Mothers of the world, have a happy, relaxed day full of love, laughter, and, hopefully, a few flowers and chocolates.

Kids of the world, have you called your mother yet?

Brenda Jackson, who is as hardworking, gracious and sweet as they come in this business, has just hit the New York Times Best Seller list for paperback mass-market fiction. Her latest Harlequin/Kimani Press romance, Irresistible Forces, sits at number 34 for the week of May 18, 2008.

I’m going to make a colossal understatement and say that this is well-deserved.

Congratulations, Brenda!

Flowers are a-bloomin around here. I’ve been getting to know my digital camera a little better and taking some pictures, so here they are, apropos of nothing.

I’ve signed the contract, so I guess it’s really, REALLY official: I’m going to be participating in Lori Foster’s summer, 2009 anthology, Tails of Love, along with the following other authors:

· Kate Angell

· Stella Cameron

· Dianne Castell

· Marcia James

· Donna MacMeans

· Sarah McCarty

· Patricia Sargeant; and

· Sue-Ellen Welfonder.

Turns out my friend Patricia Sargeant, who knows I love cats (we have two rescue cats, Sadie and Savannah), referred me to Lori for this project, which will benefit a local animal shelter, the Animal Adoption Foundation.

I am, obviously, extremely excited and grateful.

Lori has a heart as big as Texas, in case you didn’t know. This summer’s anthology (I’m not a part of this one–*SOB!*), The Power of Love, will benefit the Battered Women’s Shelter of Cincinnati. It’s available for pre-order, so you should get your copies (note the plural!) early.

If you can stand to learn any more about my RT adventures, here’s a drive-by video of me shot by the lovely Barbara Vey, Publisher’s Weekly blogger extraordinaire. You’ll see me with author Catherine Chernow, who sat next to me at the signing…

Here are a few more pics from RT, in no particular order. Run your mouse over the pic for its description.

Well, I made it safely home from Pittsburgh, where I had the time of my life at the Romantic Times BOOKlovers Convention and won the Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Kimani Press of the Year for Just About Sex. I was thrilled beyond belief and, as I said at the time, grateful to be included in a category with so many talented authors.

The low point of the convention was the last portion of an otherwise lovely drive to Pittsburgh. There was some sort of a weird disconnect between where my TripTik ended and the hotel’s website directions began, and so, when I was nearly close enough to the city to be able to see the three rivers I’d heard so much about, I got lost.

Hopelessly, utterly, ridiculously LOST.

The more I tried to get un-lost, the lost-er I got, until finally I had to call the hotel and be navigated home by a bellman like a Boeing 757 with broken landing gear on the horn with air traffic control.

I finally arrived at 11:30 p.m. feeling irritated and sheepish, but the first person I saw was, luckily, the beautiful and funny Kayla Perrin, who told me that she, too, had found the Pittsburgh highways especially tricky to navigate.

This was the only downer in a wonderful few days. Well, that and the ten minute blackout in the ballroom at the end of the signing, which added a little additional drama.

Here, in no particular order, are some of the many highlights:

· Giving my No More Lazy Scenes workshop with HelenKay Dimon and Sasha White;

· Sitting on the multicultural authors panel and laughing my head off with the crowd and other authors, including L.A. Banks, Caridad Pinero, Marjorie M. Liu, Camille Anthony and Kimberly Kaye Terry, the multicultural genre captain and a truly lovely and fun woman;

· Attending the Under the Sea Faery Ball with Eve Silver and enjoying the, ah, myriad and varied costumes;

· Sitting on the contemporary authors panel with Lori Foster, Lori Wilde, Christie Craig and Sharon Sala;

· Spending time with my editors and publisher;

· Finally meeting author friend Maureen Smith face-to-face;

· Embarrassingly gushy fangirl moments with some of my author heroines, including Brenda Jackson, Lisa Jackson, L.A. Banks, and J.R. Ward;

· Catching up with LifetimeTV’s Michelle Buonfiglio, one of the romance genre’s greatest advocates and a wonderful woman;

· Being rescued out of the loooooong breakfast buffet line by the very considerate Gwyneth Bolton and aspiring author Felicia from Chicago; and

· Connecting with readers at the book signing.

While I’m glad to be back home with the husband and younglings, I miss my friends already, not to mention the thrill of adrenalin and inspiration that always comes from connecting with others who love the romance genre as much as I do.

So … how many days until the next convention???

Here are a few pics. Run your mouse over them for descriptions. More pics tomorrow …

Today I’m blogging over at Access Romance. Stop by, say hi, and leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Risk.

Today I’m blogging about momnesia over with Michelle Buonfiglio and the bellas. Stop by and say hi. I’m giving away copies of Sweeter Than Revenge…

Today I’m blogging about hating winter over at Access Romance. Stop by, say hi, and leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Sweeter Than Revenge.