I have to preface this blog by saying it's well after midnight, I've had a day from Hell, and I'm exhausted.  Therefore, rambling and nonsensical statements are to be expected and forgiven.

So this weekend I drove up to Pittsburgh.  I wanted to attend the Romantic Times Booksigning and my parents wanted to see Kiddo, so it seemed like the perfect plan.  Throw in traffic issues and mechanical issues and the plan starts to lose it's shine.  But, this is not going to be a whiney blog.  I'll save that for my personal one later this week.

I did attend the booksigning and it was great.  There were SO MANY authors there.  Some I already knew, some I'd only talked to online, and some I was introduced to for the first time.  Sophia Nash, Kathryn Caskie, and Cathy Maxwell were all their wonderful selves.  Somehow I forgot to take a picture of Sophia but she's like a total hottie model and would have shown us all up so that's alright.  And yes, Kathryn is uber-tall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also met a couple of Banditas from the Romance Bandits Lair.  Christie Kelly was so sweet and Donna MacMeans even let me wear her hat.  Isn't she the bestest?  I didn't want to make Christie squeeze out from behind the table and lets face it, the less pictures I'm in, the better.

 

 

 

 

 

I also talked to Madeline Hunter to whom I said the worst thing.  Yes, I said, "I'm a HUGE FAN!"  Ok, I didn't yell it or anything but I still can't believe THAT was my opening line.  *sigh* 

I searched for Kim Harrison but I couldn't find her.  I swear Sin, I tried.  But I did get you this picture.  I didn't talk to J.R. Ward because I don't read her books and her line was really long, but I did get a picture of her signing someone's book.  This was my third try as she kept moving.  That woman is fast.

 

 

 And last but not least, if you know anything about the Romantic Times Convention, you know there are always cover models in attendance.  The room was crawling with them.  Intelligent woman I am, I used my child to get a picture with one.  This is Jimmy Thomas.  I asked if we could have a picture because my daughter was too embarrassed to ask him.  He probably didn't fall for it but I got my picture so who cares.  Oh, and when I went to find his website I couldn't believe it was the same guy.  And I'd looked at that site before though I have no idea why.  Well, I mean I know but I can't remember specifically...oh, nevermind.

 

 

And for fun, here's my dad, Kiddo and my sis.  (Mom is in that bathroom behind them so she missed her blog debut)  This was their first event of this kind so I'm hoping this is breaking them in for someday coming to see me at one of these things.  I should be so lucky.  And yes, my child was the ONLY one there and we kept having to hide bookmarks with Erotica stuff on them.  Though she left with lots of goodies anyway.  She received a fanny pack, a tiara (which she has been wearing ever since - even into Cracker Barrel today), a ring that lights up and a giant white and purple candy cane.  The candy cane was also from an Erotica author and I don't want to know what other people do with theirs.

 

How about you?  Have you ever been to one of these giant signings?  Have you ended up spending a year's salary on books? (I only beat my NJ total by five bucks so I did good.) And are you like me and feel terrible walking past all those authors who look at you longingly, waiting for you to come talk to them and buy their book? And check out the blond dude in the background of that pic with Jimmy.  That dude was really scary looking in person.  His hair was Fabio-esque but his chest hair (of which there was ALOT) was dark black.  Uhm...either wax or color it all doofus.