The massive literacy signing that kicks off the conference raised over $55,000 in two hours. The authors are sitting alphabetically and since I’m an “M”, I took this picture from the middle. It shows just half the people. There’s an equal number behind me.

After a couple of days of workshops and meetings, we’re ready to party! Here I am at the Harlequin party with Geralyn Dawson. One of the food tables had candy apples with yummy sauces.

All too soon, I was back home and doing laundry.

When you return home after traveling, do you unpack immediately, or put it off until the next day—or week?

All photos by Dr. Bart Drees of Texas A&M. Used with permission.

Fire ants bring folks together. We can always tell people new to the area because they’ll stare at the ants instead of swatting at them as fast as they can. Complete strangers will race up and start batting at their legs while yelling, “Take off your pants!” People will do this even though they know they’ll probably get bitten on their hands. They’re willing to take a bite to save somebody from serious discomfort.

Fire ants are why you won’t find scenes with couples cavorting in the grass in my Texas-set books. Or wandering barefoot through the grass. Or having picnics on the grass. In fire ant territory, there is no splendor in the grass.

When I use settings I’ve had to research, I always wonder if I’ve missed something like fire ants that I wouldn’t know without living in the area.

What’s something that’s unique to your area of the country or world? What gets overlooked in books and movies? If I set a book in your hometown, what tidbit would I need to know? I’m after insider info, here.

photo by Becco Eliacik

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?

ferocious guard dogs

And then there is their stuff. They arrived with two crates, eleven chew toys, two baby gates that had to be installed, bowls, collars, leashes, harnesses, two kinds of treats, about ninety-five pounds of dog food, Benadryl, glucosamine tablets, a giant dog bed, four blankets, and three single-spaced pages of instructions.

I know what some of you are thinking: get a cat. But that’s because you’re cat people. Dog people are thinking: at least there’s no litter box.

So which are you? Dog person or cat person?

Some of these made me laugh and some were very familiar. Gleefully, I read the article aloud to my husband, who hates what he calls “arbitrary” rules. A little while later, I heard him rummaging around and he emerged from the closet with the belt clip to his cell phone. He made sure I was watching as he clipped the phone to the waistband of his jorts. He also wore tube socks and a tee-shirt on the storm-warning list. Oh, and there was a shadow beneath his lip–a one-day-old soul patch. I just looked at him and said, “No.” He laughed and left the house in his car with the vanity plates. He was probably going to shop for crocs. Later, he changed into black jeans. Also bike shorts, but he was actually biking. At least he didn’t bring home a rodent. Or a girlfriend.

Clearly, I was blinded by love when I was dating, so I don’t know about the 311 things. Sure, berating the wait staff would make a guy undateable for me, but what’s wrong with black jeans?

What makes a guy undateable for you?

For fun, I put one in my second Blaze, HIS LITTLE BLACK BOOK, out this month. It’s on page 28. Readers not in the know will miss it, but I’m letting Blaze Blog readers in on the secret.

I try not to repeat main character names even after forty plus books, so when Sophie the pug dog visited last year I thought, “There’s a good name,” and used it for Sophie Callahan, heroine of “Text and the Single Girl.” When Sophie the pug arrived, she deliberately checked out every room of the house. She disturbed nothing, merely observing the status quo. Then, with a Grand Duchess air about her, she set about being the dog of the house. Her self-confidence became part of Sophie Callahan’s personality. Months later, in a funny coincidence, Sophie came to visit for a week at the exact time I was working on the manuscript revisions for her story. She quickly learned the household routine and would trot into my office and camp out in the knee hole of my desk while I worked. Here she is.

So when you read Sophie’s description, “She had pale blue-green eyes with an exotic tilt that kept her from looking too ‘girl next door-ish’ in spite of the ponytail, slightly pug nose and a few freckles”, well, here’s the inspiration. I know, it’s a horrible picture, but she sure doesn’t look girl next door-ish, does she?

What Easter Eggs have you discovered or learned about? Have you hidden some of your own? Or is this all new to you? Post a comment for a chance to win a copy of HIS LITTLE BLACK BOOK.

Sometimes they get it right. Some of my favorites have been the E*Trade Baby, who’ll return this year, the Hulu ad with Alec Baldwin, the Budweiser lizards taking out a hit on the frogs, and the dog coaching a Clydesdale so he can make the team next year. There have been some incredibly bad ones, too. I’m lookin’ at you, MacGruber. SoBe? Football players as ballerinas? Mutant lizards? And you want us to drink your product?

This year’s advertisements are listed here, along with videos if you miss any. Come back after the game and tell me your hits and misses. Tomorrow is okay, too. As a bribe reward, I’ll give away a copy of HIS LITTLE BLACK BOOK, my March Blaze. It’s an Encounters and the first story features a hero deciding on a Super Bowl commercial. How’s that for a coincidence?

Just this once . . . HOOK ‘EM HORNS!

Anyone else going to watch the game?

Which is it for you–white lights or colored lights?

There were two couples from Texas
Who could have been driving a Lexus
But they went on a cruise
And are enjoying the booze
And afterward hope they’re not exes.

My prize was a lovely key chain.

The fact that I was on a pub crawl at all is solely due to the Blaze influence. Blaze heroines are confident and go after what they want. Their attitude has begun to rub off on me. Would a Blaze heroine sit around moping about her cancelled kayaking trip? Absolutely not, and neither did I. And now I have a new key chain and a new friend! (see above)

While I was cavorting in the Caribbean, did I forget the Blaze Blog readers? Why no! Straight from St. Thomas is a lovely, dainty, sterling silver Larimar necklace that a lucky blog commenter will win. Larimar, or blue pectolite, is found only in the Caribbean and is the result of lava merging with copper. The more times you comment, the better your chances of winning. On Sunday night, I’m going to ask the girl next door to draw a number and will post the winner on Monday morning.

I don’t know my new friend’s name since I, er, didn’t bother asking. It didn’t seem important at the time. What shall we call him?