Our Bosses READ Our Blogs

If you have ever wondered if publishers and editors read author blogs, stop. They most definitely do.

I'm not surprised. I read theirs. I read lots of blogs. Nowadays, blogs give you a lot of insight into what people think, into insider things.

Unless you want to get fired or blackballed, don't put down people on your blog (or Facebook or other social media) unless you don't care if they see it. (And yes, once I posted something a long time ago about something that's a scam and I still don't care that someone read it. They weren't my employer, publisher, friend, or anyone whom I care to associate with again.)

I spent several hours this week reading a train wreck on a blog about one of my publishers. Unfortuantely, it's not the first time I witnessed something this sad. The publisher, authors, and even readers attacked one another unmercifully. A lot of conjecture went on. A lot of hatred and cat-fighting bloodied the pages. In case you're wondering, this happened a long time ago and I just heard about it, so you won't find anything recent if you look.

I have to shake my head.

I'm not a publisher or an editor. I am a manager at my day job, however, and I manage a staff of 13. Sometimes, that's a pretty tough job. I can't imagine managing hundreds of authors, and trying to keep all happy. It's impossible to keep 13 people happy all the time.

Someone (usually at least two or three someones) feel they are ignored, downtrodden, overlooked, even abused. This is despite how far I bend over backward for each and every one of them. There's always a few that have to be on top and receive constant praise even when they aren't doing well. When they don't receive the praise, or worse, receive constructive criticism or reprimand, they become very unhappy.

My staff doesn't know all the behind the scenes things that go on with the company, with our department, and with each other. Often they don't see their own weaknesses. Too often they complain about a coworker when they're just as guilty, maybe more guilty, of an infraction. They think their shit doesn't stink.

I'm not perfect, either. Because I'm not perfect, I try to give my people slack. I try to give my boss and his bosses slack. And I extend this same courtesy to my publishers and editors.

I don't know everything that's going on behind the scenes in my day job anymore than I do with my publishers. Unless someone attacks me personally, undisputably, I'm going to stay out of firestorms. And I hope others will, too.

And if someone should wrong me? I'll speak privately to that person. At most, I might mention something quietly to my good friends, but never attack someone in a public forum.

Also, if someone had a problem years ago, please let it drop. Give them, give the company the benefit of the doubt that positive change has taken place. People change. Companies change. They grow. They learn from their mistakes.

During this season of love, of peace on Earth, goodwill to men, practice it. Slow down and enjoy what we have, and stop worrying about trivia we don't have.

The last paragraph is a note to myself as much as to anybody else.

I hope all of my friends and associates are enjoying a very Merry Christmas season or whichever other holiday you observe.

Much love and peace.

I'm Part of a Tribe?

I just read What Makes Marketing Hard (And Gross) which is a decent marketing article. I've been reading a ton of marketing articles lately. In particular I'm addicted to Copy Blogger.

I had an "um" moment when at the end of the article, the author says, "thanks for being in my little tribe."

Over the past couple days I've read a few articles that have been talking about community and "tribes". No, not "twibes", the Twitter version of email loops and I'm sure, a play on Twitter + tribes. Cute huh?

I feel as if I should don a tribal suit made of animal skins and partake of a bunch of weird, ancient customs and superstitions. Maybe I should dance naked under the full moon, like the one I took a picture of on the way home from work this evening.

No, I won't torture you (or me) that way and I won't mortify my kids. But this seems like such a cutesy term for a business type interaction. I also didn't know that visiting a place once constitutes being a member, even though I enjoyed the article and will probably visit again.

The idea of building "community" seems apropos. Maybe I like the concept of a village better.

It really doesn't matter what you call it. What matters is interacting with, helping and being helped by your friends, readers, and associates. As an entertainer (writers entertain, right?) we also often entertain in our blog posts as well as in our books. So I really don't mind the idea of a "tribe". Usually I'd find it cute or fun. I must be in one of my snarky moods - sorry.


Believe it or not, I am also editing as writers cannot only market or build community or we will be in danger of having no bona fide business reason to need our communities. We have to write and edit and manage our time well.

But it's tough, at least for this ADHD writer. I can't help multi-tasking. Often that's a good thing, but at the moment it's not. I have to get back to editing or risk my editor's wrath. I have not one edit, and not two. Not even three, but I have FOUR edits due very soon. Thus, I am getting all the help I can. Here's my writing helper Dion, trying to keep me honest and get me back on track. Well, at least he jumped off my lap so I can type better. Isn't he cute? He's the big daddy of my cat tribe at home. At least we call him "Big Daddy" (one of his many nicknames along with "Mr. Paws" - see his adorable paws? He's a polydactyl also known as a Hemingway.)

Recent posts you might also like to read:

Author Interview: Linda Kage


Sayonara Baby

Don't Bomb Your Audience With Turkeys

Are You Writing Me Into Your Book?

Dont Give Up Too Early

Welcome to the Spookiest Month of the Year (+ don't burn your Ouija Board!)

Friday Fill-ins Oct. 2 (& e-Readers)

You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook,
Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch,
Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape
are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

A Different World

Thank you my new friend, The Redhead Riter, for this lovely blog award. I think your blog is pretty awesome, too. I enjoyed the post on The Redhead Riter's blog today. "Into The Unknown". A lot of good points and observations were made. My younger daughter graduated high school this year. She's 18 and thus legally an adult. She's eligible to start college, get a job, and even enlist in the military. She could go to fight in Iraq. Yet, she still calls me "Mommy". She still asks me to drive her to her best friend's house to spend the night. She still asks me to buy her chocolate. She still cuddles up to me to watch movies. She's still my baby. But she's not a baby. She's a young woman who must soon spread her wings and take flight. She has a lot to learn even though she thinks she knows it all. She's scared to look for a job and take responsibility for her life. She wants to take the summer off and have fun before college starts. Her world at 18 is a lot different than my world was at 18. I didn't have PC's, the internet, computer games (except for one lone Pac Man game sandwiched between lots of pin ball machines - I still prefer pin ball to video games), cell phones, VCRs, MP3 players... I bought 8-track and cassette tapes that unwound and got ruined a lot. I loved to walk to the Pony Keg so I could buy penny candy and Coke in glass bottles. I danced many nights away at the Disco. I met one boyfriend "bumping" on the dance floor. I went to sleep at 10 pm when the TV station went off the air. Or I read books under my covers with the aid of a flashlight - until my dad caught me. I listened to Beatles, Beach Boys, Elvis, Motown, Carly Simon, Bee Gees, Donny Osmond, and David Cassidy 45's and LP's nightly. I was very upset if I couldn't be home to watch Star Trek (the original series). There was no VCR or Tivos when I was young. I had to cook on the stove and in the oven. Toaster Ovens were a new gadget when I was a newlywed. Microwaves (at least ones I could afford) came a few years later. I played jukeboxes when I went to the diner and the Airman's Club. (I miss them.) As archaic as some of this may sound to some people, my parents were in awe at all the changes they saw in their lifetimes up to the time I was a teen. They said their parents (my grandparents whom were born in the 1890's and 1900) saw the most incredible change in their lifetime. Imagine being a child when there were few cars and most people still rode horses, used buggies, rode streetcars, or walked and living to see jet planes and rocket ships shoot into the sky. I think that beats growing up without the internet and video games. This past century (about 110) years has seen much swifter change than the millenium before. I love to write, read, and watch time travel stories. Is it any wonder? There's so much to work with. You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Schmoozing and Cruising

I just received word of my royalties for the month of April from one of my publishers and it wasn't good. I worked my butt off promoting in April and the royalties are the worst I've had from this publisher. I joined Twitter and Facebook. I gained more blog followers. I spent valuable writing time schmoozing and cruising on the web. I thought and hoped that might help sales. Maybe I haven't attracted enough people to my blog. Maybe I haven't mentioned my books or blog enough on Twitter and Facebook (because I didn't want to spam). I asked the question on Facebook last night, "How can I attract more people to my blog?" "Content" was the number one answer. "Contests" was another answer. So let me also ask here: "What do you enjoy reading on a reading/writing/book/sometimes family/mom blog?" Serious answers will be much appreciated. Would you like to see more author interviews? More contests? Reader interviews? Other industry professional interviews? Other things? If you're involved in the reading world (avid reader, reviewer, writer, editor, agent, publisher, bookseller) and would like me to interview you, please leave me a comment. I'd love to interview you. Also please leave a comment if you have another suggestion. Thanks in advance. Ashley

Signature Lines

I just joined a new authors' promotion group which I found through Shelly Munro's blog. At the moment the group is discussing guest blog spots (I'll post about that tomorrow) and signature lines. I almost always use a signature line except with my friends. It seems too pretentious. Even at the day job, I erase all the "manager" crap even though it comes up automatically when I pull up a new email, when I email my friends or my department. I only keep it when emailing other departments, mainly because our organization is getting to the point that managers only accept emails from other managers and directors only from other directors. My staff's not supposed to email other departments but funnel questions through me. Sometimes it's a pain but it's usually a help. Anyway, I'm more concerned with signatures for my other career, my writing career. On many loops, promotion is a no no, but signature lines are allowed. I'm shy of saying too much so I usually don't say too much on mine, but sometimes, when I have a new book to promote or when I'm trying to overcome my shyness, I'll get a bold moment and build up my email signature. At the moment, my main signature looks like:

"Ashley http://www.ashleyladd.com http://www.ashleyladd.blogspot.com http://www.myspace.com/ashleyladdromancewriter http://twitter.com/ashleyladd Heart and Soul - an MMF with a lot of heart newly released at http://www.total-e-bound.com"

I didn't add a quote about my book, "Heart and Soul" as it already seems so long. I have been advised to do so in the past. Should I now? Should I delete some of my links? I've seen some sig lines that are way longer than the one I have above. At times I've advertised my contests in my sig line (it worked pretty well). I've also had several different signature lines, one each for my different books. I have between 20 and 30 books still in publication so I'm not going to to make one for each - in fact, my aol email signature picker only gives me five automatic signatures, not that I couldn't save them in Word and just cut and paste. But I figure the rule of advertising is that a consumer has to see a name or product at least 7 times before it sinks in. If they keep seeing a different book, it might not sink in. I hope that if they visit my publisher or one of my websites, they'll see my other books available for sale and then check them out if interested. I haven't put covers in mine, mainly because I don't know how. So, what are your thoughts about signature lines? If you're a published author, do you think they help? (I'm sure they can't hurt at the very least.) If you're a reader, do you ever check out a book or an author's website because of a signature line? I know personally, that as a reader, I have visited some author's websites because of their signature line. I also visit new blogs when their blog links are given. I often send a friend request on My Space or start following someone on Twitter if given a link? What about you? You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Accessing information is so much easier nowadays

Writing and submitting now is so much easier than pre-Internet days. Do you remember having to go to the library or bookstore to get reference books to find out who the publishers are, where they are located, what type of books they publish and who their editors are? Then, because the books couldn't be updated daily like the Internet, we'd have to make a phone call to make sure that editor was still with the publisher or to find out who the current editor was? If we needed to research a book, we'd have to haul our heines to the library again and find a bunch of books on our subject. We might have to put some of those books on reserve and wait weeks to get them. We might have to call or drive to interview someone. About the only time we ever got insight into publishers' and editors' minds was at writing conferences and in industry magazines. And then it was a few here and there. Fast forward to October 2008 and all the advantages we have now. We can log online from our bedrooms 24-7 and access a ton of information and industry news daily. We don't have to wait for a month or more to meet with our writing groups or go to a conference or get our monthly writers' magazine to get new information. With the flip of a switch and a few keystrokes, we merely sign online and start reading articles and chatting with fellow authors and other industry professionals. Editors post daily blogs now about what they like and don't like. They're very helpful and the insight is amazing. We meet with our critique groups online and can get help within days, sometimes within hours or even immediately. We definitely live on the information highway. I found a new editor's blog tonight and added it to my favorite links list. I found her on Twitter. Not only has our writing and publishing world become easier, but our social networking has an added dimension. I chat with people across the globe, daily. I've become friends and business partners with many people I've yet to meet face to face. Two of my cousins met their spouses online through E-Harmony. One is already happily married. The other is engaged and has yet to meet his fiancee face to face. I'm sure there are many more things we can do online that are good (and not so good) that we couldn't do before. Personally, I get sidetracked by visiting blogs, mahjong, and scrabulous too much. And as wonderful as it is to have more knowledge about my career, it means my competition is larger and fiercer because they too have all these added bonuses. Don't misunderstand: I still love books and libraries. We don't always find everything on the Internet. I have reference books on my shelf. But I'm in awe that I can look up editors and read their thoughts and tips so easily. You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Author Websites and Blogs

How important is a website and a blog for an author? I always thought it was very important and thus I have both. For a long time now, my blog's been a lot prettier than my website. Of course, I purchased a cute design from a real designer for my blog and I tried to make my own website. Unfortunately, I'm not the artist or the computer geke in our family (yes, we have both). I finally broke down and hired the same design company to design a unique design for my blog. We've been having a devil of a time getting it to post, however. I hope it was up in time for my September 22nd release of "Heart and Soul" at TEB. I hope it's at least up by today (I'm pre-posting and pre-scheduling). Both DS#1 and my web designer have worked above and beyond the call to get my new site up. Since I'm not a computer techie or designer I don't understand why there's been a problem, just that there is one. Check out www.ashleyladd.com and let me know what you think. I love it. I wish I could do art like that. I'll have to content myself with writing. I segued. Let me return to my original premise. One friend mentioned that her publisher told her she really needed to have a MySpace page. I just read an agent's blog and he said that it would be good for authors to have these things but that it just needs to have minimal information and look professional, but not necessarily fancy. How important do you think it is for an author to have a website? A blog? A MySpace page? What do you think?

What makes you want to read a blog?

I have a question: What makes you want to read a blog? I don't mean just once, but to frequently visit? Like returning to a favorite vacation spot, such as Miami Beach? Sometimes I blog hop - when I'm blocked from writing or just want see what everybody's doing. If I find a new blog I really like, even if I've never met the blog's author, even if we have no friends in common, I'll add it to my blog roll. My requirements for this is: 1) There are frequent recent blog posts. If the last post was a month ago, or worse, monthS ago, I probably won't bother to check it out again much less add it to my blog roll. 2) The posts have to be interesting. They don't have to be earth-shattering, just pleasant or fun to read. One thing I'm not thrilled with even if there are frequent and recent posts, is if the blog is only promotional. For instance, some authors only post excerpts and reviews of their books. There's no other meat to the blog. I might as well visit a book review site or a publishers' for sale pages and read them. I don't mind, and even like to read excerpts and reviews - IF there's more than ONLY that. That's pretty much my only requirements. I don't think that's being too hard on anyone. Or do you? I don't only read mommy blogs, or author/writing blogs, or how to blog better blogs. I like some variety. Heck, I even (sometimes very much) enjoy reading blogs about the gay lifestyle even though I'm not gay. So, what do you like to read/see in blogs and on the flip side, what don't you like to see or read on a blog? Does something annoy you? Is there something you'd like to see but don't see enough of? Or that you require to return? Do you ever lucky enough to find a blog where you can't wait for more? Where the entries are so enticing, you get addicted and go back for more and more? After I wrote this post (I usually pre-schedule my posts as I'm a big believer in being prepared and with the day job demanding lots of overtime, often without warning, and with being the Mom Taxi to several kids, there are some nights I can't blog or do anything I planned) I found this really cool blog that's talking about the same subject. In fact, it offers a valuable service: critiquing your blog. The name is: Critique My Blog You don't have to ask - yes, I put my blog in the queue and hope to receive a critique. And I hope he'll like my blog or at least not find much that needs to be fixed. Inquiring minds want to know :) You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, and Sandra Cox are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :) You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Promotion - what works?

Promotion...the bane of a writer's life. At least it's the bane of my life. Well, that and tooth aches. Pissy donors, chocolate outages, fighting kids... I've spent a lot of time researching how to promote effectively and trying to promote my work. Is it working? Hell if I know. I haven't really thought about it much lately beyond blogging and MySpacing (which is mainly blogging on MySpace in my case.) But I just read two blog posts today about promotion and both ask what type of promo we think helps. One of the articles if by Marcia James posted on Shelly Munro's blog at: http://www.shelleymunro.com/blog/2008/07/16/promo-with-marcia-james/ The usual rule of promotion (for our readers - other authors know this already) is that it either takes a lot of time or money. If you have a lot of money, you can pay someone like Marcia James to do our promoting for us. We can buy full page glossy ads in RT and other magazines. We can buy radio spots. Conversely, when money is scarce or if we're too thrifty to spend our hard-earned money, then we have to spend a lot of time to do our own promotion. Unfortunately, I don't have much of either, not with much kids still at home and working a full time day job. Over the years I've tried many avenues of promotion and I still can't tell you what works and what doesn't. I can, however, tell you what works on me as a reader. So if other readers are like me, then I have a good idea. Although I love to get free pens that so many authors give out at conferences with their website addies (because I write a lot by hand), I rarely visit the sites mentioned on the pens. I mean to when I pick them up, but then I get busy and don't think of it later. Unless a bookmark is really spiffy, and I mean extremely professional looking and pretty, I don't pick them up. I don't need more bits of paper to clutter up my house. I'm fine with dog-earing my pages and I'm so used to doing this, I dog-ear them out of habit even in the rare occurrence I use a bookmark. Now I love the book thong I got from Lori Foster and the Power of Love authors. However, the book thong has no promo on it to lead me to any of their sites or books. I love to get magnets to post things on my fridge. Again, however, I usually don't go to the authors' sites. My computer is not in my kitchen. Magnets do not play well with computers and thus since the magnet with the author's website addy is not near me when I'm on the Internet, I won't think to visit the author's site. Candy or food items with the author's name and url. Honestly? I eat the candy and the wrapper is history. It goes in the garbage. Free cookbooks with recipes from authors. This I would actually keep and use. When I'm not too tired to cook after a long day at the day job (Oh! I answered that on Shelly Munro's other blog post, not here. Well, visit Shelly's blog for that discussion. Or maybe I'll post my own article about that in a bit.) But again, would I go from the kitchen to my computer in the other room? Maybe if there's an interesting blurb in the cookbook. And since it's not magnetic, I could lay it down by my computer. So this is a maybe promo item in my opinion. Articles: blog or otherwise. I love to read articles when I have time. If the article/blog really interests me, I might actually go to the author's website to read more about her books. If I like the blog, I will go back and sometimes I become the blogger's fan and maybe even build a friendship. In this case, I am much much much more likely to buy the author's books. So I think this is the best method so far. Post cards and promo by snail mail. I will usually glance at it and pitch it. Again, I have too many bits of paper around already. I'm trying to eliminate clutter in my life. Excerpts: Should I get as far as the author's website/blog/publisher's site/dead tree book, the blurb and excerpt is what will draw me in if the author is not already a friend or on my auto buy list. I rarely read a bunch of excerpts or single chapters compiled on CDs or floppy disks. Covers: A bad cover will not draw me to a book. On the other hand, a good cover might lure me to read the book's blurb, but not to buy the book on the strength of the cover alone. But at least it got me to pick up the book. Attending readers' and writers' conferences. I think this is a great way - if you have time and money. I'm lucky if I can attend one a year and most years, I can't afford either time and/or money to go. This year I attended Lori Foster's Readers' N Writers' Get Together in Cincinnati. I met a lot of nice people, pitched to several agents and editors, and hopefully got some promotion. Frankly, there were so many other bigger named authors then me, I don't know if it was really a big promo opportunity for moi. Participating on email loops f0r book lovers or other interests you have: This would probably be good if you have time to devote to it. Unfortunately, with a day job, kids, and the need to actually write my books, I don't have time to hang out on loops all day, every day. If you don't post pretty often, people don't answer or worse, they answer and accuse you of drive-by postings. That's worse than not posting to the loop at all. Press releases: I've heard they work. I've only done a couple, and I didn't notice any spikes in my sales. I'll have to try this again. Book signings: Ugh! I hate sitting at book signings where only a couple people stop by to see me. It's demoralizing. Worse, I feel like I'm wasting time. Worse yet, I'm shy and it's excruciating to try to lure people to me. It's really demoralizing if you're with a group of other authors and they're selling and you're not. That said, there still may be promotion value because, of course, you would have posted this news to your blog, your loops, in press releases, etc. so your name still gets out. Internet chats: This is a lot like book signings in my opinion. Rarely do many readers show up and you're spending time to be there. However, these can be archived so hopelly later readers will read it. Also, like book signings, you have a reason to post announcements. Free radio/internet radio interviews: In fact, I'll be the interviewee on Yolanda Renee's Internet Radio show Thursday, July 31st. This won't be the first time I've done this. Now that there's Internet "radio" and podcasts, it's a lot less expensive or free to have your voice heard and archived for later replay. Again, I'm not positive how much this helps the interviewee. I think it helps the interviewer the most as their name is promoted by their weekly guests over and over plus they promote themselves as they promote their guests. If I had time (and a quiet house), I'd start my own Internet radio show and help promote other authors. Someday, in the future I just may do this - when I retire from the day job or at least when all my kids are grown. We'll see. But then again, this is probably like being a chat host and if no readers come to the chat, then that seems like a waste of time and energy. Paid advertising: Banner ads and magazine ads. I've dug deep in my pocket to pay for ads, even RT ads (not a full page unfortunately - my pockets don't go that deep yet), but again, I haven't noticed any increase in sales after an ad. I'm sure I've forgotten other ways of promotion. I really hope there's ways to promote that I've never heard about that are sure-fire or at least that propel my books to the top of the New York Times and USA Today best seller lists. So, how do you promote if you're an author? What prompts you to want to buy a book if/when you're a reader?

Meeting New People

I was just engaging in one of my favorite past times - blog hopping - and I landed on a blog with a Clustr World Map like I have. It was almost totally covered except for parts of Africa. What amazes me is that we meet people online from all over the world, become online friends, whether it's through a blog like this or a loop or chat, and sometimes, we become fast friends. I've honestly made really good friends online that I've visited in person and spend time with face to face. I also live in a big metropolis where there's probably a million people. I won't meet most of them in my life. Many of them I'll pass once, maybe twice, and never pass by again. Some I'll see around but never learn their names or anything about them. Then there are a few that I'll actually get to know. We live in an amazing world. I'm meeting people in Michigan, Indiana, Australia, Britain, Asia, and all over through this blog and my loops while I may never meet the people who live at the end of my road. How strange is this? I guess it's fate directing who we meet and who we have near misses meeting. This week I'm feeling philosophical, it seems. I'm also feeling guilty eating my Easter Bunnies. I mean how cruel is it to bite off somebody's ears? or their head (literally?) This year, I just can't do it. I'm not gonna do it. I can't hurt the Easter Bunnies.

Blog Hopping - the things I've learned

I've developed a new addiction, one that's not as bad as my eating, diet coke, or night owl addiction - I don't think. I've become a blog hopper (no pun intended). However, I need a much spiffier name for my blog and that would be an apropos one for me. I don't know that it talks to my romance reading audience, however, so I'll have to give it some thought and get some other opinions. I've come upon a lot of cool and helpful things the past couple weeks since I started hopping from blog to blog. I discovered www.romvets.com of course and I've had my application email answered and so I'll be joining up with them. I learned at http://calamityjenni.blogspot.com/ that an ad spot that claims they put relevant ads on your blogs don't really look after all. LOL. Go check out her today's entry to see the ad about foot fetishes. I don't exactly think that's relevant to her blog... I also discovered on her blog about a few blog awards for which I nominated some really cool blogs I visit daily. Hope they win! I had been wondering about adding one of those ad thingies to my blog, but now, I'm not so sure that's the best idea. Let me ponder that awhile longer... I found out about Lori Foster's readers' and writers' conference in Cincinnati this June, from a blog - and I made a new friend as well who talked me into going. Truthfully, she didn't have to twist my arm very hard. I was drooling to go the second she mentioned it and I stumbled all over my stubby little fingers to go and register. Of course, it was partly because I wanted to go to a romance conference and partly because (a huge part) that it's in Cincinnati where I grew up and where my family still lives - so that I can use my precious day job vacation and see my dad AND get in a romance conference. I've had my new blog friends email me resources to help my children with some of their special needs. Because of another blog I read tonight who has their cat on a diet, I'm thinking I really should put my cat on a diet. Dion, or "Mr. Paws", "Mr. Mittens", "Big Daddy", "Houdini" as we also call him is a big, adorable, extremely cuddly all-black Hemingway. (Obviously, I'm not superstitious). He's probably so cuddly because he is overweight. I just love to hold him and he's so mellow that he lets me cradle him like a baby - in fact, that's his favorite position. Off topic, he gets his other nicknames because right before we got him fixed, he, uh, got our Stacey in the family way and we kept one of their kittens, Prissy (also often called "Miss Priss" or "Missy Prissy" because she really is prissy), and so he is the cat daddy in the house. Of course he's got the paw type names because he's a polydactyl-Hemingway. "Houdini" comes because he's always trying to escape to the outside. When he sees one of us go out, he hides and waits by the door for us to come back in and then dart out. Since he's been neutered and gotten slower and gained the weight, we usually catch him, but he's getting by us more and more again. I wish I could let him outside like a normal cat, but my neighbors complain and even threaten to take him to the pounds, so I can't risk it. We have to chase him and bring him back right away when this happens. Do you know how impossible it is to find an all black cat in the dark of night??? Prissy got her daddy's Hemingway paws and she looks like she's all black until you see her belly where she has just a teensy tiny splotch of white. Stacey and Prissy have maintained their girlish figures and we give them the same food as Dion. So either he's eating way more than his share, or he's just genetically predisposed to be chunky (hypo-thyroid like me perhaps? can cats have thyroid problems?) OR, and I suspect this is the biggest culprit, is that Dion's eating the dog's food too much. Of course, the dogs eat the cat food until we chase them off. I think my dogs and Dion have identity issues... Guess I'll know for sure when Dion starts barking and Andy and Meiko start meowing. I've been invited to participate in author contests and chats which I probably wouldn't have been. I found the 5 Minutes for Mom's site and their special promo week in March 08, "The Ultimate Blog Party" (don't miss it!) - look at the hot pink button on the upper left hand column of my blog. There's been so much more, but it's late and my brain is getting foggy. No, I didn't get beaned by a softball at my daughter's game. Unfortunately, one of the other mom's did at last night's game. She was walking into the ladies' room by another field and it came out of nowhere - she said no one called "heads up". She was in pretty bad shape for awhile but she seems to be better now, thankfully. I probably won't blog hop for the next couple days, or at least not much. I have to have to have to finish my edit and get the book to my editor. It's called "Best Mates" and it will be part of the Bound Brits anthology for TEB at www.total-e-bound.com