New Orleans recap and a chance to get a free copy of His Final Girl!

So I've been back from New Orleans for almost a week and just now getting to my recap.  The convention was a lot of fun, and I did indeed fulfill my goal to EAT ALL THE DELICIOUS NOLA FOOD. Below are pics of Shrimp and Grits, (Which is my fave and I ate 3 times), Deep Fried crawfish, shrimp, and crab, and some poutine.  And that's only a sample of the goodness I devoured, lol.

I got to do a lot of touristy stuff that I didn't get to enjoy last time, like visit the St. Louis Cemetery. Our guide was awesome, and Kent and I got to see all the above ground crypts and Marie Laveau's tomb, Nicholas Cage's tomb (Women kiss it, apparently, even though he's still alive and obviously not in there, lol).

I fulfilled my dream of seeing the Garden District, including the house from Anne Rice's The Witching Hour!  Other touristy visits included The French Market (OMG, I got so many cute dresses!), the aquarium, (Not worth the 30 bucks per ticket, I recommend the Seattle Aquarium instead) and the Jazz Museum for the sake of my son.

Sometimes, I beat myself up a bit over not spending as much time at the convention networking and promoting myself, but not much. For one thing, my social anxiety was crazy-high that week. I blame the move and having writer's block. So I wouldn't have been very effective forcing myself. For another, it made the connections I DID make more memorable. I did feel bad about the last few conventions when I'd come home exhausted and overwhelmed with a handful of business cards of people I couldn't remember meeting. Instead, I met some awesome librarians, book club members, bloggers, and of course, AWESOME READERS!  The book signing was my most successful so far. I sold over half my copies ofHis Final Girl, half my stock of Melding Souls, and half of Heart Throb.

Most of all, I'm trying not to beat myself up about not being in author mode for most of this convention because this was probably my last chance to visit New Orleans for at least a few years, and possibly ever.  It was wonderful to see the sights, eat the food, and have a bit of a romantic vacation with Kent. I was pleasantly surprised at how much he loved the place too. He's traveled a lot, so he's not as easy to impress as I am, lol.

I also indulged myself and got souveniers. These were a couple oddball things I purchased. I ADORE my little cast iron crawfish!!! I also bought some gorgeous dresses, but can't find a way to get them to photograph well. Anyway, it's good to be back home and writing again even though next week I have to leave town again to once more go to The Gorge to see Dead and Company. At least that's only for a weekend. :)

BOOK NEWS! I FINALLY managed to pull myself out of another bad bout of writer's block. My second horror romance, HER HAUNTED HEART, is beginning to take shape! I also got to work with my publisher to find the perfect images for the cover, so there might be a reveal sooner than usual! And speaking of the B Mine series, I want to thank everyone who's given HIS FINAL GIRL a chance. Yes, it was ricky for me to combine horror and romance, but it's also been a lot of fun. FREE BOOK OPPORTUNITY Want to read HIS FINAL GIRL, but don't have $3.99? I partnered with Reading Deals and they're giving away a limited amount of copies if you're willing to review the book. And like I often say, reviews help me A TON!  You can sign up HERE. You'll also get to check out other fun books. My publisher did just submit it to NetGalley and Booksprout, so hopefully it will be available there in the next couple weeks.