Running With Quills: Retreat!

Welcome to Running With Quills, your online newsletter designed to keep you up to date with what your favorite authors (that would be us) are doing throughout the year. Here you will find the release dates of our new books and get information about our backlists. We'll preview our cover art here long before the books hit the stores and we'll keep you informed about works-in-progress and special projects. You'll also receive advance notice of signings and appearances. From time to time we'll give you a peek at our worlds, tell you what we're reading, and introduce you to some new authors.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Retreat!

Hey everyone!
This weekend I'm giving the blog over to my dear friend Janice Maynard. Not only is she super nice and mega talented, but she's generous and funny and always great company. She's truly one of my most-favorite people!
Heeeerreee's.... JANICE!

Greetings Quills and Quill-ettes!
It's an honor for me to be blogging with you this week.
At the risk of sounding gushy, I have to say that I LOVE the name of this blog... wish I had thought of it first.

Thanks bunches to Lori for inviting me to hang out for a bit...
I am tickled pink to be in a Christmas anthology with her. I love the holidays and can't wait to start playing my Christmas CD's.
If I do it too soon, though, my hubby gives me disgusted looks. Ha!

I write very sexy romances for NAL... my next one, The Perfect Ten, will be out in January. I set it in the beautiful city of Asheville, North Carolina - one of my favorite places.

In addition to a crazy writing life, I have a hubby and two daughters, the elder of which blessed us with two beautiful granddaughters. As you can see from the pic, I am trying to indoctrinate them into the reading habit early. This shot was taken on Columbus Day when the daycare was closed and "Nana" got to keep them overnight.

When I was debating what to blog about, I decided to share something coming up that will be brand new for me. I am going on a week-long writers' retreat November 4-11... wow - a whole week devoted to nothing but writing! I won't be able to do laundry. I'll have to pay all the bills before I leave. No meals to worry about, no raking leaves, no housework, period. Just me and my trusty computer. Sounds wonderful - right?

Or is it scary? I'll have to have something to show for this pristine block of time, or I will feel so guilty!! I had hoped to finish my current WIP, so that I could work on new stuff/fun stuff during the retreat, but alas, that's not gonna happen. I typically turn in my books well ahead of deadline, but due to a worse than usual travel schedule the last few months, I am behind.

Now for the good part... did I mention that this retreat will be taking place at a large house right on the beach at Isle of Palms, South Carolina? Or that Erin McCarthy and I are rooming together... or that Stephanie Bond and Rita Herron and Susan Goggins and Anna DeStefano will be there (and 6 or 7 others). It's the ultimate girls' week, but with a very serious purpose - to write!! And to brainstorm, and to plan, and to write, and to revise, and to write. I'm really looking forward to it - can you tell?? For someone who sits alone in a chair with a laptop all day, the chance to talk to real grown-ups will be a treat.

I had envisioned bundling up and walking on the beach, but at the rate we're going here in the south, it may still be warm enough to swim!! Sheesh..

So that brings me to today's question... if you had a week to get away for a retreat, how would you design it? If you wanted to recharge your batteries, where would you go - what would you do?? Each of us is different... some people want solitude, some crave crowds. Do you have to have television? Internet? Let your imagination run wild, and give us the scoop.

And as an incentive, I'll offer one randomly selected blogger a copy of Improper Etiquette.

I can't wait to hear everyone's imaginary plans, and I'll even keep my fingers crossed that at least some of those fantasy wishes may come true!

Thanks again for letting me visit with the Quills.

Until next time,
Janice Maynard

31 Comments:

Kay Stockham said...: Janice!!! I can't tell you how green I am at the moment! LOL I saw the ad for the retreat in the RWR and soooo wanted to go, but didn't. And now I find out there's going to be a party? ;)

I've had a few retreats over the years, mostly in a friend's house. We'd go carrying food or else prepared to order take-out, armed with pens and computers etc. and brainstorm like crazy. So much fun. I always got a lot of work done and usually came home exhausted but energized.

Please give Anna and Stephanie my best. Those girls are a blast! And have fun while thinking of all of us sitting at home. ;)

Kay; 4:55 AM
Anonymous said...: If I was going to recharge my batteries I would like to loose myself in a big city like London to browse the museums and libraries. Or I would like to go to a quiet place in a rural area where there are beautiful mountains, lots of cute little shops and low key night-life.

I wouldn´t need the Internet but I would like to have TV, DVD/CD player and most importantly BOOKS.

Sirry.; 5:40 AM
DFender said...: Janice,

Welcome to RWQ, it's great to "meet" you.

Oddly enough, IOP is a favorite vacation spot for my family. There's nothing like falling asleep to the sound of the waves crashing the beach or waking up to the same beautiful sound. Especially when you grow up, and still live, in Ohio.

During the season, I love watching the sea turtles drag themselves on shore to lay their precious store of eggs. I root for each one!

It doesn't hurt that Charleston, which is my favorite city in the world, is only a causeway and a bridge away. The history, the people and the FOOD! OMG, whatta treat!

The HHP and myself were on IOP, at Wild Dunes (love it!) last March to celebrate our anniversary. No television. No internet. Beach walks, golf and food, food, food!

Now THAT's my idea of the perfect get-away. Not too imaginary since we actually do it but nothing recharges my batteries as easily or as well.

Happy Friday!

Deb; 6:29 AM
Jayne Ann Krentz said...: Welcome to RWQ, Janice! Glad to have you with us. Congratulations on your anthology and on The Perfect Ten and on those two beautiful granddaughters.

I don't do retreats but Frank and I do do Hawaii as often as possible. Works for us.

--Jayne; 6:36 AM
Jenn said...: I would love to have a time with just my Husband and I to go to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. To rent a house and have time to just sit on the beach or on the porch and watch the waves come in. Oh I would also love to have time to just sit and enjoy reading all of the wonderful books in my TBR pile or to reread my favorites.

Janice, I loved your story in "A Very Merry Christmas". I've read it a couple of times. Have a great time on your retreat.

Jenn; 6:59 AM
JaniceMaynard said...: Argh...sometimes blogger hates me... I wrote a LONG post and lost it before I could get it posted. :(

Kay - You should go next year! Rita and Stephanie did it in '06 and said it was awesome!

Sirry - I went to London for the first time in May and fell in love. I could wander for days and never get bored.

And dh and I are mountain lovers as well... both of us love to sit and read. Ah, heaven...

Deb - Charleston - food! There is a place I love there called Poogan's Porch that has shrimp creole to die for. And if we're in the mood to splurge, 82 Queen Street is excellent.

Jayne Ann - Thanks for having me! I've been a big fan for years. I seem to remember a scene way back with a man and woman in a dungeon/basement of a big house... I think that was yours... I still remember it!

And as for Hawaii - now that's a retreat... my brother-in-law is trying to get us to go with them to Hawaii in November '08... we have the frequent flyer miles, but scheduling is the hard part. My hubby does not have a regular 9 to 5 job, and he has his fingers in lots of pies.

Jenn - The islands of the Outer Banks are some of my favorite places.. We actually have friends with a guest house on Ocracoke who have asked us to come visit - but see above - TIME!

My tummy is rumbling, so I'd better go eat my yogurt and banana... then maybe I'll splurge on dinner.

More later,
Janice; 10:00 AM
Elizabeth Guest said...: Welcome, Janice, to RWQ! It's great to have you with us.

Where would I go on a retreat? I love to travel and I love museums, art galleries and restaurants, so perhaps England or France or New York or Chicago. Unless I needed a solitude kind of break---then I'd opt for sitting on a balcony somewhere staring out at the ocean. :-)

Best of luck with the new books!
~EG; 10:20 AM
Anonymous said...: I just read By Firelight today. I have no Idea what to say. That was the first story I have read by you, and I want to go to the bookstore tonight and buy more of you books. I had goosebumps and a lump on my throat the whole time I was reading. I can't wait to read more of you work.

I think I would like to spend a week in the mountains in the winter with a ton of books my dog and hot coco.
~Ashley
Kountrymusikchik@yahoo.com; 10:55 AM
JaniceMaynard said...: Elizabeth - You sound like my kind of travel buddy! I love living in east Tennessee, but I also adore traveling. Hubby and I have done a good job covering the US, but somehow have not made it to Chicago yet. Everyone tells me it's a wonderful city.

Ashley - You don't know how lovely it is for an author to know someone likes what she has written. It's almost as good as getting compliments on my children. :)

I am so happy you liked By Firelight, and I really appreciate your taking the time to let me know. It's made my day!

Janice M.; 12:01 PM
Lisa Freeman said...: Hi Janice - it sounds like a fabulous week, and I selfishly hope you get tons accomplished.

I love my kids but a whole week wihtout listening to them beg, complain, argue, nag, bicker and etc. sounds like a retreat to me. Floating on the lake in the boat with the sun shining, a cold drink and lots of books is my idea of a relaxing time.

By the way, don't include me in your drawing. I already own it and know whoever wins it will be in for a treat.; 12:54 PM
Judy F said...: Hey Janice. Love you love your books.

Hope you have a great time.

I could use some time away. I would like to go somewhere where I can just read and do nothing.

Another thing I like to do is stay home when no ones knows I am going to be home. Its lovely; 1:25 PM
Anonymous said...: Hey Janice,

I'm in S.C. right now. I'm at Myrtle Beach. Friends I went to high school with rented a house right on the beach for the month of October. So they invited Madge and I for a week. Its been great.
But I have to go back to work on Wednesday after being off 12 wks.

Anyway enjoy for beach.

Carolyn (who will be heading back to Kentucky in the morning); 2:02 PM
Anonymous said...: Hi Janice. Hope you have a fun time at your retreat...sounds ideal! Erin will need you around to keep her out of trouble! hehehe Me, I'm a home-body for the most part, could be why I've been a SAHM for 20 years and/or run businesses out of my home. I love to travel, just not much of a sight-see-er or a shopper. Just get to my destination and cop a squat - hopefully close to water or in the mountains and read books on the history of where we travel to or romance books I hadn't gotten to read while at home.

The best place in the whole world I love staying is at our rental cottage on Lake Michigan. We make a point to stay there every other summer. While we're there, we don't watch television or play video games except in the evening and it's an absolute no-no to cook anything in the microwave during our stay there (I made that rule when the children were tiny and stuck to it) - all of our cooking is done from scratch using stove and/or oven or hotdogs/marshmallows on the beach over a bonfire. For some reason home-made meals taste even better when you're close to water or in the mountains. Now that my children are older, we each take turns planning and preparing the evening meal. During the day, we all have to spend it outside the cottage. Kids usually go to the Soda bar where there are pinball and video machines or they help out at the Clubhouse with the children that participate in the organized activites in session. Or they go swimming in the lake. Me? I either hike, go watch the sunset while having a glass of wine and what else but read, read, read - a great form of relaxation!!! hahaha

*Joni*; 2:21 PM
janicemaynard said...: Lisa - I used to love lying on a raft in the water with the sun beating down on me and just letting my mind wander... of course, that was before I realized that fair-skinned people like me needed SPF 1000 for sunscreen. :)

I'm not shy at all, and I love being around people. But there is something to be said for time alone and the opportunity to be completely selfish - whether it comes to reading, or simply having time to breathe!

Judy - You deserve some down time! You work really hard. And I think being home alone when no one knows you are there is a great plan for relaxation. :)

Carolyn - What a nice susrprise. I hope you and Madge have had an awesome week. I'm glad she is doing well. Back to work?? Don't like the sound of that... but maybe the images of your week at the beach will linger in your head.

Joni - Your Lake Michigan adventures sound idyllic. And I totally agree with you... food cooked in or near the great outdoors always tastes better. I know your family has fun times at that cabin...

Janice; 3:37 PM
talpianna said...: Janice--If you have a problem with Blogger (or other sites) eating your posts, try writing them in Notepad (as I am doing now) or Write Mail and then copying and pasting.

I remember when I was a teenager, we spent a long weekend at Nag's Head. I spent most of my time alone, walking on the beach or writing poetry. It seemed (except for the various shipwrecks along the beach)almost as untouched as it was when Raleigh's colonists arrived.

I also remember going to a church youth group retreat, though oddly enough I can't remember where or when. (When you are an Army brat and move every twenty minutes or so, and the events occurred half a century ago, these things happen.) I can remember that it was mostly a silent retreat, and I spent my time reading Dante, wandering the meadows and the woods, and thinking long, long thoughts. Then at mealtimes we had fellowship and fun.

I long for a quiet beach, but not a tropical one. Nag's Head was perfect, but nowadays it's probably all built up. I'd love to visit the Western Isles of Scotland.; 4:17 PM
Anonymous said...: Hi, Janice,

I can't wait to read Perfect Ten. It sounds great. Hope you have fun at the retreat.

To recharge my batteries I need to spend a week sitting on the beach, watching the ocean. I watch the waves break, listen to the crashes. It calms me and soothes my soul like nothing else in the world. I will take books and try to read, but then I look up and get mesmerized by the watching the waves. Or I'll close my eyes and just listen to them. It's monotonous, kind of like this paragraph. Sorry - not a writer.

Well - I hope this post makes it.
Chris S.; 5:43 PM
Laurie said...: I hate crowds so just give me some water... lake, river, ocean... to look out on, a chair and several books then I'm content!
I'm always nervous when I go to new places. I'd rather stick to the tried and true. Boring for some.... comfortable for me!!; 3:36 AM
Lori Foster said...: Laurie, you and I are SOOOO alike. I love being near water, and would rather do the tried and true, too.
Hugs!

Lori; 4:52 AM
Anonymous said...: Ahh, a week away, alone without my husband, four childred, one grandchild, two dogs and two cats?? Almost can not image, almost... I would love a week where it is warm, has good food, water, and a weeks worth of wonderful books. I would drink lemonade and Pepsi, and have some marvelous solitude and be so ready to see my family at the end it would be FABULOUS!!

Terri B; 9:09 AM
Anonymous said...: I'd love to be on the beach so I could sit and watch the waves and read and eat. I'd also like that cottage to be in a spa so I could have some of those spa treatments I have read about.; 9:45 AM
JaniceMaynard said...: It's beautiful at my house today... sunny and crisp. But all this talk of beaches has put me in the mood. Even if it rains the whole time at Isle of Palms, I won't complain.

As Chris and Laurie said, there's just something about watching water (in any shape or form) that is very soothing.

Terri - Sounds like you have a big wonderful family. I love it when our whole crew visits, but then I am always content to go back into my cave afterwards. Ha!

Lori - We'll find you a waterfall in the Smokies - will that work? :)

Anonymous - Wouldn't it be great to have spa treatments at least once a month?? Ah, the lifestyles of the rich and famous!

Talpianna - thanks for the heads up on Note Pad. And yes - not any beach will do... I see pictures of beaches that are simply covered with people and I shudder. I like to wander in semi-solitude.

I'll draw a name tonight and post a book winner. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to chat. :)

Janice; 11:49 AM
JaniceMaynard said...: Dfender/Deb - You won the book! If you'll send me your snail mail address to JESM13@aol.com, I'll pop your book in the mail!

Thanks,
Janice M.; 7:54 PM
Ranurgis said...: Since I have the picture of British Columbia's Coast's right here on the screen, I'd love to go there, but... That's not realistic.

What I'd really like to do is to go up to my sister's farm a little north of where I live and spend a week just being outside as much as possible before we get the frost, ice and snow. I'd love to be without the sound of souped-up cars and motorcycles, emergency vehicles and just general traffic in my concrete jungle place for a while.

BTW, we have just beat a record for uninterrupted growing-season non-frost days: 197 days since the last frost. You can tell that I live in a northern clime.; 8:42 PM
Kieran said...: Wow! I'm so excited to check in here to see Ms. Maynard say she's going on a retreat, and come to find as I'm reading, it's the one my chapter is putting on (LRWA)! Thanks for coming--I have no doubt your batteries will be fully re-charged. The Isle of Palms is a beautiful beach with miles of empty sand. And I hope you take some time to go into downtown Charleston. That is simply a must--walk down the old streets by the Battery. Look through some wrought iron gates into beautiful gardens. You'll love it. And thanks for coming.

Best, Kieran Kramer; 4:15 AM
karende said...: I think I’d rather be in a ‘when’ rather than a ‘where’ - or maybe a ‘somewhere when.’ I’d like to not have people I care about sick or dying, and not to have to deal with medical office staff who share a single brain between 5 people. No lawyers allowed either, they are almost worse than anything. I don’t want to have to deal with the aftermath. I like water, at least water that’s not falling on my head, but a desert or mountains or a lush valley would do nicely. Just so it’s peaceful and free of worries.

karibear; 11:44 AM
Kelly H said...: If I had a week to go anywhere and do anything I think I would choose a cabin in Gatlinburg. I would go out late afternoon for a little shopping and dinner. Other than that I would be cabin bound beside a warm fire with lots of good books. That sounds so good to me right now.

I hope one of your plans come true.; 2:12 PM
Gillian Layne said...: That sounds so amazingly wonderful. Have a great time!; 2:27 PM
susan andersen said...: Janice, welcome! Sorry I'm late to chime in--I had my nose to the grindstone Friday getting ready to give a workshop, then went to a conference yesterday. But welcome to the Quills--and, yowser, you brought new posters! What fun that is. I hope you all will keep coming back.

LOVE the pic of your granddaughters in their baskets with their books!

Everyone's getaway suggestions sound wonderful. I've been to some of the places mentioned and wouldn't mind going back to any of them--or trying something new. No TV necessary. Just give me either the soul mate and I alone or a few good friends, some good food, books and either a beach or a mountain trail to walk and maybe a shop or two to browse and I'd be a contented woman. Alternately, I'd love a big older city that I could walk and gawk at the architecture and new-to-me culture. (never been to Charleston or Savannah--and would love to see both)

Okay, Okay, everywhere sounds fun if it means a little time stepping out of my (admittedly comfortable) rut.; 6:40 PM
kim h said...: the covers look great Janice. count me in

kim h; 8:20 PM
Anonymous said...: any winner?; 10:09 AM
Anonymous said...: any winer; 8:43 PM

Previous Posts

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Retreat!

31 Comments: