Hauling Sunday XLVIII - RWA Special Edition, part III

All right, in parts III and IV, I'll be covering the books I've got during the publishers signings :) I'm starting with the ones I attended on Thursday: Avon, Harlequin, St. Martin's Press and Sourcebooks. I'll try to keep it a bit shorter this time...


Avon (Harpercollins Publisher)

Paperbacks:
Captured by a Rogue Lord and Swept Away by a Kiss by Katharine Ashe
Eternal Prey by Nina Bangs
Secrets of a Perfect Countess by Lecia Cornawall
My Wicked Marquess and My Dangerous Duke by Gaelen Foley
Ascension by Sable Grace
Wicked Nights with a Lover by Sophie Jordan
A Talent for Sin and Bound by Temptation by Lavinia Kent
A View to a Kiss by Caroline Linden
Tainted by Temptation by Katy Madison
Taken by the Laird and The Rogue Prince by Margo Maguire
The Earl Claims His Wife and The Marriage Ring by Cathy Maxwell
For the Earl's Pleasure and Seven Secrets of Seduction by Anne Mallory
To Ruin the Duke by Debra Mullins
Never Resist Temptation and  The Wild Marquis by Miranda Neville
A Tale of Two Lovers by Maya Rodale
Scared to Death by Wendy Corsi Staub

Trade-paperback/Hardcover:
Salting Roses by Lorelle Marinello
The Rules of Gentility by Janet Mullany
Into the Crossfire and Dangerous Passion by Lisa Marie Rice
Graveminder by Melissa Marr 

As you can see, I did really good at the Avon publisher signing LOL. I definitively stocked up on historical romance, although I have to admit that I have not read most of the authors. Hopefully, I'm going to discover new auto-buy authors :)

The books I'm really happy to have walked out with are: A Tale of Two Lovers by Maya Rodale - that was THE book I was hoping to find and as soon as I entered the room, I made a beeline for :) Also the Lisa Marie Rice books because Rosie really enjoy this author and The Rules of Gentility by Janet Mullany, because of Ames :P


Harlequin

The Girl who Disappeared Twice by Andrea Kane - I was soo happy to get my hands on this book! I read and reviewed the eARC, but nothing beats having your own copy :) Especially when you like the author :)

Embraced by Blood by Laurie London - Have not read this author yet, but willing to give it a try... Although the cover? Not the most attractive ^_^;

The Dark Enquiry by Deanna Raybourn - I've heard a lot of good about Ms Raybourn and her books and I've been meaning to give them a try :) It sounds like a great series, seriously. Now that I have the latest, it'll probably give me the kick I need to go and get the beginning of the series :) By the way, Ms Raybourn was really nice!

The Restorer by Amanda Stevens - Ms Stevens' new suspense series. I've seen Ms Stevens books in the past and they've always looked a bit too gory and suspenseful for me... However, I like the premises of this series - a cemetery restorer who can see ghosts. So we'll see how I like it :)

Claimed by the Highland Warrior by Michelle Willingham - Okay, confession, I always get Ms Willingham and Ms Kennedy's books mixed up. I know, I know... Michelle Willingham and Kris Kennedy - completely different names. So how can I?!? Well I blame the covers - muscular half-naked man wielding a sword - and Wendy LOL. Why Wendy? Well it's where I keep seeing these covers :P In any case, I'm happy to have gotten this book, heard a great deal about it :)

The Whisper by Carla Neggers - It's been a while since I last read a book by Ms Neggers, so I don't even know if The Whisper is a new book or a reprint... but I'm hoping this one will re-kindle the love between me and her stories :)

Blackberry Summer by RaeAnne Thayne - This one was on my radar because Harlequin's small-town stories have been more hits than misses with me lately :) Looking forward to discovering this new author :)

Single Dad Seeks a Wife by Melanie Milburne - I've heard a lot of good about the medical line of Harlequin and has been meaning to give it a try.

Her Best Friend's Wedding by Abby Gaines - I think I've heard of Ms Gaines' books on Kristie's blog and then, combined with the fact that this is a SuperRomance, it's not surprised it made it to my pile :)

Harvest Moon by Robyn Carr - Not my favorite book of the trilogy... but they didn't have Wild Man Creek :( All I wanted was to meet Ms Carr :)


St. Martin's Press

Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter - Actually never heard of this book or series, but I liked the cover...

The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver - I was so happy to get my hand on this book! First, it has a gorgeous cover and two, the story sounds great!! :)

Glimmerglass by Jenna Black - I read Dark Descendant not too long ago which is Ms Black's new series and really enjoyed it. Looking forward to read her YA novel.

Forbidden Heat by Opal Carew - I heard she was a very good erotica author and from time to time, I like to read them :)

Just One Taste by Louisa Edwards - I got two copies because Ms Edwards did a mistake in the dedication :) Ain't I lucky? I've been watching a lot of cooking shows lately and it put me in the mood for novels with chefs :) Last year, when Ms Edwards debut novel was released, I was really looking forward to it, but it took me a while to get my hands on it and once I did... I didn't feel like reading it anymore ^_^; The anticipation totally killed it for me ^_^; So hopefully, I won't run into the same problem and will enjoy Just One Taste!

Heiress in Love by Christina Brooke - If I'm not wrong, this is Ms Brooke's debut novel and I think the premise is very interesting :) This was one of the book that I really wanted from the signing :)

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones - While I was going through the list of authors attending the Literacy Autographing event, First Grave on the Right really caught my attention. It really sounded interesting and I was lucky that the library had a copy. So I brought the copy with me to NYC... but I was even happier when I got my own copy at the signing :) and I have to say that cover is really nice :)

Poison Kissed by Erica Hayes - Okay, I just just discovered that this was the third book in the series. Oups. Ah well, I liked the cover and  so I grabbed a copy. Heroine is a banshee... sounds different LOL.

Absolutely, Positively by Heather Webber - I just had to get another copy :) It also gave me the opportunity to talk to Ms Webber again... She remembered me!!!

Not That Kind of Girl by Susan Donovan - I've really enjoyed Ms Donovan's books in the past. I have to admit I have yet to read this trilogy because I had issues with the heroines... and that's why I've been putting off buying this book even though this one was the one that suited my tastes most... I'm happy I waited :)


Sourcebooks

I Dream of Genies by Judi Fennell - Heard of this book and its author on blogland and was curious about it :)

What a Goddess Wants by Stephanie Julian - Actually have no idea what this book is about LOL.

Touch if You Dare by Stephanie Rowe - Ms Rowe wasn't there, but her book was and I grabbed a copy because I was looking forward to this... even though I haven't read the first book yet ^_^;

The Werewolf Upstairs by Ashlyn Chase - I wasn't crazy about the first book in this series, Strange Neighbors, and wasn't planning on continuing this series... but who can refuse a free book? This could turn it around for me :P

Taste Me by Tamara Hogan - I really like the cover of this one for some reasons. I was happy that it was available at the signing, even though I'm a bit iffy on sex demons ^_^;

The Soldier by Grace Burrowes - The Heir was given as a freebie in the registration bag and so I jump at the opportunity to get The Soldier :)

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley - I've never read Ms Kearsley books, but have heard a lot of good about them and even have a few in my TBR pile. However, what sealed the deal was meeting Ms Kearsley and spending time with her :)

And there you go, the first 4 publisher signings... 4 more to go!

RWA 2011 in NYC - Part II

Let's continue the recap :) Hopefully, I'll be able to squeeze the whole RWA conference in to this post :)


Day 4

Tuesday was THE day LOL. The day where I was moving from Hils' place to the Marriott Marquis where the conference was taking place. The day the Literacy Autographing event was taking place on. The day the conference was starting.

Hilcia's husband was a darling and helped us arrange car service to get from their place to the hotel. The pick up was scheduled at 1pm and I spent the morning... re-packing everything. LOL, I'm a very messy traveler ^_^; I'll try to keep stuff in order, but yeah, at the end, the quickest way to be sure I have everything and that it'll fit in the suitcase will be to re-pack. The good news is unlike when I'm getting ready to leave home, I knew exactly what to bring or not to bring so packing was fast :) Car service was right on time and it didn't take us long to get to New York City. Actually, the difficulty was finding the car entrance to the hotel with all the one-way streets LOL. In any case, we made it to the hotel just on time as when I called Kristie to see if she'd checked-in yet, turned out she was heading out for lunch with Rosie and Lisabea. So we stashed our stuff in Wendy's room and then joined them for lunch to Junior's - a restaurant renowned for its cheesecakes which just happened to be across the street :)

After lunch, we headed back to the hotel where Kristie and I checked in. After we were settled in, I went to register for the conference. I had all my paperwork ready - the registration form, the receipt, etc. - but turns out all they needed was my name LOL. Ah well, it's still good to be prepared. So I got my badge and my registration bag which contained some books, some goodie and the conference schedule :) Before heading back to the room though, I decided to hit the goodie room :) The goodie room is where authors leave their promotional items. Personally, I think the room is a lot of fun because you can find a bit of everything: pen, bookmarks, pins, book covers, candies, chocolate, lip balm, nail files, etc. And as the conference goes on, the room gets replenished until the authors run out of swag :)

By the time I finished touring the goodie room, it was time to get ready for the Literacy Autographing event. After discussing it with Kristie, we've decided not to do the line-up for the event. Did I mention that when we headed out for lunch which was around 2pm, the line-up for the signing event had already started?!? And that they had to wait outside?!? Yeah, didn't relish the idea... Also, from my experience last year at RT, I figured once the doors were opened, it wouldn't be long that everyone would be in and the line-up would disappear. Coincidentally, Wendy called Kristie at that moment to let us know that she and Rosie had decided to skip the waiting line as well. Therefore we decided to meet at the bar which was perfect with us :)  On my way to the bar, I ran into Christine!! LOL, that's the fun thing at the conference - you never know who you'll run into and it can be anyone :)

So we joined Wendy, Kristie and Rosie at the bar and hung out a little :) It was a good thing because Meljean Brook and her daughter showed up!! It was nice to finally meet Meljean :) My first reaction? She's way taller than I thought!! LOL. Meljean spent some time with us before and after her appointment and we each got a set of those very popular trade cards! But seriously, it was really nice to meet her... Of course, I was tongue-tied and didn't really know what to say to her ^_^; Luckily, there was Christine to engage conversation :) Also, Meljean's daughter? She's a sweetheart :)

The signing was starting at 5.30pm... and Christine and I managed to wait till 5.45pm LOL. We were just too impatient to wait further! I mean, there's this room full of authors and books a few floors below... how to resist?!? LOL. As a result, Christine, my sister and I headed down to the signing while Kristie, Rosie and Wendy played it cool and decided they could wait a little longer LOL. We were admitted into the room almost immediately and almost as fast, Christine and I went our separate way LOL. The signing event was in a word? Wow. Lots of people, lots of books and it was fun :)

Now, according to Wendy's intel from the Librarians' Day Event, publishers haven't brought as much books this year to the signing. Thus, Wendy's advice was that if we really wanted a particular book from a particular author, not to wait to get it later at the conference. And so I took the advice to heart :) When I entered the room, I knew right away who I wanted to see first: Lorraine Heath. It did take me some time to orientate myself in the room as the first tables we saw were not "A" but "Z". On my way looking for Ms Heath, I found Elizabeth Jennings. While getting her book, I also had the opportunity to speak to Sabrina Jeffries who was sitting next to her. After Ms Heath, I start going through the authors alphabetically... and at the end, to be sure I didn't miss anyone, I re-did the whole room two times... Just in case, you know LOL. The good thing is I came prepared and had a duffel bag. Ms Jeffries was also very nice and had given me a tote bag when I met her. Through the whole signing, I did run into Kristie and Hilcia... and I think I saw Wendy ^_^; Yeah, I was pretty focused on my own list...

Elizabeth Jennings, Lorraine Heath, Jacquie D'Alessandro

Jennifer Estep, K.A. Mitchell, Jodi Thomas

Nalini Singh, Jayne Ann Krentz, Victoria Alexander

 I have to thank my sister for sticking with me throughout the signing event and taking pictures of me and the authors!! She was definitively a trooper! So big thank you little sis!

Hilcia, Kristie and Lusty Reader

After the literacy signing, I went to the room to dump my haul and headed to the bar for Wendy's Blogger Bar Bash :) Meanwhile, my sister decided to take off - we needed shampoo. As soon as I arrived at the bar, Rosie asked me where my sister was... and when she found out my sister went out on her own... LOL. Hmmm, let just say Mama Bear came out and for the rest of the week, my sister had to report in LOL.

Mariana and me

I had a great time at the bar bash. It was just fun to hang out with bloggers and authors. We talked and everyone was able to come and go :) I had the chance to meet Mariana and Lusty Reader. Hilcia, Kristie, Wendy, Christine and Katiebabs were also there. Rosie and Lisabea had jet off to an event, but joined back later on. Oh and I also met Pearl who came from the Netherlands! I'm sorry if I forgot anyone ^_^;

All in all, we had a great time. It was lovely and definitively a highlight of my trip :) And now, I'll stop... because this post is really getting long :)

Hauling Sunday XLVIII - RWA Special Edition, part II

Onto Part II of my haul! As I mentioned in my previous post, this will be about the books I got at the "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing!

But just before, let me try to describe the Literacy Autographing event... I think the best words would be: awesome, chaotic and wow LOL. I think you have to see it to know how it feels. This year, the Literacy Autographing event comprised more than 500 authors and took place in the Marriott Marquis ballroom. Wendy and Rosie found the room a bit too small, but I thought it was okay. Obviously, it'd be better if it was bigger... but a room big enough for 500 authors and their fans? Hard to come by.

There were rows of tables and authors sat in alphabetical order. I do admit that they seemed to be a little bit squeezed ^_^; Also, the rows were facing each other, so a fan walking down an aisle would have authors on her right and left. More popular authors such as Nalini Singh, Eloisa James, SEP, JAK, etc. would be situated at the ends of the rows so there was more space for their fans to line up and even bigger authors - Sherrilyn Kenyon, Diana Galbadon, etc. - had their own table at the front (or perhaps it was the back) of the room.

What makes it so chaotic is the sheer number of persons in the room. You have authors, you have fans, you have volunteers and you can't imagine the noise level! Still, it's organized chaos. I mean, the signing last two hours and when I first looked at the schedule, I thought two hours was not enough! I had 43 authors on my list... How was I going to see everyone?!? However, two hours is actually plenty. There is a lot of people, granted, but what happens is everyone goes in and disperses and as a result, the waiting lines are not that long. I think the longest I had to wait for an author was two persons ahead of me. Considering the number of people, that's not bad at all. Even Nalini Singh who I thought would have a huge line-up didn't have any queues half-way in the event. So it really flows and people do move on.

My advice for readers attending a signing this big are the following: 1) Do not lose your authors list and 2) bring a bag big enough for you to carry your books in. Also, if you can have someone willing to follow you to take pictures, that's even better :) But even then, it's not necessary.

All right, I'll get on with the books LOL. So here are my new precious:

Waking Up with the Duke by Lorraine Heath - Waking Up with the Duke was THE book I absolutely wanted during this conference. I read the first two books of this trilogy, Passions of a Wicked Earl and Pleasures of a Notorious Gentleman, and absolutely adored them. I've been looking forward to Ainsley book and was really happy it came out in time for the conference :) LOL, I even had a fangirl moment... Prior to the signing, I was riding up or down the elevator with Kristie and my sister and Ms Heath happened to be there with us. After she walked out, I turned to Kristie and my sister and was like: That's Lorraine Heath!!!

Summer at Seaside Cove by Jacquie D'Alessandro - This was pretty high up in my "must get" list of books :) I've read Ms D'Alessandro before, but never her contemporary books and her historicals have been hit and miss for me. However, for some reasons, there was something about the blurb of Summer at Seaside Cove and perhaps the cover that just made me go "must have" LOL. And later, the feeling was only reinforced after reading Hils' post.

Darkness at Dawn by Elizabeth Jennings - This was another book on my list :) I really enjoy Ms Jennings' writing and her last romantic suspense felt very different from most other romantic suspense books on the market and so I was really looking forward to her newest release :)

Scandal of the Year by Laura Lee Guhrke -  I actually read Scandal of the Year and even own a copy... but I really, really love this author :) By the way, for those who are interested... I asked Ms Guhrke about her next release which is the final book in the Abandoned at the Altar trilogy as the H/H are unknown characters to us. I was wondering if there was a mistake ^_^; Because for some reasons, I felt Christian's circumstances were very similar to Paul, Beatrix' cousin... at the same time, I was wondering if Paul would get his own story... Anyway, the short answer is that there is no mistake, the next book Trouble at the Wedding will indeed feature new characters. After that, Ms Guhrke is starting a new two books project at the request of Avon. However, she is hoping to come back to Paul's story afterwards... so fingers crossed :)

Somewhere Along the Way by Jodi Thomas -  Another book that I've already read and own. What can I say except that I really love Ms Thomas' contemporary romance? :P It was also great to meet her and she's really nice.

Blood Ties by Sharon Sala - Meeting Ms Sala was definitively on my agenda for RWA :) Although I totally got tongue-tied when I met her and my fangirliness didn't show ^_^; Perhaps it was better that way? LOL.

Wild Ride by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer - I got to meet Ms Crusie!! Woohoo!! Her books are so funny and most of them are on my keeper shelf :) I was passing by her and abruptly stopped when I realized she didn't have a waiting line! Seriously, can you imagine?!? I got Wild Ride because the other option was Maybe This Time which I already own in HC. Anne Stuart was keeping her company and oh, I would have loved to be there the whole time - Jennifer Crusie + Anne Stuart = hilarious :)

Follow my Lead by Kate Noble - There is something about Ms Noble's writing that sets apart her historical romance from the rest for me. I don't know what, but I really like her writing. I just recently read The Summer of You and was looking forward to Follow my Lead as it is the sequel :)

Money Shot by Susan Sey - Another book that was on my list. This is the second book by Ms Sey, the first being Money Honey. I didn't loooove Money Honey, but it definitively had potential :) Also, Ms Sey has something different going on :)

A Courtesan's Guide to Getting Your Man by Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan - When I first got wind of this book, my reaction was: "Ms Donovan is going to write historical?!? No!!!" LOL. Turns out A Courtesan's Guide to Getting Your Man is half historical - Ms Bradley, and half contemporary - Ms Donovan :)  And Ms Donovan's half sounds good! :)

Blood of the Wicked by Karina Cooper - Remember my fascination with witches? Well that should explain why I got this book, right? :)

The Accidental Wedding by Anne Gracie - I read The Accidental Wedding last year and I really, really, really enjoyed it :) I realize now that I haven't reviewed it ^_^; but trust me, I loved it :) There was just something about Nash and Maddy that touched me. Loved the story, loved the characters and therefore, had to get a signed copy :)

While I got my copy, I asked Ms Gracie when her next book was coming out as I have not seen any sign of her next release. She told me her next book - Bride by Mistake - was Luke's story and was coming out in January 2012... but best of all, Marcus will be getting his own book!! Woohoo!! Yay!! I definitively can't wait. In the meantime, peeps, you should read The Accidental Wedding :)

Truly, Madly by Heather Webber - I'm in love with this series :) It's fun and fluffy, exactly what I need whenever I'm in a funk :) As a result, I had to meet Ms Webber at the signing! She was such a darling and when I saw her again during the publisher signing, remembered me!! How awesome?!?

In the good news department, there will be more books in the Lucy Valentine series! Yay!! Also, Ms Webber has a new series debuting in January 2012 under the pen name of Heather Blake. Guess what it is about? A witch that has the ability to grant wishes! Seriously, it's just meant to be :)

Nightfall by Ellen Connor aka Ann Aguirre and Carrie Lofty - I've heard a lot of good about Nightfall on blogland. Also, I've been meaning to try Ms Lofty's writing. While this is not exactly what I planned, I do think it's a good place to start :)

Haunting Desire by Erin Quinn - I've actually never read Ms Quinn. Oh I've seen her covers around blogland, but never really paid much attention to it. However, when I was doing my list of authors to meet with Ames, she mentioned that Ms Quinn was Canadian... and thus the name stuck in my head. So when I saw Ms Quinn at the signing, I went to her and got the book :) Canadians have to support each other!

No Souvenirs by K.A. Mitchell - Ames loves Ms Mitchell's books and had me give it a try :) I read Collision Course last month and the sequel is No Souvenirs. I'm really looking forward to it as one of the heroes is Asian :)

The Perfect Play by Jaci Burton - I was debating whether to get this or not when it released and then, decided against mainly because it was in trade-size format and also because the heroine is a single mom. I love kids in romance, but am wary of single mom - go figure LOL. Then, raving reviews started popping up for The Perfect Play and I didn't fold which is a miracle for me... But then, Ames and Monroe read it and really enjoyed it and well, here it is now :)


Also, I'm adding these three books to my haul :) Yes, yes, I cheated and brought my own copies LOL.

Deep Waters by Jayne Ann Krentz - I've just re-discovered Ms Krentz last year and I really like her older books. However, I knew they were not going to have it, so I brought my own copy of Deep Waters :)

You Belong to Me by Karen Rose - You all know how much I love Karen Rose right? You Belong to Me was released earlier in the UK and so I bought myself a copy and it's hardcover... It didn't make sense to me to buy another one, so I sneaked it in :)

Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh - I already bought two copies of Kiss of Snow, so it really, really didn't make sense to buy a third one right? Actually, I didn't think I'd have a chance to see Ms Singh at the signing so I didn't even bother bringing my copy of KOS. Then, when I came across her table, I realized there was nobody! No line-up! So I sent my sister back to our room so she would get the book :)

And there you have it, my haul at the Literacy Autographing event. Next, the publishers signings :)

RWA 2011 in NYC - Part I

So I've started posting up my haul, but I'm sure that's not all you want to know, right? :) Yes, yes, I know, you want the dirt on RWA :) Well not that heard much, but I'll at least share my experience with everyone :) Once again, this is going to be separated into multiple posts... just because my mind is not functional enough for reviews LOL. Hopefully, by next week...

In hindsight, I wished I had taken A LOT more pictures. I mean, I have some and I think out of our little group, I'm the one who took the most... but still. It'd have been nice if I could have shown you a bit more. Ah well, next time.

My original plan was to leave on June 24 and come back on July 2nd (Friday - Saturday), but we found out a couple weeks prior the trip that my sister's final exam was on June 25 from 9am to noon. So instead we left on Saturday - which was probably a good idea as I missed all the wait at the border. Also, it was a good thing because I was so no ready on that Friday ^_^; I spent the day cleaning, going through the list of authors for the Literacy Autographing event with Ames via emails and packing as you can see in this post :)


Day 1

Come Saturday and I drove my sister to the exam while I went to the lab to print some documents - RWA registration form, hotel reservation, Barnes & Nobles coupon... LOL. Then, went to the library to return some books and picked up two travel guides. Went back to pick up my sister at noon and drove home. It was a grey and rainy day and I was a bit worried about that. I don't mind driving long distance, but have never done it in the rain. I thought we'd be able to leave at around 1pm... but yeah, it's never that easy. We had to finish packing, eat and do some stuff and by the time we left, it was 3pm.

The drive was quite uneventful. It didn't rain the whole time, so that was good. There were a few parts where it rained really hard though and it was a bit scary, but at least, it was sunny and they didn't last long. I had to stop once though because I was really getting sleepy ^_^; The good news is that my sister stayed awake the whole drive, so she kept me company :) Despite the stop and the rain, I did good time and got to Hilcia at around 9pm :) She was sweet enough to feed us and then, we pretty much went to bed :)


Day 2

For this trip, I didn't make too many plans, just because there were too many variables. However, one thing  was certain: Sunday was shopping day :) Hey, we had to take advantage of our $CDN being strong! :)

First, Hilcia treated us to breakfast at our favorite place in her neighborhood - Coach House Diner. Seriously, my sister and I love that place :) It's good food - lots and lots of variety, open 24 hours and good price :) After filling up, we headed to Woodbury  Common Premium Outlet to do some shopping. I've never been to this outlet before, but I've heard of it... and it is indeed huge! We pretty much did the whole thing as well! Poor Hils LOL. However, contrary to what Hilcia posted, we did NOT shop for 6 hours!! More like 4.5 hours and Hils was actually lucky that my sister wasn't 100% in the mood to shop and that we actually knew what we wanted and didn't wander around... well not too much LOL.

By the end of it, we all had bags :) I bought a new purse at Kenneth Cole and also a windbreaker at Columbia :) Also, my sister and I had a great time in Esprit - love that shop :)

 

Personally, I would have continued shopping, but we were a little bit short on time. See, my sister and I had a hot date with Rosie to go see a Broadway show. I've emailed Rosie prior to the trip and we had decided to swing it, because once again, too many variables. So my plan on Sunday was to do a little shopping, then meet Rosie in New York City late afternoon/early evening, choose a show, buy the tickets and have fun :) Turns out that we shopped later than I thought and by the time we got back at Hils, it was about 5.30pm. At which time, Rosie called us to ask if we were still interested - we were! So in the end, Rosie was in charge of choosing the show and buying the tickets :)

I thought of calling a taxi to get to New York City, because no way was I driving in. However, Hils lives very close to New York City and it's a very short bus ride, so we decided to go with the cheapest option :) There was a bus at 5.45pm and my sister and I rushed to try to make it... Alas, we didn't ^_^; So we waited for the next bus which was at 6.40pm and would drop us at Port Authority which was only a few blocks away from Times Square. I have to say, by that time, I was a bit worried. What if the bus was late? Or worst, didn't come at all?!? There's not that many empty taxis driving around New Jersey! Oh, by the way, did I tell you that the show started 7.30pm? ^_^;

We were in such a rush, I didn't have time to take a proper pic of Rosie and I. Please disregard my boob LOL

In the end, the bus was on time - big sigh of relief! Also, for the two of us, it was only 6.40$! That's a great price considering what I paid in taxi fare later on ^_^; We got at Port Authority at 7.05pm. As we started walking, I called Rosie to let her know "We're almost there!" The rendez-vous place was the Marriott Marquis' Starbucks and we got there and no sign of Rosie! A little bit of panic because the clock is ticking. My sister suggested to check at the other exit... and there she was! Woohoo!! Hug, introduction and off we walked to the theater :) Rosie had chosen Billy Elliott which I've never heard of, but my sister was very excited :) We were in the orchestra section and had a great view in my opinion :) It also turned out to be a great musicale! I really enjoyed it - the songs, the dancing, the humor and also, the stage!! It's just awesome what they can do with a stage!! :) Rosie and my sister were a bit bummed that the actor interpreting Billy Elliott in our representation isn't the one from the official poster/promotional stuff; however, he did a great job! My sister later found out that he was one of the youngest Billy Elliott interprets when the show started and that last Sunday was his last performance as he had started to outgrow the character.

After the show, we went back to the hotel so I could say a quick hello to Wendy... who was in the midst of blogging :) We started talking and one thing led to the other and by the time we left, it was past midnight. We took a cab back to New Jersey - unfortunately, the man didn't really know his way. And I was not helpful as I have zero sense of direction ^_^; We finally made it back and by that time, my sister and I were famished, not having ate anything since breakfast... so we decided to go back to our favorite place: Coach House. Lucky for us it's open 24 hours! LOL. After that, we called it a day :)


Day 3

Sigh, I have absolutely no picture of day 3 :(

Monday was a very relaxed day and that's the way I planned it to be. Initially, I thought we'd go into the city in the evening to get together with Rosie, Wendy and Kristie who made it to the Big Apple on Monday. However, after that taxi fare? Yeah, we could wait till Tuesday when we were moving to the hotel. It turns out well because in the end, Kristie was pretty tired and cooped up in her room :)

So on the schedule? Lunch with Christine over at her place and perhaps a bit more shopping :P That's what great with having your car - freedom :) Well I guess freedom with some limits since I didn't want to drive anywhere near Times Square, but freedom nonetheless.

Anyway, we took it easy in the morning, recovering from our late night :) Actually, there was a marathon of Project Runway and I was able to watch a couple of episodes. At around 11am, we set off. Christine lives at about 30-45 minutes away from Hilcia so not a long drive and there was no traffic. I wanted to meet Christine before RWA, because I knew it was going to be chaotic and I might not have the chance to really catch up with her. Also, she had a busy week-end and it's hard for her to get away from home as she takes care of her FIL. Since I had the car, I figured why not invite myself LOL.

As always, Christine was so nice!! We truly had a great time, just taking it easy :) We met her daughters who are beautiful - not that it was a surprise as I've seen pictures of them :) I actually got to talk a little with her oldest as she ate with us. Christine also gave us a tour of her house which is very spacious and very nice. I love the bathroom Christine designed. It was just gorgeous! Despite the addition, they still have a lot of space in the backyard and the neighborhood was so quiet, calm and pretty. So we spent the afternoon eating - Christine made us crab cakes - and talking. We talked about books, life, which authors we wanted to meet at the Literacy Signing, how we would make it there, our plan of attack... Basically we talked about nothing and everything. Then, she took us to Trader Joe's to buy us treats! She bought us some banana chips, dried mango, chocolate and mixed trails so we would have snacks at the hotel. Can I tell you how good those banana chips and dried mango are?!? Seriously good and addicting!! While we were out, she also showed us her neighborhood :)

Once we came back to Christine's, it was almost time for goodbyes. We decided to make our way to Hilcia not too late so we wouldn't be stuck in traffic. As a result, we scratched out shopping, although the other outlet mall was very close to Christine's. Back at Hilcia, we squatted her place so we could have internet connection. Seriously, I can't live without the internet! LOL.

When Hilcia came home with her husband, she was also accompanied by her youngest brother and his wife. Turns out our visit coincided with her little brother's visit - and this is two times in a row LOL. Then, we had an invitation from Hilcia's other brother to eat over at his place so we all got into the car :) Hils' brother is a very good cook and it was very nice to have a day of home-cooked meals :)  We didn't stay too late though because everyone had an early day the next day... but really, I had a great time hanging out with Hilcia's family - everyone was so nice and so friendly! She has an awesome family and no wonder she's so proud!!

And that was it for the first three days :) The next post will be all about RWA :) Hope I didn't bore you all  LOL.

Hauling Sunday XLVIII - RWA Special Edition, part I

All right, so I've been debating how to post my RWA haul. Most people list up their books, but if I did that in a single post, it'd be quite overwhelming ^_^; Putting up covers would also take forever... Simplest would be to take a picture of all the books and let you admire my haul as I did in the past... but that was before I've started the Hauling Sundays feature. To keep things consistent, I've decided to go along with the Hauling Sundays format, but instead of covers, I'll put pictures... It also means that I'll be splitting up my haul into several posts :)

Let's start with the books everyone received at the conference!

Here are the books that everyone found in their registration bag:

The Heir by Grace Burrowes - I'm not a fan of Sourcebooks, but I have to say they have gorgeous covers :) Ms Burrowes was on my list of "nice to get her books" authors, so I'm glad that I actually got The Heir. Also, according to blurb, the heroine is the housekeeper and I think it can be very interesting! :)

The Fallen: Raziel by Kristina Douglas - Did you know that Kristina Douglas is actually Anne Stuart? :) I've read some of Ms Stuart books and the ones I've enjoyed the most were her older ones. It'll be interesting to see how Ms Stuart handles the paranormal...

The First Love Cookie Club by Lori Wilde - This is a book I've been hesitant to get on my own. I read The Sweethearts Knitting Club and thought it was okay. Plus I've read some books in her Wedding Veil Wishes series and some were good, others so-so... So I wasn't sure if I wanted to take a chance on The First Love Cookie Club or not... but now, it's all good :)

A Secret Affair by Mary Balogh - This is irony LOL. I spent so much energy getting a copy of this book at the library... If only I've waited a few weeks LOL. I've been reading a lot of books by Ms Balogh lately, so I was glad to get this one :)

Also in the bag were The Iron King by Julie Kagawa which I gave to Hils because I already have a copy and The Summer Garden by Paullina Simmons which I did not take because it's a third book in a genre that I'm not sure I would enjoy... Plus, it weighted a ton!


At the Opening Session and  Keynote Luncheon:

No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon - There were actually two more books by Ms Kenyon given away, Blood Trinity (collaboration with Dianna Love) and Born of Shadows. However, I fell out of love with Ms Kenyon a few books back - still haven't read Archeron ^_^; So I just kept No Mercy because if there was any that I would read, that one would be it, being that it's part of the Dark-Hunter series.

Outlander by Diana Galbadon - This book is being re-released for its 20th anniversary. I mean, seriously, 20 years?!? I had no idea!! I've actually  never read Ms Galbadon, part of it is because the thickness of the books ^_^; Another reason is when I discovered Ms Galbadon, I was still in high school and so, the copy I found was in French. Just wasn't interested... Now though, it's a bit daunting to jump in ^_^;

The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen - I have heard of Ms Gerritsen, but have never read her books. I had no idea that there was a TV series based on her series... Now, I want to watch the tv series LOL. In any case, seems like very good suspense, so I'm looking forward to reading this :)

The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry - I have never heard of Mr Berry, but it's not so surprising, since he definitively does not write romance LOL. Definitively not my genre, but when he was talking about his book, it did sound very interesting. I'm so easy LOL. In any case, I do think I have a friend who will enjoy it :)

Two other books that were given to attendees were Ravishing in Red and Provocative in Pearls by Madeline Hunter.


Finally, here are some books I scored in the Goodie Room :) The Goodie Room principally contains swag, but if you're lucky and have good timing, can stumble across some books.

A Tale of Two Demon Slayers by Angie Fox - I picked this one up because I know I have the first in my TBR pile... Although I haven't read it yet ^_^;

The other books I've picked up because they were there. Although I have to say, the three category romances sound very cute :)

A Question of Impropriety by Michelle Styles
Married by June by Ellen Hartman
A Family of Faith by Missy Tippens
Sunrise in a Garden of Love & Evil by Barbara Monajem
Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray

And there you have it :) The first part of my haul. Next to come, books I got at the "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing!

Back to Normal....

Hi everyone!!

I'm sorry I didn't blog earlier! I really, really wanted to, but time just got away from me ^_^; I came back home on Sunday at around 10.30pm and was pretty tired from the drive. Then, while my boss is away and that's pretty cool, I still had to come in to work on Monday :( I did rebel and went to work later than usually though... only to discover that the lab was a mess! My co-workers have been very hard at work and very rushed and as a result, let say they haven't cleaned after themselves ^_^;

At home, I'm once again having issues with my computer. Ugh! Everything seems to be working fine except for the internet: my browser keeps crashing. It's the same problem I've had in the past... and I know that eventually, I'll be having a lot of blue screens and won't even be able to start any internet browser. Grrrr. I've just re-format my computer about 6 months ago... and 6 months before that. I talked to my friend and she said it was probably physical, like the actual hard drive. Sigh. So yeah, I'm pretty much ready to buy a new one... Although yesterday and this morning, it did behave itself. It probably knows its end is soon and trying to lull me into a "Oh it's ok!" feeling and then, die on me. Computers are evil and deceiving!!

So that, combined with work and fatigue from the trip - it means that I haven't done much ^_^; I've managed to blog-hop which actually took me two days to complete LOL. I've finished reading Summer at Seaside Cove by Jacquie D'Alessandro :) I've also managed to fall asleep and have woken up these past two days with my glasses still on LOL. Oh and I've also unpacked my suitcases - pretty much put everything in the laundry room LOL. I think that's the fastest I've ever unpacked the suitcases. And that's about it ^_^; I haven't even started unpacking my new precious - well actually, I did take them out of the boxes to take pictures and then, put them back in. I think that I'm actually overwhelmed... and I also need time to sort it all out... Time and space. So that most probably mean the week-end.

Another challenge is how am I going to blog about RWA? Both the conference and the books LOL. If you go around on blogland, you'll see that most attendees have been happy at how restrained they've been during RWA - either because they've gone digital, had to limit themselves because of shipping/traveling or simply it wasn't their first RWA. Well... have you ever seen my name and restrained in the same sentence before? And let's not forget, I was driving to RWA... which meant no weight restriction... Yeah. You'll all proud of my haul... and probably a bit green with envy LOL. Anyway, I think I've come up with a good idea... now, let's get the ball rolling! :)

Still alive!

Hi everyone!!

Just dropping by to let everyone know that I'm okay and having a great time! I was hoping I'd have time to blog a little bit everyday... but let me tell you, it takes years of experience to be like Wendy - attend the conference and blog at the same time... and since this is my first time at RWA, I don't have that experience LOL.

I'm having a great time and lots of things to tell everyone. I'm doing okay of photo count... but I think I can take more :P and gosh, I have no idea if I'm going to be ready tomorrow to get back to Hilcia... and there's a lot of books!! I knew that, but still wasn't prepared ^_^; Also, there's still a lot of books I was hoping to get and haven't... so I'm debating whether to buy it here in the States or at home... Hey, if I can make it back tomorrow before 9pm, it's still buy 3 get the 4th free. Or perhaps I could ask someone to run there for me... Hmmmm, something to think about.... LOL.

Today is going to be a busy day and I doubt I'll have time to drop by the blog again... and tomorrow is probably going to be rushed, because I have a few things I need to do.... so I don't know when I'll be able to post again... but Monday, I'm back to work and I got the bestest news: my boss is going on vacation!!! Wooohooo! LOL.