Day 1 -- Romantic Times Booklovers Convention

WHEW! What a day! I'm here in Pittsburgh at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. And man, am I exhausted -- but in a good way.

While I was standing in line at the Hilton (the convention hotel) wondering how the heck I was going to locate Linnea Sinclair in the sea of humanity, I looked up and there was Stacy Klemstein and next to her was Linnea. Big hugs all around. For those of you who don't know, Linnea is my author/mentor mom. She is beyond amazing. And through her I'd met Stacy -- but until today I hadn't met either of them in person. Then about half an hour later, I run into Anya Bast at the elevators (she wrote an awesome blurb that is on the back cover of Armed & Magical). I'm a huge fan of her books, too. BTW -- I got my first two copies of A&M yesterday. It looks great!! And within the hour I was standing in the conference registration line, and Jill Smith walks by. She's the reviewer for Romantic Times Booklovers magazine who reviewed A&M in the May issue (4 1/2 stars!!). A couple of weeks ago, we'd set up a meeting for Friday here at the convention. Just too many coincidences -- of the really good kind.

I helped out with Linnea's Intergalactic Bar & Grille party this afternoon. We started settting up at 2:30, and the party ran from 3:30 to 5:00. After that, Stacy and I went and got a bite to eat and on the way back ran into Marianne Mancusi (another of Kristin Nelson's clients). And of the hundreds of rooms in the Hilton, Stacy and I have rooms next to each other.

Oh crap. My battery isn't working. While packing, I dropped my computer bag, and it looks like I might have damaged my battery. If so this may be my only blog. Dang it. I'll type fast.

I'm having a wonderful time; I was interviewed by some local media (complete with camera crew), I met an Australian bookseller and signed bookplates for her to use in her store, and I ran into a NY bookseller up in the author hospitality suite a few minutes ago, who has MLTF in her room and is going to start reading it tonight. I promised to sign it for her. ; )

I'd better stop here and check my computer. If I don't blog tomorrow you know what happened. Dead battery. Let's hope I can fix it. To save precious battery time, I'm not proofing this blog, so excuse any typos.

Lisa

Day 1 -- Part 2: Okay, I 'm back. It's a 9:15 pm and for some glorious reason, my laptop battery is back among the living. Some more things that happened today. . .

Our SciFi/Fantasy panel is tomorrow morning from 10:30-12:00. Since the hotel is under renovation, there have been a lot of problems. The phone in my room doesn't work. I've reported it, but nothing's been done yet. Thank God for my cell. To make it up to convention goers, the hotel is providing some vouchers for discounts in their restaurants -- but we authors have a hospitality suite on the 21st floor, free food and drinks from 6:30 am-11:00 pm. I'm going there in the morning for breakfast. Stacy said that it's become a favorite breakfast place for the cover models. Bagels and biceps -- yummy! ; )

I've fixed myself a cup of chamomile tea, and am staying in for the evening. I need to rest up for tomorrow. There's a big party going on in the ballroom downstairs, but I need sleep more than cover models and a Golden Age of Hollywood theme party. ; ) The view outside my window is gorgeous (I'll have to get a pic). Skyscrapers lit at night with an almost full moon, and there are lights illuminating the riverfront as well. I'm on the 18th floor, so I have a really nice view. I'm going to have some tea, sign some more postcards for tomorrow, and get some sleep.

Nighty-night,
Lisa