A funny thing happened on the way home from BEA (+ blog tour)
First, with the release the Before I Wake blog tour kicks off today, with my guest post at Fiktshun's site, listing my top five favorite-to-write Soul Screamers scenes (SPOILERS FOR PREVIOUS BOOKS!) as well as page numbers for some of my favorite scenes in Before I Wake (in case you're curious when you get your copy). The full blog tour schedule is listed, with links, at the end of this post. Don't forget to check it out!
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So, it’s been a while since I posted, and here’s why. Last week was INSANE. As most of you know, last week I spent two days at Book Expo America, which was awesome, as usual, and even more so this year because I managed to pack two signings, three meetings, and dinner and a Broadway show with my editor into just those two days. Unfortunately, because my trip was so short, I was only able to see several writing friends in drive-by style greetings between signings and meetings, and now that things have calmed down, I’m really disappointed by that. But it couldn’t be helped this time. I had to hurry home for a family weekend and a house full of guests. Which was awesome.
My best friend (Kim Haynes, photographer extraordinaire) and her family came down for a long weekend, and we spent two days in a row showing her kids the wonders that comprise Six Flags Fiesta Texas, where I was seen in public in a bathing suit, which was only worth it because I got to play with Kim’s baby (Jace!!!) in the pool! He is such a sweetheart! And I don’t know where that kid gets so much energy! He was go-go-go! all day long. Every day. Good thing he is SUCH a doll! As are his older brother and sister, two of my favorite kiddos in the world.
Kim and her family went home on Saturday afternoon, and I spent most of the next day and a half brainstorming my new adult series, which I got to discuss with my editor in person at BEA last week. That’s become one of my favorite parts of BEA-getting to discuss my upcoming works with my agent and editor.
Speaking of which, I had the most awesome breakfast meeting ever with my (awesome! amazing! brilliant!) agent, Merrilee Heifetz, who is both amazing and brilliant. And also, awesome.
But after all the awesome signings (there were way more people than books) and meetings and before all the Six Flags fun, there was my disastrous trip home from NYC. Here’s how that went:
I got on a plane at JFK and promptly fell asleep on the runway (I was exhausted from all the awesome), then woke up an hour later to find that we were still on the runway. The pilot said there were huge weather delays at D/FW (where I had a layover) and that in order to fly around the weather, we’d have to make an unscheduled stop in Kansas City for more fuel. Why we couldn’t get more fuel at JFK is beyond me.
The plane took off and flew us to Kansas City, where we were given granola (but no water) by the flight crew and were informed that we probably wouldn’t miss our connections at D/FW because they were all horribly backed up. The plane lost some passengers in Kansas City and gained a few more, then we took off for D/FW.
When we landed in Dallas, we sat on the plane for THREE HOURS. They handed out more granola, but again, no water, so I had no way to take the prescription anti-inflammatory my doctor gave me for sciatica. Which was irritated by sitting on the same plane for eight hours (by the end).
My connecting flight was delayed, then delayed again, then delayed some more, while we waited for a gate. At one point, the pilot said there was only one open gate at D/FW and at least THIRTY waiting planes. We could see them lined up out the window.
It was after 12:30 am when they finally let us off the plane. The line of people waiting to schedule connections and presumably get hotel vouchers was HUNDREDS of people long (remember those 30 waiting planes?) so I skipped it. No 1. had already scheduled me for a flight to Austin early the next morning (the same morning, as it was already past midnight?) and I was willing to pay for my own hotel, if that would get me out of the airport. (I heard the next morning, from fellow passengers, that American Airlines set up cots for many of them IN THE AIRPORT.) So I headed down to baggage claim. I’d had to check my suitcase because a souvenir gift took up too much room in my bag, forcing me to carry my conference bag as a carryon.
Yet when all the suitcases were unloaded, I realized mine was missing. When I asked about it, I was informed that it was on its way to San Antonio. Without me. So my bag and my guests were in San Antonio, but I was stuck in Dallas. At 1:30 in the morning. With no hotel room, because they were all booked.
But No. 1 and my best friend worked their internet magic from San Antonio and booked a room for me. The last room, I was told, at the Hilton Garden Inn. So I stood in line for a cab. For another hour. No cabs came, in all that time, and the line of people kept growing. So No 1. called Dallas’s Yellow Cab company and told them to send 30+ cabs to the airport. A few minutes later, a line of cabs showed up. When my turn came, I got in and headed to the Hilton. Where I was informed (at 2:30 am) that there were no empty rooms at all. There was some kind of system error at the central booking office which was showing openings at multiple hotels, none of which actually existed.
The night clerk was very nice, and she called some other hotels and found a room for me. Then she called me another cab. While I was waiting for this new cab, another woman arrived from the airport with a phantom reservation. She found a room at the Omni, which was farther away, but had plenty of openings. We decided to share a cab.
That may be the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.
When the cab arrived, we got in and the driver promptly SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF US BOTH. In retrospect, I can see that I should have gotten out of the cab and waited for another. But at nearly 3 in the morning, in a city not my own, with a flight scheduled for five and a half hours later, I didn’t even notice something was wrong until we were already on the road. At which point the driver (who hadn’t turned on the meter) demanded fifteen dollars up front from each of us. When we refused to pay up front, he threatened to kick us out of the cab. At 3 am in Dallas. On the side of the road. Then he insisted he didn’t have change and pulled into a gas station where he wanted us to go in and get change. We decided then that we didn’t want change, so he proceeded to ask us personal questions on the way to the other woman’s hotel, despite the fact that mine was closer.
She called her husband from the cab, and I called No 1 (and scared him to death) to let them know where we were, and that sudden violent death might be imminent. Looking back, I realize that sounds melodramatic (and I didn't spell that out in front of the driver), but in the moment, it felt very real. This driver was scary.
When I realized he’d taken us to her hotel first and that I would then be alone in a cab with no number that I could see, no credit card machine, and no running meter, I decided that I’d rather sleep in her hotel’s lobby than stay in the cab and hope I actually got to my room. So I threw a twenty at the driver and fled the cab. Fortunately, the Omni had a room for me too, so I paid $200 (with fees) for the privilege of a two hour nap, before I had to get up and head back to the airport, where a plane took me not to San Antonio (they couldn’t get me directly there for another day) but to Austin, where No 1 and my best friend’s husband picked me up and took me home.
I’d had two hours sleep. No 1 hadn’t had much more. But we spent the next two days at Six Flags, determined to have fun. And we did! But when Kim and I got off of the Goliath (roller coaster) I had a text message from my bank, informing me of suspicious activity. Someone had been using a fraudulent debit card with my account number on it and was treating herself to dinner and shopping, straight from my bank account. If I hadn't gotten cash from an ATM in Dallas within an hour of one of her charges in a completely different state, who knows how long it would have been before anyone (including me) noticed.
So...long delays, missed flight, expensive 2-hour nap, psychotic cab driver, missing luggage, wrong-city arrival, and a stolen debit card. If that's not a comedy of errors (minus the comedy) I don't know what is.
My bag has since been found, and No 1. will bring it home from the San Antonio airport after work today. And with any luck, that’ll stand in memory as the worst travel day I’ve ever had.
Who? Me? Nervous about next year’s trip to Australia? Never….! ;)
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Here's the full schedule for the Before I Wake blog tour. Check in each day for a daily chance to win and for a grand prize, at the end!
Monday, June 11th- Fiktshun
Wednesday, June 13th - Harlequin
Friday, June 15th- All Things Urban Fantasy
Monday, June 18th - I'm Just Sitting Here and Read
Tuesday, June 19th Book Birthday - Book Soulmates
Wednesday, June 20th - Late Bloomer Online
Friday, June 22nd - Mimi Valentine
Monday, June 25th - Tynga's Reviews
Wednesday, June 27th - The Page Turners
Friday, June 29th- A Cupcake and A Latte
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So, it’s been a while since I posted, and here’s why. Last week was INSANE. As most of you know, last week I spent two days at Book Expo America, which was awesome, as usual, and even more so this year because I managed to pack two signings, three meetings, and dinner and a Broadway show with my editor into just those two days. Unfortunately, because my trip was so short, I was only able to see several writing friends in drive-by style greetings between signings and meetings, and now that things have calmed down, I’m really disappointed by that. But it couldn’t be helped this time. I had to hurry home for a family weekend and a house full of guests. Which was awesome.
My best friend (Kim Haynes, photographer extraordinaire) and her family came down for a long weekend, and we spent two days in a row showing her kids the wonders that comprise Six Flags Fiesta Texas, where I was seen in public in a bathing suit, which was only worth it because I got to play with Kim’s baby (Jace!!!) in the pool! He is such a sweetheart! And I don’t know where that kid gets so much energy! He was go-go-go! all day long. Every day. Good thing he is SUCH a doll! As are his older brother and sister, two of my favorite kiddos in the world.
Kim and her family went home on Saturday afternoon, and I spent most of the next day and a half brainstorming my new adult series, which I got to discuss with my editor in person at BEA last week. That’s become one of my favorite parts of BEA-getting to discuss my upcoming works with my agent and editor.
Speaking of which, I had the most awesome breakfast meeting ever with my (awesome! amazing! brilliant!) agent, Merrilee Heifetz, who is both amazing and brilliant. And also, awesome.
But after all the awesome signings (there were way more people than books) and meetings and before all the Six Flags fun, there was my disastrous trip home from NYC. Here’s how that went:
I got on a plane at JFK and promptly fell asleep on the runway (I was exhausted from all the awesome), then woke up an hour later to find that we were still on the runway. The pilot said there were huge weather delays at D/FW (where I had a layover) and that in order to fly around the weather, we’d have to make an unscheduled stop in Kansas City for more fuel. Why we couldn’t get more fuel at JFK is beyond me.
The plane took off and flew us to Kansas City, where we were given granola (but no water) by the flight crew and were informed that we probably wouldn’t miss our connections at D/FW because they were all horribly backed up. The plane lost some passengers in Kansas City and gained a few more, then we took off for D/FW.
When we landed in Dallas, we sat on the plane for THREE HOURS. They handed out more granola, but again, no water, so I had no way to take the prescription anti-inflammatory my doctor gave me for sciatica. Which was irritated by sitting on the same plane for eight hours (by the end).
My connecting flight was delayed, then delayed again, then delayed some more, while we waited for a gate. At one point, the pilot said there was only one open gate at D/FW and at least THIRTY waiting planes. We could see them lined up out the window.
It was after 12:30 am when they finally let us off the plane. The line of people waiting to schedule connections and presumably get hotel vouchers was HUNDREDS of people long (remember those 30 waiting planes?) so I skipped it. No 1. had already scheduled me for a flight to Austin early the next morning (the same morning, as it was already past midnight?) and I was willing to pay for my own hotel, if that would get me out of the airport. (I heard the next morning, from fellow passengers, that American Airlines set up cots for many of them IN THE AIRPORT.) So I headed down to baggage claim. I’d had to check my suitcase because a souvenir gift took up too much room in my bag, forcing me to carry my conference bag as a carryon.
Yet when all the suitcases were unloaded, I realized mine was missing. When I asked about it, I was informed that it was on its way to San Antonio. Without me. So my bag and my guests were in San Antonio, but I was stuck in Dallas. At 1:30 in the morning. With no hotel room, because they were all booked.
But No. 1 and my best friend worked their internet magic from San Antonio and booked a room for me. The last room, I was told, at the Hilton Garden Inn. So I stood in line for a cab. For another hour. No cabs came, in all that time, and the line of people kept growing. So No 1. called Dallas’s Yellow Cab company and told them to send 30+ cabs to the airport. A few minutes later, a line of cabs showed up. When my turn came, I got in and headed to the Hilton. Where I was informed (at 2:30 am) that there were no empty rooms at all. There was some kind of system error at the central booking office which was showing openings at multiple hotels, none of which actually existed.
The night clerk was very nice, and she called some other hotels and found a room for me. Then she called me another cab. While I was waiting for this new cab, another woman arrived from the airport with a phantom reservation. She found a room at the Omni, which was farther away, but had plenty of openings. We decided to share a cab.
That may be the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.
When the cab arrived, we got in and the driver promptly SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF US BOTH. In retrospect, I can see that I should have gotten out of the cab and waited for another. But at nearly 3 in the morning, in a city not my own, with a flight scheduled for five and a half hours later, I didn’t even notice something was wrong until we were already on the road. At which point the driver (who hadn’t turned on the meter) demanded fifteen dollars up front from each of us. When we refused to pay up front, he threatened to kick us out of the cab. At 3 am in Dallas. On the side of the road. Then he insisted he didn’t have change and pulled into a gas station where he wanted us to go in and get change. We decided then that we didn’t want change, so he proceeded to ask us personal questions on the way to the other woman’s hotel, despite the fact that mine was closer.
She called her husband from the cab, and I called No 1 (and scared him to death) to let them know where we were, and that sudden violent death might be imminent. Looking back, I realize that sounds melodramatic (and I didn't spell that out in front of the driver), but in the moment, it felt very real. This driver was scary.
When I realized he’d taken us to her hotel first and that I would then be alone in a cab with no number that I could see, no credit card machine, and no running meter, I decided that I’d rather sleep in her hotel’s lobby than stay in the cab and hope I actually got to my room. So I threw a twenty at the driver and fled the cab. Fortunately, the Omni had a room for me too, so I paid $200 (with fees) for the privilege of a two hour nap, before I had to get up and head back to the airport, where a plane took me not to San Antonio (they couldn’t get me directly there for another day) but to Austin, where No 1 and my best friend’s husband picked me up and took me home.
I’d had two hours sleep. No 1 hadn’t had much more. But we spent the next two days at Six Flags, determined to have fun. And we did! But when Kim and I got off of the Goliath (roller coaster) I had a text message from my bank, informing me of suspicious activity. Someone had been using a fraudulent debit card with my account number on it and was treating herself to dinner and shopping, straight from my bank account. If I hadn't gotten cash from an ATM in Dallas within an hour of one of her charges in a completely different state, who knows how long it would have been before anyone (including me) noticed.
So...long delays, missed flight, expensive 2-hour nap, psychotic cab driver, missing luggage, wrong-city arrival, and a stolen debit card. If that's not a comedy of errors (minus the comedy) I don't know what is.
My bag has since been found, and No 1. will bring it home from the San Antonio airport after work today. And with any luck, that’ll stand in memory as the worst travel day I’ve ever had.
Who? Me? Nervous about next year’s trip to Australia? Never….! ;)
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Here's the full schedule for the Before I Wake blog tour. Check in each day for a daily chance to win and for a grand prize, at the end!
Monday, June 11th- Fiktshun
Wednesday, June 13th - Harlequin
Friday, June 15th- All Things Urban Fantasy
Monday, June 18th - I'm Just Sitting Here and Read
Tuesday, June 19th Book Birthday - Book Soulmates
Wednesday, June 20th - Late Bloomer Online
Friday, June 22nd - Mimi Valentine
Monday, June 25th - Tynga's Reviews
Wednesday, June 27th - The Page Turners
Friday, June 29th- A Cupcake and A Latte