THIS SATURDAY! -- Women Read/Women Write.If you're anywhere near the Pittsburgh area, please join me and a bunch of other great authors this Saturday for Women Read/Women Write book festival. The mission of Women Read/Women Write is to bring writers and readers together to celebrate the books women love. You can meet several great romance novelists (Gaelen Foley, Madeline Hunter and me), a handful of mystery authors (Kathleen George, Kathryn Miller Haines, Casey Daniels and Heather Terrell) and a number of other authors in other genres. We're going to have four great panel discussions and there'll be a Nook e-reader giveaway. AND IT'S FREE!
What: Panel discussions, signings, free cider, Nook e-reader giveaway
When: Saturday, January 7, from noon to 4:00 pm
Where: Barnes and Nobel, Bethel Park, PA 15241
For a list of authors, panel topics and to sign up for the mailing list (we'll be doing it again next year), go to www.womenreadwomenwrite.com.
THE BEST OF 2011
For what it's worth, here's my list of 2011 highlights.
Best Books – I know you've heard me blather on about how I don't get to read much since, when deadlines loom, which is always for me, I know I should be writing instead of reading, but I did enjoy a couple great books this year. I loved Meredith Mileti's Aftertaste, a book about a chef who has to pick up the pieces of her life after discovering her husband, the co-owner of their NYC restaurant, in flagrante with another woman. Errol Morris's Believing is Seeing has some fascinating investigative essays on famous photographs and why they don't mean what we think they do.
Best TV Show – Could Ben Wyatt and Leslie Nope be any cuter on Parks and Recreation? I'm a sucker for a love story, what can I say? And New Girl is shaping up to be a good romance as well. (Oh, c'mon, don't tell me you can't tell she and Nick are going to be falling in love.)
Best Meal – Ushering in the start of my 50th birthday season with pals in Chicago at the Thai Room, the restaurant that was a once-a-paycheck splurge for my husband and me when we were young, was pretty fantastic, I must say. The fresh spring roll and pad see ew are to die for.
Best Movie – The Adjustment Bureau, hands down. An utterly charming, overcoming the odds love story disguised as science fiction. Crazy, Stupid Love was a close second. There's a beautiful father/future son-in-law moment that had me in tears. And if you're a Dirty Dancing or shirtless Ryan Gosling fan (I mean, who isn't?), you will not be disappointed.
Best Family Moment – Blissing out over Thanksgiving at the apartment of my son and his girlfriend in DC followed by Parcheesi and The Muppets movie. Why can't all holidays be that easy? (Yes, Christmas, I'm looking at you.)
Best Book Moment – Either having A Novel Seduction get a starred review from Publishers Weekly for A Novel Seduction or having Romancing Rakes describe the book as "sharp, witty, entertaining, laugh-out-loud until you cry and slightly pee in your pants funny" in their on-the-money review.
Best Moment – Well, I thought it was going to be when my daughter called from school to say she'd gotten into Drexel, but it was actually about a week after that, when she opened a letter from Drexel offering her a sizeable four-year scholarship.
Hardest Moment – Saying good-bye to my wonderful cousin, Lynne Crofford, who passed away in January and who enriched my life in many ways.
I hope highs were high for you this year and the lows infrequent. And I wish you peace, love and more than your fair share of joy in 2012.
CONTEST: BIRTHDAY QUADRUPLE PLAYIn honor of my birthday, January is a quadruple giveaway month! That's right. I'm giving away four signed copies of A Novel Seduction--one for each contest--and here's how to enter. Feel free to enter all four contests.
1) Like me on Facebook. The contest ends at midnight EST on Wednesday, January 11, and one lucky fan will be chosen at random to win . If you're already a fan, you're already entered.
2) Follow me on Twitter. The contest ends at midnight EST on Wednesday, January 11, and one lucky follower will be chosen at random to win. If you're already a follower, you're already entered.
3) Like Women Read/Women Write on Facebook. The contest ends at midnight EST on Wednesday, January 11, and one lucky fan will be chosen at random to win. If you're already a fan, you're already entered.
4) Enter here. The contest ends at midnight EST on Wednesday, January 11, and one lucky entrant will be chosen at random to win.
Happy 2012!
Best,
Gwyn
