April 30, 2008

Oh my...it's hard to believe that May is just around the corner. I have so many things I want to accomplish and time seems to be racing by.

The beer fest was a blast! We only tasted 32 of them and no one got drunk. We had lots of water and food, which I am sure helped.

The interview went very well, and they want to have me back again for another one.

It poured most of the day Monday so I stayed home and did not work or go to the gym. I made up for it yesterday by doing both. I will do that again today.

Despite it being May tomorrow, I have made some excellent progress on two of my books! I haven't heard anything from the NYC agent or the publisher - so who knows...

I swear that the waiting part of being an author is the toughest.

I've made an observation that I thought I would share - it seems that some of my friends have changed of late. It's kind of weird and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Wait - is it my friends or is it me? Hmm.

April 25, 2008

I walked about 1.5 miles today, but skipped the gym. No writing today, but I will get back to it.

Tomorrow is the local Raleigh BeerFest, which I am skipping at $40 a person. Instead, some friends are coming over and we bought about 50beers from all over the world. I am making Polish sausages and sauerkraut and pizza. Friends are bringing snacks, cheese, and breads. It should be a blast.

I can't be too bad because I have my radio interview on Sunday. The show is called Champagne Sundays and the hosts drink champagne, so I am obliged to do the same!

Have a great weekend...

April 24, 2008

I have finally had a chance to get back to my researching and writing. I have three books going all at the same time. They are in various phases. One is done and I am searching for a publisher. I also have a NYC agent looking at it. Another one is partially done, and the third is only in the research phase.

I have a radio interview coming up on Sunday starting at 2:40 p.m. E.T. http://www.southwestblend.com/Champagne_Sundays/historyshow4-27-08.htm

I've gotten back to walking my neighborhood and hitting the gym. I am sore, but it feels good.

April 21, 2008

This weekend was nice - went wine tasting and shopping. Sunday was a day of yard work...Last night was the last installment of the John Adams series. I feel sorry for that man. He knew that his place in history would be overshadowed by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson...he was right. His family suffered so much tragedy, too. I cannot believe how much I learned from that series.

I have been in touch with a NYC literary agent about my book(s) so who knows where I am about to go when it comes to my writing life...

April 17, 2008

Today is going to be busy - especially this afternoon. Appointments and meetings.

I forgot to mention that AMC TV posted another portion of the interview I did - check it out: http://blogs.amctv.com/future-of-classic/2008/04/prostitution-in-the-wild-west.php

I finally heard from my good friend Bob Boze Bell, which made me feel good. I have been worried about him, but I think he is going to be just fine.

I just got this photo from Thom Ross while we were at the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, GA. Thom is on the left, me in the middle, and Jim Dunham on the right. Jim is associated with the museum, but it also a former actor and gun performer. He's the guy who taught Micheal Biehn and Val Kilmer to twirl their guns for the Tombstone movie. He's taught countless others as well.

April 16, 2008

Well, blogging from Atlanta didn't happen as you can see. The Internet connection in my room did not work, so I was only briefly able to check my e-mail in the hotel lobby. I limited my time to e-mails that were very important or needed my attention.

I met some of the most amazing people in Atlanta (I should say Cartersville). Michael Wallis wrote the book on Route 66, which the movie Cars was based on--he was even the voice of the sheriff in the movie. I got to spend a great deal of time with him...what a nice guy!

My trip was also special because I got to spend time with one of my favorite artists...Thom Ross. He is, contemporary western artist extraordinaire. Then there were my Tombstone buddies; Allen Barra, Jim Dunham, Jeff Morey, and Gary Roberts. Lord forgive me if I left someone out. I met with an agent, who also authored a book on George Custer. He offered some great advice.

I can't say enough about meeting people in your field - especially the nice ones! It's strange...I was in Georgia, but felt like I was in the west somewhere.

Saturday night I dealt faro in my Victorian dress for 60 people. It was a fundraiser for the museum (Booth Western Art). The event took place at an estate (14,000 S.F.). This place was amazing...the owner is a huge western history buff and 5000 square feet of the house is an entire street recreated to look like one in Tombstone. Totally awesome!

I have been home for a couple of days, but playing catch up.

Remember that pioneer woman's book with recipes from the emigrant trails? I had a publisher who was interested, but they wanted a ton of revisions. Well, I realized that I didn't have the time to make them, so I sent it to another publisher. Yippee! They love the concept and have asked to see the entire MS (manuscript). I am keeping my fingers crossed.

It's going to be crazy again soon...I just feel it.

April 10, 2008

This week has turned out to be really quiet both work wise and personal. Not having a ton of work this week was like a breath of fresh air. My husband was out of town so I took it real easy every night.

I met my friend, the one who lived in South America for six months, for dinner. It was awesome to catch up with her and to learn about new cultures. She even brought me back two bottles of wine - one from Chile and one from Argentina. I can't wait to taste those...

I actually managed to get some work done as VP-Marketing for Women Writing the West, too.

At about noon today, I head to the airport to start my weekend trip to Atlanta. It will be fun, but my good friend, Bob Bell, will be missed. It's a short flight, but I have some really great reading material. A friend of mine sent me an interesting article and I am looking forward to it.

I will try to blog from Atlanta and keep you posted on all the happenings.

April 7, 2008

This is getting to be a weekly blog more than daily. Work last week was insane and so was I...

This week is starting off slower, thank goodness.

I am getting excited about going to Georgia this week...it should be tons of fun. I will definitely take pictures and post one or two here.

Honestly, not much else is going on. I am sure I am forgetting to share something.

I have been watching the John Adams special on HBO that has been running for a few weeks now. It is amazing our country made it.