CELEBRATING ROMANCE

    Just two short weeks ago I was in Dallas, at the Romantic Times convention with a couple thousand readers and writers, celebrating the joy of books, specifically romance novels. Yes, those paperbacks many people love to make fun of. But no one in Dallas was making fun - everyone was there to celebrate the sparks that fly when a hero and heroine meet and that happy ending we all want in real life.
    So, how did we celebrate? We found fellow readers to visit with, we got books signed by our favorite authors, we ate chocolate, we scrounged free books, ate more chocolate, connected with old friends and made new ones. And talked about the stories we love. Some of us even made hats. (A big thank you to Eloisa James for sponsoring such a fun event!)
    I had a wonderful time meeting readers. (A special thanks to my friend Shari and her fun daughter Jenny for the fabulous coasters they made me featuring covers from some of my books.) You know, most of us who write would do it no matter what, but it's so much more fun to have others who want to share our stories, who come along and stay with us clear till THE END. For many of us, the Romantic Times was THE BEGINNING of a beautiful new friendship! Thank you readers for making my life possible. I'll see you all next year.