I just came back from a productive and fun-filled weekend at the Chanticleer Authors Conference in Bellingham, Washington. You can't get any farther north without tripping over the Canadian border, so this was definitely an international event. Especially if you include margaritas and mojitos (pronounced mo-jee-tos--you can ask Sean Dwyer about that). Wendy Delaney was our pilot and Diane Garland navigated. I rode along for decoration. We met our friend Judith Laik at the Bellwether Hotel.
Anytime you're offered a free glass of champagne when you register, you know it's gonna be a good weekend.
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| Ain't no one gonna touch Honey's champagne, that's for sure. |
Did I mention that Honey's first book, Hot Work in Fry Pan Gulch, was shortlisted for the Laramie Award? Well, it was. Of course that made me happy but considering this series is a bit hard to categorize and that humor rarely wins any major awards, I came along mostly to meet my friends that I only see once a year, and to take in a few workshops.
Of course, Honey Beaulieu came along with us--she won't let Diane out of her sight. But then Sassy whined that I never take her anywhere so I relented and said she could go with us. How was I to know that she'd end up making friends with practically everyone there? Most of the attendees knew Honey already and she made a few new friends besides, but Sassy was the belle of the ball. I didn't even know who she was with half the time. The floozy.
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| Honey hanging out with Janet Shawgo and her sister Joan. In the center, Janet's wearing her World War II nurse's uniform. To the right, Joan wears an 1860s costume. By the way, Janet and Joan are twins. |
Honey and Sassy found a few good-looking men to hang out with, too.
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| Left: Sean Dwyer with Sassy. I think Honey's jealous. Middle: Terry Persun negotiates an argument. Sassy wanted to wear Honey's hat. Right: Honey defends the bookseller (Paul) from owlhoots. Sassy wants peach pie. |
You know that awards ceremony they always have on Saturday night? Well, this one went pretty well in my mind.
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| Top left: a closeup of the ribbon (because I couldn't resist) and the certificate. Top right: the Laramie category winners. Bottom left: The screen with Hot Work in Fry Pan Gulch on it!!! Bottom right: A very stunned Jacquie and a rather smug Honey |
And then it was time for margaritas. The End.
If you're on Snapchat, friend me! My handle is jacquierogers. You can get videos of Sassy's latest updates there. And goofy pictures of her scribe.
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