Category: Travel

Reminiscences of San Francisco

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Recently I headed to the West Coast and spent a week in San Francisco. I’ve visited San Francisco quite a few times, and while I’ve never exactly left my heart there, there is something about the city that beckons me back.

San Francisco's goodwill ambassadors, the sea lions hanging out at Fisherman's Wharf.
San Francisco's goodwill ambassadors: the sea lions call Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf home.

When I revisit a place, I like to mix cherished old experiences–in this case, Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghiradelli Square, and yes, the requisite ride on the cable cars–with fun, offbeat new ones.

Part of my “new” on this trip was a pit-stop to The Buena Vista, a pub on the cusp of Fisherman’s Wharf credited with bringing the Irish coffee to America. Their Irish coffee packs a punch worthy of the Emerald Isle, and bonus, if you drink it while it’s still hot, the whipped cream won’t melt before you’ve finished. The Buena Vista serves upwards of 2,000 Irish coffees a day and if you try one, you’ll see why.

Fountain at Ghiradelli Square.
Mermaid fountain at Ghiradelli Square.

Another delightful new experience was a customized tour of wine country courtesy of Joe, owner of San Francisco Private Tours. I pretty much have a three winery limit, so at my request we stayed within Sonoma rather than press on to Napa. In the course of six lovely hours, I visited (and tasted at) three very different wineries: the long-established Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, the newly opened Anaba Winery, and Moon Mountain Vineyard. The latter boasts gorgeous vistas from the nearly 2,000 foot elevation of Mt. Vedeer, so it wasn’t only the vino making me dizzy! And bonus, in his “other life” Joe is an A-class crooner of standards, so I could drink California wine and be serenaded with Sinatra.

Hidden treasure. This angel carved from a felled tree found at foot of private drive near Twin Peaks.
Not so hidden treasure. I found this angel carved from a felled tree at the foot of a private driveway near Twin Peaks.

Of course the best part of any vacation is the wonderful appreciation for home that travel brings. When my plane touched down at JKF Airport, I felt the vibe of New York all but bubbling up from the tarmac. Waiting in the cab queue a short time later, I felt like I was home. Actually, I knew it.

Vive le voyage!

Hope

March Contest Winner & Lady Jane Salon Update

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I’m back from my European rambles and pleased to do one of my very favorite things: announce my latest contest winner. Congratulations to Rachael G of Cairo, MO. Rachael’s prize: a signed copy of my single-title historical, Vanquished, and my contemporary category romance, Strokes of Midnight, is en route to her “as we speak.”

Didn’t win this time? No worries. The new contest is up and running, so please check it out. And remember, winners who may have read one or both of the prize books can always donate their copy to Share the Love and brighten the day of a woman working to rebuild her life.

Hope

PS I’m “deadlining” as we say in the biz, but I’m hopeful of posting the highlights of my vacation in the not too distant future, so please stay tuned.

PPS The next Lady Jane’s Salon is scheduled for Monday, April 6th, at Madame X.

PPPS! The New York Post recently gave Lady Jane more than a little love by covering our wintry yet well-attended March 3rd salon.

Live From London…

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Just a petit mot (oops, that’s Paris talk) from the proverbial “road” to say what a super fab time I’ve been having these past two weeks and counting. The week in Paris with Liz Maverick was nothing short of magical, and I’ll be posting the highlights, with photos, once I get back home.

This week in London with Liz and Scandalous Woman, Elizabeth Kerri Mahon, has been equally fun albeit with a different vibe–more Manhattan fast-paced, less vino, less frommage, and yes, less secondhand smoking. Highlights so far: uber hottie James McAvoy in THREE DAYS OF RAIN, Dame Judi Dench in MADAME DE SADE, a behind-the-scenes tour of the Royal Theater at Drury Lane where my fictional heroine, Daisy, tread the boards in ENSLAVED, cream tea at The Wolsley, and drinks at The Ten Cups with Liz, EKM, and EKM’s delightful London-based friends. The pub, situated in Spitalfields, has the dubious distinction of looking out onto the street where The Ripper offed his last victim. Think Victorian grunge chic meets Gen X and Y. I could say more, and I will (oh, I will), but for the present I’m headed back out to savor.

Cheerio,

Hope

Blog-o-licious

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Hi All,

Tomorrow, August 26th, I’m over at Elizabeth Kerri Mahon’s “Got It Goin’ On” blog–and boy does she ever. Along with being an uber-talented author, British history buff, and president of the New York City chapter of Romance Writers of America, Elizabeth finds time to blog–every day. Her Scandalous Women blog is one of my favorite places in cyberspace, especially on those days (and you know “those days”) when I really need to remember that “Well-behaved women don’t make history.”

And then repeat it like a mantra.

Also, I posted more photos from my Ireland trip to my Facebook page, so when you find two ticks, check it out.

Happy Monday,

Hope

The Road Well-Traveled

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In the spirit of a picture saying a thousand words (at least!), I’ll let these vacation pictures from my last week’s Ireland trip do the talking for me. Who knew that trekking through flood waters, cow paddy-laced bogs, and pelting rains could be so much fun–but it was! But then Ireland’s West Country boasts some of the most breathtaking scenery I’ve ever before experienced in any weather.

The three pictures shown here are from the Connemara leg of the journey. The group photo, taken after completing the last walk of the trip, is from left to right, Linda L, Bill A, Ron L, Pol O’Colmain (artist, storyteller, musician as well as Guide Extaordinaire) and Yours Truly–with the wind-whipped hair.

I’ll be posting photos from The Burren/Galway Bay walks as well over the next week. In the meantime, if you have a moment or better yet two, “nip on over” to Facebook.com where I’ve posted all sixteen photos (so far) to an album.

Hope

More Photos from the RWA Conference in San Francisco

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Hi All,

I’m back from hiking Ireland–okay, not exactly the whole country but The Burren and Connemara. Despite an unfortunate lack of gills or fins–can we say “record rainfall”–I managed to stay afloat without floating away. But more on that later this week when I post my vacation pics.

Yummy news: I got back to find a “wee giftie” waiting in my email mailbox–more photos from the RWA Conference in San Francisco courtesy of fellow Washington Romance Writers (WRW) member, Yvonne Yirka. Thanks Yvonne!

Unfortunately being the Shutterbug means not being in so many pictures, at least not your own. The Fab Threesome, taken on a “real live” San Francisco streetcar which we actually rode is (from left to right), Terri Ridgell, me, and former WRW prez, Deborah Barnhart.

Girlfriend time, take time to savor.

Hope

Going Green…

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In many ways Manhattan is a very European city. For sure it demonstrates that a pedestrian society can not only work but work well. If I kept a car here, I think I’d probably end up having to shoot it like in those old spaghetti westerns when the trusty stead went lame on the trail and there was, well, nothing left to be done. (Really, did those wagon trains not have room for at least one veterinarian, for gosh sakes!).

Fortunately I don’t need wheels here in the Big Apple unless you count my shopping pushcart. Here not only the trains but yes, the subway and buses all run on time. Since moving, I like to say my “carbon footprint” has shrunk from small to minuscule. Think bound foot.

But for the next week I’m not only going green, I’m going to the Green as in Ireland. Or at least a small part of Ireland: Connemara and Galway. I’ve wanted to take this trip for more than ten years, no joke, and a few months ago I decided to make like the Nike ads and “Just Do It.”

And yes, you guessed it–I’m walking.

Well, first of course I’m flying. Once there, though, in the main I’ll be traveling not by horse power but person power. Mine. Got my back pack, got my Timberland hiking boots, and yes, my rain poncho all packed. Fortunately the seasoned guides with the tour group I signed on with, Country Walkers, won’t let me veer too far off course. At least I’m hoping not…

While I’m gone, hopetarr.com will remain in the capable hands–and under the 24/7 watch–of the fabulous folks at WaxCreative Design, so no worries there.

Many of you have emailed to congratulate me on launching Harlequin’s Blaze Historical Miniseries with Bound to Please. Thank you–and please keep the encouragement coming. It means a lot. Though I’ll be mostly offline this week, once I’m back home from the Emerald Isle I’ll be reading and responding to every single email in my in-box as I always do. In the meantime…

Happy Trails,

Hope

Puttin’ on the Ritz

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Okay, so I sent out a Nag-O-Gram to all my nearest and dearest conference buddies and slowly but surely (and for sure, slowly) photos from last week’s Romance Writers of America Conference in San Francisco are beginning to t-r-i-c-k-l-e in.
The above photo was taken at a pre-Awards cocktail party on Saturday night. From left to right are authors Sophia Nash, Elaine Fox, Kathryn Caskie, and some brunette chic in pewter who apparently didn’t get the memo on the basic black cocktail attire.
Oh, yeah, right, she’s me. 😉
I’ll be posting pics daily, at least that’s my plan, so please don’t be a stranger.
Hope

July Contest Winners

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Okay, I am if not exactly fully rested up from the RWA Conference in San Francisco, then certainly back on the J.O.B. And one of the very best parts of this particular J.O.B. is announcing contest winners–and giving away books!

Jane C of New York, NY is the Grand Prize Winner of my previous month’s contest. Like the two runners up, Jane knew that “caudle,” a mulled wine with bits of brown bread, sugar, eggs and spices, is the drink Brianna first serves the captured Ewan in Bound to Please. Jane’s prize is a signed copy of The Haunting, my time travel Harlequin Blaze romance set in Fredericksburg, VA, and a signed copy of Monica McCarty’s Highlander Untamed, the first in Monica’s blockbuster trilogy about the MacLeods of Skye. Bound to Please also features the MacLeods albeit more than a century earlier.

Robyn L of Portage, PA and Andrea A of Bath, NY are my two additional winners. Robyn and Andrea will each receive a signed copy of Vanquished, the kick-off to my “Men of Roxbury House” historical trilogy along with a signed cover flat for Bound to Please.

Per my previous post, I’m still waiting on all those fab RWA Conference glam shots, so if you’re one of my shutterbug buddies, don’t be shy. Send ’em on. (Memo to self: next time remember to take digital camera. Also, remember to learn how to use said digital camera). 😉

Hope

Back from San Francisco

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Hi Everyone,

I’m jet-lagged but grinning big time after wrapping up yet another fabulous Romance Writers of America Conference. This year’s setting was San Francisco, one of my favorite US cities, second only to–you guessed it–New York. As always the conference was a fabulous forum for mixing business with yes, pure fun.

Determined to log in a little sightseeing, I got into San Francisco on Tuesday and hooked up with my posse of conference buds, including the lovely and prolific Kathryn Caskie, for a fortifying seafood dinner at Scoma’s in Fisherman’s Wharf. Set back from the main drag on Pier 47, Scoma’s bills itself as offering San Francisco’s freshest seafood. The cracked Dungeoness Crab was to die for as was the Lobster Thermidor and Lobster Newburg. I know because I had them all!

The conference officially kicked off on Wednesday night with the annual charity literacy autographing. Hundreds of romance authors from Nora Roberts to Julia Quinn to yes, Yours Truly packed the SF Marriott’s grand ballroom to sign our latest releases and chat with readers and the press.

The Harlequin Party on Friday was held at the ever elegant Four Seasons Hotel. In between fortifying forays to the food stations for an array of Asian dumplings, succulent cheeses, and completely calorie-free desserts (yeah, right)–hey, a girl’s gotta keep up her strength–I shook my booty and ground my groove thing to the 80’s tunes rocking the house.

On Saturday romantic suspense author, Terri Ridgell and I gave our workshop on Tracking Trends, Fording the Future. To the strappy souls who turned out for us despite the 4:30-5:30 time slot, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

All that talking turned out to be thirsty work. After whetting my whistle with some lovely champagne at an awards pre-party, it was time to settle down to the Awards Ceremony emceed this year by best-selling author, Suzanne Brockman. In addition to doing a bang-up job keeping we attendees rolling in the aisles with laughter–and the program rolling along right on schedule–Suzanne is well, a pretty cool chick. You’ve got to hand it to a woman who accessorizes a floor-length ballgown with…cowboy boots.

Sunday morning was time to pack in the razzle dazzle and come back to home and yes, “reality.” Now that I’m back, my first official action item (okay, second) is to announce my July contest winners, so please check back tomorrow (Tuesday) for details on the latest three lucky ladies (or gentlemen, as the case may be). The grand prize includes a title from bestseller Monica McCarty’s Highlander series.

Finally, to all my shutterbug buddies who also attended the conference–and yes,I know not only who you are but where to find you–this stands as my official shout out. All those group photos you made me mug for, and which I valiantly worked not to ruin by blinking, send ’em on. I’ll be posting the images as they trickle–make that rush–in. In the meantime…

Happy Monday,

Hope