Back to School Shopping, a BN winner, and some Spice!!!

It's great to hear you are LOVING AAF as much as I am...Derrick and Bailey are really bonding in the pages I'm writing now (in a disfunctional sort of way, of course, or what would be the point of reading the rest of the book ;O)

Don't know if you noticed, but this continuity series (Single...With Kids) is going to have a lighter tone than a lot of my stories. It's been a blast, digging for more of the funny (or at least the smart-ass) in my WIP than I usually do. Can't wait to get the draft done, so I can go back and mine for even more quirky moments amidst my trademark emotion! I might just have to come up with one more scene to share...then look for the series to begin in February--All American Father debuts in April.

Where was I yesterday, you ask? Well, I was writing in the car, as we hauled the family to an outlet mall for our annual back-to-school shopping extravaganze. My son needed everything from the feet up, and we found some great bargains. Plus it's tax-free shopping time in GA--anything that counts as back to school is tax-free through this weekend.

So, to do my part to recharge the economy, I suffered through a little shopping of my own, LOL!!! I thought you'd like to see what I'm wearing back to school this year ;O)

Remember me raving about Isabelle Fiore purses ('cause everyone wants to know what kind of bag I like to carry)? Well, this one was marked way, way down at the Saks outlet--sooo marked down I couldn't let it go. Made the manager pull it down off a shelf where it had been waiting out of prying eyes just for me to wander up and find it. If you see me this fall, I'll be wearing it until it falls apart (which it won't, becuse this designer's creations last forever).

And not to be out-shined, the outlet's shoe department was having a lovely sale as well, or so the man on the loud speaker kept saying. What kind of shopper would I be if I didn't follow his lead and go check out the goods?

Did I mention we'd wandered into Saks to find my husband some deeply discounted shirts from his favorite brand??? Oh, the trials of being a bargain-shopping guru (picture me with the back of my hand resting over my perspiring brow, a long-suffering expression taking over as my eyes close in exhaustion). Yeah, right! In reality, my enthusiasm for finding the right thing at the right price is so contagious, my dh even looks forward to the fun each year!

Any way, for conferences and appearances I attend to promote my books, I've found the best dress shoes to be Stewart Weitzmans. They're beautiful, and beautifully constructed so that you can stand in them for hours and still feel like you're wearing your sneakers. It doesn't hurt that heels work better for me than flats, because I have uber-high arches. Usually, SW's are too expensive for my budget...unless I find a kick-ass sale...and, boy, did I find one yesterday!!

Just look at this pair I tossed into my "school" cart as soon as I'd tried them on!!!! I actually wore them to dinner last night--had to break them in before the next reader event, right??? Aren't they amazing cool!!! They looked just right with my low-rise jeans and, of course, the IF bag. Mixing and matching patterns might not be for the faint of heart, but I'm really getting into the latest trend to do just that (or maybe the trends have finally caught up with my wacky sense of style ;O)

Yeah, yeah, I had a good time. But what about the winner of Brenda Novak's RWA conference goodies? I could hear your toes tapping the whole time I was shopping for these and other necessities...The magic hand pulls a name from the bag full of blog commenters, and the winner is...Carol!!!!

Email me your snail mail address, sweetie, so my shipping department (that is, my wonderful husband with a mail room at his office) can get it out to you next week.

And as promised, I have another RWA conference gift set I scored for my online faithful. Harlequin's launching a new erotica line in trade paperback. Here's one of the first books in the imprint, along with a tote bag they were giving away at the signing (also at the Romantic Times conference I attended in May). I'll draw a name from new comments left between now and the end of the week (note: if erotica's not your thing, no worries...the winner can choose something else from the books and things I brought back, if this prize doesn't mesh with her reading preferences).


The next prize to look forward to after this one??? How about a signed copy of one of my favorite Susan Elizabeth Phillps books, Ain't She Sweet? I also have early releases of some of the new paranormal Eclipse novels Harlequin's launching in Feb., as well as a tote bag they gave away at that signing...but you're going to have to wait for that one for a while ;O) How's that for teasing, my lovies, LOL!!!!

To all who keep flooding my blog and email with lovely feedback about The Prodigal's Return, thank you more than I can say. Dana and other's who've told me, letting me know the story was real enough to make you cry (and laugh) on your way to the uplifting ending, you've made my week!!!

Okay, everyone with kids (or who've done the parent thing in the past), tell us some of your back-to-school shopping stories. And even if you don't have kids, take my word for it, we all need to occasionally partake in the spree that shopping can be. My son had the best time running around Saks helping me find things to try on, after we'd spent hours in the Gap and Adidas stores shopping for him. It was a lovely family moment (maybe one only my kooky family could enjoy, but let's just say my men love me, so they've learned how to love the bargain shopping that comes with me ;O)