HEART 2 HEART ~ "It was the best of times. It was the worst of times."

Dear friends,

One of my "dear friends" passed away this Sunday evening and the world is a lesser place without him. It is the worst of times that he is gone. He was a public figure and will be missed by so many others. He had a good heart. We were mates in junior high and high school and kept up over the years. No matter how famous he got, he never forgot his friends of old. It will be awhile before the sun shines brightly over us all, warming us, healing us, without him.

"The best of times" is to be alive, and to live each day and not let any of our moments pass by, unnoticed. "The best of times" is to know gratitude and to show gratitude, especially in the difficult writing business. It's oftentimes hard and rife with rejection notices. Ouch! It can be good. It can be good, better, "best." I'm so fortunate to have my historical romances published with Five Star-Gale, now a part of Cengage Learning. With them, "it is the best of times." They are ever-kind, ever-caring, ever-talented, and ever-supportive. Their acquisitions agents and editors, art department, et al ... well, you're not going to find any better folks on the planet. It does take a village and I couldn't be more grateful to be in Five Star's.

I bid you g'day and thank you for reading ...

My best,

Jo(anne) Gregg Sundell
www.joannesundell.com
www.myspace.com/joannesundell

MATCHMAKER, MATCHMAKER
A...MY NAME'S AMELIA
THE PARLOR HOUSE DAUGHTER
MEGGIE'S REMAINS

HEART 2 HEART ~ "There and Back Again"

Yep, lifting from Bilbo Baggens, I am! "There and Back Again" BEA style, I am!

I just returned home from my first-ever BookExpo America in beautiful downtoan LA. La de da, la de da, la de da, as Annie Hall would opine. It was a star-studded, information-packed, publisher/writer-packed house to be sure! Being a small town mountain girl, I still feel like Dorothy visiting the Great OZ, returning from the colorful world of books, "There and Back Again," to hearth and home in black and white. I do miss the color.

Signing in the Romance Writers of America booth, with the likes of Diane Pershing and Elizabeth Boyle was a BEA moment for me, indeed. What an honor to be in the company of such writers! Then, to meet romance writers Heather Graham, Iris Johansen, and Linda Lael Miller ... well can you meet any better in the business? I have their latest "signed" books and couldn't be happier. I was happy, too, that all of my "signed" copies of A...My Name's Amelia went out the door quickly.

Only in LA guys would you be at lunch and the ever-handsome George Hamilton walks by, giving you "that smile." I turn around and guess who's sitting right behind me? Dr. Ruth, herself! Very nice. Very tiny. She wanted to know what I thought of GH's tan. At breakfast the next morning, I heard Alec Baldwin, Magic Johnson, Phillipa Gregory, and Andre Dubus, III! I mean, come on. Their comments were insightful and entertaining, not to mention personal. Of course I got a "signed" Phillipa Gregory! I met Garrison Kellior (Evan Handler from Sex&theCity butt line but was very nice in so doing) and William Shatner ... Captain Kirk and Denny Crane couldn't look better. See what I mean? Annie Hall was right: la de da, la de da, la de da!

Every publisher on the planet was there! The Disneyland of the Book World! I did visit the Gale-Cengage Learning Exhibit and had a nice chat with wonderful Ginny Raye and Laurie Taylor from Gale-Cengage. They are THE BEST and couldn't have been nicer. I'm so happy to be published with them!

Another day ... perhaps another BEA ... There and Back Again.

Love you, mean it,

Jo(anne) Gregg Sundell

www.joannesundell.com
www.myspace.com/joannesundell

A...MY NAME'S AMELIA, LP 8/08
THE PARLOR HOUSE DAUGHTER, 12/08
MEGGIE'S REMAINS, 7/09