Leaving on a bus... don't know when I'll get back again...

Only a Duke Will Do comes out next week, and tomorrow I'm leaving on the Levy bus tour to promote it. Never been on a bus tour. Don't know what one is like. But when my publisher broached the possibility of my going, they said that some authors refuse to go because, get this, they don't like traveling on the bus. Hmm. I suppose my publisher was referring to authors who are a wee bit higher on the totem pole than I (private planes, anyone?). Seriously, I had to stifle my laughter. I spent way too much of my youth traveling on Greyhounds. Why would I turn my nose up at a bus? Especially since I'm going with other authors. For me that sounds like PARTEEE!! And I'm always up for a party. So what if it's a bus? It'll be a nice one, right? RIGHT?? So if you happen to live in Detroit or Chicago, come make my supreme sacrifice worth it. Or just come to laugh as I eat my words while I drag my sorry butt off the bus for the umpteenth time, muttering, "I am getting too damned old and fat for this." The Where: Thursday, August 24, 2006 Eisenhower Public Library 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. 4652 N. Olcott Ave. Harwood Heights, IL Kmart Stores 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. 4201 N. Harlem Norridge, IL 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. 4101 W. 95th Street Oak Lawn, IL 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. 16300 Harlem Avenue Tinley Park, IL Friday, August 25, 2006 Farmington Community Library 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. 23500 Liberty Street., Farmington, MI Kmart Stores 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m 30800 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills, MI 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. 33400 7 Mile Road, Livonia, MI Saturday, August 26, 2006 Kmart Stores 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. 16705 Fort Street, Southgate, MI 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 21111 Van Born Road, Taylor, MI 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. 31200 Schoenherr Road, Warren, MI Sunday, August 27, 2006 Kmart Stores 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. 12730 S. Saginaw Street, Grand Blanc, MI 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. 5100 Dixie Highway, Waterford, MI 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. 100 E. Maple Road, Troy, MI The Who: Allison Brennan Born on the San Francisco Peninsula, Allison Brennan has called Sacramento home since 1989. She's been writing, since she was small, but only after the birth of her third child did she get serious enough about her prose to consider seeking publication. After writing five books in two years while working full-time in the California State Legislature, she sold a romantic thriller to Ballentine. The Prey is a January 2006 release, followed by The Hunt in February and The Kill in March. In early 2005, Allison left her career in the Capitol to devote herself fully to her family and writing. She has presented numerous writing workshops on the craft of writing, motivation, and time management. Allison is a member of Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. She enjoys classic rock music, playing video games with her kids, and wine tasting. She lives in Northern California with her husband, Dan and their five children. Karen Rose Karen Rose’s I’m Watching You was the recipient of the Romance Writer’s of America’s coveted RITA award for Best Romantic Suspense for 2005. Have You Seen Her was also a 2005 RITA finalist. Rose is a former chemical engineer and teacher who lives in Florida. Her new novel COUNT TO TEN is due February 2007. Wendy Corsi Staub Wendy Corsi Staub grew up in the "snow belt" in western New York State. When her third grade teacher praised her essay about Abraham Lincoln, Wendy was inspired and decided then and there that she would become an author when she grew up. With that goal in mind, she worked part-time in two local bookstores and majored in English with a minor in Creative Writing at the State University of New York. At 21, she moved alone to New York City to become the proverbial starving writer. She worked, at various times, as a telemarketer, an advertising assistant on a condom account, receptionist at a fashion showroom, romance novel editor, and, chillingly in retrospect, as an office temp on a high floor of the World Trade Center. Today, Wendy is officially a soccer mom, and the author of more than fifty published novels under her own name and three pseudonyms: Wendy Markham, Wendy Morgan, and Wendy Brody. She has been featured on the New York Times Extended Bestsellers List, the USA Today Top 50 Bestseller list, and Barnes and Noble's Top Ten Mass Market List. She was honored as one of Westchester County's Millennial authors in November, 2000, and her suspense novel IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE was awarded the Washington Irving Prize for fiction. Her suspense novel THE LAST TO KNOW was a nominee for the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award. Her first chick lit effort, SLIGHTLY SINGLE, written under the pseudonym Wendy Markham, was a Waldenbooks Best Book of 2002. Wendy is still in touch with her third grade teacher, who, incidentally, is very proud. Susan Kearney Susan Kearney used to set herself on fire four times a day, but now that she's a USA Today bestselling author, she does something really hot-she writes romance. She is an All-American and professional diver, expert in martial arts, sailor, real estate broker, and owner of women's fitness centers and three hair salons. She resides in a suburb of Tampa with her husband, two children, and their dogs. Marjorie M. Liu Marjorie M. Liu was born near Philadelphia, but after spending her formative years in the Seattle area, she now resides in the Midwest. Liu attended Lawrence University, majoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures, with a minor in Biomedical Ethics. She then attended law school at the University of Wisconsin, graduated in 2003, and became an attorney. Liu loved law school, but didn’t love being a lawyer. Which is why she decided to become a writer, proving both to herself and others that dreams can come true. In Liu’s spare time, she runs a taxi service for poodles. To learn more, visit her website at www.marjoriemliu.com. Gemma Halliday Gemma Halliday is a California native who has lived all over the golden state, from the digitally based Silicon Valley to the freeway adjacent Hollywood. In her previous life, Gemma worked such diverse jobs as a film and television actress, a teddy bear importer, a department store administrator, a preschool teacher, and a 900 number psychic—all of which have given her excellent fodder for the characters that tend to pop into her head in the middle of the night. Gemma started writing fiction in 2002 and, after winning several awards as an unpublished writer, her career kicked into high gear in 2005 when she won RWA’s prestigious Golden Heart Award. One month later, she was offered her first book contract, and the rest, as they say, is history. Her debut novel, Spying in High Heels, will be released by Dorchester Publishing in August 2006. The sequel, Killer in High Heels, is due out in March 2007. For more information on Gemma’s High Heels series or to view a trailer based on Spying in High Heels, visit www.gemmahalliday.com. Jacquie D'Alessandro Growing up on Long Island, New York, Jacquie fell in love with romance at an early age. She dreamed of being swept away by a dashing rogue riding a spirited stallion. When her hero finally showed up, he was dressed in jeans and drove a Volkswagon, but she recognized him anyway. They married after both graduating from Hofstra University and are now living their happily-ever-afters in Atlanta, Georgia, along with their very bright and active son who is a dashing rogue in the making. Mary Balogh MARY BALOGH is the New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Slightly novels: Slightly Married, Slightly Wicked, Slightly Scandalous, Slightly Tempted, Slightly Sinful, and Slightly Dangerous, as well as the romances No Man’s Mistress, More than a Mistress, and One Night for Love. She is also the author of Simply Unforgettable, the first in her dazzling quartet of novels set at Miss Martin’s School for Girls. A former teacher herself, she grew up in Wales and now lives in Canada. Sabrina Jeffries By the time I was eighteen, I'd eaten chicken heads and jellyfish, been chased by a baby elephant, seen countless cobras and pythons, had the entire series of rabies shots, and visited rain forests and rubber plantations. But that wasn't enough excitement for me: to escape my mundane life as a missionary's daughter, I read romance novels. I even dreamed of writing them one day (yes, my ambition at the tender age of twelve was to be a romance writer). After college, I took a detour on the way to reaching my dream and got a Ph.D., which I generally only trot out for alumni dinners, since I saw the light eventually and returned to pursuing my dream. I have now happily been writing books for the past 14 years (under three pseudonyms--the first two being Deborah Martin and Deborah Nicholas). As long as readers continue to enjoy my tales of strong women and sexy, dangerous men, I will continue to write them, even on days when I'd rather be playing spider solitaire. I now live in North Carolina with my husband and son, where I write fulltime. And most days I manage NOT to think about how many more books I'd have to my credit if I hadn't dawdled away six years in graduate school! Susan Andersen Susan Andersen grew up in a house filled with testosterone…and things haven't changed. Still in the minority in her own home, she's surrounded by her high-school sweetheart, her son and all-male pets. Andersen started writing books later in life. "I wrote bits and pieces all my life, but I never really felt as if I had the life experience to string an entire book together until I turned 30," she said. When her son was young, a friend suggested series romances to Andersen and from that point on, she was hooked. She never intended to be a writer. "I actually wanted to be a dental assistant. I went to college to learn the craft, only to discover that as employers, I didn't like 99% of the dentists I worked for," Andersen admits. Given her early training in dealing with men, she was a natural at the dynamics and pitfalls of the male/female experience. Susan's first novel, Shadow Dance, hit shelves in 1989. She reached bestseller lists with her book Baby, I'm Yours, which went on to be named one of Romance Writers of America's Top 10 Favorite Books of 1998 and also won the Romantic Times magazine Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Contemporary Romance of 1998. Susan has gone on to have her books appear repeatedly on the New York Times extended list and be selected three years in a row as one of the 10 novels named Amazon.com Editor's Choice in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Today she continues to write stories where the guy gets the girl, as long as he's willing to bend a little. While Hot & Bothered is her first novel for MIRA Books, Susan has published a total of 14 novels. Her fast-paced story lines, wry humor and edgy writing style have consistently placed her books on both the mass market charts and on bestseller lists including the New York Times extended, USA TODAY, Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com. She currently lives in the Seattle with her husband. Look for her online at www.susanandersen.com. Gena Showalter Gena Showalter is the author of sexy paranormal romances including The Stone Prince, The Pleasure Slave, and Heart of the Dragon, with many more on the way. She also writes a dark alien huntress series: Awaken Me Darkly and Enslave Me Sweetly. In May 2006, she begins her hardcover debut with Animal Instincts, a fun contemporary romance. For more information about Gena and her books, visit her web site. Brenda Novak When Brenda Novak caught her day-care provider drugging her children with cough medicine to make them sleep, she quit her job as a loan officer to stay home with them. She felt she could no longer trust others with their care. But she still had to work. Her husband’s business was failing. That was when Brenda picked up one of her favorite books. She was looking for a brief escape from the stress and worry — and found the inspiration to become a writer. Since her first sale to HarperCollins in 1998 (Of Noble Birth), she’s had 20 books published. Winner of RT Bookclub Magazine’s Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Superromance of 2003, and nominated again in 2004, she consistently places in contests such as the National Readers’ Choice, The Booksellers’ Best, the Write Touch Readers’ Award and others. Pamela Britton Over the years, Pamela's stories have won her numerous accolades. In 2004 alone her novel, Seduced, was named one of the best romances of 2003 by the staff of Barnes and Noble.com, The Oakland Press, RT BOOKclub Magazine, and Romance Readers at Heart. Seduced also won a National Reader's Choice Award for best long historical romance, and was nominated for a HOLT Medallion. Pamela feels privileged to write full-time from her ranch in Northern California where she lives with her husband, daughter and, at last count, fifteen four-legged friends. Candice Hern Although a fifth-generation Texan by birth (St. Joseph's Hospital, Houston), Candice did most of her growing up in southern California. How such a delicate flower who wilts in the heat survived those years remains a mystery. She shook off the heat and smog and found her climatic destiny when she re-located to the Bay Area to attend graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley. Today she lives on a hill in San Francisco where the typical summer is fog-bound and freezing, and she loves it. Candice has been a voracious reader all her life. For many years she had been a devotee of Jane Austen, Fanny Burney, Maria Edgeworth, Susan Ferrier, and other women writers of the Regency period. After a few years of reading Regency Romances by the bagful, she decided to try her hand at writing one. Her first book, A Proper Companion, was published in January 1995. She went on to publish five more traditional short Regency Romances, and now writes longer Regency-set historical romances. more info