Living it Up in NYC by Megan

"I <3 NY." It's a classic ad, and now it's true for me, too. I have the T-shirt proclaiming it. (Five bucks at a street cart.) Was I surprised that New York grabbed a piece of my heart? Absolutely. I'm not one for big cities, and I tend to avoid noises, crowds, and in-your-face anything. So to say I was reluctant to go to New York City for the RWA National Conference doesn't start to describe my feelings.

Still, I had a book to sign, so I registered. I made my Romance Trading Cards to hand out to eager collectors. I even worked up a proposal for a presentation, which was accepted, so I had a third reason to go: pay-back time. Or pay-forward, whichever. I rode up to the top of the Empire State Building, but saw neither Cary Grant nor King Kong. Not even Tom Hanks. :( Still it was amazing, and the perfect start to my first day. I even wandered around, looking for a Miracle.

And no, I wasn't hoping for designer miracles--I'm no fashionista. (pause while I lmao) But you know, it was the wrong season for the miracle I hoped for. lol Still, I went to Macy's and took a pic of the sign. Alas it was closing, so I never made it inside.

Wandering around on my own might have kept me safely and sensibly in my hotel room, but even at midnight there are thousands of people on Broadway, the location of my hotel. Yes, Times Square! It's incredibly bright and well-policed. People of all sorts out all night. "The city that never sleeps" is accurate. Over the next week, I was out at 11pm and 1 a.m. (don't tell my mom; she's a worrier) and I didn't think it any more dangerous than walking in my hometown. Maybe less. I visited the Met, I partied at both the Algonquin and the Waldorf-Astoria hotels, and I was planning to eat my breakfast when a concert broke out! Alicia Keys appeared on the Good Morning America show, singing "Streets of New York" in New York, right outside my hotel. How cool is that? :D I was roughly four people back from the performers, which being short, means I was thrilled she wore a green dress so I could find her over everyone's heads.

So what captured my heart in particular? The lights? The people? The amazing food -- oh, don't get me started on the food!! The history? The sights? Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. The energy of the place is incredible. For a small town girl, being in a huge city like Manhattan, and only several blocks of it at that, should have been overwhelming. All I can say is I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't experienced it. So, like all the amazing cities in America, I suggest you visit and discover its wonders for yourself. You never know if you'll like it until you've been there. Next time, I'll take my husband and we'll see a show.

What's the most surprising place you've visited? I'll add it to my list of "must sees." Megan

Megan Kelly
www.megankellybooks.com

A Week Of Firsts

Ever have one of those days? One of those weeks?

Usually, when someone asks that question, there’s a negative connotation. But I’ve had a series of those days that folded themselves into one of those weeks…in the best of all possible ways. Starting with the release of my debut book for Harlequin American Romance last Tuesday. Walking into a book store and seeing The Officer’s Girl on the shelf was so exciting I grabbed the first sales clerk I saw and said, “This, this is my book!”

Poor woman. She obviously didn’t understand. It took another couple of tries before she realized I meant I’d written the book. Once she did, the joy spread until the next thing I knew, a voice came over the speaker announcing “an author” was in the building, and if anyone wanted to, they could come on over to the Romance section. And it was super when the clerk asked me to sign the copies of The Officer's Girl they had in stock.

I also participated in my first official book signing this week. And boy, what a book signing it was! Every new author should have nearly 300 eager fans show up and a staff to hand out tickets so attendees wouldn’t have to stand on line for hours. You probably already guessed not all those people were there to see me. And, much as I’d love to insist they were, you’d be right. The book signing kicked off the annual Washington Romance Writers’ Retreat. Held at Turn The Page Book Store Cafe in Boonsboro, MD, the other signers included the amazing Nora Roberts, Charlaine Harris, and Roxanne St. Claire.

For me, it was still a blast. Chatting with the attendees and being part of this event was such a fabulous experience, I’m eager to do it again. And, since I just completed my second Harlequin American Romance, maybe I'll be able to next year when Catch of a Lifetime is released.

Here's a photo of some of the crowd at Turn The Page.

People make Small Towns Special

The jitters are building as the weekend approaches. I have my first-ever book signing by myself (Yikes) at the Waldenbooks this Saturday in my hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin. I'll be signing the last book in my McKade Brothers series, Ryan's Renovation. The PR work that has gone into this event has made me appreciate more than ever "small-town" people. No wonder these towns play such an integral part in many of our American Romance books. To me, the people are as important as the setting in this popular Harlequin line.

Today, with a population inching toward 60,000, most poeple no longer consider Janesville a small town. But when I grew up there things were much "smaller". Few fast food restaurants. Posted speed limits of 25 miles per hour. The biggest retailer was K-Mart and Farm and Fleet. But amid all this change and growth the people in Janesville have remained constant--warm, friendly and supportive of one of their own...

I was hoping to secure a blurb announcing the time and date of the book signing in the Janesville Gazette. (Local newspaper) The editors gave me a front-page story above the fold. Then someone in town heard about my signing and called the Beloit Daily News (next town over) and a day later I did a phone interview with a reporter from that paper.

Then someone told someone else at the Headberg Library and the adult services coordinator contacted me to do a program for the library in the near future and another book signing. Then a friend of my sister's (Lorri) posted my book signing news to all the local media (radio/TV) internet lists and high school alumni lists. This action prompted several phone calls to the Waldenbooks asking if this Marin Thomas person was really Brenda Smith, the girl who grew up in Janesville.

So here I am sitting in my office typing this blog, while those wonderful people in my hometown are doing what they do best--spreading the word about my book signing and supporting one of their own. No wonder I love writing American Romances--small-town characters are part of my roots and what I know best.


Marin
Ryan's Renovation Aug 07

For The Children Oct 07
http://www.marinthomas.com/