VIP here!!! (Well, I did feel like one, briefly.) I've just got home from the Midwest Mystery Fest in St. Louis, Mo. - well, actually, St. Charles. The college where it was held was just right for the invasion of all of us mystery writers and our ideas (and help - there was beaucoups of that as well as the great fellowship and fun). The conference rooms were great and the people who came to speak to us were generous with their knowledge and time. Everything from copyrights, building character, place, suspense, and as Ed McMahan says - everything you need to know about writing a mystery novel - right there at that college in Mo. I drank it all in, made notes, and learned a lot - besides which I got to meet some fellow writers with whom I'd exchanged e-mail or read about on our SinC-ic digest.
We only had 10 to 15 minutes between sessions to sign our books, buy the books we wanted, or run up the hall to the john. LOL Nobody wanted to miss a minute of the expertise gathered there. The habit of learning was so ingrained, by the timeI got back to my motel, I finally learned how to make coffee in one of those little plastic gizmos you see everywhere. And guess what? It's GOOD! (My cup runneth over - LOL).
I had to fly to St. Louis, since my DH didn't want to go, and though I wanted to travel light I still had to take a small case for toothpaste, lipstick, hair spray, and other potentially leathal weapons. I crammed all that and some extra undies in and checked the case. So I had nothing but my purse to drop in the security basket, but they wanted my boots too!! Walked all the way to the gate in my socks - no problem - felt good, in fact. Now I'm home, having thrown away everything I could without getting arrested, and packed books-books-books! One fellow writer I had to write a check and she's going to mail me her book, so I'm set for good reading and my Visa may recover enough for a few (inexpensive) gifts by Christmas time.
Anyway, I'm home safe and happy. Break's over!

Off to St. Louis! I've got everything done and sent in on my two books coming out in 2007 complete with ancillary material; my sister is over her operation and had all her stitches and staples out yesterday (doing well); my daughter is in the top 19 of her nursing school class; and now my DH, Jim, is sick! :-( My Jim who is healthier than an oak or an alligator! Upset stomach and other discomforts too small (according to him) to go in and have some tests run. He's better right now and our live-in nurse will see that he gets better or goes to the ER :-) Of course, I may have to hitchhike to the airport... Any prayers on our behalf will be appreciated.
Break's over! (And while you're praying, wish me good luck, good contacts at the Midwest Mystery Fest too :-))