What seemed like a brilliant idea (the costume) in the shower, felt embarrassing once implemented, as I realized I was nearly the only one walking around wearing a costume. (NOTE: I did find a handful of B&N and Borders staff in costumes - please go vote for a winner!)

Here’s a video of my costume - (yes, yes, I am spending waaaay too much time experimenting with my camcorder and video software. But it’s so much fun!)

And here are some wonderful discoveries made on my trip:

• Nearly all the B&N stores had MEN ON FIRE face-out on the romance new release shelf
• The B&N on Almaden Expwy in San Jose, CA had the most copies - 6 copies
• Within 3 days, the B&N store in Fremont, CA had sold 2 of the 3 copies and has 3 on backorder
• Several of the stores invited me to do a book signing - details coming
• Though MEN ON FIRE had not arrived at all stores, I signed books at 25 or so of them. Click here for a list of stores with autographed copies.

Isn’t that great news?

Now, I suppose I’d best get to work doing something like … oh, I don’t know … writing?! (LOL)

Help me reward them for their bravery - and their hard work in selling our books! - by voting for your favorite costume. The winning Barnes and Noble or Borders employee will win a $20 Macy’s gift card. So, PLEASE vote now!

“Do you want me to pick up a bottle of water for you?” asked Christine Witthohn, my agent and roomie at the Women’s Fiction Festival in Matera, Italy.

“Yeah, that’d be great,” I said.

“Large or small?”

“Large, since I’m trying to drink more water.”

And, with that, Christine returned with the largest bottle of water I’d ever seen. Which sent me into a round of giggles.

When I retold the story to Cassy Pickard, more giggles ensued, and I said the water bottle felt like an award, which somehow led to a discussion of the author I aspire to be like one day, Dean Koontz, which somehow led to this video:

Silly, huh? But, I still crack up every time I view it. (LOL)

I hope so — it was a BLAST! Delicious food, wonderful attendees, and great networking with agents and editors. You might have recognized some of them on video, i.e., Kate Burke (Penguin UK), Deb Werksmann (Source Books), Alesssandra Bazardi (Harlequin Mondadori), Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen (Michael Larsen-Elizabeth Pomada Literary Agents) and Christine Witthohn (Book Cents Literary Agency).

So … NOW, do you want to attend??

Not only is she a wonderful and talented writer, she’s a super nice person. So, check out the interview below. And don’t forget to pre-order MEN ON FIRE by visiting my books page. It’ll be out on October 27, 2009!

The delightful Elizabeth Jennings, author and co-founder of the awesome Women’s Fiction Festival (which I just returned from) in Matera, Italy, just sent it to me. Isn’t that cool?

Stay tuned for more Italy updates, as well as videos. I hope to get them posted this weekend.

I’ve conducted two workshops on Making the Mundane Erotic - what a fantastic experience to have my words translated real-time to Italians and get such fabulous feedback!

I also participated an author’s panel, where agent Maria Paola Romeo interviewed Tiziana Merani, Mary Leo, and I, while the wonderful Teresa translated. It was exciting — and nerve-racking — to have residents of Matera attend this event.

Rumor has it that I appeared on local television in the audience of the conference, as well as a participant at the Museo della Scultura Contemporanea (MUSMA), where a couple of us were blindfolded (including agent Deb Werksmann of SourceBooks and her hubby, Jeff) as we ran our hands along the sculptures and described what we were feeling.

Off to pitch my books to publishers looking to buy foreign rights. Wish me luck … Oh, and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter. Everyone who does will be entered in a drawing for a gift from Italy. Photo coming soon.

Since the day a few cherry-tomato-sized growths were discovered in my uterus 10 years ago, to the “innumerable” large tumors that fill it today, nearly every doctor has urged me to have a hysterectomy. And I have refused, since I have never had any symptoms – no pain, no heavy bleeding, no anemia, etc. Sure, there’s the bloated feeling and the tummy bulge, but the possibility of complications from hysterectomy, myomectomy, uterine embolization, drug clinical trials, etc. was not worth it to relieve such minor discomfort.

I had an epiphany after being on the show, though. It occurred to me that, most likely, no doctor is able to answer my question: “By not having surgery, what damage can I be doing to my body right now?” I think it’s likely that they can only predict - as they did 10 years ago - what might happen in the future, if/when major symptoms appear.

But, like Dr. Lisa Masterson of The Doctors told me, I do need to do something.

And I am. As I stated on the show, my MRI was a wake-up call — the sheer size and number of fibroids, coupled with the fact that they will continue to grow and multiply if I don’t do anything, has spurred me to action. To, once again, actively research options — from holistic approaches involving diet and cleansing to Insightecsnew non-invasive procedure that uses ultrasound to destroy the tumors — and more.

And, as I talk to women, I’m amazed by the number who have fibroids or have had surgery. Do you — or a woman you know — have fibroids? If so, what’s been your/her experience? I’d love to know.

Okay. That’s enough serious stuff — you know I’m rarely serious on my blog. Stay tuned for Part II of my Morning Show debut, where I’ll share the exciting, light-hearted side of my trip.

So, Sunday night I arrived in New York. Today, there was a day-in-the-life video shoot and tomorrow I go on the show LIVE.

Sure, I’m excited but … can you spell s-c-a-r-e-d? (LOL) For those of you who check out my blog regularly, you know how I love to make myself the butt of my own jokes. But that’s only on my blog — not on television!

So, pleeeease keep your fingers crossed for me! And, if you’re able to catch the show, visit The Morning Show site to see where it’ll air near you! I hope you can watch it — but, only if I do okay. (LOL)

Oh, and by the way, I’ll be talking about my humongous fibroids.

More later.

“Oh my God. You should blog about this!” exclaimed Calista Fox, right after the guy at the bar told me he needed to clean my aura and handed me his business card. A quick glance showed he was a Demon Cleanser.

“Oh my God! You should blog about this!” wrote Calista Fox, right after we had a pleasant, nonsexual , smalltalk-filled conversation with a guy at RT – after which, I got an email, stating, “The best part of the chase is the scent of passion and the taste of the passionate. Chasing you would certainly be yummy!”

“Oh my God! You should blog about this!” wrote Calista Fox, right after I told her about the guy I’d met at a Ten Minute Dating event, only to discover later, he was also dating the friend I attended the event with.