#navbar-iframe { display: none !important;} The Naked Page: July 2005

The Naked Page

Author Jamie Sobrato's Diary

7.29.2005

Survival of the Fittest

I'm in Reno and have officially survived more than half of the conference. I have approxiately 20 brain cells left, five of which will expire as I compose this post.

My pedicure has also survived, as has my hairdo for the most part. My carefully planned wardrobe has even thrived. I believe one of my more stylish outfits is down in the bar networking with industry professionals as I type this. My clothes are way more outgoing than I am. Which is why I bring them with me to parties.

The Harlequin party is tonight, as is my literary agency's party. I'm going to bring my most sociable outfits with me.

I will survive this conference. I will go on to write more books. Many more books. I cannot however guarantee their quality, since they'll be written with those remaining 15 brain cells.

7.26.2005

Off We Go to Reno

The excitement, the networking, the 20-minute wait at every elevator! Yes! The Romance Writers of America National conference in Reno is almost here. In just a few hours, my flight leaves. My clothes are packed, my shoes are packed, my hair is done, my laptop is secured in its carry-on bag...am I forgetting anything?

Oh, yes, if you're going to be in or near Reno tomorrow, please stop at the Reno Hilton between 5:30 and 8:30PM to witness the largest number of romance authors you're ever likely to see gathered in one room. We'll all be signing books at a charity event that benefits literacy. The proceeds of every book you purchase will go toward the cause, and besides that, it's really fun. Admission is free, and this is your chance to meet me! What more could you want?

I'll be wearing hot pink, by the way. And sequins--only a few though. I'm saving my major bling bling for the nighttime events.

7.19.2005

Welcome to Insanity

I'm not afraid to ask the big questions. Questions like, "How many pairs of shoes can be crammed into a standard-sized suitcase?" and "Will I actually wear 10 different pairs of shoes in two weeks?"

Yes, we have crossed the border into the Romance Writers of America National Conference State of Insanity. Welcome, but be warned. You cannot stay here unless you're in the frantic process of getting your hair done, getting your nails done, getting your toes done, getting various body parts waxed, planning an extensive and detailed wardrobe, and engaging in many last-minute shopping trips.

I'm only exaggerating a little. I mean, I don't actually get anything waxed for the conference, and I'm not into manicures, but everything else, yes, I'm doing it.

7.18.2005

Get Yourself Some Sexy

Progress report: It's time to celebrate. I'm finished with all the stuff that piled up during vacation, and now I'm off to prepare for my next trip tomorrow.

Bags must be packed, conference wardrobe must be planned, various bribes and distractions must be stowed in carryon bags for use during long, tedious overnight flight with children.

Have you bought Sexy All Over yet? Have you laid your hands on Superfly Perm Guy? If not, get yourself to the store and buy some Sexy.

7.17.2005

You Will Buy the Book

Always on the leading edge of technology--that's me. I've decided to take an innovative step in blogging. Today's blog is possibly the first in history that will attempt to deliver subliminal messages via the internet. By subliminal messages I mean ideas that you will not necessarily notice but that will become implanted in your subconscious nonetheless, causing you to act in a desired fashion.

Go to the store immediately and buy Jamie Sobrato's latest Harlequin Blaze novel, Sexy All Over.

So today's blog is sort of like a commercial, but not really. There will be no interruption of your regularly scheduled program, no annoying jingle to get stuck in your head, and no blatant use of sex to sell the product.

Sexy All Over is, above all, a really sexy book. Did we mention that the hero is totally hot?

This could mark a new era for online advertising. No more annoying pop-up ads, no more ridiculous spam in your inbox. It could be like an internet utopia. Well, except if you object to the idea of having ideas planted involuntarily in your head.

Get off the couch, go to the nearest bookstore, and buy Sexy All Over!

I bet you didn't even notice that this blog contains advertising. So you see, subliminal messages are the wave of the future, far preferable to the more conventional and clunky ways of raising product awareness.

You will buy the book! Do it now!

7.16.2005

Of Absences and Book Releases

Allow me to dispell the rumors. No, I have not been kidnapped by aliens, I am not a runaway bride, and I am not on the lamb from authorities. Really. I know you've been wildly speculating about my absence from this blog, but the truth is far more mundane than you might guess. I've just been working.

Remember all that work I didn't get done while on vacation? I'm doing it now. You see, I have another trip starting next Tuesday, and I'm going to be raising the concept of "screwed" to a whole new level if I don't take care of some writing stuff before then.

So, I'm partway dug out of my self-created hole, well on my way to seeing the light of day again. Will report all future progress as it happens.

Happy now? No? Then feel free to continue speculating about the true nature of my disappearance to your heart's content.

Oh, but how could I forget the truly important news: SEXY ALL OVER IS IN STORES NOW!

Do your civic duty and go buy a copy. Right now! Please? Pretty please?

Seriously, this is your chance to see Superfly Perm Guy live and in the flesh. Then compare for yourself how he (the guy on the cover) doesn't quite do justice to the hero in the book.

7.07.2005

The Fun Has to End

You know it's time for vacation to end when you're tired of having fun. Well, and truth be told, this wasn't entirely vacation for me.

I mean, I have galleys sitting next to me as I type this. They're glaring at me, really. They're glaring and saying, "Read me. READ ME!!!" (Galleys are the last version of the book I see before it goes to print. It's my last chance to read the book and make minor fixes, correct any typos that haven't been caught yet, etc.) They're due next week.

I also have a proposal that I owed my agent, like, months ago, that I have been trying to revise at night during this trip. Unfortunately, I have not mastered the art of revising while asleep. I keep leaving puddles of drool on the keyboard, which gets pretty funky and mucks up the keys after a while, as you can imagine.

Oh, and then there is the other proposal that I haven't started writing yet but that I should be working on right now since it's due next month.

I'm not sure what's sadder--the fact that I brought work with me on vacation or the fact that I'm now looking forward to getting back home so I can finish all the work.

7.03.2005

Roller Girl

Here's what I love about San Francisco: anything can happen here. We were walking in Golden Gate Park today, and we came upon an outdoor rollerskating area we'd never seen before where a bunch of people were skating and dancing to music pumped out of a set of mobile speakers that had been fashioned partly out of a jogging stroller. The speakers rested where the child would normally sit, and the people skating/dancing were mostly really good. I mean, even the white people had rhythm and knew moves one wouldn't normally expect a middle-aged caucasian chick to know. These were grown adults too--not teenagers--many of them well past the age when the average adult gives up roller skating and dancing (let alone doing both at the same time).

There aren't very many places in the world where I can imagine this happening. My husband, the latter-day disco king, was so enthralled he video-taped the scene with his PDA-phone-thingy. We stood on the sidelines and watched for a while, I vowed to buy a pair of roller skates, and then we moved on, happy to know that there are people out there having fun for no apparent reason.

7.01.2005

The Land of Fog and Fat

Ah, vacation. That glorious time when I pack up my laptop computer and go work from a different location. I'm typing this from San Francisco, where the only thing thicker than the July fog is the ever-increasing size of my ass.

Just once I'd like to go on vacation and lose weight instead of gain it. Is this possible? Perhaps if I didn't eat so much... We need to choose vacation spots that have a less-appealing selection of restaurants. Clearly, this ass-size issue is San Francisco's fault and not mine.