Oh the places I have been
June 25, 2012 | Filed under: Stuff
I’ve spent the past few days at ALA 2012, which is the American Library Association’s annual conference. Seventeen floors up at the Anaheim Marriott gave me quite the view.
The key cards don’t fit into a slot at your hotel room door. You have to sort of wave them and then you’re beeped into your room. The first time I was waving the wrong side of the card for a good five minutes like an idiot, when the guy in the room next door took mercy on me and helped me. Turns out you don’t wave it like an idiot. You calmly just hold it up. Noted…
The conference was next door to the hotel, at the Anaheim Convention Center, which is actually really pretty…
I spoke at a panel with Susan Mallery, Jillian Hunter, Tessa Dare and Deborah Coontz. I expected to be terrified but it turns out you can’t sustain terror for long periods of time. So I had a cookie and calmed down, and it was actually so much fun. Librarians are my people.
Oh and notice Tessa Dare copied me. We need to be in a page of People Magazine under the Who Wore This Dress Better category. 
My publisher threw a wonderful cocktail party last night where I ate deep fried ravioli (yum) and got to talk about books all night. You can’t beat that. Good times, and I hope I get to go back next year.
In the meantime, I have to get back to work. (Um, if you’re my editor, I worked every night in the hotel room, I absolutely did NOT party it up, and that Christmas Lucky Harbor novella I owe you is totally in the mail… )
p.s. TOMORROW AT LAST HITS THE SHELVES!! Find it at your Walmart, Target, B&N, Kmart, or wherever books are sold. Take a pic of you reading it (in print or on your ereader) and post it on my Facebook page over the next week, and be entered to win a copy of the upcoming FOREVER AND A DAY!!!
Posted by Jill @ 5:59 am | Make a Comment
JanetLee says:
Thanks for the room key tip! You know those paper towel dispensers in bathrooms that you wave your hand in front of and they spit out enough paper for you to dry a finger? Yeah, I sat on a toilet, waving my hand in front of one once. The idiocy is strong in this one.
Posted on June 25th, 2012 at 6:11 amJanetLee says:
Sheesh. Waving my hand in front of the TP dispenser. Told you I was an idiot. Where’s that cat with my coffee?
Posted on June 25th, 2012 at 6:13 amLaurie says:
Love the dress, so beautiful! Glad you’re home, safe and sound!
Oh, and hey, I. am. reading. lol
Posted on June 25th, 2012 at 6:13 amWendySue says:
I saw this story and thought of you. Good thing you and this man never hooked up!
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/06/13/illinois-man-flees-home-naked-after-finding-spider-in-bed/?intcmp=obinsite
Posted on June 25th, 2012 at 6:28 amMaryAnne says:
Just last week I waved my hands in front of ALL a restaurant’s faucets and…left the restroom using hand sanitizer instead. I do not play well with mechanical things!
P. S. We here in FL are floating away because of Tropical Depression Debbie…many roads under water with more rain to come. Hope post office can deliver AT LAST on time.
Posted on June 25th, 2012 at 6:32 amKelly S says:
It was great meeting you and Tessa and the rest at ALA! Thank you to you for signing & york publisher for providing me with your books! Looking forward to reading them. One more day here in Anahiem with not enough sleep & too much todo before heading back. If you are still here, you should head to the “stacks” aka the vendor area around 1pm. The crazy should be starting then as the publishers start to give away/sell their displays.
Posted on June 25th, 2012 at 6:41 amTammy says:
I’m sorry I didn’t get to see you, I’m kinda on an adventure too! My husband got a job in Denver so we’re packing up and moving from the Texas panhandle. Did I mention he already started his job and we’re going back and forth on the weekends to get our furniture, yup I’m sleeping in an air mattress! I wish I could enter you contest but I’m not a Facebooker, the only drama I like is in my books! Can’t wait for tomorrow, good luck with the book!
Posted on June 25th, 2012 at 7:21 amKimberly K says:
It looks like you had a lot of fun! We told you that you would be great at the panel
Posted on June 25th, 2012 at 8:01 amAlso, I totally have my day planned around reading At Last tomorrow. Excited!
MarcieR says:
I’ll be at my Target tomorrow. I have a gift card burning in my wallet and I know just what I want to use it on…
I like your dress better – that way if you drip ketchup chances are better you’d hit a black spot and not a white one.
Posted on June 25th, 2012 at 9:01 amDoreen says:
OMG to funny about the room key, but I could so see myself doing the same thing.:lol:
BTW is it Tuesday yet?
Posted on June 25th, 2012 at 10:00 amDonna M says:
Since I don’t stay in hotel/motel rooms often it usually takes me a few tries to get those key cards right!!! Glad there was a helpful guest ready to show you what to do.
I knew you would do okay at the panel. Sounds like a wonderful experience. I’ll be looking for At Last later this week. That gives me a good reason to go shopping!!
Love the dresses! Proof you both have good taste.
Posted on June 25th, 2012 at 10:31 amLiza says:
Glad I’m not the only one who has trouble with those keycard keys. Wish all hotels would pick the same method for how they will work.
Loved At Last so much!!!
Posted on June 25th, 2012 at 11:48 amJudy F says:
Glad you had a good time and no major problems.
Posted on June 25th, 2012 at 3:33 pmCan’t wait till my amazon order gets here.
Joanne P says:
Our local WalMart had your book on the shelf on Saturday. I did a little happy dance right there in the aisle, then raced home with it and parked my butt and spent the rest of the day and Sunday reading it. Another amazing Jill Shalvis book…you definitely don’t disappoint!!
Posted on June 25th, 2012 at 5:13 pmKelly W. says:
You both wore the dress well! It looks like you all had fun.
I have a hotel story that involves sensors on the alcohol bottles, but I won’t go there! Just beware of that in the future
Posted on June 25th, 2012 at 7:09 pmLinda says:
I am so glad you had a good time! Saw At Last in Wal*Mart today and got soooo excited!! THANKS!!
Posted on June 26th, 2012 at 1:37 amKathleen O says:
What a lovely view from your room.. I will be posting that picture for sure….
You and Tessa looked great in those dresses…
Posted on June 26th, 2012 at 7:35 amSteffi K says:
I’m so excited for the next book!
Posted on June 26th, 2012 at 8:55 amBrittney R says:
You def rocked that dress!
Posted on June 26th, 2012 at 9:33 pmDeb says:
Being a librarian in SoCal, I totally would have gone just to see you but we were on vacation, camping in the wilderness. In our RV with electricity, water, toilet, and shower, of course. But it was still the wilderness! No internet and no cell phone!
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Posted on August 3rd, 2012 at 1:25 pm