Stephanie Bond Love

  The 5th Annual Conference of Nebraska Romance Writers took place yesterday, and it was a marvelous success!

I’ve belonged to Romance Writers of America for years, and I’ve met many many writers–both good and bad people, I would say. But I don’t think I’ve ever met a person I respected, admired, and liked more than Stephanie Bond. She came to writing from the corporate world, so she is the consummate professional. She is also so warm and friendly, she puts everyone at ease. She openly shares important information, even becoming “an ambassador” for her line, Harlequin Blaze, inviting other writers to submit to them. I can’t say enough good things about Stephanie Bond. She is truly an inspiration.

I learned so much from her. I’ll blog about some of her advice in the future.

Run out and buy her books! She writes with warmth and humor, and I know you’ll enjoy them.

Nebraska Weather

 

I’ve always thought Nebraska doesn’t have much scenery. I mean, what can you do with flat emptiness? When Oscar Wilde came through here in 1888, he described it as looking “like a piece of blotting paper.”

But what Nebraska does have in place of scenery is — WEATHER! We get every extreme, from drought to flooding, from scorching temps 100+ to bone-chilling below 0. All four seasons in all their glory. Since we live in the center of the continent, there are no oceans to moderate the weather, so it comes upon us in extremes. Instead of looking up to see skyscrapers or mountains, we see a constantly-changing sky show of clouds.

Climatologist Ken Dewey has been putting photos of Nebraska weather on the web, and his site drew nearly 30 million viewers last year. Here’s a small sampling:

                                                                                    

If you would like to see more weather photos of Nebraska, just go to his site at:

www.hprcc.unl.edu/nebraska/photos.html

Enjoy!

Covered Bridges

  Yesterday, I found myself in Winterset, Iowa. Dh had to do a carpet inspection, and I rode along. Naturally, I made him stop at one of the fabled “Bridges of Madison County.” We saw the Hogback Bridge, built in 1884.

What a romantic setting! Again, naturally, I was reminded of the novel and movie by Robert James Waller. I’ll have to get out the book and read it again.

This reminds me of a writing story I heard. Waller is kind of a funny-looking little man, and he used to go to writer’s conferences with a book in his briefcase. People would dismiss him. “So you’ve got a novel. Yeah, yeah … ” Well, it turns out that book was The Bridges of Madison County, which became a phenomenal success. That’s why I never dismiss struggling writers. You just never know who is going to have the next best-seller in his or her briefcase! 

You’re Invited!

  I just wanted to remind everybody that the 5th Annual Writer’s Conference of Nebraska Romance Writers is coming soon:

October 26-27, 2007
Country Inn & Suites
Lincoln, NE

Have you ever thought about writing a book?
Maybe a memoir or thriller? Perhaps a romantic comedy?

If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing your name in print, consider attending the Fifth Annual NRW Writer’s Conference. This year, our keynote speaker is celebrated Romantic Comedy, Suspense and Mystery writer Stephanie Bond.

Stephanie Bond writes sexy mysteries for Mira, humorous romantic suspense novels for Avon/HarperCollins, and romantic comedies for Harlequin Books. She is best known for writing steamy books that make readers laugh out loud.

Since 1997, Stephanie has published over 40 books, had an excerpt featured in Cosmopolitan magazine and is achieving great reviews for her latest release, BODY MOVERS:2 for the price of 1.

Ms. Bond has reached the Waldenbooks Top Ten Best Selling Title List numerous times and has earned many industry awards since leaving her career in systems engineering to write full time.

Workshop Details

Ms. Bond will be presenting three workshops on Saturday:

The Difference Between a Good Book
and a Great Book

Learn the small nuances that make characters and a story memorable enough to land your book on a reader’s “keeper” shelf!

The Key to Consistent Sales: Self-editing

No matter where you are in your writing career, discover the little things you can do to move past a plateau to produce leaner, cleaner manuscripts that let your voice shine through and result in fewer revisions.

Mind Your Own Business
(Writing Business That is)

All aspects of the business of writing will be discussed, from your home office to page-production to agents to self-promotion.

To register, just click on ”NE Romance Writers” in my Favorite Sites to the left. 

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Princess Diana’s Inquest

 Poor Princess Diana. Have you been watching the news about the Inquest? Was she murdered? By the royal family?

I vividly remember the day Princess Diana died. It was on a Labor Day weekend, and I was vacationing with my family in Breckenridge, Colorado. I had just walked in the door of our condo around lunchtime when Dh told me Diana had been in a car accident. We watched TV off and on all day between our activities. By that evening, I said, “There must be something terribly wrong, or they would have said by now that Diana is being treated or resting in the hospital.” All was silence about her condition all through that long day, and before they finally announced it, I realized that Diana was dead. Maybe it was the combination of the Colorado thin air and the worrying, but by the time we drove down the mountain to go home the next day, I felt sick to my stomach.

Don’t get me wrong–I realize that Diana had many faults, and I probably sympathize more with Charles than with Diana over their ill-conceived marriage. But she certainly didn’t deserve to die so young or in that way.

And I wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn that she had been murdered by the royal family. These things have happened and been hidden throughout history. Why should now be any different?

What do you think?