Second Anniversary Blow Out

posted by Aunty Cindy and Le Duchesse Jeanne Adams

It's time to celebrate AGAIN? Wait, wait...TWO years??? How can it possibly be TWO YEARS!?!?! Why, wasn't it just yesterday that we Romance Bandits were getting our Golden Heart Finalist notices?

Whaddya mean we don't get first pick of editor agents this year? How can it have been THREE years since that happened?

Oh. My. Gosh.

Does this happen to you Aunty Cindy? You suddenly realize it's been waaaaay longer than you thought since you a.) got married; b.) had a child; c.) entered a contest; d.) wrote The End; e.) bought the house....

Oh yes, my Darling Duchesse, this happens to me waaay more than I like to admit. But then, everyone knows Aunty is older than dirt and used to spend her school recess going down to Plymouth Rock to watch the Pilgrims land...

*Muffled snickering from La Duchesse* Ah, now, AC. Surely not! Now if you told me you'd been the one to slip past the hideous signage and fences to scrawl graffiti on it a mild afterschool prank, I might believe it...

Harrrummph. My dear Duchesse, Aunty Cindy may make fun of her age. YOU, however, may NOT. And graffiti? Aunty is ever so much more refined than that! HA!

*pretending meekness, but still snickering* Yes'm!

As to time passing, we don't like to talk or think about Aunty's first marriage, except that it did produce the Lovely Child, who is hardly a child, being older than a couple of Banditas and BBs.

AHEM! But the DH and I will be celebrating 20 years together at the end of this month!

Wow! Congrats, Aunty! Just passed the 10 year milestone with my darling hubby, so I'm preening. The first hubby (gone, lo these many years ago, thank the good LORD!), was dismissed without issue, so I never have to see him again if I so choose. (I choose, I choose!) Grins.

ME TOO (on the choose NOT to see DH 1)!

Speaking of seeing things and people, I have entered a couple of contests for published authors and should be hearing some results this month! Keep your fingers crossed for me everyone.

And as for writing The End, I know we are both struggling to get to THAT with our current WIPS. Right, Duchesse? UGH! These writing caves in the vast bottom layers of the Lair are dreary, but SO WORTH IT when we can finally emerge.

Too right, Auntie. Although, the stalagmites and stalagtites can be...inspiring!

Duchesse! Behave!

*blushes* Okay, okay. However, I will point out...snicker, point out, get it?...

*Aunty Cindy sighes, shakes her head* Yes? Your...point?

Oh, yeah. Point. Okay. We DO need to remodel the caves. We'll have to bring it to the attention of our fellow Banditas at the next full convocation in DC. It's high time the writing caves got central heat and air. I keep getting cold down there. And they need better access to the kitchens and massage rooms. Seriously, it's a looonnnnngggg hike up those stone steps right now.

Aunty believes Le Duchesse has missed the entire POINT (ahem!) of being in the writing caves. It is not about comfort! It is about torturing our characters! Starving for our art! (Duchesse snorks loudly) Okay, maybe not starving but SUFFERING, and most of all getting those stories finished on deadline.

*The Duchesse looks off, into the distance* You know AC, thinking about the cave reminds me of how we all met. Like I said, that "It seems like just yesterday" has a couple years of age on it now! THREE, in fact. Wow.

*AC snaps her fingers* Snap out of it, girl!

Sorry! Must be "early onset" or something. Ha! I get this with my kids too. My oldest son is now taller than my shoulder. He's eight, which seems impossible since...well, you know... I just had him yesterday...or was it two years ago?...no, had to be...nearly NINE years ago.

Of course, there's the reverse deal going there too. I feel like I can't remember a time when I WASN'T buying a.) baseball cleats; b.) married to my Fabulous Husband, ; c.) living in DC...you get the picture.

Not only that, but look how far we've come with our writing careers!!

SO true!

We BOTH have our second releases due out soon! Your Dark & Deadly will hit the shelves next month! And my The Treasures of Venice (which was actually my 06 GH finalist) will be out on Sept. 1st! So much has happened in such a short time for us and a lot of the Banditas. You and I were still struggline AYUs (As Yet Unpublished) when we formed the Romance Bandits!

Again, SO true, my dear AC. I'm thrilled about Dark and Deadly. The cover Gods were once again good to me. Then again, they were for you too, on BOTH your books!

BTW, let me tell you Banditas, you are in for SUCH a treat with The Treasures of Venice. OMGosh. You thought the Wild Sight was good? *rubs hands together* You ain't seen - harhar - NUTHIN' yet!!! Treasures is A-mazing.

(Aunty blushes daintily)

Ya' know, I also have to say, that as I'm thinking it all just happened yesterday, I simultaneously feel like I've known my fellow Bandits and Bandita Buddies for WAY longer than the two years this blog's been going. I feel like I've known some of ya'll my whole life!

And yet...I haven't. How weird.

Yes, but in a WEIRDLY WONDERFUL WAY!

Well, we're weirdly wonderful women, so....that follows, right? Heehee. I don't know about you, AC, but it keeps me grateful, because I know that all the Romance Bandits are right there with me and Aunty Cindy in being totally, delightfully, brilliantly happy that all these wonderful folks - RB's and BB's alike! - have chosen to hang out here in the Lair for the last two years.

From the tallest tower to the deepest recesses of the Lair's wine cellar, we are celebrating the delirious joy of two years of Rooster Antics, Cabana Boy drink service, Sven's massages, Helen's happy grandchildren, Baby Bandits and Banditas for several of our members, Books Sold, Books Signed, Books Out on the shelf. Then there's Awards like...uh...that little thing...what was it AC?

You mean the New York Times? And that little thing called the Rita awards?

Yeah! KATE!!! Kate hit the New York Times list this Spring, for those of you who were in the cave and missed it. :> And we had FoAnna (Anna Campbell) as our DOUBLE Rita nominee last year and our lovely Madame Christine Wells as our Rita nominee THIS year! (Trust me, when Christine's name's read, its going to sound like DC got hit with the Thunder from Down Under in that ballroom! Wahooooooo!)

We've got awards, sales, wins, misses, laughs, tears, tractors, exploding gas cans, music, desserts, holidays, and even a bobcat or two to celebrate, so let's get to it!

Why don't we wrap all this yapping up with the question of the day? After all, Aunty needs a beverage after all this cave time. Let's get to the celebration!

Sounds good to me! What's the question?

What's your take on Romance Covers these days?

Photographic covers? Love 'em?
Cartoon covers? Love em or not?
Heads or no heads? (Minds out of the gutter, ladies. I'm referring to the penchant for art departments to use the lovely male torso - sans head - as the cover shot)

And....DRUM ROLL PLEASE! (Darling Demetrius has reluctantly agreed to be our drummer today)

If you were in charge (and we KNOW you are!) of fitting titles to covers, what would you do?
Here are some pictures that are worthy of romance novel covers.

Let's play...TITLE THAT BOOK!

Why is she sitting on the tractor tire? And where did he find those sunflowers?



She's barefoot in the rain. WHY?


Here's one for our historical readers. Or maybe that is fantasy, since that looks like a castle over on the far shore.



Oh my! Is it hot in here or what?!?!

All righty everyone, put on your creative thinking caps! Post your title suggestions for one or more of these "covers" and see if you can win a prize or two!