Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
April 6, 2014 by Linda O. Johnston in category Events, Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as A Superstition Mystery, Harlequin Nocturne. Linda O. Johnston, Midnight Ink, Pet Rescue Mysteriesby Linda O. Johnston
I’m sorry to say I won’t be at the OCC meeting this month. But I’m happy to say that the reason is an event I really enjoy: the L.A. Times Festival of Books.
The LATFOB is a two-day event. This year, those two days are Saturday, April 12, and Sunday, April 13. I’ll be there both days, which means no OCC meeting, and, as it turns out, no Los Angeles Romance Authors meeting either, since it was changed to the second Sunday of the month rather than its usual third Sunday, which this month happens to be Easter.
I often try to schedule everything I want to do at the LATFOB on the same day, but that didn’t work out this year. I’ll be signing at two mystery booths and helping to staff the Mystery Writers of America booth, and the schedule worked best for me to do some on Saturday and some on Sunday.
Fortunately, I live not far from a Metro stop, so I can take the subway and train to the USC campus, where the festival is now held. It was at the UCLA campus for many years but that changed a few years ago.
I keep hoping for more of a romance presence there, too, but sponsoring booths is expensive. Harlequin had a presence last year but I don’t see them on the list of exhibitors this year. I know there was some talk of a bunch of us contributing to sponsor a booth, but I don’t think that materialized, at least not this year.
Even if you’ll be at OCC this month, come to the USC campus on Sunday and say hi and check out the many wonderful booths. There are also speakers, although you generally have to sign up in advance for those programs. But why not plan ahead? And, yes, there is a romance panel on Saturday that includes some OCC members!
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Convesations with Barb and Jann
April 2, 2014 by Jann Ryan in category Jann says . . . tagged as Barb Delong, Jann Ryan, Jann Says...
Au naturel
Most of you probably don’t have this issue, but I know many do. We will not go out in public without makeup, perfect hair and the right clothes. Now, I’ve been known to occasionally leave the house to pick up a quick item hiding under big sunglasses, my Sedona hat and wearing a pair of slightly worn sweats, but today I woke up with a different attitude.
After over forty years of avoiding au naturel in public, I decided to do the unthinkable. I got up, showered, dressed in yoga pants and T-shirt, tossed my hair around, grabbed my laptop and headed to Corner Bakery to write. I didn’t want to stop the freeing feeling I was experiencing of just get up and go. I didn’t want to take an hour to get ready, read emails or answer questions from family that would start a “to do list” and clutter my mind before I even got out the door.
So, I arrived, no sunglasses or hat, casually dressed. People in the parking lot and patio area outside CB didn’t turn into stone, leaving a garden of statues in my wake, as I made my way to the entrance. I was shocked. Customers inside didn’t gather together to point and whisper. The girl at the counter didn’t look at me with sympathy wondering why I didn’t look in the mirror before I left home. Instead, I ordered my coffee, found my perfect place to settle in (with electrical plug close by) and got started. My mind free and clear – open for inspiration. It was a beautiful day outside and I felt the same way myself.
Have a beautiful day, Jann Ryan
Jann Ryan grew up with the smell of orange blossoms in Orange County in sunny Southern California, where she has lived her entire life and dreamed up stories since she was a young girl. Never an avid reader, she was in her thirties when she picked up her first romance quite by accident. She fell in love with happily ever after and has been reading romances ever since.
Wanting to put pen to paper, Jann joined Romance Writers of America. Currently, she is working on a romantic suspense series set in Stellar Bay, a fictitious town along the California central coast to fulfill her publishing dream.
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