Hot Bunko Babes

I'm featuring a new Bunco group up on my site. Go check out the Hot Bunko Babes. It's my friend Kitty's group and they're awesome. They've been kind enough to invite me twice to play Bunco with them and I've had a blast both times. I've also tried Kitty's Salsa Chicken and it's delicious. And super simple. My kind of recipe!

My son is now officially a Gator

So my son is now part of that segment of my family that I try to ignore (most of the time unsuccessfully) during college football season. A real live University of Florida Gator. Mike Geraci and I spent the last 2 days in Hogtown (Gainesville, Florida to non-Floridians) getting Kevin acclimated to his dorm and settling into college life. The atmosphere around campus was unbelievably contatgious. But don't worry, I won't be succumbing to Gator madness anytime soon, although I'm extremely proud of my son and am looking forward to his having a wonderful college experience. I have to admit, I was a little weepy too. Why do kids have to grow up?

I have to admit, we had a great time in Gainesville. My parents (Bull Gator fans to the death) had suggested this little Cuban restaurant to us called "Mi Apa" (a shortened familiar version of Mi papa). The food was very good. Not as good as Versailles on Calle Ocho in Miami, but very decent for Hogtown. I was impressed. I had the ropa vieja and it was excellent. I finished it off with a cortadito and it too, was very yummy!

So in between getting Kevin set up, I had hoped to be able to find some time to write. Or if not, write, then at least get some reading done on "The Time Traveler's Wife" which my book club is now reading. But I had won a copy of "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict" on Marilyn Brant's blog and even though I had meant to read it after my book club read, somehow it ended up on the top of my pile. I couldn't put it down! My Jane Austen addiction must be tended to. I have to say, I absolutely loved this book and have to get the sequel "Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict." But I will be a good girl and finish Time Traveler, then, begin the Rude Awakenings book. Let's just see how much will power I can come up with:)

In which Maxwell makes his Creme Puffs

While Mike Geraci was off on his boys golf trip I took the kids to Daytona Beach to meet up with my parents and my sister and my nephew for a weekend of fun, sun, and relaxation. Luckily, we got all 3 in large abundance (the tops of my shoulders and upper arms can attest to the sun part. Ugh. Why do I never remember to reapply sunscreen there? Despite using an SPF of 45, I still burned :(

The condo we stayed at was on the 22nd floor, giving us this really spectacular view of the beach. We were so high up, that when we sat outside on the balcony, we could actually look down on the sea birds flying. No joke. A couple of times I thought they were going to fly right into the balcony and join us for a drink. But they didn't :)

One delicious highlight of the weekend, was when my sister's friend Maureen and her 11 year old son, Maxwell, came over (that's him above checking out the Publix bakery). Maxwell is a budding chef and just about the cutest thing you can ever imagine. We'd all seen the movie "Julie and Julia" and were talking about food, and about making food, and about eating food, which stirred our taste buds to no end. So we decided we had to run out to Blockbuster to rent "Big Night" and go to Publix so we could cook something. My sister made this simple and utterly delicious pasta dish with broccoli (sorry, no pics of the pasta, I was too busy eating!) and Maxwell made his famous creme puffs.

At this point, I nearly pounced on the puffs. But here they are cooling, and I was a good girl and refrained until they were ready.

Ice Cream Creme Puffs a la Maxwell. Creme Puff stuffed with ice cream and covered with his homemade chocolate sauce. Fantastic!

After a meal of pasta and ice cream puffs, we all collapsed to watch TV.

In between going to the beach, getting sunburned, watching "Big Night" and eating, I did manage to write 8 pages on Bunco Book 3. Yay!

Nice Dice

I absolutely adore this look. Katy Perry rocks! Coincidentally, she's also mentioned in Bunco Book 3 (title to be named later). No, Katy Perry doesn't come to Whispering Bay to play Bunco with the Babes (although the Babes would certainly welcome her with open arms in this dress) but she is a sort of character in the book. You'll just have to wait till Sept 2010 to find out how;)

On that note, I'm trying to finish writing a critical scene, do laundry, and get some sleep tonight before heading to Daytona Beach for a little fun and sun this weekend. Yay!

Julie and Julia

Is there anything Meryl Streep can't do? (besides sing?) Last night I went to see "Julie and Julia." I give it 5 pats of butter! (Butter being its own character in the flic) From the acting to the plot, it's utterly delicious.

My one and only tiny nit is that there weren't enough beautiful food scenes! I'm far from a foodie (cooking ranks up there with housework for me) but I do love to eat and there were some gorgeous bread scenes that left me salivating... and hungry for more food cinematography. I guess I was expecting more along the lines of Big Night (if you haven't seen it, run to rent it) which also, coincidentally, stars Stanley Tucci, which leads me to ask, is there anything Stanley Tucci can't do either?

And speaking of foodie flics, I had to go and comment on Michelle Buonfiglio's B&N blog in which she interviews book buyer Tommy Dreiling. Michelle wants to know what's the next big trend in romance. We all know vampires are hot hot hot right now (Mel's book Bite Me! is already in its 2nd printing. Yay!!) but I really think foodie romance is going to completely take off. Which is awesome for Louisa's book Can't Stand the Heat (St. Martins). It comes out Sept 1 and I promise, you won't be disappointed! It's as yummy as Julie and Julia is!

Bon Appetit!

Website updates

Thanks to the lovely Jax I now have event pictures on my website. The top ones are from the RWA Literacy signing. My very first one! I used to go to conference and walk through the aisles of authors signing their books and think, "One day, that will be me!" I have to say, it's a bit overwhelming. But thanks to Mel and her smuggled wine (I think I drank 3/4's of a bottle myself) it was a piece of cake:)

Who doesn't just love this?

My Perfect Hero

So I'm sitting here in my closet, writing away on Bunco book 3 (title to be named later) and I'm just having such a freakin' hard time whenever my hero enters the story. Now don't get me wrong, I love my hero. It's Zeke Grant, Whispering Bay's chief of police (and a secondary character in Bunco Babes Gone Wild). Zeke is married to Mimi, one of my Babes (only mentioned once in Book one, but a prominent secondary character in book 2) and he's absolutely delicious. (Think Josh Lucas in Sweet Home Alabama). But the guy is sometimes just too alpha to live. Every time he opens his mouth I want to put a sock in it. I wish I could curb the things he says but then he wouldn't be the right character for this book or for my heroine.

I was reading Eloisa James' article over at B&N titled Alpha Allure . I absolutely love Eloisa's heroes. One of my favorite all time heroes is Rafe from "The Taming of the Duke." He's the perfect tortured alpha male. And it got me to thinking about heroes in contemporary romance vs historicals and I've come to the conclusion that they aren't that much different. I think, as women, we are initially attracted to all the prominent characteristics of the alpha male- the in-charge, sexually potent guy who walks in a room who makes women stand up and notice. But it's the little leaks in the damn he uses as a shield that actually make us fall in love with him. Because let's face it, perfect is boring. Imperfection, on the other hand, allows us a glimpse into the real man inside and it's the way he handles those imperfections that can make or break a character. Like Eloisa's tortured Rafe. Sigh. I still wonder what he's up to. And that's the ultimate test of a really great character. Creating a person so vivid, so interesting, that they stay with you long after you've finished the book.

Which reminds me, I have to go finish writing the book...

BAM Loves Mel!

So, while I was out and about this weekend, look what I found at Books A Million. Mel's book on a center table surrounded by other Vamp books (only her cover is a million times more awesome!)

And then this fantastic review from PW!!! (yay!)

Bite Me! Melissa Francis. HarperTeen, $8.99 paper (304p) ISBN 978-0-061-43098-5

First-time novelist Francis presents a tasty story that uses humor and a light touch to rise above typical teen vampire fare. Seventeen-year-old “good girl” AJ may be a closet blood-drinker, but that's the least of her problems. Her mom's remarriage has just turned her boyfriend into her stepbrother (“Momma's exact words to me were, 'Ariel Jane, if you so much as look at that boy with fangs in your eyes again, I'll bite you myself.' ”), her AP Lit teacher is already out to get her on the first day of school, and she might have accidentally turned her rebound guy into a vamp who is now threatening her family. On top of that, she's been accused of cheating on a quiz, and compromising photos have appeared on her Facebook page—someone has to be setting her up. But who? Francis keeps things moving, creating an absorbing and refreshing page-turner with a solid mythology, sympathetic heroine and appealing characters that readers will want to invite back to their own homes (well, almost). Ages 14–up. (Aug.)

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6673981.html?industryid=47139

Bite me!

No, I'm not being cheeky. Although I do LOVE Cheeky Reads review of Bunco Babes Tell All. She gave it a 5 heart review! You can read about it right here.

I've been such a sorry blogger lately. My only excuse is that after coming back from the RWA National conference, I had to finish the final first passes for Bunco Babes Gone Wild. I have to say, I really love this book! As an author, you get so wrapped up in your writing that you sometimes can't see the forest for the trees but reading it again after a six month hiatus I was able to see it with fresh eyes and I'm happy to say that I really love Georgia and Dave's story. Maybe almost as much as Kitty and Steve's! Although I have to admit, that I really, really hope that I get to write another book that completely finishes Kitty and Steve's story. Something tells me that their happily-ever-after wasn't quite finished in the first book;) I'm also happy to say that I've sold a third Bunco Babe book and I'm hard at work trying to write that one with a November deadline. Yay!

Okay, so enough about me. Back to Bite Me! That's the title of my fabulous cp/bff Mel's, book which debuts tomorrow. She's running a contest over at the Ficitionistas site. Trust me, you don't want to miss it! Or her awesome website, Have you been bitten?

Home!

I got in late last night from DC. The RWA conference was fantastic! It was my first conference as a published author and although at times I felt a little overwhelmed, it was truly a blast. I met up with old friends, met new friends, and got to spend a bit of time with my editor. More on DC to follow...

Today, I'm going to push through my first passes on Bunco Babes Gone Wild. They're due in 2 days, so I have to kick a little self-editorial butt here.

On another note, I'm the featured author over at Number One Novels this week. Go check it out here because there's also a chance to win an autographed copy of my book:)

DC!

Am headed off for DC this morning to attend the RWA National Conference. Can't wait! My only wish is that I could get a direct flight out of Tallahassee. But an hour lay over in Memphis both ways isn't so bad. I don't think I've ever been to the Memphis airport. Usually all flights revolve around Atlanta (hence the old joke you can't get to heaven (or hell) without first stopping in Atlanta).

If you'll be attending, please stop by my table at the Literacy signing. I'll be the one smiling at all the passerbys who will be looking at me and going, "who is Marcia Garcia and what the hell is Bunco?"

I'll also be part of a workshop panel on Friday morning (9:45-10:45) titled, "I sold to NY, now what?" We'll give you the 411 on what happens after you've sold. Off now to do some last minute packing.

Hopefully, I'll have lots of pictures to share!

Melbourne Barnes and Noble is the best!

Pardon the glare but this is the best pic of the bunch. Last month, I went back to my hometown of Melbourne and did a book signing at Barnes & Noble. Kaori (the community rep for the store) did a fabulous job of setting the whole thing up. She and Kandy (another B&N employee) were simply awesome.

Imagine my surprise when I got this wonderful commemorative frame of the event in the mail this week. I know it's probably too small to see, but the top pic is of me, Kaori and Kandy, and the bottom pic shows me signing books. I love the whole scrap booking feel of it, which actually matches my website design perfectly!

Highs and Lows

On a high note, I had a fantastic 4th of July! Went to my hubby's boss's house, who has a huge party every year. He does a better firework show than the city of Tallahassee. It was awesome and patriotic. Very inspiring!

Then yesterday, I found out the Baltimore Sun ran a piece in their Sunday A&E section titled, "Lose yourself in a summer romance." Here's what they had to say about Bunco Babes Tell All:

Geraci's sexy, funny debut is an emotionally satisfying story of love, friendship, family and community.

Yay!

Here's the link to the article: http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bal-ae.bk.reviewshorts05jul05,0,5954932.story

Now, on to the low part. I'm ashamed to admit it, but once again, I have been sucked into The Bachelor. Or rather, The Bachelorette. After the whole Jason debacle I vowed I would never watch the show again. That lasted 30 minutes. When the new season premiered May 18, I held out for the first part of the show, then, when I couldn't stand it anymore, grabbed the remote and tuned in. Yep, I'm a glutton for punishment.

What can I say? In my defense, I have to say I've always liked The Bachelorette more than The Bachelor. I love seeing a woman in charge. But Jillian (whom I really liked on Jason's season) is making some dumb mistakes. Hopefully, tonight, she'll get rid of Wes, the country-western-loser-singer-who-secretly-has-a-girlfriend. It seems the rest of the guys, and everyone in America who watches the show knows what a loser Wes is. I know it's probably the editing, but really. I cannot wait till he gets the boot. Texas style.

The way the show is going, she'll probably pick Ed, who seems like a nice guy and I have nothing against him. But I have to say, if I were Jillian I would sooooo pick Reid. There's something about his neurotic Woody Allen sort of humor that I totally love. And of course, there's that killer smile of his. My only consolation is that I'm pretty sure he makes tonight's cut, so I'll get to see him next week too.

Writing the High Concept Novel

Today, I'm blogging about writing the high concept novel over at Night Owl Romance. Plus, I'm giving away an autographed book (mine, of course!)

Plus, I'll still be over at Ijustfinished.com (why do I feel the need to cap the I in that link?), so feel free to stop by and ask questions.

What have you just finished reading?

This week, I'm the featured author over at IJustfiinished.com. Come on over and ask me a question!

The Cubans hit Barnes & Noble

Ever see that old movie "The Russians are coming, the Russians are coming"? (Probably not. I've never seen it either, but I love the title). Well, just sub in "Cubans" for "Russians" and you'll get an idea of what my B&N book signing was like. It was awesome. There's nothing like a signing in your home town to make you feel special! Add in some friends from high school and grade school who also showed up, and I can still feel the lump in my throat.

One of the best parts of the book signing was meeting a local Bunco group who showed up to buy some books before they went out for dinner and socializing. A lot of the ladies in the group have kids who attend Melbourne Central Catholic (my alma mater) and one lady told me her daughter was a Stinger (dance and drill team). Talk about bringing back memories. You see, I too, was a Stinger (ahem, make that an ORIGINAL Stinger as well as a Stinger Forever-- blog for another day!) I really hope they contact me so I can feature them on my "Let's Play Bunco!" page. I was so overwhelmed by all the people I forgot to get a contact name. I really have to be more organized.

After the book signing, I attended the Romance Book Club that Lee Duncan hosts. Lee is a member of STAR and has just sold her first book Romancing the Storm to Harlequin. What a great coup! The fabulous Kristen Painter was also there and a good time was had by all.

Oh, and one of the best parts? I sold out of books!

Book signing and Book Club Meeting

This morning I'm off to my hometown of Melbourne, where I'll be doing a book signing at the Barnes & Noble on New Haven Ave. So... if you're in the area, stop by around 5:30. I'll be there! Afterward, I'll be attending a book club meeting and I'm very excited. I can't wait to see what kind of questions people have for me!

Favorite Romantic Scene

Today I'm guest blogging over at Deidre Knight's blog. The topic is: Favorite Romantic Movie scenes. Anyone who's read Bunco Babes Tell All, probably won't have any trouble figuring out mine. Sigh... All I can say is "Oh my!" Check it out here.

Bunco Babes make the National Examiner

Move over Jon and Kate, my Bunco Babes have hit the tabloids!

No, really, they have. A couple of months ago, my publicist at Berkley emailed to tell me that Bunco Babes Tell All had been selected as a free give away by the National Examiner. I have to admit, I had never heard of the magazine. Of course, now I see it everywhere. It's at my Publix, right next to the checkout stand. Pretty cool, huh??



Every week, in the back of the magazine, they give away DVDs, books, jewelry, perfume, etc. There are 5 copies of Bunco Babes Tell All being given away this week, so besides seeing some pretty cool pics of Stars without makeup, you can win some freebies!

Eat, Drink and Roll!

There's a new Bunco group in town and they're the DrunkoBabes of Midlothian, Virginia.

The fabulous Jacksonville Divas with Dice are now on my links section, because of course, in my world, Bunco groups never go away, they simply get their own page.

The Drunkobabes have this fabulous traveling pig. Yes, you heard me, a traveling pig. Really, it's one of the best Bunco tips ever. But you don't have to believe me. Go see for yourself. Right here.

And while you're there check out their chocolate martini recipe.

Other updates to my website include some new reviews for Bunco Babes Tell All. Here's a great one from Fallen Angels Reviews.

Fallen Angels Reviews
Recommended Read

Kitty Burke, Pilar Diaz-Rothman, and Shea Masterson are best friends and also founding members of The Bunco Babes of Whispering Bay. Every Thursday these friends along with nine other women meet up at each other's houses to eat, drink frozen margaritas, have fun and play Bunco.

Kitty is just thirty-five. She and her friends think it is about time that she found Mr. Right. When Kitty's toilet breaks down, she gets a delicious surprise in the form of Steve, the plumber. Steve happens to be her ex-boyfriend's cousin. He is in town for a few weeks. Kitty would like to start something up with Steve, but Pilar and Shea don't think Steve is the right choice as he has been married three times. Will Steve turn out to be Mr. Right or will he be Mr. Wrong?

I loved Kitty. She is my absolute favorite. First there is her encounter with Steve. Making first impressions is the most important thing when meeting a guy. Kitty definitely knows how to make one on Steve. It is no wonder he didn't run after her first performance. Then there is Kitty's phobia. She has what is called stripperphobia. This is the fear of having a stripper remove his clothing and wave his thing in your face, while being handcuffed to a chair. Now after reading all about stripperphonbia, if this doesn't make you want to read Bunco Babes Tell All then I don't know what will. Maria Geraci has become my new favorite author of 2009! I can't wait to read her next piece of work.

Author Q &A and book give away

Today, I'm blogging over at The Knight Agency blog, giving you a little sample of some of the Q & A we did while on our Author Tour. One lucky commenter will win an autographed copy of each of our books. Comments will stay open till Sunday night, so go on over and learn a little about what it takes to get published and maybe you can have these awesome reads in your summer reading bag!

Author Tour Day 3

So after a fantastic day 2 on Author Tour I arrived back to my hotel room exhausted. Unfortunately, I don't stay exhausted. Don't you hate it when you're really tired and you crawl into bed, only to find that you can't fall asleep? Where is the cotton-mouth-producing Benadryl when you need it? I'll tell you where- back at home in my medicine cabinet. Fat good it does me there.

Fortunately for me "Titanic" was on T.V. I just can't resist seeing Jack and Rose fall in love, so I watch it again for the zillionth time. After it's done, I think, great! now I can fall asleep. Nope. Because then "Enough" with Jennifer Lopez comes on and for some reason (never was really crazy about the movie) I now find it fascinating. By the time J Lo kicks Billy Campbell's very nice butt in, I'm beyond exhausted and finally fall asleep. But I wake up a tad later than I wanted and I was supposed to meet Debbie at 8:40 in the hotel lobby so we could go to mass. I rush and shower and dress and am, like, 15 minutes off schedule, so we get to mass a tad late (but before the readings so we're okay in the technical Catholic sense).

After mass, we go back to the hotel, meet Deidre and Shannon and head to Athens, home of the UGA Bulldogs. Now that my son is about to be a Gator I suppose I should feel some animosity toward the Dawgs, but I don't. We meet up with Jennifer and Jia and Jennifer's daughter and her friend and have brunch at this New Orleans style place, which I can't remember the name of to save my life. I have poached eggs over crab cakes and it's beyond yummy. Now, with my tummy stuffed, we all head over to Borders.

The Borders in Athens is awesome. Vicki, our contact person, has set up our signing in the rear of the store. Jia puts up the purple and white balloons (the red and white ones have died) and the awesome TKA author sign and we're set. The crowd in Athens is very nice, and I get to meet Jessica Hunt, whose husband Chris interviewed me for the Athens newspaper. I'd sent her a copy of my book last month and she told me she loved it (and I loved hearing that!) We answer questions, sign books and thank the crowd for coming. It's sad in a way, because now it's over. Jennifer and Debbie have to leave, but Deidre, Shannon, Jia and I stay to have coffee and do a little book shopping. I immediately check out the romance section (very nice) and an even nicer section toward the middle of the store that features a lot of women's fiction-Jennifer Weiner, Sophie Kinsella, etc, and decide that this is where I should be. It's obviously a co-op space, but I snag a few of my books and place them prominently next to my idol, Sophie. Hey, if I don't push for my own work, then who will, right?

After having a frozen caramel coffee drink (which is not called a frappuccino, since this word is copyrighted by Starbucks- something I learned while writing Bunco Babes Tell All) D and I say goodbye to Jia and Shannon and head back to Madison where my car is located. After fiercely hugging D goodbye, I gas up my minivan and head to Cracker Barrel to get an audio book for the trip back home. I select "Every Breath you Take" by Judith McNaught. JM was one of the first romance authors I loved and her "Paradise" remains one of my favorite romances of all time. I'm a little ticked to find that the audio book is abridged (hate that!) but it passes away the time and before you know it (and despite getting lost just once- see a theme hear?) I arrive back in Tallahassee, worn out, happy and ready to hit my bed.

This Friday, I'll be blogging on the TKA blog highlighting some of the Q&A we did. Hope to see you there!

Author Tour Day 2

Sadly, Author Tour is now over. I meant to blog about Day 2 and 3 as it happened, but Saturday and Sunday got away from me. All I can say is that I had a blast and am extremely sad it's now over.

Day 2 (Saturday) started out with me picking up Shannon at her hotel. We hit the drive through at Mickey D's then swung by Deidre's house which is near the historic old downtown section of Madison. Just as I pulled into her gravel driveway, a horse-drawn carriage filled with a small group of tourists went ambling by the road behind her house. If you didn't know better you'd swear you were in another century. The homes in Madison are quite frankly my dear, beyond lovely. Deidre told us the story of how Madison avoided Sherman's torch during the civil war. Apparently, one of Madison's citizens, Joshua Hill was a pro-Union senator. He also had ties to Sherman's brother at West Point. He met Sherman at the entrance of the city and begged him not to burn his home. Deidre said that the story goes that the citizens of Madison laid out all their valuables on their front yards so that the Yankees would take their things, but spare their homes. Thus, Madison avoided the fate of most of rest of Georgia's towns along Sherman's route. Pretty cool, huh?

So after we do a little historic tour of Madison, Deidre, Shannon and drove to Buford in my mini-van, with D directing us with her hand held GPS tool (more on that later). The ride was beautiful. We went through small town after small town past cotton fields and talked about everything from our writing to bizarre unrelated topics like Pica (the compulsion to eat dirt).

We arrive at Books for Less in Buford where everything is pre-set up for our Author Q&A and book signing in the adjoining coffee shop. Jia has everything set up, including the red and white balloons I now recognize from yesterday's signing and the awesome poster. The crowd is very friendly and is genuinely interested in the publishing business. Most of them are writers and aspire to publish one day. We get asked a broad range of questions, including the old "Where do you get your ideas from?" I really love listening to my fellow TKA sisters answer this question. Dreams, daydreams, fantasies, etc, is the answer most given. I tell the crowd that most of my inspiration comes from real live experiences, from listening to other people and people watching (the crowd now looks at me suspiciously, wondering if one of them will end up in one of my books)- no really, they are very gracious, and after our Q&A we sign books and munch down on some tasty snacks that Jennifer has provided.

Deidre, Shannon and I all load back up in our car to meet Jia and Jennifer and Debbie (who didn't attend the Buford signing b/c of familial obligations) and head back to Madison for the next signing. This is where D's GPS system fails us. We get lost no less than at least 4-5 times, however this is not necessarily a bad thing b/c we get to see more of the beautiful Georgia countryside, hit a Chick-fil-A for something to drink, and do what all writers do whenever they are together- talk about and plot their books:)

We arrive at Dog Ear Books in Madison (one of the cutest book stores ever!) where Jia has arranged the red and white balloons and the now much beloved TKA signing poster with our faces and books on it. I know I'm showing my complete dweebness again when I say that seeing a bookstore poster with my face and book on it gives me a thrill like no other. I really hope I never lose that feeling:) We meet a bunch of very nice people ( a lot of them Deidre's friends) sign books, then head over to Town 220, the restaurant next door for dinner. I had the scallops and risotto with a balsamic reduced sauce. It was absolutely delicious. I completely cleaned my plate and would have licked it clean if I wasn't in public. I kid you not. One of the really cool things about this restaurant is that there's a large glass window into the kitchen where you can see the chef and his crew preparing the food. This immediately made me think of Louisa because of her Recipe for Love books and made me wonder how her hunky chefs would do with an audience. I think a couple of them would love it, actually.

After dinner, Jia gave us a tour of the agency, and even though I've been there a few times, it's always a thrill to walk through and see all the stacks of client books, including mine! We pick through some freebie books, then head back to our respective beds because by this time we're all beat, and we need to start the day all over again.

Coming tomorrow: Author Tour day 3 and the ride home!

Author Tour Day 1

I absolutely can NOT believe that I left my camera in Tallahassee. I am going to have to depend upon the generosity of my fellow TKA sisters to supply pics, but I can tell you that day 1 of Author Tour totally rocked!

The day began when I left Tally around 10:00 in the morning. Thank God it didn't rain today. The drive through Georgia was short, sweet and uneventful. The only exception being that because I took 2 Benadryl last night to help me sleep I was incredibly thirsty. You know the sensation? Yeah, cotton mouth, that was me. And because I hate to stop more than necessary while driving, I figured I would hit a drive through at a Mickey D's and get a coke. Ha. The fates were against me. The first place I stopped was a Wendys, which apparently doesn't open till 10:30. About 30 miles down the road (we're talking rural Georgia here) I spy a McDonalds. Yes! I roll into the parking lot, and I swear, I never saw the sign to order food, so I circle back 2, yes 2 more times. Finally I spy the order sign and there is a line that had me thinking that McDonalds is now accepting food stamps. That's the only rationale I can come up with. Either that or they are giving out free food because everyone in town was there. Being the impatient sort I am, it irked me to no end. I just wanted a Coke! I finally got one about an hour later at the Chik-fil-A drive through. Coke and chick fillet nuggets. Totally worth the wait:)

So I get to Madison (town outside Atlanta where the awesome Knight Agency is located) at exactly 3:15 pm and check into my hotel. There are apparently no less than 3 weddings going on this weekend (I guess the old June bride thing is still alive and well) and my room is still not ready. Considering that I'm supposed to meet Deidre at 3:45 this is a bit of a problem. I smile as sweetly as I can and the tell the clerk that I really need my room since I am a very famous author and am about to meet my fans in little more than an hour (he he, I really didn't say that last part). The clerk apologizes and offers to walk down the halls with me and find a clean room. We score and I get a room, which was sweltering hot because they left the air off, change my clothes, put on some lipstick and run out to meet Deidre, who is picking me up in her cute little red VW bug.

We veer through Friday afternoon rush hour traffic and arrive at Borders in the Stonecrest Mall. Jia, The Knight Agency's fabulous girl Friday extraordinaire has everything in place. There's 2 big tables, lots of balloons and a fabulous poster with all our pics on it. I meet the wonderful Debby Giutsi, who is nicer than can be, and the equally awesome Shannon K Butcher, who makes me feel like I've known her all my life. Jennifer St. Giles arrives just a tad later and I don't get to officially *meet* her until we finish the signing, but she's also a total sweetheart. A bunch of ladies from the Georgia RWA chapter showed up for our Q&A, which was fun. After we sold some books, Suzanne (not sure of the spelling) from Borders, allowed us to sign stock. I have to say the Borders staff was very nice and very romance friendly.

After the signing we head over to the BugaBoo Creek to eat dinner. Eating at Bugaboo Creek is sort of like eating at the Country Bear Jamboree at Disney. There are stuffed animal heads on the wall that occasionally start talking to you. Yep. Kind of strange and awesome at the same time. The food was great and the company was even more fabulous. Since Saturday is Shannon's birthday, Jia had arranged to have a cake (all chocolate, all delicious) and the Bugaboo wait staff (moose puppets and all) came out to sing Happy Birthday. After receiving a kiss from the stuffed moose, Shannon cut her cake and we all stuffed ourselves on chocolate strawberries and cake. Very yummy!

After a quickie stop at WalMart to get bottled water and a few DVDs for Deidre (I recommended Slum Dog Millionaire- couldn't believe she hadn't seen it yet) D dropped Shannon and I off at our hotels.

Now to get a good nights sleep to prepare for Author Tour, Day 2...

Author Tour!

This coming weekend, I'll be joining fellow TKA authors Jennifer St. Giles, Debbie Giutsi, Shannon K. Butcher and Deidre Knight on a book signing and author tour. For more information, you can go to the TKA blog , where I totally ripped off the great picture you see up top! (awesome job, Jia!)

This is not your ordinary book signing. Three of the events will feature a "How To Get Published Q&A," followed by a one-on-one meet and greet with the authors during the signing portion.

So if you're anywhere near the Atlanta area, please join us! This is where we'll be:

1--Borders at Stonecrest Mall in Lithonia – June 5th, 5pm ET8000 Mall Parkway, Lithonia, GA 30038

2--Books For Less in Buford – June 6th, 1pm ET* 2815 Buford Dr, Buford, GA 30519

3--Dog Ear Bookstore in Madison – June 6th, 5pm ET**142 Academy Street, Madison, GA 30650

4--Borders in Athens – June 7th, 2pm ET 196 Alps Road, Athens, GA 30606

*Debby Giusti will not appear at the Books For Less event. **The Madison signing will not include a Q&A session.

Also, I was lucky enough to be interviewed about the upcoming tour. Here's the link to the Athens Banner Herald and my story. Hope to see you there!

Q & A

Check out my interview over at Romance Novel Examiner's Stephanie Giancola's site. Stephanie mentioned my book in her Crazy Catchy Titles column this month and I emailed her to thank her. That resulted in her asking me for an interview which of course I was thrilled to give (don't think I will ever get tired of those!)

My favorite part of the interview? Her title: Q&A with Up and Coming Romantic Comedy author Maria Geraci. I know, I'm showing my dweebness again, but I love being called a romantic comedy author :)

Everyone have a great weekend. I'm off to continue cleaning house for son's graduation party later today...

Endings

I've been so incredibly busy lately I feel like my head is spinning. In my naivete, I thought that once the book was done, you could take a respite. Oh foolish me. I think I've been busier in the past month since my book has been out that I've ever been in my life (checking your Amazon.com stats every hour is exhausting, but someone has to do it).

Today, I'm going to be cleaning house and getting ready for my middle son's graduation tomorrow. Big day. I know. Why did I wait till today to get so many last minute things done? Because procrastination is my middle name. Really. To top that off, I got called into work last night (mandatory call=one of life's little bitches) so I'm going to be functioning on 2 hours sleep. I can do it. I know I can:)

When did he get so big? I swear, just yesterday I was taking him to kindergarten for his first day of school. Endings are so incredibly sad. But also exciting.

Isn't he cute? This was taken at Convocation last week.

Eat, Drink and Roll!

HOW MANY BUNCO BABES ARE THERE?

This past weekend I was invited to play Bunco with the Tallahassee Bunco Babes. Now, before I go any further, let me say that in all likelihood there are probably a lot of groups in Tally that go by the name "Bunco Babes" and I'm determined to hunt them all down. Or at least play with them. (Actually, I'd love to know how many groups across the country go by Bunco Babes, but since Rome wasn't built in a day, I'm starting out small).

I hooked up with the Babes through one of their members, Tammy Jo, during my book signing. Tammy Jo (who is a hoot, by the way) bought 3 books and chatted me up and before I knew it, she'd invited me to play with her group. Naturally, I said yes.

Let me tell you, these women are fantastic and almost as much fun as my Bunco Broads. They do themed Bunco parties and this month was Luau. Tammy Jo's house was covered in all sorts of Hawaiian paraphernalia. I only wish I'd worn my coconut bra. Why I didn't take more pictures, I really can't say, except that I was probably too busy eating/drinking/laughing to think about it until it was almost too late. By the time I took the small group picture below most of the Babes had left. The group you see here were the last stragglers. Now, I won't reveal any of the details on the most awesome conversation on photo shopping that I've ever heard, except to say that I laughed so much I almost peed my pants and I'm thinking that I'll have to work it into a book some day.

I also have to get Tammy Jo's brie appetizer recipe. It was fantastic and definitely deserves a slot in Best Bunco Recipes ever!!!

Eat, Drink and Roll!

In my quest for the perfect margarita and the yummiest snack (calories do not count on Bunco night, or didn't you know that?) I'm going to be posting recipes and rolling tips every Tuesday on my blog. And yep, today's Tuesday, so here goes.

Let's start off with these colorful looking Jello shots. It's the recipe currently being featured on my Let's Play Bunco! page and given to me by Jacksonville's own Divas with Dice. Aren't they pretty?

JELLO SHOTS

6oz Jello (large package)
16oz water (boiling)
6oz water (cold)10oz
Vodka

Mix the jello mix with the boiling water until the powder is fully dissolved and add the cold water and alcohol. Pour the cooling mixture into either shot glasses or paper cups. Let cool in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Please remember to drink responsibly!

BLACK BEAN SALAD (I haven't tried this yet, but doesn't it look yummy?)

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup diced peeled avocado
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
4 cups gourmet salad greens

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add beans, tomato, avocado, onions, and jalapeno; toss well. Cover and chill 2 hours. Serve over salad greens.

The Black Bean Salad recipe comes straight from myrecipes.com. I love that site. They send me recipes a few times a week and I've hardly ever been disappointed. Rebecca Lang, cooking instructor, author and writer of all things yummy, does a "Girls Night In" column for them. Last week she featured Bunko Fiesta. There's lots of great Bunco tips and recipes- including how to make 3 different kinds of sangria. To that I say ole!

If you'd like to contribute a recipe or Bunco tip for my Tuesday Eat, Drink and Roll! blogpost please email me at mariageraci1@gmail.com.

I'm on Author Talk!

My thighs look gargantuan and my acting sucks, but man, what a hoot!!!! Thanks, Jill and Gena!!

Who's your secret movie crush?

Answer that question today over at Book Roast (where I'm being slowly cooked- hopefully to perfection) and you might win an autographed copy of Bunco Babes Tell All!

Writerspace Chat, Book Roast, and Free Books

I'll take a page from my friend Kwana's blog but instead of asking what Jack's been up to I'll tell you what Maria's been up to. Lots! Besides delivering babies and obsessing over my Amazon stats (does every newbie author do this or it just me?) I'm been busy doing author promotion and running around to end-of-the-year-high school kiddie events. Did my book have to debut in May? The only other month I can think that would be worse would be December, and as I'm thinking that, a rush of gratitude sinks in... May isn't so bad after all.

Tonight, I'll be attending my youngest daughter's drama club perfomance, then running home to join fellow Berkley/Jove authors for a chat on Writerspace. 9 p.m. EST sharp. The chat will last for an hour and there will be book give-aways (mine included) so please drop by.

And speaking of book give-aways, I'll be randomly selecting 5 people from my mailing list to receive an autographed copy of Bunco Babes Tell All. I've extended the deadline to tomorrow night so it' not too late to enter. All you have to do is sign up for my newsletter.

Oh, and one more thing. Tomorrow I'm going to be served up a la carte over at Book Roast, where I'll be giving away another, yep, another free book. Should be fun!

Sold Out!

This past Saturday, I had my first "official" book signing at my neighborhood Books A Million. When I'd gone in last week to solidify details with Cliff, the store manager, he showed me all the books they'd ordered. There were two near waist high stacks of my books along the aisles. When my eyes widened, Cliff added, "I have more boxes in the back." I have to admit, I gulped. How was I going to sell all those books?

I'll tell you how. By having the best group of friends any girl could dream of. I sold out of books! Plus, took orders for 20 more. Cliff says that my book had been selling well all week (and of course there's all those books that my Bunco Broads bought) but still. I was overwhelmed.

I want to thank all those customers who I didn't know who stopped and bought books. Lucky for me, my signing was the day before Mother's Day. Talk about perfect timing (in case you weren't aware, Bunco Babes Tell All makes the perfect Mothers Day gift!) I also want to thank Brittany, the really cute and bubbly BAM employee who stood in the front of the store handing out coupons and welcoming customers. After she finished her welcome speech, she'd point over to me and pimp my author signing.

I also want to thank the fellow members of my local RWA chapter, Florida Panhandle Romance Writers for coming out. Our chapter was born last September, but we are already growing strong. And of course, I have to give a really special thanks to those people who came from out of town- my parents, my sister and her family and my RWA Online friend, Jamie Farrell, who surprised me by driving 2 hours to come! Jamie got to meet fellow members of FPHRW and she's joining the group. Yay!

The day was topped off with a celebration party across the street at Po Boys. Of which, can you can believe, I have NO pictures. By then I was so tired (all that adrenaline rush coming down) that I didn't think of it. But it was awesome. Just like the entire day was.

Birthday Bunco Book Beach Bash!

Birthday Bunco Book Beach Bash..
I dare you say that fast 3 times in a row.

Yeah, I'm not even going there.

Last night, my Bunco group, the fabulous Bunco Broads of Tallahassee threw me a private book signing! It was our regular Bunco night plus Melissa's birthday, so we celebrated everything up in grand style. Isn't my cake gorgeous? Melissa hosted the soiree and I have to say, it was one of our finest Bunco moments ever. I felt like a rock star!

My title!

Okay, after getting some hits on my title from a couple of reviewers (inane? fatuous? really?) someone out there thinks my title is top crazy catchy!

Stephanie Giancola of Examiner.com picks

Bunco Babes Tell All by Maria Geraci – If the babes had “babbled” this title would have won the alliteration of the month award. As it is there’s intrigue in a “what’s a bunco babe anyway?” kind of way. My murky notion of bunco, a very a-typical romance novel word—and the notion that the babes have some “All” to tell—gives the title a spark of “hmmm” that would make me pick it up.

Here's the complete article:

http://www.examiner.com/x-2533-Romance-Novel-Examiner~y2009m5d5-Top-crazy-catchy-romance-novel-titles-for-May-2009

Oh, And I'm blogging today at Fresh Fiction where I'll be giving away, yes, one more of those autographed books!

Debut Day!

So this day will only ever happen once to me. It's the first day my first book comes out! To celebrate I'm giving away 5 autographed copies to 5 random members who sign up for my newsletter. It's easy to do. Just click on the link on the sidebar here in my blog or go to the contact page on my website. The giveaway will end this Saturday.

Another way you can get a freebie is to comment on my interview at Bookin with Bingo. That give away goes till 5/15.

And if you want to make sure you get a copy of Bunco Babes Tell All, then all you have to do is order it, OR better yet, go to a bookstore today and buy it (I really love that last part). They should have it. And if not, demand to know why not!

Tomorrow!

No, I'm not channeling Annie. Although I do feel like singing. My debut novel, Bunco Babes Tell All debuts tomorrow. And I'm feeling pretty excited about it.

Tomorrow will be the culmination of 7 years of hard work. Although I have to say, writing for me isn't work (although it is hard). Rather it's the fruits of a very joyful labor. I can't even remember now what my life was like before I started writing. Which means, if technically, my life started when I began writing, then I'm only 7 years old. He he...

This is going to be a busy week for me. Look for lots of updates. My website should be getting a mini overhaul. My Louisville Bunco Mommas will be replaced with a group from Jacksonville called Divas with Dice. Great name, huh? (but that's a post for another day). The Divas sent me a recipe for jello shooters which I'm gleefully looking forward to trying. You can try it too. It'll be on my Let's Play Bunco! page. Look for it soon!