Monday Mayhem – Let’s catch up

Are you there readers? It’s me, Margaret.

Did you enjoy meeting Valerie Haight? She’s a doll. How about that round of two truths and a lie? It was hard to figure out which one was the fib, but Laurie and Carol got it right. Val is not a Courtney Cox wannabe.

I’m just back from a fabulous weekend in St. Louis with my girlfriends. Here’s a picture of us taken at the observation deck atop the Gateway Arch.

Laughter. Tears. Laughter through tears. Most of it induced by Cards Against Humanity. Had an incredible dinner at Trattoria Marcella on The Hill. A little winter weather and some other interstate complications made getting home a challenge, but I’m happy to report that no limbs were lost and no one was arrested.

Getting ready for an intense round of business travel. I’ll be leading three day classes in three West Texas towns over the course of three weeks. Oy.

What does this mean for you, dear readers? It means you get to meet more of my friends.

Next Monday, Renee Vincent will be here to talk about her latest release, The Temperate Warrior. On the 28th, by pal Karen Booth will visit. I’m very excited for her upcoming novel, Bring Me Back. I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of this rockin’ novel!

What does all this travel mean for me? It means buckling down and cranking out some words in strange rooms. You’d think it was a simple matter of ‘have laptop, will travel’, but it’s not. Margaret is a creature of habit. Being out of my comfort zone throws me off my game. But, I did it during NaNo, and I can do it again. I have to. I have deadlines to meet. 🙂

What will I be working on whilst I’m away? Containment!

This will be the third in what I call (in my head) the Chicago Girls series. Containment will be Shel’s story. Shel was Tracy (Contentment) and Maggie’s (Commitment) roommate when they lived in the city. It will be an After Happily Ever story focusing on issues of expectations, trust and fidelity. It willl release Fall 2013.

In other news, I have roughed out six new Jack and Ellie stories to complete the Long Distance Love series. I’ll be working with TMP to release a compilation all of the stories used in anthologies, the free reads, and these new stories to bring their love story full circle. Look for it this fall too!

So, yeah…. Busy times. But I also have tons of good stuff to look forward to in the coming months. A few of the highlights:

• I’m hooking up with my Super Cool Party People in February! Yay! I only get to see most of these crazy ladies once a year, and that’s not nearly enough. I plan to laugh until we all lay on the floor, panting and spent.
• I’ll be attending the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Kansas City this May. Not only will I get to meet and chat with new readers, but I will have the added bonus of quality time with some of my author buddies. RT is open to the public. If you’re in the KC area and would like to attend, you can find more information here.
• Miss Maggie is keeping me crazy busy with all these releases. What was she thinking? She was thinking the world needed more sexy, steamy romance. The Hot Nights in St. Blaise series has now been launched. Jumping Mr. January is available now, and February’s Fling will release the week of January 27th. There are 12 novellas in this series, so plan your 2013 reading now! Be sure to like Maggie’s page on Facebook or follow her on Twitter to keep up with the latest.
• Downton Abbey and Castle are back. Thank goodness.
• Tim Bunny is still cute. And bad. Cute and bad. No wonder I can’t resist him.

I think that’s the gist of what’s happening in my world. What’s happening in yours? Read anything good lately? Can you believe what happened on Downton? Could Castle and Beckett get any cuter? Any travel on your calendar?