She Shot the Spy: A Regency Meet-Cute with a Secret by Camille Elliot

The Meet-Cute That Wasn’t Supposed to Happen

Phoebe Sauber—steady, observant, and far more capable than she appears.

Some stories begin with a dance. Others begin with a conversation over tea.

This one begins with an arrow.

⸻

When Everything Changes in a Single Moment

Miss Phoebe Sauber is not the sort of heroine who waits quietly for life to happen to her.

She is practical and steady, the kind of woman who notices details others overlook. And she is not afraid to act when something feels wrong. But even she does not expect her life to change in the middle of an archery tournament.

One misfired shot. And suddenly, what should have been an ordinary social gathering reveals something far more dangerous—a thread leading to a clandestine world.

⸻

Phoebe had fallen near her uncle’s ornately carved wardrobe, which stood against the wall between two large windows, and she’d just missed having her head smashed against the wooden edge. God had perhaps saved her from a more nasty injury.

As a child, when she’d come to her aunt’s house to play, she’d spent hours fascinated by the ridiculously elaborate and intricate carvings on the door. It was like a treasure map that would lead to something wonderful if she could decipher it. Staring at the wardrobe door again, the memories came flooding back to her.

Now, she rolled over onto her stomach and reached out her hand to trace the familiar carvings. Those had been the days right after her brother had been born and her mother had died. Right when her father had changed from a parent doting on his only child to a distant man who barely remembered her existence compared to his newborn heir. At the time, she had only been eight years old and hadn’t understood what had been happening, and while her nanny had tried to fill the gap, it had left her feeling lonely and abandoned.

So she had retreated to fantasy stories that were fueled by this old wardrobe.

And then it happened.

It was seeing the wardrobe and remembering those days that did it. She had a flash in her mind’s eye of a wooden floorboard, and a tiny symbol carved into the surface of the wood. The symbol had been barely visible since it hadn’t been filled with blacking to make it stand out, but with a child’s curiosity, she’d seen the strange flaw in the grain of the wood and crawled closer to investigate it.

It had been near the wall, next to the back edge of the wardrobe. Here, in her uncle’s bedchamber.

It had been the same symbol she’d seen just today, on the torn scrap of paper that had been caught by her arrow.

“Aunt Laura!” Phoebe turned and began crawling frantically toward the far wall, to the right of her uncle’s portrait. “Aunt Laura! Where was Uncle’s wardrobe before you moved it?”

“The wardrobe?” All trace of languor was gone from her aunt’s voice. Her light footsteps sounded as she crossed the room toward Phoebe. “No, farther to your right. Yes, there. It stood right there.”

Phoebe began running her hand over the floorboards near the wall. “I interrupted Mr. Michael Coulton-Jones today. He was most certainly doing something illegal, but knowing his personality from years ago when I first knew him, I doubt it was anything treasonous.”

“Treasonous?!” Aunt Laura’s voice was just a tiny bit alarmed.

“My arrow hit the papers he had been holding … or perhaps the other man had been holding them …”

“Your arrow?! Did you shoot at him?”

“Not deliberately.”

“That is not ‘interrupting’ the man, that is attempted murder.”

“It was purely by accident. They were hidden in a copse having some clandestine meeting. Ah!” Phoebe’s fingers felt the rough edges of the circular symbol carved into the floor. It was smaller than she remembered, but the same strange shape of the five-leaved, five-stemmed flower.

Aunt Laura squinted at the floor, then shook her head. “That is impossible for my eyes to see. I will fetch a lamp.”

While her aunt left in search of light, Phoebe was still on her hands and knees near the wall. She rubbed the symbol with her finger. It was still rough, as if it had been carved into the wood only yesterday, since it hadn’t been worn down by feet or furniture in the years since she’d first seen it. What did it mean? Why was it carved into the floor? Did it point to something in the floor, or the wall, or perhaps in the wardrobe, which had been standing beside it?

And what was the connection between her dead uncle and Mr. Coulton-Jones?

The moment everything begins.

⸻

A Heroine Who Steps Forward

What I love most about Phoebe is not that she is fearless, but that she chooses to move forward anyway.

She doesn’t fully understand what she has uncovered, but she recognizes that something is wrong.

⸻

The Beginning of Something Much Larger

That single moment on the archery field is only the beginning. It sets into motion a story that stretches far beyond one mystery, one relationship, or even one book.

Phoebe meets a handsome stranger who knows far more about these shadowy figures than she does and who brings his own questions, his own past, and his own reasons for seeking the truth.

⸻

A Book Designed to Reflect the Story

The Special Edition hardcover of Archer, designed to reflect the story’s hidden layers.

I designed the special edition hardcover to reflect the heart of the story.

Small details in the design echo the elements that shape Phoebe’s journey—the pocketwatch that draws her into the mystery, the archery skill that sets her apart, and the mysterious symbol that reveals this secret war beneath the surface of Regency society.

⸻

A Reading Experience Meant to Be Discovered

One of my favorite aspects of this edition is how the design unfolds as you read.

The book opens with full-color title pages, setting the tone immediately that this is something a little more special.

Each chapter begins with a two-page color header spread. Delicate floral corners echo Regency artwork, while a small illustration on the left page hints at the tension or turning point ahead.

Along the margins, you’ll notice vertical scroll designs running beside the text, with subtle variations between the main story and the front and back matter.

And when the book is closed, the sprayed edges feature a coordinated scroll motif, giving the entire volume a finished, elegant look even before you turn the first page.

Even the smallest elements—like the decorative page numbers and scene dividers shaped around a pocket watch—don’t just tell the narrative, they echo the emotions in it.

⸻

If You Enjoy Stories Like This…

You might enjoy beginning this series if you like:

• Strong, capable heroines
• Gentle romance that grows over time
• Intrigue hidden within polite society
• A sense of unfolding mystery

⸻

A Gentle Invitation

This story begins with a single, unexpected moment—but it doesn’t end there.

If you’d like to step into that world, you’re welcome to read the first few chapters and see where that first arrow leads.

And for readers who enjoy beautifully designed books, I offer special edition hardcovers through Kickstarter.

⸻

About the Series

Lady Wynwood’s Spies is a Regency-era romantic suspense series set in 1811 London, where secrets move quietly beneath society’s surface, and where courage, loyalty, and love are tested in unexpected ways.

Release day! Camy’s Christian Historical Romance Anthology!

Today is release day for my Christian Historical Romance anthology, Once Upon a Courtship! Get it today for only 99 cents! Price goes up next week! https://bit.ly/lissa-spy

Regency titles in Lady Wynwood's Spies by Camille Elliot

I happened to read a review of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer, and the reader mentioned being confused because characters switched between using first names and last names. I didn’t comment on the review (it’s my policy never to do so), but I thought it might be useful for my readers for me to mention why I have some characters referring to certain others by their first names or last names or titles.

When I was researching British titles, many published historical authors recommended this article, which is one of a series of very informative articles on how the British refer to those with titles.

The article writer mentions that especially in the Georgian/Regency/Victorian time period in England, people did not refer to each other by their first names unless they were childhood friends or close family, and even close family would often refer to a peer by his title name (or a nickname of his title name) rather than his first name (i.e., “Hart” for Lord Hartley).

It struck me that this is very similar to how Japanese people refer to each other. It’s more common for Japanese to refer to classmates, colleagues, employees, and bosses by their last names rather than first names. Even in school, kids are usually taught to maintain a certain level of politeness and will refer to classmates by their last name unless they’re very young or very close to each other, such as best friends or dating relationships. Even teachers will refer to their students by their last names and not their first.

I grew up as 4th generation Japanese American, so I certainly didn’t refer to my classmates by their last names, but I’m not entirely unfamiliar with the practice since I watched a lot of Japanese-language television (with English subtitles) with my parents and read a lot of manga and light novels. Also, my grandmother’s friends would refer to each other by their last names instead of first names. I realize now that this was more of a Japanese practice than an American one, and most Americans just refer to everyone by their first names.

Some modern historical romance writers who are writing for an American audience work around this by having characters refer to other characters by their first names in their internal thoughts. The hero might refer to the heroine as “Phoebe” in his thoughts to himself when he’s thinking about her, but always call her “Miss Sauber” when addressing her. This probably makes the characters more familiar to an American audience who is more used to calling love interests, colleagues and even bosses by their first names.

However, since I write in deep third person point of view, a character would rarely refer to another by their first name in their heads if they don’t call them by their first names in person. Also, I’m used to using surnames with people, so it doesn’t seem odd to me to have a character think of another character by their last name and not their first.

So here’s a quick primer on the peerage in my series:

Viscount Wynwood, secondary title Baron Ibstone, surname Glencowe

His title is Viscount Wynwood. He is addressed in speech as Lord Wynwood. His first name is Terrence and his surname is Glencowe, but no one will refer to him by his surname, and rarely by his first name. His wife might have referred to him as “Terrence” if they were close, but Laura referred to her husband simply as “Wynwood.”

Laura’s title is Viscountess Wynwood. She is addressed in speech as Lady Wynwood. Her first name is Laura and her surname is Glencowe. Sol calls her by her first name because they have become good friends. Most other people call her Lady Wynwood or my lady.

If they had had a son, their son would be Mr. Somefirstname Glencowe while his father was alive, and when his father died, he would inherit the title Viscount Wynwood.

Since they did not have children, the title was inherited by Terrence’s second cousin (Terrence’s father’s cousin’s son), Mr. Newland Glencowe. He is now the current Viscount Wynwood and is referred to in speech as Lord Wynwood. He is not yet married.

Laura will continue to be called Lady Wynwood until the current Lord Wynwood marries, and then she’ll be the dowager Lady Wynwood, although in speech, most people will just continue to call her Lady Wynwood.

Another example:

Miss Isabella Coulton-Jones married a knight, Sir Walter Aymer, and became Lady Aymer. Her husband was referred to as Sir Walter, NOT Lord Aymer, because he was a knight.

One last example:

Viscount Ammler, secondary title Baron Revitt, surname Ackett

His title is Viscount Ammler. He is addressed in speech as Lord Ammler. His first name is Ammon and his surname is Ackett, but no one will refer to him by his surname. His wife is Lady Ammler.

(Only at this very moment did I realize that I made Sep’s father’s title too similar to Isabella’s title. Oh well.)

His eldest living son is Mr. Secundus Ackett (although his siblings and mother call him by the nickname Skand instead of Secondus, the name his father gave him). In society, he is always referred to as Mr. Ackett since he is the oldest living son. His close friends and his family call him Skand, but to everyone else he is Mr. Ackett.

The family's third living son is Mr. Septimus Ackett. Among society, he is referred to as Mr. Septimus Ackett unless his older brother(s) are not present, in which case he is referred to as Mr. Ackett. His close friends call him Septimus or Sep, but most everyone else refers to him as Mr. Septimus Ackett or Mr. Ackett.

Their youngest daughter is Miss Octavia Ackett. Since her older sisters are married (and have therefore taken their husband’s surnames), in speech she is always referred to as Miss Ackett, since she is the only unmarried daughter. Her close friends might call her Octavia, but to most everyone else she would be called Miss Ackett. (If she had an unmarried older sister, her sister would be Miss Ackett and she’d be referred to as Miss Octavia Ackett, to distinguish her from her sister.)

And in case you were wondering, here’s the full list of the Ackett siblings (most of whom I haven’t even mentioned in the books yet):

(1st child, Primus, dead as a child)

2nd child, oldest living son, Secondus (nickname Skand)

3rd child, Tertia (nickname Teresia), married

4th child, 2nd living son, Quartus (nickname Curtis) Ackett

5th child, Quinta (nickname Quin), married

(6th child, Sexta, dead as a child)

7th child, 3rd oldest living son, Septimus (nickname Sep) Ackett

8th child, Octavia Ackett

Lord Ammler calls his children by their Latin names, but Lady Ammler calls them by their nicknames. Now you know the entire Ackett family even though most of them will probably never appear in the series.

I hope this helps you to enjoy my Lady Wynwood’s Spies series a bit more!

Read Camy's book for free in Amazon Prime Free Reads

Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer in Amazon Prime Free Reads

Hi there, it’s Camy! My book Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer (writing as Camille Elliot) was chosen to be included in Amazon Prime Free Reads. If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll be able to borrow my book for free. Now’s the chance to read Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer if you haven’t yet!

Read Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer free on Amazon Prime

Sweet Regency Romance ebook sale

Hi everyone! This is Camy Tang, who also writes as Camille Elliot.

For the entire month of July, books 2 and 3 in my Lady Wynwood’s Spies series are on sale for $2.99 each!

The books are part of a huge Sweet/Clean Regency ebook sale, and there are lots of other Regencies available. You might find a great new series!

Check out the Sweet Regency Romance ebook sale.

New releases

Hi there! It’s Camy Tang, who also writes as Camille Elliot. The latest volume in my Christian Regency epic serial novel is released!

Here’s the back cover description of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 6: Martyr:

A Christian Historical Adventure set in Regency England with slow-burn romance and a supernatural twist
Part six in an epic-length serial novel

Lady Wynwood has discovered the gardening notebooks belonging to Bianca Jadis, the deceased mistress of the late Lord Wynwood and a former member of the treasonous group, the Citadel. However, the team is dismayed to discover that part of the notebooks has been written in some sort of code.

Mr. Sol Drydale has kept hidden the fact that the notebooks have been found because he is unable to fully trust his superior officers at the Ramparts, the secret branch of the Alien Office. After all, when one of his own was kidnapped, the men who should have assisted him had seemed more interested in obtaining the Root potion that gives men supernatural strength.

But then two Ramparts agents bring information about an opportunity to capture the poisoner Apothecary Jack, one of the members of the Citadel. Sol is ordered to integrate these newcomers into his group, then plan a daring raid upon Jack’s new laboratory.

When things take an unexpected turn, Sol is faced with a terrible choice. Will he disobey orders, or will he forfeit the life of someone he holds dear?

PLEASE NOTE: Like the novels published in Jane Austen’s time, this is a novel in multiple parts. Each volume has a completed story arc, but this is NOT a stand-alone novel and the story continues in volume 7.

Click here to buy Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 6: Martyr.

If you’d like to know when the next book is going to be released, please join my Camille Elliot newsletter. After a few welcome emails, I only send 1 newsletter a month with a new release, a sale, or a freebie.

New Releases

Hi there! It’s Camy Tang, who also writes as Camille Elliot. The latest volume in my Christian Regency epic serial novel is released!

Here’s the back cover description of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 4: Betrayer:

A Christian Historical Adventure set in Regency England with romance and a supernatural twist
Part four in an epic-length serial novel

Beleaguered spies

Lady Wynwood’s team of spies are trying to heal from the physical and mental wounds recently dealt to them. However, their investigation into Apothecary Jack’s mysterious group has turned up only a few strange, disjointed clues, and the dangerous Root elixir continues to circulate in the London underbelly. It is only a matter of time before the Root is sold to Napoleon, which would give him overwhelming dominance in the war.

Sudden threats

Then Laura, Lady Wynwood, is unexpectedly attacked by a man she had trusted. Although Phoebe and her household staff manage to protect her, her life is now in danger and she must go into hiding.

Dangerous mysteries

Laura uncovers more secrets kept by her late husband that shed illumination on his enigmatic mistress, Bianca. In the meantime, the team follows the trail of Laura’s attacker, which might enable them to capture Apothecary Jack or his compatriot, the pale-eyed man.

All the while, they are unaware that the hunters have become the hunted.

PLEASE NOTE: Like the novels published in Jane Austen’s time, this is a novel in multiple parts. Each volume has a completed story arc, but this is NOT a stand-alone novel and ends on a cliffhanger.

If you’d like to know when book 5 is going to be released, please join my Camille Elliot newsletter. After a few welcome emails, I only send 1 newsletter a month with a new release, a sale, or a freebie.

Writer and Cat Seek Suggestions - by @MagdalenaScott

Like many of you, I'm staying home most of the time these days. Perhaps unlike you, I live in a studio apartment with a cat as my only roomie. (The graphic above includes a photo of Selina, but no, that's not my apartment. Or the sidewalk I use daily.)

I'm trying to get outdoors for a walk each day, cook and eat healthy meals, get plenty of sleep (challenging as that is), indulge in plenty of cat cuddles (good for both Selina and me), and stay in touch with family and friends via email, text, and calls.

Self care always matters, and none of us should feel guilty for it. Click here to read Laura Ashwood's wonderful article on this topic.

One afternoon my self-care was a binge watch of Jane Austen's Emma. I'm also slowly revisiting some favorite old sitcoms: The Bob Newhart Show, The Golden Girls, Seinfeld, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, among others. Selina and I discovered The Durrells in Corfu. That was her favorite because of the many animals. Watching The Durrells was a bit of a challenge because she kept jumping up looking into the TV and blocking my view of the screen--fun! (Sort of.)

Before Indiana's governor told us to stay at home, I ordered several paperbacks. They arrived just in time, as our beloved library is closed for now. Although I don't usually choose historicals, that's mostly what I purchased and I'm enjoying the return to "simpler" days.

Are you binge-watching or binge-reading during these challenging times? Do you have favorites to suggest? If so, please leave a comment. And for everyone, here is my wish for you and for our world: hope, joy, and peace.

USA Today Bestselling Author Magdalena Scott is a practicing minimalist, having downsized from a 3,000 square foot house to a studio apartment, where her Giant Closet continues to resist taming. When not writing at home or spending time with family and friends, she loves to travel–carry-on baggage only–and is always pleasantly surprised at the kindness of strangers.


Website: https://magdalenascott.com/

This Little Light of Mine by Shanna Hatfield

A few days ago, I released a new book.

The sweet romance, set in 1906, includes a young woman in need of a change of pace, two men vying for her heart, a temperamental chicken, and a crazy mule named Steve that refuses to let fences hold him back from where he wants to go.

At the heart of the romance, though, is a story about overcoming challenges.

The dedication reads: To the broken who find a way to mend.

The heroine, Bertie, endured a terrible trauma but it stripped away her trust in others and left her constantly glancing over her shoulder. Riley, the hero, survived a horrible tragedy that keeps him mired in the past and unable to look to the future.

When they meet, they see something shining in each other that helps them both begin to heal.

Their story made me recall something someone shared with me years ago. They said it's the broken vessels that allow the most light to shine through them. The cracks and shards and jagged edges make it possible for light to penetrate what would otherwise be a perfect vessel.

Think of a stained glass window. It begins as pieces of broken glass and ends with light streaming through a beautiful work of art.

The broken places in our lives (our hearts, our spirits, our bodies, our minds), aren't irreparable or something to hide. It's through those broken place the lights seeps in and shines out to others.

And in some way, aren't we all a little broken?

So go on, and let the light pour through your broken places. You never know when the light shining in you might be a beacon to someone else.

 

Shine on, my friends. Shine on.

~*~

 She needs an adventure —

He needs the warmth of her smile…

Bertie Hawkins survived a traumatic ordeal that stripped away her sunny outlook on life and left her afraid of every shadow. Terrorized and tired of reliving the past, she accepts an offer to change her situation. Although she only intends to work through the summer, the peace she finds at Nash’s Folly keeps her there every bit as much as her interest in a mysterious new ranch hand.

   Desperate to escape his memories, Riley Walsh buys a run-down farm in Pendleton, Oregon. To pay for the many necessary repairs, he goes to work for his neighbor, never intending to fall in love with the effervescent girl who helps around the house. Riley isn’t the only one enchanted with Bertie. His own crazy mule and the neighbor’s son both share his infatuation, driving him past the brink of jealousy.

   A sweet romance that embraces the trials and triumphs of yesteryear, Bertie blends laugh-out-loud adventures with heartwarming moments.

~*~

Convinced everyone deserves a happy ending, hopeless romantic Shanna Hatfield is out to make it happen, one story at a time. Her sweet historical and contemporary romances combine humor and heart-pumping moments with characters that seem incredibly real.

    When she isn’t writing or indulging in chocolate (dark and decadent, please),  this USA Today bestselling author hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.

 

  Find Shanna’s books at:

Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Apple

Shanna loves to hear from readers! Follow her online:

ShannaHatfield | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads | You Tube | Twitter | Newsletter

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Snowballing by Shanna Hatfield

Through our twenty-two year relationship, my husband (Captain Cavedweller) and I have learned three very important facts:

1. Home improvements never go as planned and quickly snowball into a huge project.
2. We are incapable of happily working on home improvement projects together.
3. To maintain harmony in our home, home improvement projects should only be entered into under the most dire circumstances.

Despite these facts, we've managed to not drive each other beyond the brink of sanity or do bodily harm while putting in fence around a pasture, having our well and entire septic system replaced, installing new wiring, and putting in underground sprinklers.

Barely.


 A while back, I posted a question on my facebook page asking for people to share ideas for a color to paint my front door. Many fun and helpful suggestions poured in. As I stood outside gazing at the portal, my gaze wavered from the door to the windows surrounding it. In no time at all, I'd decided we could no longer avoid  buying new windows.

Half the windows in our house were original to its construction in the mid-1900s and single-pane glass that was about to fall right out of the frames. Admittedly, it was far past time to get new windows, but all I'd started with was wanting to paint the front door. 

(See where the snowballing begins...) 


Fast forward two months - the installers were in the midst of the window installation when they discovered one side of the house had dry-rot around the windows and beneath a good portion of the siding. They repaired around one window then left for the day. When Captain Cavedweller arrived home from work, we made a frantic trip into town to the building supply store, loaded the pickup with siding, and rushed back home. We spent the evening putting it up.

(The snowball is gathering steam as it rolls downhill and grows in size.)

The installers did a great job finishing the installation and I adore my beautiful new sparkling windows. Part of the prep work for having them come was to remove all the window treatments, move all the furniture away from the windows, and take anything off the walls that might get knocked down.

Once we did that, I realized I really, really needed to paint.


I waited until the installers moved from the front of the house to the back to whip out the paint for the front door and go to work.

 

The color is called Vintage Velvet by Behr. The name sold me as much as the color.

Quite a transformation, isn’t it?

 I love the color and the new hardware Captain Cavedweller installed. However, the door was just the beginning of a horrendous week of painting that followed the installation of the windows. CC wisely hauled himself off to work each day to avoid joining in the fun.

The living room needed some touch up paint, but I’d used it all the last time I covered up a few scuffs and stupidly didn’t save the can lid or color. Off to town I went to get a new color.

It’s hard to see, but I had a taupe color before. I’ve hated it every day since I slapped it on the walls a decade ago. It was supposed to be a light tan color and ended up looking rose or lavender (or maybe it was a sickly shade of mauve), depending on how the sun hit the walls. Silver Shadow is the name of the new soft gray color.

 

And it looks so pretty with the white-framed windows!

While I was already up to my elbows in paint with streaks of it in my hair, I decided to paint our bedroom and bathroom. Four years ago, I wanted to take our blah beige room and do something exciting with the color. So I switched it up to a mottled brown. Looking back,  I must have been on a chocolate-induced high when I chose the colors because the only time I liked the color of the walls was in the autumn.

 

Since I’m a huge fan of green, I used the same soothing spa green shade I have in my office. And I can’t tell you what the name of the color is because I took the paint can lid, smeared with dried-on paint to the paint store and asked them to match it. I especially like the way the green makes the white around the windows and doors pop.

(Snowball continues to gain speed.)

Before it was all said and done, I’d also painted the guest bathroom, the entire hallway (ceiling included), and did touch-up painting in the office, guest bedroom, family room and kitchen.

As I admired the freshly painted walls and new windows, I concluded we needed new curtains and hardware. We just finished hanging up the last of the curtains last week.

(Snowball rapidly descending downhill.)

Now, I've got my eye on some new carpet...

  A hopeless romantic with a bit of sarcasm thrown in for good measure, Shanna Hatfield is a bestselling author of sweet romantic fiction written with a healthy dose of humor. In addition to blogging and eating too much chocolate, she is completely smitten with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller.

Shanna creates character-driven romances with realistic heroes and heroines. Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”

  Find Shanna’s books at:

Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Apple

Follow her online at:

ShannaHatfield | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads | You Tube | Twitter

 

 

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Sailing Away…Writer’s Conference at Sea by Kristin Wallace

Sunset in Cozumel, Mexico

If all goes as planned, I will actually be on a Fun in the Sun Cruise Conference today. (I scheduled my post so no I’m not actually coming to you from the ship.) Several years ago my local writers chapter, Florida Romance Writers, started hosting a writers’ conference at sea. We affectionately call it the Muse Cruise. This will be our third conference. We started it as a way to stand out from all the other chapter conferences. We’re sailing to Cozumel, Mexico. Along the way we’ll have workshops and panel discussions. Our Keynote Speaker is best selling historical romance author, Julia Quinn.

Bathtub pic at Three Amigos

The cruise conference is such a unique venue. Because we’re on a ship, we actually get to hang out with the editors and agents a lot more. So when you finally go to pitch to them it doesn’t seem so nerve-wracking. (Once you’ve seen an editor do karaoke the intimidation factor totally disappears, LOL.) In Cozumel, we have a tradition of going to a bar called The Three Amigos, themed after the movie with Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short. They have gigantic margaritas and make cool balloon hats. They also have these fantastic old-fashioned bathtubs on the deck, and we always have a pic in the tub.

This conference is also a great way to recharge your batteries. Being around other writers for several days is totally invigorating. Unlike RWA Nationals, the pace is much more relaxing. Oh and then there is the Caribbean, the sun, the food, the karaoke bar, dancing…

Sorry…got distracted. Bye for now. I’ll let you know all about the conference for my next post on March 8.

Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational romance and women’s fiction filled with Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith. She is the author of the Covington Falls Chronicles, romances set in a fictional Southern town. Visit her website at Kristin Wallace Author