Inspiration

So here we are facing down October, and I still can’t get my head around September! It’s been such a flash! A new release, a book fair appearance, a writer’s conference and awards gala, and a trip to see the college kid!

It’s all been fun, but I want to pause just a minute and revisit the InD’Scribe Conference and RONE Awards ceremony in Palm Springs.
I didn’t meet as many readers as I had hoped for, but the rest of the conference was outstanding. I met so many awesome authors and industry professionals! It was great to meet in real life several people I’ve only had a Facebook relationship with, and put names with faces. The keynote speakers, Catherine Bybee and Anne Perry, were fabulous and inspiring. I found myself wishing I could just get away and write! Ah, but that real life thing . . .

I still haven’t had time to thoroughly go back through all of my notes, and implement everything I learned, but it’s on my list of things to do! One of the most valuable things about a conference and sitting down and chatting with other authors, is hearing about their success and failure. What they’ve tried in terms of marketing, what was effective, and what wasn’t. Tips and tricks. It’s always encouraging to find other authors who are living the dream and willing to help others. And it’s energizing to feel like I’m part of something bigger. Sometimes writing can be isolating and I feel like a gerbil spinning in circles on one of those little wheels all alone in a cage. It’s really good to get out and about! 🙂

And then there were the RONE Awards. “Something Good,” my finalist in the Sweet Contemporary Romance category, got the first-runner-up spot! Of course it was disappointing not to take home the big prize, but still, simply being there was so affirming! I was among very talented company, and the book was read by four to seven judges who gave it a strong thumbs-up, and that in itself is a wonderful thing!

I extended my stay in Palm Springs a day after the conference to settle down and enjoy another day of summer. Great decision! I got to have dinner with a long-time friend from high school who was one of my bridesmaids from thirty-some years ago!! 🙂 Ah, what a three-hour dinner with a good friend can do!

I also spent some time at the pool and had fun giving a few leftover books to readers lounging in the sunshine. I gave one gal the choice between my new release Her Greatest Risk or Something Good. She read both covers, and chose Something Good, saying it sounded like a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. So many people have said that!! I’m wondering if my next visit to southern California should include a stop in Hollywood!? Well, a girl can dream!

Happy reading, everyone! Wishing you a lovely Autumn!

Click HERE to find Something Good on Amazon!

So, I’m pinning now. You know what pinning is, yes? It’s right up there with texting and googling – new words for new phenomena of our time. I resisted Pinterest for a couple of years because I knew it would suck me in. And it has.
Can’t say I understand it all yet – why some pins have conversations and comments, why you can message some people and not others, how some boards become ‘community’ boards, etc. But I’m plodding along, discovering as I go.

So far, I’ve managed to set up 27 boards in just a week or so. The more I peruse the site, the more potential boards I think of. Have to say it feels a little narcissistic – lots of people have boards titled ‘My Style,’ ‘My Wishlist,’ ‘My Funny Bone,’ etc. – and that’s part of the fun. It’s your personal catalog, a picture book all about you and what you like! It’s a library and a shelving system and a cyber file cabinet. Kind of cool, actually. For me, it’s a little bit marketing, a little bit catalog shopping, and just plain fun.

I’m finding the site inspirational from a writing standpoint. Not just for ‘words of wisdom’ but for potential book settings and architectural features, details that I might want to weave into a setting or character description sometime. I’m also finding ways to visualize my books. I’ve found images for Dana’s lost ring, and Megan’s farmhouse, and Claire’s lemon bar recipe. I’m hoping these boards will give readers a little more insight into my books’ settings and characters – to really bring them to life, and perhaps spark more interest in them.

Too early to tell whether it will ever translate to additional book sales, but I’m connecting with people – like-minded people who love books, and bookish things, who enjoy a good cup of tea and many other things I do, including decorating sugar cookies. (Boy, has the site raised the bar on that one for me!) People who I’ve never met are liking and re-pinning my pins – people who before had probably never heard of author Darlene Deluca. And that’s a good thing.

Come join me!

Find me on Pinterest