Terri Patrick

Authors Who Brunch

| Melia Alexander

Last weekend, I met with some author-pals for brunch at Sanborns. What a pleasure it was to get together, especially when there were a couple I hadn’t laid eyes on in over two years. Two. Years. How the *BLEEP* did that happen?

Authors Kristina McMorris, Terri Patrick, Terri Reed, Melia Alexander, Jenna Bayley-Burke, and Maggie Lynch
Authors Kristina McMorris, Terri Patrick, Terri Reed, Melia Alexander, Jenna Bayley-Burke, and Maggie Lynch

We talked publishing — yeah…wowza…

We talked writing — HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Kristina McMorris for making the New York Times bestseller list!

And we talked about the ahmazing food at Sanborns. Like, seriously great food! Being on Day 27 of Whole30, I could only stare enviously at Terri Reed’s Bo-Bam, a German pancake filled with bacon, apple and maple syrup, and sauteed with a shot of bourbon. On my other side was Jenna Bayley-Burke and the Eggs Benedict she’d ordered. Smothered in lots and lots and LOTS of mouth-watering Hollandaise sauce.

I’d say the experience was total torture, except I had a plate of scrambled eggs with spinach and sundried tomatoes. Soooo good!

Guess this means I’ll just have to make it back there…Damn!

Have you been to a new-to-you restaurant that you fell instantly in love with? Tell us how it happened for you!

Happy Food and Wine Wednesday,
Melia

Partying With My Roses

| Melia Alexander

Ah, the holidays.  Presents.  And decorations.  And parties – the best part! Recently, my RWA chapter, Rose City Romance Writers, got together to celebrate – minus the holiday champagne.  I was having such a great time sucking in writing brilliance from my chapter mates, I didn’t snap pics of EVERYTHING.  (Surprising, I know!)

With Kylie Wolfe, Tammie King, and Laurel Newberry
With Kylie Wolfe, Tammie King, and Laurel Newberry
Me and Therese Patrick
Me and Terri Patrick

Anywho, a couple of pics, great writing friends, and awesome conversation, and the party was over too quickly.  (Personally, I like Jessa Slade’s suggestion that we party once a quarter!)  Some snippets of conversational wisdom:

1.  Rejection is a good thing.  When rejections are announced, we all cheer, ’cause it means a writer is getting her precious work out into the world.

2.  In a world of rejections, writers need to remember to bask in the things that do go well — meeting deadlines, a positive comment from a critique partner, or even one from the editor / agent who rejected the submission.  It’s too easy to get pulled down in this business, and without looking at the positive things we do well, no matter how small, our writing could suffer.  We definitely don’t want that!

3.  Having a debut book is crazy exciting!  Ask any author.  🙂

4.  Lightning strikes create bestsellers.  Authors should be out there with a lightning rod AND an umbrella.  The book needs a certain “something something” that causes it to take off, besides good writing, ’cause, let’s face it, there are always books we all feel should be best sellers — like our own!  😉

5.  Roses are generous people.  Not only were writing and industry advice freely given, we also collected donations for a women’s shelter.  Whether we like it or not, there are those around us who are in far greater need than we could even imagine.

The holidays are busy.  I get that.  But it should also be a time to slow down enough to visit with family and friends, and to reflect on what makes this time of year special for each of us.  You know, you gotta stop and drink the champagne!

What are your holiday celebrations like?

-Melia