A Year in the Life of an Author: November

Where did November go? It blew past like autumn leaves in a Seattle windstorm. Gone!

This month was just one thing after another: page proofs, a reader's conference and writing. Always writing!

Cathy Maxwell at the Masquerade Night

Going down to Dallas for the Readers n Ritas conference had to be one of the highlights of this year. What. A. Fun. Conference. If you love romance books, get yourself there for a fun filled, hilarious weekend. I had a blast. And who wouldn't when I got to hang with my dear friend, Cathy Maxwell. She is a hoot. And here she is as an elephant! This is what I mean about willing to do just about anything. And can this girl dance--she's a wild woman.

But the real joy was meeting so many fun, and I mean FUN readers! Jenn and Kati (follow her on Twitter), I am looking at you! You know you are going to have fun with women who eat dessert first. And don't even wait to get out of the buffet line to do it. LOL. Readers revive my spirit and inspire me daily. Thank you to everyone at the conference who made me feel so special, so much a part of their world.

Kati R behaving badly. Beware: this woman is a riot!

The first part of the month, my page proofs--those pages from the printer that show how the book is going to look and that you have to check not once but twice to make sure there aren't any typos traveled around with me. I know mistakes do slip past, but oh, how those hurt! They really do. And after you've tried so hard to catch them all. Sigh.

Then I was slipping writing into every possible crack of time. Writing is actually very portable. Well, it has to be in my life. I have a son with disabilities, so I spend a lot of time at therapy appointments--often with a notebook in hand and mapping out scenes, writing the threads the dialogue that have been skittering around in my imagination, and playing with plot points and character quirks. But I've written on planes, trains, in the car (not while driving, but I will admit to dictating as I drive). I've written in coffee shops, hotels, the hotel lobby, Starbucks. I've written in waiting rooms, study carousals, even a hospital cafeteria.

Cathy found a hunk named Elvis that night!

But for the next month, fingers crossed, I'll spend my time in the comfort of my home office, tapping out pages and getting the draft of If Wishes Were Earls done. Cross your fingers. Or light a candle. Or just send good thoughts. They all work.

Elizabeth Boyle is the author of twenty historical romance novels, including her latest, Along Came a Duke, which was included one of the Top Fiction Reads of 2012 by King County Library system--the country's largest and best public library system.