There’s no surprise in the fact that I would find a book store wherever it is I go. Or that I would head for the romance section when I do. So who did I spy on the shelves during my Hawaii holiday?

My good friend Bianca D’Arc

In two places no less.

One of Jennifer Bernard’s sexy firemen.

The amazing Jill Shalvis and fellow Aussie author M.J. Scott.

My newly discovered must-read Kristin Higgins.

Two Aussie authors. Kylie Griffin and Erica Hayes.

Kylie Griffin again.

And the wonderful Beth Williamson writing as Emma Lang.

Unfortunately Mr.C wouldn’t let me buy any print books because we’re heading for the Romantic Times Convention where I’ll be acquiring plenty. *looks over shoulder for Mr.C* So I had to satisfy my buying impulse by sneaking onto the free wifi and buying a couple of eBooks.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter or my Facebook page for updates while I’m away (links to both are in the bottom right corner of the page). Tomorrow we’re flying from LA to Kansas City and the week of madness that is RT begins.

I’m in Hawaii! This trip has been over 15 years in the making. See when Mr.C and I got married we didn’t go on a honeymoon. We got married three months after we started dating. We bought matching wedding bands and toddled off to the Births, Deaths and Marriages office with very little fanfare. For our first anniversary I got an ‘engagement’ ring and Mr.C got a dress ring which I think he wore for all of five minutes before deciding it was annoying. He also promised me he’d take me to Hawaii for our tenth anniversary. Flash forward a few years and a few kids and we’ve reached the magic ten and what do I get? An eternity ring. No trip.

But let’s get back to THIS trip. It was supposed to be a family trip but two of the tribe, Son#1 & Princess&thePea, decided they didn’t want to go due to life, which meant Lady-in-waiting didn’t get to go either. Princes-not-charmed wasn’t interested either & Boxer-boy (Princess&thePea’s other half) didn’t even get a look in. So we’re taking The Kid (touch wood there will be no breakages) and Princess One (Lord help the shops). I wanted it to be a big family event to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary which is in June this year. Yeah, we’re early, sue me. Anyway……

we’re HERE!

In HAWAII!

For EIGHT days!

I’ll try to post pix to my TWITTER and FACEBOOK but as I’ll be having a hell of a lot of fun I may be distracted.

And the fun doesn’t stop after eight days! Nope, The Kid and Princess One get to fly home and resume normal=mundane life and Mr.C and I fly on to LA to spend four days with Lila Dubois and FarmBoy before we jet off to the  Romantic Times Convention in Kansas City. The convention is the reason we’re taking this trip to Hawaii earlier than our actual anniversary. Makes sense when you factor in the cost of the plane ride and the time it takes to get there. But you know I’d have been quite happy to take two trips.

On a writing note, 7 Minutes In Heaven is finished and on my editors desk. I’ll let you all know details as soon as I get them. 7 is the fifth Party Games series book and I had fun playing with Luc and Cassie so I hope you all like them too. You can find some snippets up on my FACEBOOK page.

Don’t forget to check out my TWITTER and FACEBOOK steams for pix of my adventures in Hawaii and the Romantic Times Convention.

Okay, so I’ve been a really, REALLY slack blogger. I haven’t blogged here or on any of the blogs I’m a member of in recent months. I have excuses but they’re really just hot air and nobody wants to listen to me whine. I will say, things ARE NOT going to get better in the near future. Why you ask? Well this time next week I’ll be in HAWAII!!! Mr.C is taking me there for a week to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Our anniversary isn’t until June but we’ve timed the trip to line up with my trip to the US to attend the Romantic Times Convention in Kansas City the first week of May. The next few weeks are going to be super exciting. Not only am I off to Hawaii for the first time but I’ll be heading to LA for some R&R with Lila Dubois and Farm Boy before we all jet off for Kansas City and a week of catching up with people we only see once a year. It’ll be a blast and I’m sure I’ll need another week in Hawaii when we’re done. Sadly that’s not on the cards.

I’ve spent the last few weeks getting back in the writing seat and it’s been both frustrating and thrilling. The End is near for 7. Actually, I wrote The End already. I just have to bridge the gap between where I left off and The End. I don’t usually skip ahead to the final scene in a story. In fact I never do because my brain tends to shut down after I write those final words and I can never get back into the story to finish the journey. This time though, Cassie and Luc insisted I get that final scene down. I’m glad they did. It’s paved the way for the bridge. Now I just have to find the time to write. The last few days have been filled with ‘real’ life and the next few are looking the same. I’m pretty sure I just need one more solid day of writing and 7 will be done and off to my editor. Then it’s time to pack!

So, anyone been to Hawaii? Care to share any must do’s with me?

Things have been extremely quiet around here. Unfortunately directly after returning from out summer holiday I got sick. Turns out I had pneumonia. Seriously, not one symptom before I went down like a bag of shite! Anyway, that was two months ago. Yes TWO WHOLE MONTHS! And while I’m now well, that’s a bit of a misnomer because I’m still finding it difficult to get back into ‘normal’ life. I’m told it could take months to get completely better.

Anyway, during the last two months I’ve managed to sleep through two releases (yeah, literally slept through them), attempt to get back in the writing seat and attend a convention. I figured I’d share some pix from last weekends Australian Romance Readers Convention.

All the authors

At the book signing

The Down Under Divas

With Kristan Higgins

It was a great weekend and it really did boost my creative mojo so while I’ve only managed to write a few thousand words over the last few days and those have been harder than pulling teeth with tweezers *sigh* I HAVE been writing. Definitely a good sign.