and Ter
and Jaynie
and Renee
and Renee George
and Robin
and Michele Bardsley
and Jose
and Sheri
and Kate Douglas
and Angela Knight and her hunky hubba-hubba man
and the Nanchez (or Nancy with a Y)
and Tricia
and always, R

LOLLOLLOL

Hookay, so, RT 2007–First, We had a friggin’ blast. I dunno if I’ve ever laughed as much as I did this year. Everything was centrally located, so we didn’t have to travel far and wide like we did in Daytona. The food wasn’t half bad at the hotel and the staff was pretty on top of stuff.

Okay, so I FINALLY meet Jaynie R. and Ter and her hubby Jose, who, without them, I probably would have left a lung behind somewhere in the bar because I distract easily. I was so excited to meet Jaynie, who’s like one of my best buds online and Ter, who I only met a couple of months ago, but feel like I’ve known her forever.

We hung out, we laughed our asses off, they ran after me because I’m a total tard and wouldn’t know what was what if not for them.

Oh, and did I ever make a coup!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This coup explains Jessica…

K, so we’re in the bar (go figure) and I’m sitting with Ter and Michele Bardsley (go read her BOOK), and this wee, whirling dervish spins on in and plunks down next to Ter. She’s perky and bubbly and cute as a blonde button. Now I knew she was a publicist for MJD because Ter had told me the day before. She’s very friendly with everyone and seems to closely know all of the folks who are on MJD’s fan group. She clearly can take a joke, cuz I was snarkin’ Michele Bardsley whom I adore, but can be VERY EASY PREY. LOLLOLLOLLOL.

Soooooooooooo, I’m crackin’ wise at Michele Bardsley because well, like I said, she’s an easy crack (LOLLOL), and she whispers to me that she’s just hired Jessica to do all her junk for her– like mailing ARC’s and getting stuff together and in general, running her life so she can do nothing but write.

I mouth to Michele, “HOW MUCH?” as in, do I have an extra kidney I can donate because I could REALLY use some help here. I’m new to this whole print thing and I have no clue what’s expected of me. I need someone to take my hand and say “Go here.” Michele gives me a smug look and says, “Ask her yourself.” Sorta neener, neener, neener-like, ya know? LOLLOL

Now I’m all kinda nervous because I mean, she does work for MJD, not to mention they’ve been best buds since she was like 14 or something. She’s probably very busy and really doesn’t need some loser newbie sucking up her life-force. However, I figure, what can it hurt to ask? She can only mock me publicly, right? I can take that. I do it all the time to other’s– it’s only fair I extend her the opportunity to do the same.

So I ask–got room for a pathetic newbie who needs help like Michael Jackson needs therapy? LOLLOL. No, I didn’t say that, but I bounced some stuff off her and got a feel for what she does. Gawd, I don’t know when she sleeps for all the stuff she does. However, I’m beyond impressed and I’m ALL IN. I want her. I want her like a new pair of shoes. No, wait, I want her like I want a new TIARA…

I didn’t know how much I’d need her until the next day…

So Jessica is hired just on first impressions alone, but she saved my ASS at the book signing. I stroll on up to the ballroom to do my thang at exactly 10 sharp. Now, my CP editor called me because she’d had an asthma attack and she was going home, but that’s okay because she checked after they’d told her I wasn’t even listed for the book signing and made sure I’d have a space.

Er, NO. No space, no placard for my name, no nothin’. Now I’d said to Jaynie the night before, whaddya wanna bet I have no card with my name on it (this has happened before). So, Jaynie and Renee took it upon themselves to hand make me one. ‘Twas divine and I think I shed a tear when I saw it it’s going in my scrapbook.

Anyhoodles, I hear tell my books are in the cast off section of the ballroom, but it’s cool, cuz I can work a corner. I have plenty of experience. LOLLOLLOL. I go to find them and again, NOTHIN’. Hookay, so I can just wander and meet some of my fav authors. No sweat, right?

Wellllllll, Ter finds me and has two of my books with her. I’m all like WTF? Where’d ya get those? She goes to find my, ahem, PUBLICIST, Jessica and tell her of my woes.

Like ten minutes later, I have my own TABLE, pens in every color of the rainbow, not one, but TWO placards and water. Bam–just like that. My books have been retreived from where ever the hell they went to and I’m sittin’ pretty. bada-bing, bada-boom, baby!

All I gotta say is this–I heart Jessica like Batman loves Robin, cuz she RULES. I say, if you need a publicist who can do everything and do it with the speed of an Indy car, the grace of a gazelle all while she smiles that pretty smile…

HIRE JESSICA GROWETTE at JAG Promotions. She’s the best kept secret in the romance writing industry.

So, all in all, I’d say I had a fantastic RT. I met loads of new people like The Nanchez, Tricia, and Jessica. Hung out with Ter who, if she doesn’t pop in every twenty minutes and stand near me, I stop breathing without. Her husband, Jose or THE HOSE, who buys and supports authors without the blink of an eye. Michele Bardsley who turned me onto the charms of Jessica and is totally like the best to hangout with. Renee George, who needs a tarp to drink, but is just the sweetest thing evah and Jaynie, Renee and Robin who stuck closely to me and made sure I didn’t have my underwear on outside my pants. LOLLOL

You chica’s and one guy rule the planet!

DC