Today’s post is the beginning of a two-parter. Watch for part two from Megan on Friday! The two of us sat together at the RITA awards at RWA (and probably drove our neighbors crazy with the whispering–sorry, neighbors!). We sat behind the giant screen in the middle of the room, and had a fabulous time watching the parade of fashions go by. Here are a few tips we came up with to remember when packing for conference:

A little leopard print can be great! Shoes are always good…

Scarves are good (just ask Emma Hamilton! But you can leave the leopard head at home)


But it can be easy to go a little overboard…
All-white can be fresh, summery, and youthful! A good choice in the steamy cities of RWA


But too much can say “Demented Bride”!
Nice walking shorts with cute shoes–Yes!
Sloppy cut-offs–maybe not. And be sure you can sit in your skirt!!!

Dress-over-jeans–Yes or No?

In a room of 3000 women, a nice pair of shoes will get you noticed faster than anything! (Just be sure you can walk in them…)





Abigail Adams knew the power of nice shoes
So did Martha Washington!
Make sure your clothes fit…
Bring shawls for air-conditioned workshop rooms
Most of all, be comfortable and have fun!!!

What are some of your favorite “do’s” for conference?

I’m back! I got home yesterday evening from RWA, and am still a bit stunned and zombie-fied, so I’m afraid this won’t be a very in-depth post. 🙂 (Look for more info next week!). This was a very fun, upbeat conference–I would rate the Marriott Wardman Park above average for conference hotels (especially for its nice neighborhood with such a plethora of good restaurants!), and the conference attendees get a gold star for fun conversation and the best parties EVER. A few highlights:

The Beau Monde Soiree! (The costumes were gorgeous, and I enjoyed the dancing–watching, anyway. My hoops were too heavy and my shoes too pointy-toed to participate. In these pics I’m with Megan, and Keira Soleore and Michelle Willingham, who looked gorgeous in her Josephine-style gown. And our own Louisa won the Royal Ascot!!)

The Harlequin Party (of course! In these pics I’m with a bunch of people–Andrea Pickens, Diane, Deb Marlowe, Michelle W. and Elizabeth Mahon of the Scandalous Women blog, and with my Grand Central Publishing editor Alex Logan, who gave a thumbs-up to the dessert selection. The third pic is Michelle W. and her husband, who were totally The Cuteness Couple at the party…)

The post-awards ceremony! (The disgustingly tall woman is my Harlequin editor Joanne Grant, and of course you know Megan by her lovely vintage gown. One day she will wake up and find I’ve snuck into her house and stolen those dresses away since she once made the mistake of showing me where she keeps them)

And I even got to play tourist for a day, which I usually don’t at conference! On Sunday I hit the Mall with Keira, Regina Scott, and Marissa Doyle. I saw the American History museum (including these gowns once worn by Martha Washington and Dolley Madison) and briefly ran through the American Indian building, which was gorgeous (I’m determined to go back there next time). We had a fabulous dinner, too, handmade pasta, calamari, and tiramisu, yum!

I have to admit, though, the highlight of the conference was doughnuts, cocktails, and True Blood. Megan and Carolyn, you are superlative hostesses and I hope the neighbors didn’t call the front desk on you. (I even got to catch the new episode on Sunday as I packed, and there was a bit more Eric than usual, yay! We even glimpsed his Viking days…)

And major congrats to Pam Rosenthal on your much, much deserved RITA win! If you haven’t yet read this fun, literate, sexy book, run out and get it right now.

In short, it was a fabulous time. It’s always hard to get to the end of RWA, say good-bye to everyone, and find myself back here doing laundry, trying to get my Pug to take her eardrops, and actually writing rather than just talking about writing. There will be more info later–just as soon as I take a nap…

I’m jetting off to Washington DC this morning for the RWA festivities (having finally packed my suitcase to somewhat satisfactory results)! Will be back next week with pics and reports.

In the meantime, today is also Bastille Day! Time to break out the baguettes and champagne! And if you’re in Paris, go watch the festivities on the Champs-Elysees for me. The day commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789 (the prison had once been notorious for holding political prisoners, but when it was stormed it held only 7 inmates, mostly forgers and petty crooks. 8 attackers and 1 defender, Bastille governor de Launay, were killed in the attack). It also marks the day a year later when the Fete de la Federation was held in celebration, a great feast on the Champ de Mars marked with fireworks, copious amounts of wine, and (it’s said) running naked in the streets to celebrate freedom. The good times didn’t last too long, though.

So Happy Bastille Day! See you next week….

Caffey, you are the winner of a signed copy of Scandals of an Innocent! Please send your address to riskies@yahoo.com to claim your prize

Well, my Christmas In July Writing Extravaganza is almost over (yay!). The Christmas Regency novella (a Diamonds of Welbourne Manor spin-off, watch for it next year!) is done and being hacked into shape, and my goal is to finish the Elizabethan Christmas “Undone” story before I leave for RWA on the 14th. (Maybe if I post this goal here, it will come true). But after trying to think about presents and carols and snow in the middle of 4th of July fireworks and 95 degree weather, my brain is tired. Or maybe just lazy. Either way, it’s hard to think of a good blog topic. So here, in no particular order, is a list of What I’ve Been Thinking About Lately (besides Christmas…)

1) TV. I have only very basic cable, so I am always late to TV show parties. Mad Men, Deadwood, etc–I had to wait for Netflix, but now I love them. And right now I am loving True Blood. What a crazy, wacked-out, fantastic show. It sort of reminds me of the sadly-departed Deadwood in that it has a similar dark, gritty atmosphere of weird humor mixed with the gore (even though the settings are very different). But now I have to wait for season 2. (Please tell me there is more Eric in season 2!!!)

2) Sports. I’m not much for sports usually, but there are 3 I enjoy–soccer, bicycling, and tennis. Lucky for me I’ve had 2 out of the 3 in the last week! The Tour de France started, and despite the return of Lance Armstrong (and the fact that he finished a surprising 3rd place after Monday’s stage 3, and has an entirely undiminished ego) my money is still on his Astana teammate Alberto Contador.

In tennis, of course, there was Wimbledon. Despite the fact that my true love (one of them, anyway) Rafa Nadal was not there, that Federer/Roddick match was a classic.

3) Books, of course! I’ve been reading Barbara Tuchman’s The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890-1914 (thanks to Andrea Pickens’s excellent rec!). I’m only about 1/4 of the way through right now, but I have to say the first chapter, “The Patricians,” is an excellent portrait of the old aristocratic mindset and responsibilities and privileges. Dukes, earls, marquesses, etc simply did not look at the world like everyone else, and it’s a good thing to remember when creating such a hero. (And I loved the anecdote about the fiery 1st Marchioness of Salisbury, who was responsible for revitalizing the ancient Cecil line, which had gone downhill since Elizabethan times, and who hunted every day until her death at 85, despite being blind and having to be tied to her saddle. A groom would ride beside her, and shout out when she approached a fence, “Jump, dammit, my lady, jump!” And her beautiful daughter-in-law, the 2nd marchioness, had the Duke of Wellington as a devoted admirer. He gave her flags captured at Waterloo to hang in the entrance hall of Hatfield, and wore the coat of the Hatfield Hounds on campaign).

For fun, I’m reading a YA novel by Jacqueline Kolosov, The Red Queen’s Daughter, about Mary Seymour, daughter of Katherine Parr and a magician. (The real Mary probably died in infancy, after her mother’s death in childbirth, though no one knows for sure. In this story she grows up, finds her magic, and goes to the court of Queen Elizabeth). And I just finished our own Risky Carolyn’s My Forbidden Desire, which I stayed up until after 1 in the morning to finish (even though I had work the next day!). Go and read it right now!! (Though Carolyn tells me the next story is not the one I was hoping for, but that’s okay–for now).

4) The RWA conference! It’s impossible to pack light for this, but this year seems more ridiculous than ever. One costume (for the Beau Monde Soiree Wednesday night) along with all the accessories, plus 3 evening gowns, plus 4 day dresses, plus some casual stuff, plus shoes and bags and jewelry. My luggage is taking on Duchess of Windsor proportions here. But I can’t wait to be there!

And BTW, if you are going to RWA be sure and join us (the Riskies) for a drink on Saturday afternoon at 4ish, in harry’s Pub in the Marriott…

What are you thinking about today?