So, I spent a few days this week in California. I took a quick trip over to San Jose in the Silicon Valley and I have to say they’ve done awesome things to revitalize their downtown area. Last time I was there, the SJ downtown was a total scary ghetto, but not any more. Great restaurants and shops–and I felt totally safe walking around by myself after the sun set.

A few of the major stops while I was there.

The main public library. Gorgeous! They completely rebuilt it about 5 years ago and Library Journal named it Library of the Year in 2004 (an honor that went to the Salt Lake Public Library in 2006).

Mezcal Restaurant: Authentic Oaxacan cuisine. I had their Coloradito Mole (which has chocolate in the sauce) and it was to die for. The chicken was juicy, the seasoning was perfect, the service was prompt and friendly. This place was just yum.

Flames Restaurant: Right across the street from the public library, it had a huge menu that specialized in All-American cuisine. Great fries, good sandwiches, excellent chicken noodle soup, and the desserts were so huge you might end up in a sugar coma.

My friend Rhiannon Leith (who, if you haven’t read yet, you really should) has a new one out. Go get some of that!

The Jealousy Plot – By Jolie Cain

For as long as she can remember, Callie has been in love with her next-door neighbor Trey, a firefighter on the Oceanside Fire Department, but he has never seen her as anything more than a good friend, a pal. Then for her birthday, Trey gives her something wonderful … not the usual tire jack and mace spray. No, he gives her a beautiful antique locket, and Callie begins to dream that maybe he has changed the way he sees her. After all, when a guy gives a girl jewelry, it means something special–right? Only her friend Marianne Riley isn’t so sure. She thinks Trey needs to be nudged just a bit in the right direction. So she enlists the aid of her brother, one of Trey’s fellow firefighters, in a plot to make Trey jealous. But Ben Riley seems interested in more than simply helping Callie out. And he arouses feelings in Callie that Trey never has. While Trey has always made her feel safe and secure, Ben makes her feel wild and out of control. He pushes her and fulfills her darkest desires. Eventually Callie must decide … which firefighter is the one that sets her heart on fire?

Captive Flame – Rhiannon Leith
As a djinn, a being formed of fire, Adara has spent centuries enslaved to the human Magi, passed from one to another, made to do their bidding. She yearns for freedom. She yearns for love.

When firefighter Peter O’Connor pulls her out of an inferno, he snatches her from her current Magus. This new master has no idea of what or how powerful she is, and the opportunity to break free finally becomes a real possibility. If only her body didn’t react to him with such abandon. If only his touch didn’t make her lose the will to do anything but be with him.

With the Magus closing in on them, and Peter’s life in danger, Adara must choose between her desire and her dreams.

And with supernatural arson attacks sweeping the city, Peter must decide if a firefighter can ever really trust a fire?

BUY IT HERE

A few of my writery friends (mostly of Romance Diva fame) and I were accepted as presenters for this year’s Romance Writer’s of America national conference! Among others, I’ll be there with the sassy Melissa Francis and the ever-feisty Lilli Feisty. Yay!

We’re doing a panel called “I Sold to New York…Now What?” and we’ll be talking about what it’s like to sell in the current market, getting an agent, understanding editor expectation, learning about the revisions and editing process. Some of us started out e-pubbed, some not so much. We have a bunch of sub-genres covered from erotic to paranormal to contemporary to Young Adult to Women’s Fiction. It’s basically a conversational, relaxed panel where newly sold or unpublished writers can ask questions and get answers from people who’ve been there and are still doing that.

I’m over at The Novelty Girls doing my thang, and talking about the pros and cons of reading in the genre you write in.

Come say hi!