Home at Last!

In a way, it's hard to believe it's been almost a week since I posted. Then again, I feel like I was away for a month. I've now been to Dallas twice and have seen nothing except the airport and the Marriott Quorum. It's hard to find time to breathe, let alone leave the hotel.

For me, the highlight of this conference was meeting several people I had known only through emails or phone calls. I finally met my agent, Janet Benrey, face to face. She was so gracious and gave me a great big hug and a lot of encouragement, as well as some advice on what direction my writing should take next. Here we are at the awards dinner Saturday night.

I briefly met several people who have visited the blog--like Christa Allan, Tiffany Colter, Michelle Hutchinson, and Cathy West. Rose, if you're reading this, I glimpsed your name tag as it was walking out the door of the bookstore and tried to yell, but I was trapped working behind the cashier's table and couldn't manage it. I never managed to connect with you again. I didn't manage to find Sherrie, either. Drat!

The Saturday night awards banquet was one of the last official functions, and as I arrived I was thinking that I still hadn't spotted Sally Bradley. It was harder to identify anyone Saturday night, because most folks refused to wear the big tacky name tags when they were all dolled up for the dinner. But I saw someone across the hallway that looked like Sally's picture, so I followed her and introduced myself. I ended up sitting with her during the ceremony so we got to talk a bit. As I commented on her blog today, I was very disappointed that she didn't win the Genesis award for her category (romantic suspense), but I still felt like I was sitting with a celebrity when they flashed her picture up on that huge screen.



As for the workshops and classes, my favorite was the late-night chat hosted by the Thomas Nelson folks. They moderated a discussion about what exactly Christian fiction is--and what it should be. I was happy to hear the new direction that Thomas Nelson is taking. There might even be hope for some of my strange stuff to slip into that door one of these days, who knows? Randy Ingermanson's workshop on marketing was also excellent. For anyone interested in fresh ideas for marketing their writing on the Internet (even if you're not published; Randy holds it's never too early to start marketing yourself), I'd recommend getting the conference CD's.

And last, you'll be pleased to know that I did get up the courage to wear the Queen pin. I actually stuck it to my name tag. On the one hand, it worked as I planned fairly often, so I got to discuss the blog and give out some bookmarks. On the other, so many other folks were sporting bizarre attachments to their nametags that I didn't get as much notice as I'd hoped--or feared. In fact, the bookstore was selling all sorts of ribbons for the name tags, and would you believe one of them said "Queen"? They were sold out by the time I got to the bookstore, but I saw a couple of people wearing them.

I was indignant, of course. Clearly, there can only be one Queen.

Heading for the Conference

I've been so bad about blogging this week. And I'll probably be bad for the next few days. I really thought about taking my laptop with me to Dallas so I could blog while I'm there. I may regret not taking the laptop, because I have a feeling there will be lots I'll want to share. Plus I may need moral support. But last year I took my laptop with me, and I ended up arriving at the hotel about four hours before they had my room ready to check in. So I had a heavy tote bag and my computer, which I swear was made of solid iron, to lug around with me all that time. I'm just not sure I can risk that again. So either I'll have to find a computer to use somewhere, or save it all up for next week.

Speaking of the conference, did you notice the picture at the top of this post? I started out with a cute little idea. Find a pretty crown pin and wear it, to identify myself as queen. I did find a nice, subtle little crown necklace, but I also came across this rhinestone pin that says "Queen." While I was looking at the picture of it in the online store, it seemed like a great idea. I'll wear this cute pin that says "Queen." People will ask me why I'm wearing it. I can then tell them about my blog. I can whip out a "Queen of Perseverance" bookmark and give to them.

There are a couple of problems with this plan. First, when the pin arrived, it turned out to be the biggest, gaudiest thing you ever saw. Second, this plan goes against my nature, which is to try to blend into the wallpaper and be noticed as little as possible. So whether I'll have the courage to do this or not is anyone's guess. I'm taking it along just in case.

I'll let you know. In the meantime, to make up for my slackness of the past few days, I did post twice today. Be sure to read the other one. The cats are more entertaining than I am!

Oh, What a Night!

Wendy checks the Perimeter...

And gives the "All Clear."

Last night was pretty wild at the Queen's household.

It all started as I sat in the chair next to my bed, looking at a catalog. My husband was already asleep, so I was using a small light on the nightstand, and the rest of the room was pretty dim. My cat Wendy started to stalk a small object on the floor near the doorway. I thought it was her catnip mouse, but I changed my mind when the object suddenly leaped away from her. I did some leaping about that time, myself.

Whatever it was had gone in the general direction of my quilt rack, so Wendy and I both crept in that direction. We pulled apart the layers of quilts and looked all over the place for that little critter, but we didn't find anything. Finally I told myself that it must have been a harmless cricket, even though that would have been the biggest dadgum cricket I had ever seen. Still, I was tired and just wanted to go to sleep.

I did just that, but sometime later a noise made me leap again. Something had squealed, or squeaked, or squawked. I have a hard time describing this noise, partly because I was trying to wake up as it happened. But I knew one thing right away. This was no cricket. I also knew it sounded like it was under the bed.

I asked my husband if he had heard the noise, and he said yes.

"So what was it?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said.

"Oh, great. There's probably a mouse under the bed."

"Well if there is, Wendy will get it."

I don't want to cast any aspersions here, but Wendy is a house cat. She's never, to my knowledge, been outside. Stalking her catnip mouse is about as far as that goes. Still, I looked over at her, and she was giving it the old college try. She seemed to have zeroed in on something between the footstool and my purse--right next to my bed. I went for the light on the nightstand and discovered two tiny little eyes staring up at me. Since this was the same dim light I was using earlier, I was pretty freaked out for another second or two. Then I managed to see what I was looking at--one of those tiny, cute little green frogs.

Cute or no, Wendy was worried about her reputation and was about to go for him. I secretly suspect she wouldn't have accomplished much other than causing him to hop around the room, or back under the bed so we couldn't get to him. The process had already started when Dave deposited her in the hallway and shut the door while he caught the poor little frog and took him outside.

So anyway, I'm pretty tired today. Tonight I work until 10 p.m., and I need to leave my house at the crack of dawn tomorrow to start that long day of travel toward Dallas. So if you see me at the conference and I look pretty haggard, now you know why!

Cera slept through the whole thing, so I had to tell her about it.

Thanks, You Guys!

Thanks so much for the response about my photo. I love fishing for compliments! I'm really an insecure puddle when I go to conferences, but y'all have made me feel better. Maybe I'll at least have a decent picture on my one sheets. I noticed yesterday that the picture is pretty dark. Maybe the photographer took me seriously about photographing me in candlelight. Whatever helps.

Melanie, I'm very disappointed you (and Kathleen) won't be at the conference. Maybe next year. Assuming I ever come up with the money and energy to go again. I'm looking forward to seeing all of you who are planning to be there. And Sherrie, how did you know my favorite coffee involves the word "mocha"! I'd love to sit down and have one with you.

Next time I post, I want to ask your opinions about a couple of things. Yes, they're about the conference. I told you I'm very insecure. Some of you may be sick of hearing about the conference by now. Actually I'm getting sick of it myself, and I'm going. Just put up with me for another week or so, and then we can get back to the important stuff. Like giving away prizes!

Again, thanks to everyone who left such nice comments. I started this blog to try to encourage others, but it's turning out to be the other way around.

A New Look

Yesterday I did something I haven't done in quite awhile. I actually paid a professional photographer to take pictures of me. In preparing for the ACFW writers' conference in Dallas next week, I needed to make updated business cards and one-sheets. I wanted to put my photo on them, and frankly, since I've started plastering my picture all over the place, I decided I needed all the help I could get. In other words, I needed to consult a pro.

Seventeen years ago, a wonderful photographer named Ken Hill photographed my wedding. I didn't run into him again for over a decade. Then my husband and I moved to my home town, started going to a new church, and found our wedding photographer in our Sunday School class. He very politely told us he remembered our wedding and how beautiful it was, but none of us could keep a straight face. This man photographs weddings all the time, and since ours was a tiny wedding with punch and cake for the reception, I doubt it made that much of an impression. I, of course, thought it was the most beautiful thing I ever saw, but it's the only wedding I've had!

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I asked if he would take headshots of me and allow me
to use them on my blog and business cards. He graciously agreed and charged a very reasonable fee. So there I was, posing for dozens of shots for over half an hour. (He really gave me my money's worth.) I decided I would hate to be a model or a celebrity, which doesn't seem to be much of a threat right now. I was looking through all those shots awhile ago, trying to choose a new one for the blog. You start to examine yourself more closely than you should--unless it's your soul you're examining, of course. In some shots, I decided he had made me look really young, probably by putting my face in almost total shadow, but then my teeth looked dark. (I asked if he could photograph me in candlelight, since I look stunning in really dim lights. He said no.) In some pictures, my ears were sticking out through my hair like an elf. A deformed elf. I mean, Orlando Bloom and Liv Tyler looked great with ears like that, but me, not so much.

Anyway, I finally chose one. You can see it on the opening page, over there on the right. No ears sticking out, can't see the wrinkles too much, teeth aren't too prominent. Although I do sort of look like I'm up to no good. Maybe I better go examine my soul now.

Driving at Night

I hate driving at night. I don't see very well, for one thing. Yes, I know it's dark and no one sees well at night, except my cats, who can attack a wiggling toe under the covers without the aid of even a tiny night light. But I have trouble beyond that.

First, car lights and street lights seem to spread out and run together. It's hard for me to tell where one begins and another ends, let alone which lane the cars are in. If you add a little rain, I'm toast. I did recently get some nifty driving glasses with an anti-glare treatment that help some.

Maybe this is an indication I'm getting old. When I was a kid and someone would complain about taking my friends and me somewhere at night because of driving in the dark, we would roll our eyes and say, "The car has lights." If there were justice in this world, we would have received at least five or ten lashes for that.

Anyway, this past weekend, it was time for our semi-annual trek to the bluegrass festival. As you may recall, it's way out in the country, and my mother, my husband and I headed out Friday night to catch up with the rest of the family. My mom doesn't drive and Dave wasn't feeling well, so that left me. Driving in the dark.

And I do mean dark. For miles at a time I wouldn't see lights from houses or towns, just black woods on either side, with that one patch of light from the headlights right in front of my car. I was doing pretty well for the most part. After all, I was wearing my new glasses. Then I lost my focus for a few seconds. I glanced up and saw that the headlights of the car I was meeting were coming at me at a weird angle. For a second or two, I felt panicky. I wanted to jerk the wheel and straighten up the car, because I felt as though I were running off the road, but I gripped the wheel and hung on. My emotions were telling me to turn. My head tried to tell myself nothing had changed; I was right on track.

A couple of seconds later, my headlights showed me that the road was about to curve, and I do mean curve. Now it was time to gently turn the wheel and go with the road. Now everything made sense. That's why the car lights were coming at me from about a 70 degree angle.

I've mentioned this verse in an earlier post: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." That time I mentioned an illustration I'd heard of a flashlight--that God's word and his guidance are like that. They only show us one step at a time.

Well, in this day and age, I guess his Word could also be compared to headlights. It shows us all we need to keep the car running smoothly and on the road. But take your eye off the road right in front of you, off of that lighted spot right in front of your own vehicle, and you lose your focus. You get confused and think you're off track even when you're not. You may even panic and want to jerk that wheel, to take that curve in the road before you're ready for it.

My prayer for all of us this week is that we keep our eyes on the road, stay safe--and complete that journey that God has in store for us.

Happy Birthday to our Panda Cub!

I've mentioned before my fascination with Atlanta's giant panda cub, Mei Lan (rough translation, Atlanta Beauty). Only a few giant panda cubs have been born in the United States, so we're very excited to have her here in Georgia. Today she's celebrating her first birthday! I wish I could be there for the fun, but there's just too much going on this time of year.

Mei Lan weighed approximately four ounces when she was born, and they compared her size to a stick of butter. Hence the nickname we gave her where I work: Butter Baby. She weighs over 57 pounds now, but considering that her mom weighs around 250, she's still pretty small. And definitely cute.

If you want to see for yourself, check out the photo gallery of Mei Lan on Zoo Atlanta's website: http://www.zooatlanta.com/animals_giant_panda_cub_gallery.htm.

You can also watch her live from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays on Zoo Atlanta's Panda Cam. And then there's the blog with updates. Enjoy!