Time To Boogie On Up To San Francisco!

Okay I had to title this to fit the picture! I'm leaving bright and early tomorrow for San Francisco and the RWA Conference! I am excited!

I have packed WAY too much, and I still feel like I don't have everything.

My husband is going to do that eye roll thing when he sees my suitcase.

Anyway, I am ready to go. I think.

We had some excitement here in So Cal... an earthquake. I happened to be sitting on the couch, and out of range of anything that might reasonably fall, so I just stayed there. It was pretty dramatic, a few things fell over, but basically everything was fine.

One of my sons was in a third story apartment and he said they couldn't stand up. It was obviously worse where he was. But he's fine now, just a little bit shaken up.

Anyway, I'm off to San Francisco!

Chatting and A Favor

I've been absent from my blog. Sorry! But I'm posting this sweet pic to make up for it!

Ironically, when I launch the new blog in January, I've committed to posting five days a week for the first five weeks up to the launch of BLOOD MAGIC. But I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

I do have a favor to ask: I'm collecting witch jokes for my new blog, if you have any, please, PLEASE send them to me at Jenapodaca@aol.com I'd really appreciate it!

In other news, I'm starting the next book in the series, and the characters are being stubborn from page one. Nothing new about that. I'm also getting ready for the Romance Writers of America Conference in San Francisco next week. I suspect I am going to be under dressed, meaning that I won't be as polished and nice looking as I'm imagining everyone else will be. Sigh.

For any of you who are going to the conference, I will signing at the RWA Literacy Signing on Wednesday July 30th, so stop by and say hello if you're there. Pick up one of the post cards I had made up for BLOOD MAGIC!

I'm A Shameless Man Stealer!

It's true! I stole this guy from the The Goddess Blogs If you want to hop over there, you'll need to scroll down to July 6th entry by Karen Hawkins. But seriously, how could I resist?

He's hot! And he's patriotic!

Sigh...so what was I going to talk about? Oh right, I'm reading a 2005 Young Adult Vampire book by Stephenie Meyer called TWILIGHT. My friend Michelle Thorne gave me this book. I'm about a half to two thirds through it and I now realize I have been missing out! This book is really different and captivating.

Yet there's an innocence to it too. In fact, I feel kind of WRONG for talking about this book next to a sizzling hot picture of a hunk. But it does kind of illustrate what I've been thinking as I read this book. I think the whole erotic market has been saturated and now readers are over it. Not that hot books aren't still selling, they are and I think they will continue to sell. But readers are demanding MORE that just sex and sexual tension. They want variety. they want choices. And if they choose to read a hot book, there'd better be a really good story there and the sex had better be a part of the story, otherwise, readers are bored.

I think I'll be reading more Young Adult books! But I'm still enjoying the scenery of a hot, patriotic man.

Cell Phone Roar...

So here in California, we have a brand spanking new Hands Free While Driving Cell Phone Law.

The law is about as fierce as this baby panther. All growl, no substance. (Except this panther is adorable!)

I mean what's the point? People can still dial their phones, talk on their phones, text with their phones and be idiots.

People on cell phones drive me nuts. I've been cut off by them many times. Or seen them slow down to 40 miles an hour on the freeway because they are focusing on their conversation not driving.

I've seen the Blue Tooth Freaks waving their hands in their cars as they talk while their car swerves dangerously.

I think what it really comes down to is we just can't legislate common sense. I wish we could. But this law? I suppose it'll have some real teeth if someone on a cell phone causes an accident, but ONLY if they are holding a phone. If they are using a hands free device, then it's okay, I guess.

I dunno. What do you all think?