I'm here at the computer, bleary-eyed, after the completion of another trip, this time to Washington DC for the RWA conference. Actually, I missed the conference and went for the awards ceremony. My book, The Perfect Life, was up for the RITA Award for Best Inspirational. While I didn't win, I did have a great time hanging out with friends (at left is a shot of Sarah Sumpolec, Rachel Hauck, and Leanna Ellis with yours truly).
The next shot is me after the awards ceremony with fellow finalists Deeanne Gist and Rachel Hauck. We all came away sans the RITA but we are also all rejoicing for the winner, Susan May Warren. (Way to go, Susie!!!)
The final photo is of me with my terrific agent, Natasha Kern. Natasha and I just celebrated our 20th anniversary as agent and author. Needless to say, I think she's the best. Sorry the camera caught her with her eyes closed. (Man, I look tall. I had on 3" heels. A very rare thing for me.)
Now I just have to take a moment of your time to recommend a couple of books to you. On the way home from DC, I finished listening to the audio book of The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I've been raving about this book almost from the first chapter, and I'm delighted to say that when I got to the end I hadn't changed my mind at all. It is simply superb. It's set in the 1960's in Mississippi in the early days of the civil rights movement, and I'll admit that I was afraid one of the maids (they're "the help" in the title) would have something horrid happen to them in the end. I'm pleased to tell you that the book doesn't have a bad ending. Quite the opposite, in fact. The book ends with great hope. Love, love, love it. And if you like to listen to audio books, this is definitely one to get. The readers are wonderful. (I downloaded my version from Audible.com which is an awesome way to buy audiobooks.)
After finishing The Help, I decided to listen to a book that a friend recommended over a year ago. The title is Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust. This is not light reading, but it is certainly worth reading. Flying from DC to Boise is a looooooooooooooooong trip, so I am more than 3/4ths finished with the book.
Well, off to play catch up with all the stuff that accumulated while I was gone.
Next time you hear from me, I probably will be in northern Idaho for my annual Plot, Play, and Pray retreat with ten of the best Christian sisters anyone could ever ask for. More about that later. And, of course, you can always follow me on Twitter and Facebook and see some of my life in "real time."
~robin
