After a FIREFLY- and SERENITY-filled weekend (happy Mother’s Day, indeed!) for me, it’s back to blogging…with more RT photos! We were up to Thursday, methinks.

(But first…Loving Husband saw Tax Deduction the Elder’s new library book: SNAKES. So Loving Husband immediately makes a paper airplane, which he places on the kitchen counter…and then drops SNAKES on the plane. I’m jealous I didn’t think of it first.)

My fella Deadline Dame, the amazing Keri Arthur, all the way from Australia.

Stacey Kade and me, setting up for the ginormous YA panel, where we talked about “YA that goes bump in the night.” Now, please appreciate the fact that in between panels, I was writing a paranormal romance short story, which included much sexual tension that led to a big ol’ nookie scene. So I arrived at the panel with “bump in the night” meaning something very different than we actually talked about. Anyway. Don’t you love my Vlad Tod tee? I have the **best** critique partner!

Stacey and me again. See my spiffy HUNGER ARC there in the corner? I gave that copy to Holly Black, who was on the panel with us, and who shares a fantabulous cover artist with me.

More YA panelists: Carrie Ryan, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and Heather Brewer. It really was a terrific panel.

Okay, then there was much feverish writing, and room service for lunch. (Hey, when you’re on deadline, you pull all stops.) After that was the RT Awards. A few of my friends (Michelle Rowen and Dakota Cassidy, to name two) won this year (yeah!!!), and I was there to see it all. Michelle was gracious, and Dakota totally rocked when her award suffered a wardrobe malfunction. And the lovely Shannon K. Butcher made me all weepy when she gave her acceptance speech. I tried to take a picture of the awards, but my camera decided to go the ghost-story route:

I know — spooky, right?

After the awards, Heather and I dropped off our book-filled tote bags in our room and then waited for an elevator. While waiting, we bumped into MaryJanice Davidson and Michelle Rowen (fresh from her award win).

Notice how MJ has a cup of caffeine in her hand. Caffeine is a must at RT.

Yes, that’s me, dressed in my finery for that night’s Faery Ball. (What? My blouse had flowers on it. That counts.) And Heather was already dressed for it. Her outfit rocked! I love the wings, and my God, her waist is TINY.

So then there was the Bookseller Event, co-hosted by me and 15 other YA paranormal authors (Kelley Armstrong, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Holly Black, Heather Brewer, Ally Carter, Shannon Delany, Caitlin Kittredge, Stacey Kade, Melissa Marr, Richelle Mead, Michelle Rowen, Carrie Ryan, Jeri Smith-Ready, and Rachel Vincent). The wonderful Mari Mancusi had started organizing everything, but then she went and got married or something, so she wasn’t able to make it to RT. (Where are her priorities, I ask you?) The 97 booksellers and librarians who attended got a tote bag stuffed with books and ARCs (and a Vlad Tod tee), and they went from table to table, having us sign them (the books and ARCs, not body parts). I got to talk about HUNGER, which was a lot of fun. And then there was chocolate.

Faery Ball time!

Blake, decked out in red.

Richelle Mead, on the Faery Court. I tried getting a better shot of her that showed her amazing outfit, but them fae don’t seem to like my camera so much.

See?

The lovely Fire Fae, Cheyenne McCray. (Hey, that rhymes!)

Two more terrific Fire Fae, Cathy Clamp and Stacia Kane.

The lovely Jeanne Stein. Check out the wings!

Caitlin Kittredge, rocking that fabulous green dress. Her hair was in an updo, which you can’t really see in this picture.

Diana Rowland, Heather Brewer, and Kat Richardson, doing the corset thing.

There was a vendor on site, an artist, who was TOTALLY into Diana. He asked her to pose for him. Diana, being an accommodating sort, agreed.

Backspace reunion! Alexandra Sokoloff and Heather Brewer, outside of the Faery Ball.

Diana and the multi-talented F. Paul Wilson. (What do you mean, you didn’t see Paul starring as Edward Cullens?)

Deadline Dames Do RT! From left to right: Keri Arthur, me, Miriam Kriss, Rachel Vincent, Devon Monk, Jenna Black. Other Dames, who couldn’t make it to RT: Toni Andrews, Rinda Elliott, Karen Mahoney and Lili Saintcrow.

Another Backspace reunion! Me and Joe Konrath, drinking after the Faery Ball. Note Joe’s butterfly wings.

Later, I’ll tackle Friday and Saturday photos.