Just a reminder...

I'll be out of town at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Writers' Institute for the next couple of days. I'm so excited!

I'll try to post from the road if time and wireless access allow.

: ) Stacey

Just a reminder...

I'll be out of town at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Writers' Institute for the next couple of days. I'm so excited!

I'll try to post from the road if time and wireless access allows.

: ) Stacey

Just a reminder...

I'll be out of town at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Writers' Institute for the next couple of days. I'm so excited!

I'll try to post from the road if time and wireless access allows.

: ) Stacey

Just a reminder...

I'll be out of town at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Writers' Institute for the next couple of days. I'm so excited!

I'll try to post from the road if time and wireless access allows.

: ) Stacey

Cool stuff...

Don't know if I mentioned this earlier but thanks to dear friend and awesome sci-fi romance writer, Linnea Sinclair, I've been invited to attend and participate in Archon 31, which also happens to be hosting the North American Science Fiction Convention (9th NASFIC) since Worldcon is in Japan next year. So, yeah, I got the list of other attendees today, and I'm a little terrified. There are some BIG sci-fi names going to be at this convention. Frederik Pohl. Jacqueline Lichtenberg. Barbara Hambly! Can anybody say, "EEEK!" I've only been to one sci-fi convention before (WindyCon, a long time ago) and found myself amazed and more than a little intimidated as I was majorly out-geeked, something that has not often occurred in my lifetime (except around my friend and MOATT, Ed). : ) So, I think this one is going to be even more nerve-wracking than RT. Much as I'm loath to admit it, I didn't read much pure sci-fi stuff when I was younger. Ever, actually. I watched Star Wars and Star Trek and read bunches of novels set in those universes. Most of my other reading leaned toward the paranormal. Ghosts, witches, earth-based stuff. However, I'm hoping it will be okay because Linnea will be there and she watches out for me, keeping my feet firmly on the ground instead of halfway down my throat. And Laurell K. Hamilton will be there, too. Yea for familiar faces, people I know!!! It's weird, too, because I'm used to RT where I might not know people, but I know names or book titles or even characters. Not this time...

I am, however, pleased to note that this convention breathes life into one of my favorite fantasies. The one where I get to attend as an author (possibly a speaker, the fantasy varies) and I get to meet my very favorite television/movie sci-fi stars, writers, and producers. Such as the following, in no particular order:
George Lucas (Star Wars)
Wil Wheaton (Stand by Me, TNG, and WilWheaton.net)
Patrick Stewart (Two for one! "Captain Picard" on TNG and Dr. Charles Xavier in X-Men)
Jonathan Frakes (Another two for one! He was a producer for Roswell and played "Commander Riker" on TNG)
Jason Behr ("Max" on Roswell)
*Brandon Routh ("Superman" in Superman Returns)
Richard Dean Anderson ("O'Neill" on SG-1)
Bryan Singer (X-Men, Superman Returns, and House)
Ron Moore (Roswell and Battlestar Galactica)
Katee Sackhoff ("Starbuck" on BSG)
Leonard Nimoy ("Spock" on OS)--I would add William Shatner on here, but Wil Wheaton has successfully scared me away from him forever. : ) But I might still have to try, just for my dad.

The "attending as an author" part is a vital part of the fantasy because that way, when I turn into a gibbering idiot around said favorite person, they will know that I'm not a complete idiot all the time. Just around them. However, the "gibbering idiot" thing has worked out pretty well for me in the past; LKH and her husband have remembered me for years, thanks to my completely awestruck and foolish behavior the first time I met them! : )

Next year's Media Guest of Honor is not someone on my list but is a cool sci-fi person nonetheless. Mira Furlan, who some of you will know probably from Babylon 5 as Ambassador Delenn. But I know her as "the crazy French lady" Rosseau (spelling?) from Lost. Very cool!!!

But if I keep attending, maybe one day I'll get to meet all or some of the people on my favorites list (which is apparently very male-dominated). : )

*Funny side story. My obssession with Superman Returns continues. This weekend, while playing Apples to Apples (an awesome game if you haven't tried it) with Ed (MOATT) and Deb, the card with "Superman" came up during play. The way the game works--well, one version of it--is that you flip over a card with a noun on it, such as Superman, and then the players in the game are required to choose from the adjective cards in their hands to come up with the one they think best describes the noun. Now, the trick is knowing the judge. Each player gets a turn as a judge, and it's up to the judge which adjective describes the noun the best. The adjective cards are then placed face down in front of the judge and mixed up so that the judge can't play favorites among the players. The first card I turned over to describe Superman was "luscious." I laughed my ass off...and totally picked that card as the winner. But the really funny part is that I thought Ed had chosen that one because he and I have always joked around about stuff like that. But no! Instead, I find out it's my long-suffering husband who knows me all too well. God love that man!

The other two cards for Superman were "delicious" (Ed's choice--yep, he knows me too!) and "phony" (Deb's choice, which I thought was really clever because Superman is not who he pretends to be all the time).

Also, while we're on the subject, I tivo'd HBO's First Look: Superman Returns, a little fifteen minute segment about the movie and saved it permanently...at least until the DVD comes out yet. Yes, I am that sad.

Book stuff

Things are happening. I can't really say what yet, but it's good news. : ) Stay tuned!

Dear Bryan Singer: I forgive you!

Bryan Singer is the guy who produced and/or directed the first two X-Men movies, the second of which I LOVED. But then when he signed on to do the new Superman movie (a project very close to his heart, evidently), the studio dropped him from the third X-Men movie. And, consequently, I think it sucked. For a while I blamed Bryan Singer for abandoning a series that HE made me care about.

But then I saw Superman Returns. It is the BEST MOVIE OF THE SUMMER!!!!! And you know with how many movies I see, I do not grant this title lightly. It is sooooo good. I was a huge fan of the movies in the 80s. Well, really only the second one where Superman gives up his powers to be with Lois Lane. Yeah, big shocker why I like that one out of all them. : ) So I was fully prepared to be "eh" about this one. I mean, who else could be Superman but Christopher Reeve?

This new guy, Brandon Routh, brought this totally different element to it. Some of it was the story and the writing, but some of it, I think, was also the acting. Superman is an alien. Can't even tell you how old I was before that finally clicked through. But he was raised among humans. In this movie, you really see the human part. The part that struggles with being the only alien, with being different, and the conflict he feels. I cried...twice! The emotions were just so strong.

I even liked Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. It was weird, though, to see the characters being played by actors near my age, probably younger. Kevin Spacey was a pretty good bad guy, as bad as Lex Luthor ever really is. He's always kind of funny and smart. He was totally the science geek who got beat up in high school by good looking jock-type guys like Superman. : )

So I saw the movie last night with Greg and then today, when I finished up with my work for the day, I hightailed it over to the theater again for a second showing. Only $5 during the day! : )

It is that good! Seriously. I'm buying it on DVD too, as soon as it comes out.

Bryan Singer, you have been redeemed in my eyes! : ) Also, thank you for House.

So go see it!

Friday. Wow.

So far, I'm really sucking with the whole blogging on a regular basis thing. I think it's because I'm busy during the day and then when I'm done, the last thing I want to do is sit at the computer again. So maybe I'll need to try writing entries in the morning.

Anyway, all is well at the Klemstein household this week. I gobbled up Janet Evanovich's Twelve Sharp (Becky, I got Greg to buy it for me as payment for sitting at his open house!) and Laurell K. Hamilton's Danse Macabre. Hee. Here's a funny story that reminds me of. When I was a kid, I always read far more than I spoke to people, so my vocabulary often outpaced by pronunciation. Macabre is another of those words (like lingerie and facade) that I butchered mercilessly. Think "ma-ka-bree." Yeah. I still have trouble with the word "grotesque." I keep wanting to say "gro-steek" instead, which is wrong in all kinds of ways!

Not much on the book front. I've been working and reworking the mystery project, based on some feedback I got, and honestly, I'm so sick of it right now, I could almost ditch it completely without any regrets. Almost. It's that damn almost that keeps driving me back to the keyboard. I love two of the characters in the story. And I can't let go of them even though I can't seem to wrestle the rest of the story in place. So...blame them if I'm crabby! : )

Hope you have a great weekend!

Mondays don't suck anymore!

Fought off a migraine on Saturday night. I was watching the last twenty minutes of Runaway Jury and starting seeing spots. *shudder* I don't think there's anything worse. My stomach tightens up with dread just from anticipating the pain.

My former boss taught me a trick for heading off most of the pain, chugging lots of caffeine as soon as you see the spots. I did it this time, and again, it worked. Of course, I've been off caffeine for like two or three years so two big glasses of Pepsi is a LOT of caffeine for me. I also took some of that Excedrin Migraine, which also has caffeine. So, the spots went away pretty quickly and the pain was less than it would have been, but man, I got NO sleep that night. : )

Head was still hurting on Sunday, but it was manageable.

Saturday was AuthorFest and that was a lot of fun, as usual. Saw some authors I know from years past (J.A. Konrath, Luisa Buehler, and Denise Fleischer--also the organizer) and met some new ones (Elysa Hendricks, among others!)

I also got some good news on Saturday. An author I asked to read Bitter Pill has recommended it to her publisher! So now I've just got to wait to hear back from the publisher. I'm excited and hoping for good news. : ) I'll keep you posted...

Still here!

It's taking me awhile to get the hang of this working from home. I'm slowly finding a schedule that works for me, but I haven't quite figured out where blogging fits in, obviously! If I do it as a break from working, I'm afraid I'll get too distracted. When I'm done working for the day, the last thing I want to do is sit in front of the computer. So, that's one more thing to be figured out.

Things I have learned this week:

-My grand plans of exercising every day now that I set my own schedule have gone out the window. Yeah, that's another part of the schedule to work out.

-I still work better in terms of my writing if I get up in the morning and do that first. I have been really enjoying the ability to keep going when I'm on a roll instead of having to stop when I need to leave for work.

-The chair at my desk upstairs (my freelance area) is really freaking uncomfortable.

-If/when I have kids, Keanu Reeves would be a great labor coach. I'm using Speed as an example in the class I'm going to be teaching at Writers Institute in July, and in watching the movie again, I loved how calm he was when the bus was running out of gas or jumping over the 50 ft. gap in the freeway or partially blowing up. What's a baby compared to that!?! So, Keanu, be on the look out for my email reserving your services for a future date, okay? : )

That's enough for now. I've been on the computer here for HOURS and my eyes are starting to bug out. Or maybe that's from thinking about Keanu. Not sure. : )

Tomorrow--sorry for the short notice--please join me and a whole bunch of other fantastic authors at the second annual AuthorFest at the Schaumburg Library at 10:00 a.m. Come listen to panels, buy books and ask questions! Would love to see you there. : )

RT Photos, Take Two

I still can't get this to work. Ed, help please?!? : )

Weirdness

Status: Still working at 9:47 p.m. (though I did take an hour break to watch The Closer...love that Brenda. "Thank yewwww.")

Song on the iPod: "The Call" by The Backstreet Boys (yes, I should be ashamed, but it's so catchy!)

So I'm getting used to this whole working at home thing. I know, I know, it's been a couple weeks already. But last week I was in Wisconsin on vacation and the week before that my sister was here with me, keeping me entertained and on my toes.

To be honest, I was worried that I'd be tempted by television and books and the millions of things I could be doing instead of working or tracking down work. But what's weird is I've probably watched less television and spent fewer hours on the internet that I would have if I'd been at work. Don't get me wrong, I spend time procrastinating. But so far it's in the form working on backstory for the mystery project (Yes, the damn thing is still stuck, but I think I've figured out at least one of the major problems in it) or assembling four bookcases and putting together our little library here. So, at least it's productive, if not exactly in the right way.

Today I finished the handouts for my Writers Institute conference in July. Stacy G. is, I hope, going to proof them for me. I tend to leave out little words, like "an" and "the," and I don't always catch them right away when I'm the one writing instead of editing. And as the deadline is upon me, I've asked her to take a look at them.

I also figured out that the "party shuffle" feature on iTunes is pretty helpful for providing background music while working. Next I plan to see if I can figure out how to get the pictures off my digital camera. Yeah, I know it's been almost a year that I've had the thing. : )

Have to run...more work to do yet tonight. : ) I may, however, try to load my belated RT pictures on here first. We'll see if it works...

Greetings from the Northwoods

I am such cliche today. I actually left the cabin where my family is staying to come into town and visit the local internet cafe. MUST HAVE INTERNET ACCESS!

Anyway, we're all having a great time, hanging out, watching movies, sleeping in and killing off the millions of mosquitos that seem to see us an open buffet.

More later!!! : )

Guest blogger!

In my effort to keep filling this space with new and fascinating content, I've asked someone from the exotic and young Generation Y to write an entry for me. : ) See below...


Hey everyone its me again!!!
Depending on if you are an avid reader of my sister's blog you may remember my blog from last year. In case you are not (which I can't imagine), I appologize for my spelling, grammar, and basically anything else English related... I'm the math one in the family. So I'm staying up at Stacey's for a week. I'm about halfway through right now and it has been pretty great. Now that my sister is starting her own business she is busier but is at home more and it's fun (for me... who knows it could be annoying to be stuck with me all day... NAW!). We have a lot of inside jokes now which include dancing in the car and making up our own motions to songs (don't ask). This Sunday we are going up to vacation with my parents, my brother, and Greg. It should be sweet. I'm excited for the fishing although I don't quite think that is what Stacey is looking forward to.... you'll have to ask her lol.
On a personal note... for all of you that know me that is... I'm looking forward to my senior year. YEAH 07 BABY! I'm going to be legal in about four months. (my sister is dancing around the living room while cleaning FYI... does insanity run in the family?) Before yall ask NO I don't know what I will be doing for the rest of my life or where I'm going to study for it. I made yearbook editor for my senior year. I have my own office and computer and everything. Yeah it's cool. Yes well I really don't know what else to tell you all that could possibly be interesting to you and as my sister just pointed out... I am not writing a novel for you to read (unlike someone in my family... it's good go buy it!!!!) love ya bratface! So I will let you all go with this inspiring message...
I don't know that just sounded really good.... I'm 17 I'm not inspiring I'm a pain in the butt!!!
Bye Bye!!!!!!!!

It's aliiiiive!

Sorry, I know it's been forever. The last week, though, has been one for the record books. : ) Last Wednesday was my last day at my day job. The same job I've held for the last seven (almost) years. So it's been a bit of an emotional roller coaster. No matter what else was happening at work, I loved so many of the people I worked with. I was fortunate enough to work with some awesome writers, designers and just all around good people.

Now I'm trying to get used to working at home. The hardest thing so far has been the scheduling thing. Balancing my fiction writing with my freelance efforts. But I'm sure it will get better as I get used to it. Plus, my sister is visiting this week, so I'm trying not to work the whole time as that wouldn't be much fun for either of us!

I've got my laptop all connected to the internet, my music successfully transferred from my work pc to home, and I'm working hard on fixing my plot problems in the mystery manuscript. I'm trying to remember that this is like starting a new job. It will take me some time to learn the new ways that work the best and then I'll better be able to balance everything.

Fun book stuff...
I just discovered a great trilogy of sci-fi books. They're intended for young adults, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
Specials by Scott Westerfeld

RT Wrap up

Have to finish this up as I've got so much else to write about as well...like tomorrow being my last day at the official day job!!!

But first, back to RT. On Friday, Linnea and her husband took me out to dinner--saving me from a totally gross room service cheese pizza. The food was amazing at the restaurant. Billy's Tap and Grill, I think it was called. It had been in Daytona Beach in this same location for over eighty years. I had chicken a la orange and the best green beans I've ever had. After dinner we headed back to, where else?, the hotel bar to hang out. By this time, I was getting pretty tired from late nights and early mornings, so I decided to turn in but not before checking out the costumes at the Faery Ball. Wow. So many beautiful wings and some of them were even motorized to move back forth!

Saturday is the big book fair day. Isabo Kelly wasn't my book fair neighbor this year, but we still found some time to hang out and chat. I brought fifteen books to sell and sold eleven! Pretty darn good for a book that's been out for a year and a half, I say. A few people were even asking about the second book as they'd bought the first one the year before. Highlight of the day was seeing the woman who won my gift basket wearing the shirt with my book cover on it. I have her name written down somewhere, but heaven help me if I can find it! I also took a picture of us together, but of course, until I can get the pictures to work, we won't be seeing it!

Saturday night I hung out with Bonnie Vanak and we attended the Dorchester party, which was kind of an odd combination of rock and roll, bikers and skimpy clothing. I also got to spend a little more time with Isabo and a new friend, Laura Randle and her husband. After the party, a few of us met up with Linnea and headed over the to Mai Tai Bar. Unfortunately, it was much too crowded and loud so we ended up at Adobe Gila's. I had Sex on the Beach--the drink, of course--frozen, and it was delicious! I think it might be my new favorite drink but for my discomfort of asking for it.

Turned in at about 12:45 on Saturday night/Sunday morning and I was so tired I didn't pack a single thing. So Sunday morning was a little rushed. I had to get everything back into my huge suitcase, pack up a box of books to ship back to myself and get myself all organized and prepared for the trip on the plane home. Linnea offered--very generously, I might add--to go out of her way to drop me at the airport in Orlando. Which was a big relief. I so did not want to try to find the shuttle from the Daytona Beach airport to the Orlando Airport. I made it to the airport in plenty of time and settled in with a book and a package of coconut patties. Coconut Patties are the best food ever. I wish I'd bought a box of them to ship home. : )

All in all, a very good RT. Such a great time!!!

RT, Part Two

Sorry about that. Life suddenly intervened, tearing me away from this blog for a bit. I just finished my last full week of work at my day job and between making plans for the freelance business, packing up at work and recovering from RT...I didn't have time for much else!

I did, however, get another positive nibble on a query this week. Yea! So, I'll be keeping you posted on that as news develops.

I STILL cannot get my photos to load here properly, so unfortunately, photographic evidence of my adventures (me with a chocolate martini in one particular shot--wearing the necklace and earrings you made for me, Beck! I mean, I'm wearing them, not the martini) will have to wait until Ed, Master of All Things Technological, returns this week. Hmm, I think I'm going to make that his official title. His business cards would have his name followed by his title, MOATT for short. : )

But I can give you updates on the rest this way and then the pictures will show up eventually. Thursday morning I attended a terrific panel with Charlaine Harris, MaryJanice Davidson and Laurell K. Hamilton speaking. It was all about using humor in vampires books. I could have sat there and listened to them speak all day! They were hilarious. I made sure to stop by and say hi to Jon Green (LKH is his wife) afterward. They have both been so nice to me and really supportive over the years. Lovely people. : )

Then Linnea and I met up and took off for the mall and lunch away from the convention. Access to shopping while at RT is essential because it's guaranteed that you'll forget something. Heck, you're changing clothes three times a day. It's impossible to calculate all the stuff you'll need. After lunch at the Olive Garden--love those breadsticks--we returned to the hotel and I went and did my shift at Club RT. Club RT is basically a big room where all author gift baskets are displayed. Authors sign up for shifts and people who want to meet them come by and say hello. My gift basket, Hot Night of Alien Love, was well-received, I think. And I got to draw the name of the winner. I saw her later in line at another event and she was carrying around the shoulder bag I'd used to hold all the gift items together and then on Saturday, she wore the shirt with my book cover on it. How awesome is that?!? I have a picture of the two of us together and will post it as soon as I can.

Thursday night was the Vampires of the Carribean Ball. I wore my Morticia dress and actually had someone stop me and ask to take a picture of it. : ) I also got to meet Linnea's husband who was so nice! And very, very funny. One of those people who can say things with such a deadpan look that it's twice as funny as it would have been otherwise.

Friday was the only difficult day, programming-wise. They ran the paranormal romance sessions simultaneously with the sci-fi romance sessions, which is tricky because the audience for both of those overlap quite a bit. I attended the sci-fi sessions. Linnea was running the panel, and Kristin Nelson (Linnea's agent), Anne Groell (Linnea's editor), Rowena Cherry and Susan Kearney were all speaking. I'm glad I chose to attend these sessions as I left with a great deal of reassurance and validation that I was on the right track.

Okay, have to run now as I'm late for a wedding reception! I'll wrap up with details about the book fair and final parties when I return. Hopefully, I'll be able to do photos then too!

I'm back! The RT report

Sorry for the delay in posting. I forgot that it takes me a couple of days to recover from RT!

Where to begin? I don't even know. I guess first I have to say that writing is the best job in the whole world. : ) I love the opportunity that RT provides to get together with people who experience the same joys and struggles...at least as it pertains to writing.

I arrived on Tuesday and thanks to Denise Swanson, who generously offered to give me (and Susan McBride) a ride in her rental car, I was able to get to Daytona Beach much earlier than if I'd tried to fly in directly. We flew to Orlando first and then drove to Daytona Beach. It was raining and sooo humid. My hair immediately turned into a giant frizzball. Oh, well. My suitcase was also about ten pounds too heavy, and I could barely lug it around with me. Thank goodness for suitcases with wheels!

Got to the hotel and met up with Linnea Sinclair in front of the registration desk, quite by chance, actually. My room was fabulous (look for a picture of the view from it--I hope to have it posted by tomorrow) with a huge sliding glass door overlooking the beach and ocean. I loved it. I was very tempted to leave the door open so I could hear the ocean crashing onto the shore, but there was no screen and there were a lot of pigeons and cranes flying around. With my bird phobia, I just KNEW that one of them would fly into the room if I left the door open. In fact, that very thing happened later in the week to Anne Groell/Kate Brallier. Anne/Kate is Linnea's editor at Bantam as well as an author (hence the double names). A pigeon apparently flew into her room in the middle of the night. When I asked Linnea how Anne/Kate got rid of it, Linnea said she threw a book at it and it flew away. My luck? I would have killed it accidentally with the book and then I would have had to deal with a dead bird and being a bird murderer. *shudder* Better for me to just keep the door shut, I think.

Now the problem with RT is the days begin to blur together. I think Tuesday night where Linnea, Bonnie Vanak (another of my very favorite people) and I went out with our drinks and sat on the terrace that overlooks the beach. We'd gone to the welcome luau earlier but found it very crowded and overly warm. So, sitting outside with cold drinks and just chatting was so much fun.

Wednesday morning I went to a session about perfecting an in-person pitch to an agent or editor. I suck at this. I've done a couple of times, but I get too nervous and stumble over my words. I'm much better when I can send a query letter or an email. Which makes sense if you think about it. But that's one of the best things about RT is meeting agents and editors in a non-intimidating setting. Well, RT is sort of intimidating, but it's hard to feel nervous around someone who has just been out on the dance floor doing the Time Warp...again. : )

Wednesday afternoon (I think) I skipped a panel and took a nap--so boring, I know--and then went for a walk on the beach. Wednesday night was the Ellora's Cave "What's Your Fantasy?" Party. Cover models and aspiring models are included in this event. I have photos, but they're not cooperating. So, I'll probably have to try this from home.

Hmmm. Okay, the rest of this post has been called on account of faulty technology (or possibly user ignorance!) I'll post more tonight/tomorrow as soon as I can get the photos working.

A quick post...

I'm sitting here at the bar in the Hilton with the ocean right in front of me. So blue in all the sunshine here! Linnea let me use her laptop for a few minutes. : )

I walked on the beach yesterday for 45 minutes, just loving the sand and the water under my toes. I've seen soooo many people and still have a couple more I want to find.

The Ellora's Cave party was last night and...yeah, wow. Linnea took some pictures which I'm hoping she'll send me to post here.

More details later! Having a great time. : )

RT...it is upon us.

So, my huge suitcase is packed. I decided that it would be better to fit everything into one suitcase instead of trying to manage three smaller ones. I've just got to add my make-up, toothbrush, etc. in tomorrow morning. At FIVE A.M.! You know me. You know I don't get up when there's a five on the left side of my clock. But tomorrow, I will be. Flight leaves at 9:30 a.m. and with the checking of the bag ("I'm finished with the checking of the bags conversation!"--Name that movie!), I want to make sure that I've got enough time. I haven't flown by myself in years, and I find myself utterly terrified by this for some reason. I just flew last month with my brother. It's not like they changed anything recently. But going by myself seems so much more intimidating somehow. Like going to a foreign country by yourself.

Plus, I hate flying. I hate the sound when they close the door. I hate sitting next to strangers who phlegm-cough all over without covering their mouths or sometimes touch my leg inappropriately while they're sleeping (this is what happened off and on during our EIGHT hour flight to Maui). I hate that cold sick feeling you get when you're the last one standing at the baggage carousel and your suitcase still hasn't appeared.

And *insert pathetic whimper here* because of my luggage situation--no strong husband or brother coming along to help me haul half the contents of my house--I could only bring three books for the flight. Only three!!! Do you realize what this means? I could be totally screwed if one or more of them turns out to be not what I'm looking to read at that particular moment or if the hook provided in the first couple of pages doesn't pan out. I'm not worried about this on the return trip, of course, because I'll be stocking up at RT. But on the way there...I could be stuck who knows how many thousands of feet in the air without any decent reading material to distract me enough so that I can pretend I'm on a bus instead of thousands of feet in the air!

Oh. I feel faint.

Plus, my version of "excited nervous" is feeling like I have a bad combination of heartburn and nausea.

But tomorrow at this time, I'll be safely on the ground again (Please, God!), checked into my lovely hotel room (oceanfront room, did I mention that twelve times already?) and drinking with my friends. And it will all be okay.

At least, that's what I'll be reciting to myself until then. ; )

I'll try to post updates this week from RT, but I don't know what kind of internet access I'll have. But expect a full report in a week!