Saturday, June 30, 2007

In The Bandit Lair

posted by Aunty Cindy

HURRAY! The Banditas are about to embark on their third month in the blogsphere! We are having such a fun time, and Aunty continues to be AMAZED at the things she sees and hears around the Bandit Lair. Just in the past week alone, I learned:
  • the correct way to make peach cobbler (and this is how Aunty made it before she retired from cooking) versus the North Carolinian way
  • how to properly affect the Stink Eye (sometimes known as the death ray glare or simply The Look)
  • more facts than I ever knew existed about Flint, Michigan
  • six ways to pronounce author Ayn Rand's first name, including the Finnish Russian way
  • how to "brand" myself without soliciting
And that was only a few things.

It was quite a week! Who knows what might crop up next week?

Oh, all right, your old Aunty does have a FEW insights. How about TWO great guest bloggers? This Monday, the fabulous Alyssa Day will join us in the Bandit Lair. Then Tuesday, the always lovely and vivacious Jane Graves will be our guest! And don't be surprised if one or both of them have prizes to give away. (And it's still not too late to leave a comment on Brenda Novak's great guest blog on Author Branding and win an autographed copy of her latest book.) What might transpire the rest of the week is anybody's guess!

As for the rest of July, expect a lot more of the same: another guest blogger or two, more contests, lots of fun and the Banditas will INVADE DALLAS!

The RWA National conference will be held in Dallas on July 11 --15 and of course the Banditas will be there! Not to worry, a few of us (including your old Aunty) will stay behind to (wo)man the Bandit lair. But we hope to have some special "on the scene" posts for everyone's enjoyment and plenty of tales to tell afterward. (If you are lucky enough to attend the conference, be sure to look for a Bandit Basket of very special plunder that will be auctioned off at the Literacy signing.)

July is gonna be a HOT TIME in the Bandit Lair, so be sure to hang out with us! Make lots of comments! And tell us what you'd like to see in the future on the blog.

9 comments:

Helen said...

I love visiting the Bandits you are all so much fun with lots of interesting stories and guests. I would love to be going to the conference but I am a bit too far away here in Australia maybe one day I will get there, but I will be looking forward to all the gos from those that go.
Have Fun
Helen

Joan said...

Helen,

So sorry you won't be able to join us.

And Aunty Cindy I can't wait to see the Bandit "basket" all put together. It really is going to be filled with lots of wonderful things including our newly published Banditas titles!

Christine Wells said...

Hi Helen,

We love having you here! Stay tuned for some fun stuff while the conference is on. I'm a Cinderella this year, too, but at Romance Bandits we can still have a ball!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Wouldn't it be fun to have "rooms" in the bandit lair? There would be the "map" room, where we kept all the places traveled by the banditas. A "Treasure" room where we store all the great booty.

Okay, okay...I've let the old imagination run a bit amok here.

Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy said...

Christine, YES we will HAVE A BALL even though we will not be in Dallas!

Joan, I would LOVE to see the Bandit Basket when it's all done. Please take a piccie for us. PRETTY PLEASE?

Suz, of course we already HAVE all those "rooms" in the lair, it's just that not everyone has access to them! LOL! That whole huge cavern in the back stacked to the ceiling with maps and brick-a-brack are from your old Aunty's travels alone! ;-)

Helen, we LOVE having you stop by! And we'd love to meet you face-to-face sometime. Meanwhile, is there anything you'd like to see on the blog? Maybe the banditas interviewing each other? Or those Memes like 8 Thing About...? Or more interactive questions with our commentors? OR????

Don't be shy! We'd LOVE to have your and everyone else's suggestions!

AC

Caren Crane said...

Well, peach cobbler comments aside *ahem* Aunty Cindy has managed once more to stir the crowd into a frenzy. We should all be salivating with anticipation over next week's guests PLUS the super-exciting conference action to come.

I will be assembling the aforementioned Bandit basket and will extend an invitation to the winner to be interviewed and have pictures taken (with basket) for us to post on the blog when we return. Should be a blast!

So, everyone who will be at conference, please buy tickets for the Literacy basket raffle and stuff our bag full! We promise it will be worth your while. Plus, the "basket" is actually a rolling suitcase, so you don't have to worry about shipping it home. The Banditas want to make winning fun and easy for you.

Thank you, Aunty C, for the preview (though not the cobbler comments, you biscuit-topper you) and thanks to all our readers for stopping by. We love you all!

Caren Crane said...

Oh, and apologies, Aunty C, if you intended that you layer pastry the correct Tennessean way and not the unfortunate blob-of-dough North Carolina way.

Upon reflection, I realized you might have been on my side. I'm from a big family, so I always fear I am the underdog.*g* I do still contend, in any case, that blackberry cobbler (mixed with blueberries is even better) is far superior to peach cobbler. Though I wouldn't say "no" to either one!

Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy said...

Niece Caren,
OF COURSE I LAYER! Okay, I did when I still cooked. That biscuit blob is... EWWW! SO NOT Cobbler. And my fave is a boysenberry raspberry combo. Now the Oklahoma (or is that Kentucky? Can't remember if it was Gramma or Grandad who ate it thusly) way to eat it is to pour a heap o' canned milk over it. Vanilla ice cream does it for me, however!

AC

Caren Crane said...

Oh, yes, Aunty C! Because, of course, it's best eaten warm. That way, when the vanilla ice cream melts, it's like pouring cream over it. Oh, my, I've made myself terribly hungry. But must...fit...into...conference...clothes...