my reading chair, and in her little velcro house and wouldn’t come out to eat or go outside. My husband, Cliff, had to call our daughter Carla to come over to help. Carla’s solution was to bring her three dogs over for an evening of doggie playtime. It worked like a charm!
Now that I’m back home and full of great ideas and inspiration from the conference, I’m ready to get rolling on my second book, SOUR GRAPES. But first I need to spend some special one-on-one time with little Shilo, who seems to be experiencing a temporary bout of writer’s block thanks to some “serious” neglect while I was in Sacramento. Cheers!
