Category Archives: Dana Rodgers

It’s A Mermaid Blogoversary!

 

Seven years today, fishy friends! Can you believe it??? We mermaids are so happy to get to celebrate with you all here in the lagoon. Thank you SO MUCH for your readership and support over the years. Every comment and email subscription notice that lands in our lagoon-box is seen by each of us, and we absolutely cherish each and every one of you. Our blog would be a pretty sad little place without your love and visits. So again, THANK YOU! We thought we’d share with you on this very special day of what the Waterworld Mermaids means to us, and then also be sure and read all the way to the bottom for a little mermaid movie magic….

~Mermaid Alethea~

xox Mermaid Alethea

Over the years, the Mermaids have pulled me out of the darkness and inspired me so many times I’ve lost count. I am so proud of each and every one of them…I love them every minute of every day, down to every last crazy atom of them. Friendship is what I was looking for when we took the plunge in this Lagoon, and what I ended up with was a sisterhood. Here’s to many more years of US, my Mermaid Sisters!

 

xox Mermaid Carlene

~Mermaid Carlene~

Oh my goodness, what does this rich, diverse, totally unique but also completely down to earth group of writers mean to me? Ack. I could write, at the very minimum, a short story about this! When the Waterworld Mermaids first formed in 2011, my scope, my outreach, just my outside world in general, was very small. Not in a bad way, or anything. I was an Army spouse and stay at home mom–the quiet kind who just didn’t reach out much. So my life was good because I loved the army, and my family, of course, with all my heart, but I REALLY had no idea just how much I NEEDED these girls. I can say with 100 % certainty that had I not met my fishy sisters–my scope, outreach, outside world–would have never grown into the really full and wondrous entity it has become. I love cheering them on, and I love knowing they celebrate me too. I love you, Mermaids. Cheers!

~Mermaid Dana~

xox Mermaid Dana

A long time ago in a life that seems far away Princess Alethea suggested pulling together a blog group for the first-time attendees of the WRW Retreat. Since that time there have been a multitude of blog posts, a lot of awards won, and many books published by the members of the Waterworld Mermaids. But more importantly, there has also been laughter, tears, births, deaths, moves, illnesses, job changes and friendship. The most special thing that I have taken away from Waterworld Mermaids are the friends that I’ve made in the lagoon. Happy Anniversary Mermaids!

~Mermaid Kerri~

xox Mermaid Kerri

Sparkles, alcohol, laughter, writing, more alcohol, glitter, awesomeness, books, did I say alcohol?
I love the Waterworld Mermaids for so many reasons – way more than I listed above! I think my favorite thing is that I’ve always felt like I can be completely myself with the Mermaids. My crazy, weird, unique, glittery self. There’s been no judgement – just fun and laughter and support.
Also, I get to boss all of them around by reminding them of the blogging schedule. Being bossy pants has brought me great joy!

~Mermaid Kim~

xox Mermaid Kim

When the mermaids first formed, it was a group of women writers who met at their first writing retreat. Since then, these fabulous women have become my friends. Sometimes we text each other to see who wants to sprint. Other times we meet for drinks to discuss writer’s block or to celebrate successes. Here’s to way less writer’s block and way more successes!

 

~Mermaid Masha~

xox Mermaid Masha

Like water, the mermaids are a sustaining source of writerly life. A seemingly random jambalaya of people thrown together by a single event, on a single day. And yet, like water; tasteless, odorless, transparent and colorless, the magnitude of the mermaids is a living breathing microcosm of invisible strength, vitality and sustainability of an ethereal force called writing. Frustrating, confusing, exciting and awe inspiring, the mermaids, as a cohesive unit provided the support, encouragement and entertainment in an otherwise solitary pursuit. May the mermaid waters run deep.

Sunshine and Daisies Make Me Happy

 

In our own special way, each of us strives for that happiness and joy that brings with it an inner peace, but sometimes life gets in the way. It could be a hectic schedule bogged down by playing taxi to your children or that cursed day job. The fact is, even when your life is going famously, sometimes you crack open one bleary eye to a rainy morning and feel like your blankets have claimed you as one of their own. Ahem, I’ve heard. 🙂

Regardless of what is drudging up the doldrums and making your creativity wane, all you need to turn that frown upside down is some inspiration.

I find peace in order. Yes, I am one of THOSE people. My books and DVDs are organized by genre and the movies are even alphabetized. And I love lists. I make a list of things to do every day. When I’m feeling particularly sluggish I have been known to make lists with simple things on them like “Brush my teeth” or “Start the dishwasher” just so I can check stuff off and feel like I’ve accomplished something. I know it’s my own special brand of crazy, but I love the sense of order it brings to my life when I feel productive.

Some other things that made my favorites list:
1. Laughter (it truly is the best medicine)
2. Lazy afternoons
3. Time with family
4. Dragging a blanket outside and stargazing on a clear night
5. Picnics
6. Books
7. Hiking (I love nature)
8. Watching a funny movie
9. Spending time with friends
10. Road trips (you don’t have to go far to have an adventure)
11. Kayaking
12. The beach
13. The mountains
14. Wine
15. Animals
16. Sunshine
17. Daisies

Everyone is different and the things that inspire us vary from person to person. I’d love to hear about some of the things that make your favorites list in the comments!

And credit where credit is due…
Stargazing Image: LoveThisPic.com https://www.google.com/search?q=stargazing+pictures&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=MfbsfZ9pLWNugM%253A%252CgH6D8skNw1II0M%252C_&usg=__Qb4XhkuZUm78OL98fgFyvnPBvy8%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjsxqzViMXZAhVhTt8KHZTaDh0Q9QEIKTAA#imgrc=MfbsfZ9pLWNugM:
Beach Image: Dana Rodgers
Cuddly Animal Image: Dana Rodgers

A Very Mermaid Valentine Message + Giveaway!

Love, love, love, love, love. It’s Everywhere! We hope you enjoy this sweet Valentine’s Day message from the fantastic fiction writers that are….Us! The Waterworld Mermaids! Please get comfy and watch as Alethea, Kerri, Pintip, Kim, Carlene, Masha, Denny, Susan and Dana share some of our love worthy favorites…

Thank you so much for tuning in and letting us share. So now we’d like to know, what are some of YOUR romantic favorites? We’re talking books, movies, television shows, poems, plays, couples, quotes, guys, gals, desserts, songs, flowers, etcetera. We’d love to hear from you!

GIVEAWAY: We will randomly select one lucky commenter to receive a wonderful bundle of books, including Besphinxed (ebook) by Alethea Kontis, The Darkest Lie (ebook) by Pintip Dunn, Falling for the Right Brother (ebook) by Kerri Carpenter, Sidewalk Flower (ebook) by Carlene Love Flores, and Welcome Home, Katie Gallagher (paperback) by Seana Kelly. Winner will be notified here in the comment section of this post on Sunday, February 18th, at 8:00 pm Pacific time. Good luck!

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

With lots of love,

The Waterworld Mermaids

(Thank you to each of my fishy sisters for sending me their words and letting me read them for you! xox)

My Favorite Place to Write: Dana Rodgers

IMG_1171Over the years I have written many places, at home, in the car, at my kids’ various practices and rehearsals, on vacation, at the occasional restaurant or café during my lunch hour, even on an airplane. But the place I enjoy writing the most is at home in the sunroom off of my kitchen. The room is cozy and the windows offer lots of natural light. I love to get up early and put some yummy bread or pastry in the oven to bake. Then I can snuggle in the recliner with my favorite blanket or sit at the bar savoring the enticing smells while I work on my latest story.
The atmosphere helps to inspire me and, when the occasional bout of writer’s block happens to descend, I can let my mind wander and maybe catch a glimpse of one of the bald eagles that live near my house or a deer munching on some nice tender stalks of grass in the yard.

Do you have a favorite place to write?

Mermaids Immortalized in Romance Fiction (And a giveaway to boot!)

7Hello fishy friends!

How’s everyone doing? I hope your 2016 is off to a great start. I’m humbled and honored to say January is wrapping up very nicely with the release of my eighth published novel. Let Me See (Book 2 of the These Three Words series) just came out today. I’m so very happy I get to share this story with you but guess what really has me smiling?

I’ve missed my fishy sisters so much since moving away from their area nearly two years ago. But today I get to be with them again. Sort of.

I hope you’ll enjoy this excerpt from my new release in which the Waterworld Mermaids become immortalized in romance fiction. **Be sure and leave a comment below for a chance to win a free e-copy.** Let’s see if you can spot them…

Copyrighted Excerpt from Let Me See (These Three Words, 2) by Carlene Love…

Jay normally spent as much time out front chatting with the guests as he did on stage performing for them but right now he wanted a few extra quiet moments alone to let the importance of tonight sink in.

“Jay, come.”

Having thought that, Marie was rarely persistent with him like this. So he followed her out front, forgetting for the time being that he was only half-dressed for his solo. He ran his hand over his abs, rubbing away some of the sweat already sticking to his skin. He’d barely crossed paths with Julian but the bump-in had been enough and he had the man’s angel wing glitter all over his black pants. Jay dusted it off as best he could, eventually giving up. Jay hooked his thumbs in his suspenders. He left the newsboy hat that would—pardon the pun—cap off his college prep outfit in homage to Maggie, in his locker and followed Marie out front. One thing he recognized for sure was the extra pep in her step. If he didn’t know better, he’d have thought she was playing Cupid or something ridiculous like that. Too bad he couldn’t just tell her he’d officially taken his heart off the market, for good, two weeks ago when he’d been stood up again by the girl who had somehow taken his everything prisoner.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said and followed her out, pumping himself up for the night and walking to the beat of Gabe’s solo song.

“So you guys had a pretty successful adoption event at the last shelter drive?”

“Yes, Marie. Why do you ask? You sure are talking to me a whole lot tonight. I mean, I love it. But, do you swear everything is okay with you?” He’d do anything he could to help her. She worked hard and he knew she had issues she kept hidden. Jay knew how that could eat at a person.

“I’m in the mood to do some good and you think there’s something wrong with me? Gee, thanks, Stud.”

He wasn’t sure exactly what to say back to her, to be honest. It was tricky with Marie because Jay knew he had to keep his flirting to a minimum, remembering how wrecked it had made him when D had gotten too loose with his flirty words for Kelley. “My apologies to the lady.”

They walked single file through the last bits of the cramped back hallways until they got to the door that led into the public portion of the club. Jay took an extra-long step to put him in front of Marie so that he could get the door for her. He ushered her through but then noted how she quickly jumped back in front of him. Guess she really wanted to be the leader.

“Accepted. And you’re right, it is odd that I’m feeling so chipper. It’s freaking me out but I’m going with it for this night only. I just feel like this burst of goodness came inside earlier. Apparently your sister’s spirit of positivity has its claws in me tonight.” She winked and smiled softly at him. “Anywho, recognize anyone?”

Marie suddenly stopped walking when they’d only made it a few feet into the club, clearly waiting for him to stop too and have a look around. Okay, he’d play along and checked out the bar area since that was where he associated Marie as being most often. “Drunk Al. Tina and her mom and her sisters. Um, Brad?” He noted the faces he could see this far in the dark.

“Ahem.” She cleared her throat and pulled him around by the suspender until he was facing the stage. She let go and the elastic snapped his skin. It didn’t really hurt but he let out a yelp just to tease her. “Ouch.”

Now he did see a ton of familiar faces. “Do you really want me to start naming everyone? Cause there’s Liz, Kerri, Dana, Kim, Alethea, Pintip, Susan, Loni, Masha, and Denny, just for starters.” It gave him an immense feeling of joy that so many of the regulars were already here supporting the cause. “Oh, and let’s see … Lynne, Robin, and Avery. I can keep going—Jen, Keely, Deb, Denise, Sue, Lil. Ooo, Becky’s looking supa-hot tonight. She turned fifty in here last week, you know. Still fricking gorgeous. Did you know she’s the drummer in a band? I think I’m going to give her a late birthday lick later on. In fact, I think I’m gonna go over there with my sexy self and lick her right now.” Of course he was just teasing, watching Marie’s face get more and more perturbed with him. It was his playful payback to her for bringing him out before he’d gotten dressed and then being so secretive. But honestly, who did she want him to see?

“Ugh. You’re impossible. And you wonder why I don’t talk much to you boys. Gabe—”

But she may as well have stopped speaking.

The second he changed his line of sight to the stage where Gabe currently held court as a half-dressed military hero, he saw the one thing he never would have expected, not in a million years at this point.

She didn’t even have to turn around for him to know.

*****

Eek! I hope you liked it!

Take my friendly fishy advice. If you find yourself missing those who you care about and can’t be near, write them something. Whether it’s a letter, an email, a text, or yeah, in this case a novel. Reach out. Let them know you’re thinking of them. I call it a paper hug. xoxo

**Giveaway Info: Say hi, or better yet, say hi and leave a message for someone you’re currently missing in the comments section and I’ll enter you into the drawing for a free e-copy of Let Me See. Winner will be randomly picked on Sunday night, 1/31/2016. Good luck!

My best to you and yours!

Fishy kisses,

Carlene Mermaid

Let-Me-See-evernightpublishing-JayAheer2016-3DrenderAre you sure you’re ready to see what’s inside?

Two hearts beating…      

S Club dancer and extrovert, Jay, has worked very hard for this eye-opening moment with his reluctant and shy friend, Kelley. Unfortunately, a humorous attempt to get her to open up serves to push her further away. Now it’s nearly impossible to convince her he’s not just out to play.

Hundreds of scars in need of hiding…       

For good reason, Kelley has yet to let Jay see all of her whereas he takes his clothes off nightly for a living. Her respect for him runs unmatched because she sees who he is inside. There’s just no way to ever reciprocate and that’s not fair to him. His interest in her has never made sense. The best option is convincing Jay there really is nothing to see.

One dark night to shine some light on their healing…

Sometimes, it just takes one very patient man, one dimly lit room and one safe set of arms.

Check out more from Let Me See HERE at the Evernight site or HERE at Amazon. xoxo

Magical Summer Memories

Apple PieIt’s summertime again, and as always it’s passing too fast. Although schools out and we don’t have rehearsals and practices to rush to every evening, there is still that cursed day job and at least a thousand other things demanding my immediate attention. It makes me long for the simpler times and a slower pace of life.

Growing up, I loved visiting my grandparents house in the summer. They lived in a very rural area dominated by rolling mountains and lush green valleys. It is still litterally fifty miles to the closest fast food restaurant or Walmart. The cell phone reception is crappy and they are probably still using a dial up internet connection, but you know what? For me, my grandparents house represents one of the happiest places on earth.

My favorite part of the summer was when all of the aunts, uncles and cousins came for Fourth of July. After a day full of fun playing in the hayloft or swimming in the river you returned to the smell of grilling hamburgers, hot dogs and ribs. Tables piled high with deviled eggs, cole slaw, potato salad, pies and cakes. I fondly remember the lazy summer evenings where the adults gathered on the porch to talk and sip sweet tea or some other more adult beverage, while the kids played hide-and-go-seek and chased fireflys into the melting twilight. The sharp smell of freshly mowed lawn clung to the air as everybody ate watermelon, spitting seeds into the grass.

thCAG7TAUSAs the night grew dark the kids became more and more restless, begging for fireworks. There was nothing better than standing on the edge of my grandparents back field in awe as another rocket whizzed into the air, the explosive boom vibrating through my body. The colors showering down from the heavens set a magical backdrop to the Fourth of July.

Those are some of my favorite memories. I would love to hear some of your favorite summer memories in the comments.

So That’s How It Started…

Dana MermaidAll of the readers I know have certain authors or books that they read again and again. I am no exception. One of my favorites is Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss. I recently finished Shanna for the twenty-seventh time. Honestly, I have no idea how many times I’ve read it, but often enough that the tattered cover and well-worn spine mark it as a favorite on my shelf. This latest reading prompted me to think about all of the well-loved romance novels out there, and the happiness they have brought so many.

But where did all of this romance begin? If I had to guess I’d say back with the caveman. Maybe the first time a big bad alpha caveman brought his main cave woman squeeze daisies or drew a colorful painting on the wall to make their cave sweet cave a little homier. My point is, as long as there have been men and women, we have shown off, flexed, primped, strutted and gone out of our way to do special things to attract each other. The real question is how  did all of this romance and happiness get into books?

UnknownMany feel that the literary fiction of the 18th and 19th centuries are precursors to today’s fiction romance genre. Authors like Samuel Richardson, Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer were among the first to write literary romance. But during my research I was surprised to discover that Kathleen Woodiwiss is considered the mother of modern romance. In 1972, after many rejection letters from other houses, Avon published The Flame and the Flower, the first novel to feature an “…epic historical romance with a strong heroine and actual sex scenes.” This was the first romance novel to carry the relationship into the bedroom. The book was wildly successful, pioneering the historical romance genre and selling over 2.3 million copies in its first four years of publication. The Flame and the Flower’s success spawned a new style of writing that involved longer and more complicated plots, controversial topics, and steamier sex scenes. Also, the stories focused on monogamous relationships with helpless heroines who often found themselves in sticky situations, so it’s a good thing all of those strong alpha heroes were there to charge to the rescue. (We won’t mention the part where the hero was usually the one to put the heroine in danger to begin with).

According to the most recent statistics I could find, more than 50% of paperback fiction sales are attributed to romance novels. Romantic fiction made up 13.5% of the consumer book market in 2008, publishing 7,311 romance novels and generating $1.37 billion in sales. Most of these books are written by authors from English speaking countries but romance novels appear in 90 languages around the globe, proving that emotion translates. So it’s obvious, although thousands of years have passed since that first caveman got the hint and brought his girl flowers, not all men have caught on… and women are still looking for romance. 🙂

Renovating Your Book

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

My husband and I spent ours working on our basement. Thank heavens my husband is a very handy guy because we have spent the last several months finishing our basement. It has been a long arduous task involving framing, insulating, dry walling, tiling and painting. After a long weekend of sanding and painting, my back is locked up tighter than Fort Knox and, sadly, I’m only halfway done painting the doors, windows and trim moldings.

As I labored away yesterday, it dawned on me how many parallels there are between building something and the writing process. Whether you’re finishing a basement, building a skyscraper or writing a novel it’s always important to start with a strong framework. Without a solid foundation your building or your story will fall apart.

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Next you run the wiring and plumbing, which is kind of like weaving together the plot threads that drive your story forward. This is what makes your reader turn the page. If you fail to tie all of the plumbing together you turn on a faucet and nothing happens. Or you run all of the electrical lines, but forget to tie them into the junction box, so when you flip the light switch, no lights come on. This can also happen in a story when an author has lots of great story elements but forgets to tie them together so the reader knows what is going on and why it’s important.

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Next comes walls. Just as you have to watch out for bows and seams when hanging and taping drywall, you have to be careful as you layer one event on top of another in building your plot. If you aren’t, you could wind up with a story full of inconsistencies, elements that don’t make sense or a sagging middle that doesn’t encourage a reader to keep turning pages.

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Once your structure is complete, it’s time to add the finishing touches like paint, tile and carpet to tie the space together and make it inviting. In much the same way, rewrites and edits tie your scenes together and give your story seamless flow. This is the place I’m at now, both in the manuscript I’m working on and my basement. I’ll let you know how it goes!

A Supernatural Experience

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This year we decided to do things a little differently for Christmas and birthdays. Instead of purchasing something that would get lost, broken, pushed aside, or donated later in the year we decided that we would give our kids experiences that will hopefully stick with them for a lifetime.

Our youngest is really musical and almost came unhinged when she discovered that The Piano Guys were coming to the Warner Theatre in March, especially since cello is her primary instrument. For those of you unfamiliar with The Piano Guys, look them up on YouTube; they have their own channel. One guy plays a cello and the other a piano. They write their own arrangements of popular songs, often combining them with classical music, and then create fun videos with stunning photography. So anyway, we got VIP tickets and took Brenna. I cannot even express how thrilled she was.

Our older daughter chose Supernatural Con 2014, which took place last weekend. This was the first year that Supernatural Con has ever come to the east coast, and we were lucky enough to have it right in our backyard – Washington D.C.! Ryan loves Cosplay and Conventions so Supernatural Con was right up her alley.

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Richard Speight, Jr. was a hilarious Master of Ceremonies and Friday kicked off with panels by Osric Chau (Kevin Tran), Kim Rhodes (Sherriff Jody Mills), Corin Nemec (Christian Campbell), Gil McKinney (Henry Winchester) and Chad Lindberg (Ash). My favorite was the personable and hilarious Kim Rhodes. She was so nice when I ran into her in the bar and then later at autographs. Friday night also had an 80’s themed Karaoke Party with a ton of the cast participating. It was a blast!

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Saturday kicked off with a panel by Osric Chau and Gil McKinney, followed by a panel with Sebastian Roche. And let me just say, that man is just as crude and cheeky in person as he is as Balthazar on the show.  There were also panels by Richard Speight, Jr. (Trickster), Matt Cohen (Young John Winchester), Rob Benedict (Chuck Shurley/Carver Edlund) and Misha Collins (Castiel). There was a costume contest, which my daughter participated in. She didn’t win, there were some crazy good costumes, but she got a stock photo of Jensen Ackles.

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Misha Collins also hosted a live Stageit.com webcast airing two of his TSA (Transportation security Authority) web series. The TSA movie shorts were hilarious and the money raised during the event went to Random Acts, a charity Misha feels strongly about. As a bidding incentive Matt Cohen agreed to take his shirt off if the event raised enough money. Let’s just say, that boy has a rockin’ body! There was absolutely no reason for him to be breaking out into a visible sweat as the numbers climbed. 🙂

Saturday night we attended The Saturday Evening Cabaret starring the band Louden Swain (Rob Benedict is the lead singer) and many of the Supernatural cast members. The Cabaret was a great concert and some of the highlights included Osric Chau and Gil McKinney each singing a solo. They were all crazy talented but Gil was a voice major in college and in addition to being even better looking in person—I’m not sure how that’s even possible—holy crow can he sing! And then we hit the exclusive after party where I danced with Osric Chau and hugged Matt Cohen. So. Much. Fun!

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When it was all said and done, Ryan and I had met a ton of the cast members and gotten autographs from Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, Osric Chau, Kim Rhodes, Gil McKinney, Sebastian Roche and Matt Cohen. We took pictures and danced, laughed and met some new friends, including Jen McKinney who is responsible for most of these lovely photos as I left my camera on the counter at home. Grrr… But the best part of the entire thing was spending time with my daughter one on one.

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Tickets                        —                    $678.00

Hotel                           —                    $314.00

The smile on my baby girl’s face – ABSOLUTELY PRICELESS!

It’s Retreat Time!

Dana MermaidIt’s Thursday. How did it get to be Thursday already!?! Tomorrow morning I leave for Washington Romance Writers Retreat and I haven’t even begun to pack. My CDO (my OCD is alphabetized) is kicking in. I must make a list!

Let’s see, what’s important?
1. Clothes (Yep, I’m betting that it’ll be too cold to be naked, so clothes would be good. Plus, probably no one needs to see that. ☺ )
2. Make Up and Toiletries (Definitely important! And might even hide the under-eye luggage after a wild night singing karaoke or playing romance jeopardy with this rowdy crew.)
3. WINE (Which will make me brave enough to sing karaoke and hang out with all of these crazy women… and Tim. ☺ )
4. Chocolate (Because one must eat.)
5. Costume Stuff for Karaoke and Romance Jeopardy (Like anyone needs a reason for fun.)
6. Notebook and Pens (To write down those pearls of wisdom from all of those fabulous workshops!)
7. Gift Basket Donations (Hmm… must go shopping. I’m thinking more wine and chocolate, maybe some yummy smelling lotion.)
8. Book Donations (One must give back, after all… Especially when ones bookshelves are overflowing into multiple boxes and bags.)
9. Money and return address labels for Raffle Tickets (I don’t know how I’m going to win without Carlene—our luckiest mermaid and perhaps the luckiest person on the planet based on how much that girl wins—to rub my raffle tickets on before tossing them into each bag. (You will be missed this year, sweetie!)
10. And Friends! (Because what would retreat be without catching up with old friends and making new ones?)

It’s been a busy week full of that darn day job, cello rehearsals, lacrosse games and a crew dry walling my basement. I feel like I’ve run a marathon and its not even 8:00am, but now that I have my list—all is right with the world. I can hardly wait to pack and get on the road. WRW Retreat here I come!

So now that I’ve told you what’s on my list, what do you pack for a writing conference?