In Which Kate Attempts To Be Businesslike...

So, I'm minding my own business watching a Kings game on TV when Patrick O'Neal announces that the LA Kings are putting on two seminars called "The Business of Hockey." I'm like, that sounds interesting. After the game, I check out the website and it sounds really interesting. For $80, they were offering two hours with panels of experts to talk about the business of hockey, two tickets to a game in a VIP box and an LA Kings pad folio and pen. 

All that for eighty bucks? HELLO. I signed up for both days.

But I was askeered when the big day arrived. I expected the event to be populated with a bunch of fresh, young college kids, mostly guys, armed with resumes and confidence. I was certain I'd be the only attendee over 50 and probably one of very few women.

When I arrived at the Regal Cinemas at LA Live where the seminars were to take place, I saw a ton of guys and a few women in full-on business suits. I felt like a fish, not only out of water, but like ten miles from the fish bowl.

I sat in front, because I'm short and even though the theater had stadium seating, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to see. The man I sat next to was very serious. He was in law school. He was about thirty years old and very pretentious. He was proud of the fact that he was the only one in class who ever answered the professor's questions. Yeah. That guy. I bet his classmates love him. Not a big conversationalist.

Anyway, while waiting for it to start, I realized the lock screen picture on my phone was set to display the cover of On the Surface, where Spectacular Bare-Chested Six-Pac Ab Man is drinking his water with his Adam's apple prominently displayed along with his erect nipples. (See sidebar.) Surreptitiously, I changed it to a picture of my Dustin Brown jersey.

Yeah, I know. I probably should have been proud...like, "That's right, Mr. Law School. This is the cover of my contemporary hockey romance novel. Smirk all you want." But I wasn't. I just wanted to fit in and absorb.

It was a great seminar. The opening video made me want to stand up and cheer. (Of course, I didn't, posing as the staid, unflappable "business woman." I think I was the only one who walked in holding a jersey I wanted Luc Robitaille to sign.) I learned a lot and was thrilled when Alex Curry actually asked the panel a couple of the questions I had submitted via the link emailed to the attendees. (Mr. Law School seemed unimpressed when I whispered, "That was my question!" to him.)

Both seminars were great, in fact. I took 9 pages of notes. Luc signed my jersey. I saw the inside of a VIP box. (It was dingier than I expected. Staples Center needs to spruce them up a little.) I learned a bit about agents and that whole side of the business. I learned that social media are playing a huge role in professional hockey right now. I learned that connecting with the fans is almost Job One, because fans buy tickets and drive TV ratings. I found it so interesting and worth every penny, even the $20 bucks I paid for parking.

So, a week or so later, I'm again minding my own business, watching the Kings Live pre-game broadcast and see a segment on the Business of Hockey seminar that I went to! And check it out. I'm in the video! Click here, then click on FS West Feature: The Business of Hockey (Part 1)

About 20 seconds in you'll see a row of heads in the front, then no head, then a bunch of heads. The no-head chair is me! I'm short, remember?

At minute 1:58, you'll see a woman with her head down, scribbling madly. That's me again! My little straw purse is at my feet.

Yeah, that's my claim to LA Kings fame. I was about eight feet away from Luc Robitaille. We breathed the same popcorn-scented air.

What a thrill. It was all worth those few scary moments at the beginning.

When was the last time you were scared and/or intimidated? How did it work out?

Once Upon a Kiss Celebration - Day Six

Obviously in my newest novella from Ellora's Cave, Once Upon A Kiss, a kiss plays an important role in the plot. This is typical fairy tale fare. Snow White and Sleeping Beauty needed the lips of a man in order to get their happy ending. In my story, it's the hero, Joe, who needs a lip lock.

So, today, just for fun, let's pretend you're deep in enchanted dreamland. Who would you want to give you your up-close and personal wake up call? (Boyfriends and husbands don't count.)

Comment and you are entered to win your choice of one of any of my books. Winner to be announced Wednesday, August 25!

Once Upon A Kiss Celebration Week - Day Two

I hope you liked yesterday's excerpt. I also hope you commented. Every comment is a chance to win a copy of any of my backlist.

Today I'm going to focus on the concept of wishes. Wishes are fun to think about. They're like the ultimate hypothetical. In the Be-Wished world that I created, you can't just wish for world peace. The Universal Wish Federation avoids "granting wishes that could affect the economy, the environment, or health on a global scale."

All three friends in my series find true love as a result of their wishes, even if they didn't technically wish for love. So, I'm posing a few choices to you. What would you wish for...?

Love or money?
X-ray vision or invisibility?
A lifetime supply of McDonalds or Pizza Hut?
To be the ideal weight or in excellent health?

Chime in to win a free book. Drawing to be held Wednesday, August 25.

Leap of Faith Celebration - Day 4

The Incan civilization was grand. Although, I learned a lot researching for this story, I took some creative liberties, especially concerning the punishment for defiling a Sun Virgin. But hopefully the result justifies the tweaking of historical fact.

I was going to make up a trivia quiz for today's blog entry, but saw that there are many perfectly good quizzes already out there. Why reinvent the wheel (which the Incans didn't have, by the way)?

Take this quiz if you want. If you'd like the chance to win a free e-book from my backlist, to to the comment section and let me know something you learned about the Incas that you didn't know before.

My score: 40% (How embarrassing!) The quiz was hard!

If you'd like to purchase the book in which those creative liberties were taken, go here. :)

Leap of Faith Celebration - Day 1

It's release day! Leap of Faith is now available for purchase. I'm going to be celebrating all week. Make a comment any day this week and I'll enter your name in a drawing to win any electronic title from my backlist. If 10 people comment, I'll pull five names. If 12 people comment, I'll pull six names. I suck at math, but I think that might mean you have a 50% chance of getting a free book.

Let's do a Mad Libs sort of thing today.

Think of:

• a period of time
• a name
• a verb
• four nouns
• an adjective

Put your answers in the comments and I'll insert them into the mini-blurb for Leap of Faith and post the (hopefully hilarious) results tomorrow.

Video Madness!

I have become obsessed with this game. It's so much fun. The music is fun. The graphics are beautiful. You can't get bored because here is always something new, even after you beat the game. Crazy Dave is hilarious.

You don't want to start playing. Really. It's addicting. But if you feel the need to ignore my warning, go here to play for one free hour.

Get All Fifty!

Do you know your United States geography? I thought I did. This site proved me wrong.

http://jimspages.com/States.htm

After a couple of tries, I got 92%, largely because I got some key states first and was able to use those to orient others whose locations I was more fuzzy on.

Have fun!

And don't forget about my Writing for Woman's World Magazine blog. A new story analysis is up there.

Name That Actor #3

The roles below were all played by the same actress. Who is it?

Tracy Flick (1999)

Elle Woods (2001)

Melanie Smooter (2002)

Susan/Ginormica (2009)

If you need a hint, the movies are Election, Legally Blonde, Sweet Home Alabama, and Monsters vs. Aliens

Thursday 3: $1000 Spree

The real meme is to do Thursday 13, a list of any 13 things you want. I only do three. Sue me.

If I had an extra thousand dollars to spend, here's what I'd get:

1. The Wii game system ($250)


2. The Wii Fit ($100)


3. The Kindle 2 ($400)





I'd even have $250 left over.


What would you buy?

We're All "Special"

We all have talents.

I can put a cherry stem my mouth and tie it in a knot.

What is a particular talent that you have? Something people might not know you can do.

Installing a Husband

A friend sent this to me and I thought it was hilarious.

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as: Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as: NBA 5.0,* NFL 3.0 and* Golf Clubs 4.1. Also, Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system.

Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail. What can I do?

Signed,

Desperate

DEAR DESPERATE,

First, keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system. Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html and try to download Tears 6.2, and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update.

If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5. However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1. Please note that Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will download the Farting and Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0. It runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources. In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 program. These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0 .

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend Cooking 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Good Luck!

Tech Support

Group Paralysis

I like to play pranks. I think the last real good one I played was last April first when I safety pinned all my husband's underwear together so when he was dressing in the morning, about six pairs came out of his drawer instead of one! (From the kitchen, I hear his wry reaction, "Oh, very funny." LMAO)

Anyway, this is a prank on a grand scale. I think it would have been so fun to be part of it.

I just tried to show my sons this because I thought they'd enjoy it. All I got were mocking, teenaged smiles. "Geez, Mom," says my eldest. "I've seen that a zillion times. It's on my iPod."

Sheesh.

Name That Actor #3

Below are four roles played by the same actor. Who is it?

Professor Micky Rosa (2008)
Lex Luthor (2006)
David Gale (2003)
Hopper (1998)

If you need a hint, the movies are: 21, Superman Returns, The Life of David Gale, and A Bug's Life.

Words Per Minute

As a writer, I've become a pretty fast typist. I was curious to see just how fast I was, so I took a test. 89 WPM. Not bad. I kind of remember it being about 40 or 50 when I was in high school. I still can't type the numbers without looking, though.

If you're curious, here's the test I took. What's your speed? :)

Name that Actor #2

Here are several roles played by one actor. Who is it?

Rob Ackerman (2008)

Richard Hoover (2006)

Captain Amazing (1999)

Simon Bishop (1997)

If you need a hint, in chronological order, the movies are: As Good As It Gets, Mystery Men, Little Miss Sunshine, and Baby Mama.