Last Summer Vacation

After having wonderful adventures in Colorado Springs, CO this summer, safely avoiding all natural disasters, the clan and I took our final summer vacation to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, MD.

My husband and I haven't been there in over twenty years. Needless to say, a lot has changed since then. For instance, imagine my delightful surprise when I spotted the biggest Barnes and Noble EVER. As if the clouds parted and the angels sang...This. Was. Awesome! The picture below sort of resembled that feeling. At least, I thought so.  

BTW Sourcebooks sisters...your new releases were on the tower as soon as I walked through the door.

  

Just to give you an idea of how truly big this place was...The building used to be a power plant.

In 92 degree heat, we played the typical tourists and did most of the attractions like touring the ships. During which, we had a hard time trying to convince my son he wasn't a pirate.

 

It was so incredibly hot that we found some much needed solace in the National Aquarium. The building had definitely expanded since we were there last. They had some amazing species of jellyfish that I wouldn't want to necessarily swim with but were beautiful nonetheless.

The highlight of the aquarium visit had to be my son with his warped sense of humor. Being that he's only eight, I still haven't decided if I should be worried or not. 

There was an interactive computer and you had to type one sentence on how you felt water impacted life around you. So everyone wrote about frogs, how water is used to drink, dolphins, fish in the sea, etc. Well...in lieu of Shark Week, this was my son's sentence (in the middle): Yep, all sharks love to eat humans.

We took a boat ride over to Fells Point and walked around the shops which were a lot of fun. There were a couple of Irish pubs that I would've loved to visit, but when in Maryland, you have to go for Maryland crabs. How could you not? The Old Bay seasoning could be smelled everywhere! 

I told you about my son and Shark Week. Now I have to tell you about my husband. 

I swear the man watches everything on Discovery, Travel Channel, etc. Between Duck Dynasty, Man vs. Wild, Bizarre Foods, Alaska something-or-other...He saw a clip on the Travel Channel and took us to the World Famous (which my mom would've loved since she was obsessed with everything labeled "world famous") Lexington Market. Andrew Zimmer from Bizarre Foods was there and my husband had to be there, too. We went to Faidely's Seafood and had to have their awesome crab cakes and oysters. Unfortunately, the crab cakes were demolished before I had the chance to take a picture.

While we were in Baltimore, one of my Facebook friends told me her child was conceived there. In Baltimore, not the market. And I can see why. There were a ton of these signs all around the raw bars. We had a good laugh until my son asked as loud as can be, "What's Viagra?"

So the Roberts clan had another amazing mini-vacation before the start of school. What about you? Any last minute vacation plans for the summer?

Thunder, Lightning, Forest Fires and a Tornado

I'll admit that I do spin tales of fiction, but there is no way I could possibly make this up.

The clan and I recently returned from a family vacation in Colorado Springs, CO. For those of you who have never seen this beautiful state, place it on your bucket list!

As our flight traveled from Denver to Colorado Springs, we saw the raging forest fire below that destroyed thousands of acres in the Black Forest. Yep, you guessed it. The fires were in Colorado Springs.

Being from Pennsylvania, this type of natural behavior is not something that we're readily accustomed to and frankly, we were more than a little nervous. We said a silent prayer the fire wouldn't impact our vacation and it didn't, but our hearts certainly went out to the five hundred families who lost their homes. We were somewhat surprised that Colorado natives continued to go about their business as if the fires were a common occurrence. I guess they were. I suppose California natives act the same way about earthquakes.

Our travels took us to Garden of the Gods in which the name spoke for itself.



We also chuckled when we spotted the sign below since the signs in PA normally mention to clean up after your pet. lol

We took the cog train up to the very top of Pikes Peak. Yep, all 14,115 feet above sea level. They even sold oxygen at the train station.

That night, when we arrived back at the hotel, one of the hotel staff had asked me what we did that day. I told her that we had a great time taking the cog train up to Pikes Peak and a strange look crossed her face. She said, "Oh, please tell me your train was not the one that got struck by lightning today."

Thankfully, the Roberts family had managed to avoid the fires and did not get struck by lightning.

On another day, we traveled to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and we still hadn't had any rain. The sun was shining, there was a cool breeze in the air, a great day for visiting the zoo.

Yeah, well, let me tell you that mountain weather is totally unpredictable. Within minutes, rain, thunder, and it poured buckets! At least we saw most of the zoo.

We were stuck under a small roof for over a half an hour, but we were so thankful because we knew the rain would help the Colorado firefighters. As soon as the rain had quit pelting us, we made a mad dash to the car. Imagine our surprise when a huge crowd stood at the entrance to the zoo for tickets in the rain. I turned to my husband and asked him if they were nuts. We get in the car, I back out, and guess what folks? You got it. The clouds parted, the rain stopped, and the sun was blinding. Grrr...

During our vacation, I even managed to swing by two Barnes and Noble bookstores and both stores were sold out of X Marks the Scot. Woot! So I signed stock of Temptation in a Kilt. I found myself in the romance section in both stores and turned out the covers of my Sourcebooks sisters and "rearranged" them in a prime location.

When we arrived back at the hotel that night, we found out a tornado touched down at the Denver airport. Seriously. I didn't think Colorado was that dangerous.

The highlight of our vacation had to be the wolves. Yep, you heard me right. Wolves. My daughter has been forever fascinated with all-things wolves. Imagine her surprise when her awesome mother paid for her to get her picture taken with a wolf pup.

Priceless...

Through thunder, lightning, forest fires and a tornado, emerged a wonderful family vacation that I know we will always hold dear. 

What about you? What is the best family vacation you have ever taken?

Fan-girl at RT

 

I thought I'd be a pro by now. After all, not many debut authors get to sign with the fabulous Nora Roberts. But did that stop me from going all fan-girl on some of my favorite writers at the Romantic Times Convention? Nope.

The first person I stalked *clearing throat* sought out was Sabrina Jeffries. I'm a huge fan. We had started chatting over Facebook several years ago. When I told her that I had started writing again, the first thing she told me to do was join Romance Writers of America. If not for Sabrina's encouragement and advice, my stories would still be floating around in my head. It was such an honor for me to finally meet her in person.

Sourcebooks has it right. "Authors are my rock stars."

As my dad and I were standing in line for the awards ceremony, Miss Thrill Ride herself, Julie Ann Walker strolled by. And I must say, she's just as delightful in person. I was also thrilled (no pun intended) to meet fellow Sourcebooks sisters Sara Humphreys, Shana Galen, C.H. Admirand and Gina Lamm. I've had the privilege of knowing the multi-talented Lady Grace Burrowes for a while now. Lucky me!

One of the biggest highlights of the convention for me... Mary Wine. To be truthful, I could've sat for hours and listened to her stories about costume making for the movies, renaissance fairs, and Mary's take on writing. She had me completely mesmerized with her tales. We sat and talked so much at the Sourcebooks party that I literally had to pull myself away to mingle with the book sellers.

And one thing I learned about the convention? Being a Scottish historical romance writer definitely had its perks. Look at these Highland hotties who stopped by my table. Aye!

Readers Choice Contest

Wednesday, April 17th, I'll pick another random newsletter subscriber to win either an autographed copy of Temptation in a Kilt and Laird Ciaran MacGregor's Bad Boy t-shirt or X Marks the Scot and Declan MacGregor's Bad Boy t-shirt. 

Not a member? Not a problem. Join my newsletter at www.victoriarobertsauthor.com for a chance to pick your favorite bad boy!

Spring is in the Air

My uncle took the fabulous picture above. He takes awesome pictures. He should! He used to be the White House photographer.

I don't know about you, but last weekend the spring bug hit me hard. And nothing says spring like spring cleaning. I know what you're thinking, but there were some things just bugging me. You know the feeling. I couldn't stand it any longer. I dry cleaned my dining room and living room drapes. BTW, nothing does it cheaper and works better than Dryel. Just my opinion.

Another thing I tackled was my great-grandmother's hutch. My Mom told me when she gave me the beautiful piece of furniture that it was the only thing that survived the Vandergrift flood of 1936. I love antiques with a story behind them. I also love the fact that when it's time for my daughter to have the hutch, she'll know the story. How cool to actually have something passed down from her great-great-grandmother.

My other grandmother also collected decorative plates. When she broke up housekeeping many years ago, I was fortunate to get a few of them. They now hang proudly displayed on my dining room wall. But I was thrilled when I actually managed to snag my favorite plate of all. The darned thing holds more memories for me than anything.

 

When my sister and I stayed overnight, (BTW, this is the same grandmother who had the adorable brick Cape Cod that looked like a gingerbread house), every morning she served us breakfast on these plates. I. LOVE. THE. PICTURE. I would stare at that thing all the time. The picture always reminded me of the streets of England. I look at the plate now with nothing but fond memories of my grandmother.

Is there anything that you hold sacred in your household?

Sold! + Giveaway

You read it right. Sold! This author couldn't be happier. Sourcebooks has blessed me again by offering another contract on a new series.

I have to admit that I'm a little sad saying farewell to Ciaran, Declan and Alexander, especially since a lot of readers have been begging me to write James Montgomery's story. But who knows what the future holds? Perhaps James will surface again. 

My career has definitely taken some unexpected turns. Who would've thought Temptation in a Kilt would be nominated for a RT Reviewers Choice award for Best First Historical? And who would've believed X Marks the Scot received a Top Pick from Night Owl Reviews and a 4 1/2 star review from RT? Honestly, not me! This is quite a delightful surprise. 

But ask me what the most exciting part of my career has been thus far, and I will tell you the readers. I have received some of the most heartfelt messages from fans who thank me for sharing my talent and tell me to never stop writing. I find myself much like the scene in Harry Potter where Hagrid tells Harry he's a wizard and Harry replies, "But I'm just...Harry." That's exactly how I feel. 

Whether it's speaking to members of an adorable book club...

Fans who are grateful for my giveaways...

Hitting the Amazon bestseller list...

 

Signing with Nora Roberts...

I couldn't enjoy this rollercoaster ride without the support of family, friends and fans.

To Wed a Wicked Highlander, Alexander MacDonell's story (Rosalia's cousin from Glengarry) is scheduled for release September 2013.  

Look for more information on the Royal Rebellion series coming soon. The first book is tentatively titled My Highland Spy.  

Short Blurb:

Lady Ravenna Walsingham, working as a spy for the Crown, poses as a governess in the Scottish Highlands, but she soon discovers Laird Ruairi Sutherland has plenty of troubles of his own besides plotting against the king.

I hope readers enjoy the new series and tag along with me on this exciting ride!

Answer the question below for a chance to win an autographed copy of X Marks the Scot and a Bad Boys of the Highlands t-shirt. Winner will be announced next Friday. Please don't forget to leave your e-mail address. Thank YOU, readers!  

Ciaran or Declan?

Release Day!

Happy Release Day for X Marks the Scot! Be sure to pick up and enjoy your copy today! TOP PICK from Night Owl, 4 1/2 stars from RT, and a "keeper" from LASR. 
Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Decland MacGregor and Lady Liadain Campbell were a blast to write. I hope you enjoy their story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Happy Reading!