I’m kind of a cookbook junkie. Since my daughter’s birthday is just around the corner, I’ve pulled out my cookbooks and started searching for cake recipes for the big day. I have two cake cook books I love.

The first is the Cake Doctor cookbook. So many of the recipes are wonderful and so super easy it’s ridiculous.  Stacy’s Chocolate Chip Cake is a perenial favorite in my house and my go to recipe for school cupcakes, etc.

However, if you really want to do from scratch, get Cake Love by Warren Brown. In the first chapter he talks you through step by step everything you do and why and what it should look like at different stages. It’s extremely detailed, but not hard once you get the hang of it. I’m a pretty good cook/baker and I learned so much. I can recommend this book enough. And that’s purely from the knowledge standpoint.

When it comes to the actual cakes … oh my god. Seriously. Oh. My. God.

The only problem is, eating the homemade cakes from this book will pretty much ruin all over cakes for you. I never order cake for desert at restaurants anymore, ’cause what’s the point? I do still use the Cake Doctor sometimes for fast cakes, but the Cake Love cakes are so amazing, I dream of reasons to bake. When I die, I want my coffin made of Cake Love cake. (The only caveat I have is that there’s a typo in the Lemon-Ginger Pound Cake recipe — should be 12 oz of flour instead of 2 … the first time I made that cake, it didn’t turn out, but the next time, it was amazing. It’s actually my favorite now.)

So there you have it … two opposite ends of the spectrum. Between those two books, you’re sure to find something perfect and lots of calories while you’re experimenting.

Last week I was in Columbus, OH, at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. It was tons of fun and I got to be a geeky fan-girl too. Here are the highlights:

Here’s Robyn DeHart and I with Jim Butcher!

Robyn (my fabulous critique partner) introduced me to Jim Butcher’s books a couple of years ago. He writers The Dresden Files mysteries, feature wizard/detective Harry Dresden. The Dresden Files are one of my all time favorite series (second only to Elizabeth Peters amazing Amelia Peabody books–it’s a close second, and that’s saying something). I was so excited to meet Mr. Butcher that I was a bit giddy. Mr. Butcher, if I acted like a total goofy ball, I apologize. If I ever meet you again, I’ll try to be more like a human. But I’m not making any promises. I reserve the right to be a silly fangirl.

Me and my critique partner Robyn DeHart

Me with the Elizabeth Vaughan, author of the fantastic Chronicles of the Warlands

With fellow ARWA chapter member and great writer, Sherry Thomas

With the witty Diana Holquist

With Celeste Bradley, whose books I just love

With YA author Shannon Delany, whose werewolf tale, 13 to Life, is out this June and I can't wait to read it!

With half of the writing team that writes Harlequin American as Daly Thompson

It was so great to meet so many authors that I love to read, but even cooler was meeting and seeing the fans. No, not only my fans, but just the fans in general. Here’s a shot of some Rachel Mead fans. She writes the Vampire Academy books. For part of the book signing, she was sitting two seats down from me, so I got to gawk at her fans. Here’s a group of teenage girls who all made matching T-shirts. Too cute! But not as cute as all the twenty-something hot guys who were lugging around their boxed sets of the Vampire Academy books. Very charming!

And here’s my favorite fan, teenage boy Kyle O. who made his own T-shirt. Can read it? It says: “Card Carrying Wizard of the White Council Needs Work” and then lists his skills. Yep, that’s a fellow Jim Butcher fan! Yep, that’s my guy!

Thanks RT for such a fantastic convention!

I’m having great, great fun here at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. I just got back from a special manga/graphic novel booksigning. One of my very favorite (seriously, very, very favorite) authors was there: Jim Butcher! I got to meet him, stand in front of him and act like an idiot and everything. There are few people I could go total crazy fan girl on and he’s one of them. Seriously, it’s probably, like, him and Joss Whedon. So I was very excited.

Next weekend, I’ll be at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Columbus, Ohio.

It’s my first time at RT and I’m very excited about going. I’ve heard such fabulous things about the conference. And since I’m a romance fan as well as a romance writers, I know I’m in for a treat.

If you’re going to be there too, be sure to stop by and see me at the booksigning. I can’t wait!

No, no. Not this Rita. The RWA Ritas!

I’m writing this on Thursday evening, the day the Rita/Golden Heart calls went out. I didn’t final. If I had, this post would have been up hours ago and been filled with squealy joy.

Instead, I’m swallowing the bitter pill and admitting how sad I am that I didn’t final. I’m sure there are lots of sad writers out there tonight. But I really, really wanted it this year. I know, I know. A lot of people did. But in addition to feeling sad about not finaling, I’m also feeling a bit of sour grapes, because I feel like the contest hasn’t been entirely fair the last few years due to the number of entries in Contemporary Series category. I’m going to be writing a letter to RWA’s board, because I’m a firm believer in the idea that you can’t complain if you don’t voice your opinion to the people who can make a difference. But how do you say, “Hey, I didn’t final and I think this is wrong!”

(Btw, none of this is to say that I’m not thrilled for the people who did final. I just wish I was one of them!)

To make matters worse, I really needed to get a ton of work today. And, um … I didn’t. My parents were in town for lunch, and it was kindergarten round up at the elementary school (How could my daughter be old enough for kindergarten????). The highs and lows today were just too much. I broke out the lap top at four, wrote one sentence and decided my brain just wasn’t working. I just needed to take the afternoon off (even though it means I need to write like forty pages tomorrow … yeah, like that would be possible).

So I decided that instead of trying to work, I’d just spend some time with the book I’m reading, a really cute, funny YA. And I’m thinking of eating another serving of ice cream. Yeah, you heard me. Another. And you know what, in the spirit of spoiling myself, I’m not going back to work until I’m done with this book. Or tomorrow morning, whichever comes first.

The other day I was supposed to be working at the local coffee shop, but I instead I was procrastinating. (And as a side note, I’ve got to tell you, free wifi everywhere is killing me. And just try getting away from it here in Austin. Damn wifi is everywhere interfering with my ability to concentrate.) So anyhoo … instead of writing, I went to Amazon to read reviews of the book I’m currently reading. Which totally makes sense right? I’m fifty pages in, completely enjoying it, gonna keep reading it no matter what the reviews say, so why wouldn’t I spend twenty precious minutes reading what other people think?

So what book am I reading? The Princesss and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison.

I’d noticed when I picked up the book that she had a nice cover quote from Orson Scott Card. That’s cool, ’cause–you know–he’s awesome. I didn’t buy the book because of his quote, but it sure didn’t hurt.

Then, the other day, when I was procrastinating, and I went to amazon, I noticed one of the reviews … was from Orson Scott Card.

Um, excuse me?

There I am in the coffee shop, staring around me in wonder thinking, “Orson freakin’ Scott Card reviewed her book on Amazon?” (Or would it be “Orson Scott freakin’ Card?”) Either way, I was flummoxed.

Turned out some other reviewer didn’t like the book and took exception to his quote and he wrote a review to defend his position. Very classy review, by the way, basically said, “Hey, different people like different books. I liked this one and I stand by that, sorry you didn’t.” He also defended the author’s writing and talked about what a fabulous debut novel it was.

Everything inside of me went all gooey. I want Orson Scott Card to defend me against mean Amazon reviewers!

Okay, I never had a big brother, but this is totally what I imagine it would feel like to have your big brother step in to protect you against bullies on the playground. I mean, if your big brother is super cool and someone you’ve admired forever. Now, in all fairness, I know it’s highly unlikely that he’ll review any of my books, since I write romance and not speculative fiction. He’ll probably never even know I exist, let alone give me a cover quote, let alone defend my honor and my talent on-line. But, hey, a girl can dream, right?

Whenever my hubby, the Geek, goes out of town, the kids and I spend the evenings watching movies I don’t think the Geek would watch. This past week, it was all Jane Austen all the time. (Don’t get me worry, the Geek has a pretty high tolerance for Jane Austen, but we are about fifteen years into my love of Jane Austen movies, and he’s had to watch a lot of Jane Austen. I mean, a lot.)

First on our list was something I’d ordered up from Netflix, Lost in Austen. It was a miniseries from BBC.

It has a great premise: a modern British woman, Amanda, discovers that there’s a door in her flat that leads into the attic of the Bennet household. Lizzie Bennet steps through into modern London and Amanda into Regency England. Without Lizzie there, Amanda pretends to be a friend of Lizzie’s there for a visit. She must find a way to fit into Pride and Prejudice without mucking up the story. Unfortunately, she messes up everything.

The movie was completely delightful. Not only was it just darn good, but it managed to bring new insights to the characters. To me, that’s completely amazing. I’ve always said, I’d watched Pride and Prejuidice if my daughter did it in sock puppets. And that’s completely true. But as familiar as I am with the story, for the writers to bring something new to the table … well, that’s really special. In short, I loved the movie.

So you’re homework for the next week, find Lost in Austen at a Netflix near you and enjoy!

And here’s my totally random observation for the week: We always watched Short Circuit (remember the robot movie from the ’80′s?). In that movie, Fisher Stevens (yes, the white guy) plays an Indian. Bad Apu accent and everything. Very weird. Ah … the world before PC.

Despite my good intentions, I let the week slip away. It’s easy to do with you’ve got a lot of balls in air and projects on the page.

I’ve been wrestling lately with an aspect of my personality. I like to start projects. I’m not so much with the finishing. I know it’s a little late for new years resolutions, but it’s never too late to set goals, right?

So here’s my goal for the year: Finish all the projects I’m currently working. And to keep me honest, here’s the brief (very) rundown of the things I’m working or tweaking.

• a children’s book about a boy discovering the true meaning of Christmas
• a children’s book about a girly dinosaour
• a middle grade mystery set in Victorian England
• a YA project I’m brainstorming with some friends
• a YA dystopic urban fantasty
• a story idea that I loved and keep working on and working on and still don’t know quite what to do with it. Last time I checked, I was describing it as Suz Brockmann meets paranormal.
• And, finally, of course, the two Desires I’m contracted to write.

I should mention that when I say I’m going to “finish” these things, I actually mean I’m going to work on them to the point they can go out into the world to editors/agents, etc.

So now that you’ve had time to settle into the new year, what are your goals?

Why is it so hard for Hollywood to make a great romantic comedy? Sometimes it breaks my heart that no one seems to be making great romances anymore.

A couple of weeks ago, I rented The Ugly Truth, which was certainly cute. The characters were likable, they had plenty of chemistry. I just didn’t believe they’d fallen in love. Would it have killed the writer/director/producer to spend twenty more minutes of movie time to develop the relationship?

Of course, I felt the same way about Avatar. I could have used twenty more minutes of romance. Or maybe just twenty different minutes in which the developing romance was more believably portrayed. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Avatar. I just wanted a little more depth. And frankly, I expected more of James Cameron. He’s one of the great romantic directors of our time. If he could find time for a kick-ass romance in a hundred and eight minute movie about killer robots and the apocalypse, why couldn’t he do better with  Avatar?

I think the last romantic movie I really loved was The Holiday, with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz. What’s the last romantic movie you’ve really loved?

The other day I received my Rita books in the mail. I’m super excited, partly because one is a book I’ve been wanting to read anyway. I’m saving it for the end.

Unfortunately, I can’t talk with anyone about those books that I’m reading, so there’ll be no more “What I’m reading now…” blogs. In lieu of those, I thought over the next couple of weeks, I’d talk about some of the books from my keeper shelf.  Up this week, a book I recently reread. Once a Warrior by Karyn Monk.

Malcolm MacFane is one of my all time favorite heros. He’s tough and vulnerable. He’s a warrior to the core, but a wounded one. Literary. His ass-kicking days are behind him, which makes it tough because the heroine needs to marry a strong Laird who can protect her people.

Okay, this sounds boring when I describe it, but trust me it’s a great book. I loved it when I read it the first time and loved it all over again when I reread it last week. The weird thing is, as much as I loved the book, I wonder if would sell in today’s market. It’s not a particularly sexy book. The romance is strong, but there’s not a lot of sexual tension. Still, it’s a great book. And if you haven’t read it, you should. Give it a try!