Once again, August is Read a Romance Month! This year’s theme is “Celebrate Romance.” Visit the RARM website for daily guest posts from your favorite authors, giveaways, and more!… Read More »

It’s been a busy summer so far for the Dare family!  I recently returned from a wonderful time at the American Library Association conference in Las Vegas, and soon I’ll be headed to two events in Texas.

July 20-22 – “For the Love of Books: Readers Love Romance!” at Lake Austin Spa

I am beyond excited for this. What could be better than a gathering of readers and writers, at a world-class spa retreat?  Lake Austin Spa is gorgeous in the photos, and I can’t wait to experience it myself. I’ll be there with amazing bestselling authors Lori Wilde and Kerrelyn Sparks, and anyone else who would love to join us for a few days of pampering, writing, and talking romance. There will be romance trivia, a writing workshop, wine and cheese… I think I’m even leading (or straggling on) a hiking excursion!  If you have a few days to spare, please consider joining us!

Romance Writers of America annual conference, July 22-27 in San Antonio, TX

The RWA annual conference is always a highlight of my year.  If you’re anywhere near San Antonio, please mark your calendar for the annual “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing on Wednesday, July 23rd, from 5:30-7:30 at the Marriott Rivercenter hotel. This wonderful event with 500 authors is open to the public – all books are donated by the publishers, and proceeds go to support local literacy causes.

For those attending the conference, I’ll be moderating a panel on Thursday at 4:30:

Suffragettes

I had a wonderful time at the RT Booklovers’ Convention in New Orleans! I’m so grateful to all the authors, readers, publishers, volunteers, and RT Magazine staffers who worked so hard to make it a memorable, fun experience.

For me, the highlights of every RT Convention are the signings: both the Avon open house and the big Book Fair on Saturday.  Both events were crowded this year, but I so appreciate all the readers who waited (in some cases, hours!) to see the authors and came by my table to say hello.  I signed new books, I signed old books, I signed books in French! And tote bags and Kindle covers and scrapbooks and bookplates. And most importantly, I had the chance to meet readers, shake their hands, and share hugs and laughs and even a few tears.

For the most part, writing is done in solitude, and these few days spent meeting readers are precious in ways I struggle to describe. Every time I leave a conference like RT, I feel recharged as a writer and reminded of all the ways Romance is so important. Romance authors and readers are amazing people, and it’s an honor to be a part of this genre.

Thank you, RT!… Read More »

I’m so excited to be leaving tomorrow for the 2014 RT Booklovers Convention in New Orleans!

For anyone else who might be attending and curious as to where I will be and when, here’s my schedule. I look forward to seeing lots of old friends and meeting new ones!

Wednesday, May 14:

• 1:15-2:15pm – Cover Wars

Thursday, May 15:

• 10-11am – Passion Potion #9
• 6:30-8:30pm – Pub Crawl (For the first hour, I’ll be at Tropical Isle with the French Quarter 14, and for the second hour, I’ll be at Saints & Sinners with Avon)

Friday, May 16:

• 10-11am – Romance Pictionary
• 4-6pm – RT Reviewers Choice Awards
• 6:15-7:15 – Avon Krewe of Muses signing

Saturday, May 17:

• 11am-2pm – Giant Book Fair! (The book fair is open to the public, even if you are not attending the conference)

 … Read More »

Yesterday, I received the most wonderful call. Any Duchess Will Do is a finalist for the 2014 RITA in the Historical Romance category! This is such an honor, and I’m so thrilled to be on the finalist list with so many amazing authors. The awards will be presented at the national convention in San Antonio this July.

In the meantime, I’ll be out and about in a few other places:

In April, I’ll be appearing at the LA Times Festival of Books, on the Romance panel with the amazing Julie Anne Long, Susan Squires, and Beth Yarnall. The panel is on Saturday, April 12th, at 12:30 PM. A book signing will follow.

Then in May, I’m headed to New Orleans for the RT Book Reviews convention! It will be my first time in NoLa, and I’m so excited. I’ll post my schedule of panels and signings as the date approaches.… Read More »