Mount Hermon recap

Captain’s Log, Supplemental

Blog book giveaway:
To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there.
Valley of Betrayal by Tricia Goyer
In High Places by Tom Morrisey

Disclaimer: I had so many great experiences, I’VE PROBABLY FORGOTTEN A LOT OF STUFF.

I drove to Mount Hermon with my friend and local writer Marilyn Hilton. We had a great time talking on the way there and back.

I took the Career track, taught by my agent Wendy Lawton, Janet Kobobel Grant, Sally Stuart, and Karen Ball. It was awesome! I learned a lot and had a great time meeting and getting to know people better.

I met Cathy Elliott, the brilliant author who came up with the PHENOMENAL potential title for book 2 in my series (still under consideration by the Z powers that be).

I met Julie Carobini and her fab family. Her son Matt commented on my blog message board, too!

Had some great conversations about Asian Americans writing fiction with Russell Nakamura, who was probably the only male Asian American writer at the conference except for Gary Terashita (FaithWords editor). Nice guy (I mean Russell, although Gary’s a nice guy too).

Went to a restaurant on the Santa Cruz pier. Had DEEP FRIED SEAFOOD!!! The funnest part was that we only had two cars, so we crammed 6 people in one car and 7 in the other, which was Cyndy Salzmann’s rental. Poor Jim Rubart got stuck in the hatchback.

Stayed up late with Randy Ingermanson, John Olson, Tracy Higley, Steve Laube, Christine Tangvald, and several rotating others whose names I have shamefully forgotten.

Met Ron and Peggy Roloff, whose family is on the TV series, Little People Big World.

I finally met Beth Jusino face-to-face, and she rather randomly gave me a bag of organic blue corn chips she’d received from her roommate but couldn’t carry on the plane with her. It was received rather happily by moi.

The best news of all—my friend Sharon Hinck won the 2007 Writer of the Year award!!!

I posted pictures of Mount Hermon here.

Comments

Anonymous said…

Sounds like loads of fun! How awesome that Sharon Hinck won the award. I'd love to hear more about your late night conversation with those Ingermanson, Olson, Higley, Laube, Tangvald, et al.

Sigh. I'll just stay here in Texas for now.

Thu Apr 05, 10:36:00 AM 2007

Anonymous said…

Camy -

It was so fun to meet you in person--you're everything your blog promises (but not as loud). Love the pictures. Thanks for chronicling the week for those of us who were too lame to remember our cameras.

Blessings on your new book!

Thu Apr 05, 05:37:00 PM 2007

Valerie said…

It was great to meet you at Hermon. Can't wait to pick up your book in the fall.
Good luck as your writing adventure continues.

Blessings!

Thu Apr 05, 07:15:00 PM 2007

Tricia Goyer said…

All those people in PINK ... yes, they are my friends :-) I've met all of them before. Well, I've only met Tasra online ... and Peggy through our agent. But the rest of those people adore me nearly as much as I adore them! Hahahaha

And I love CAMY ... missed being there.

Thu Apr 05, 10:55:00 PM 2007

Unknown said…

Just in case anyone misses my post on your photos page....
_______

I want to repeat my "prophecy" to you in a public forum. Camy, you are going to be overwhelmed by the wild success of your debut novel. God has richly blessed you with a gift of story telling and an enthusiasm for the power of the written word. Now we all get to stand back and watch it take off!

Fri Apr 06, 08:45:00 AM 2007

Anonymous said…

Camy--I can't wait until I can join the crowd! Thanks for letting me live vicariously in the meantime.

Fri Apr 06, 10:07:00 AM 2007

Demian Farnworth said…

Camy,
Sounds like a fabulous time! Welcome back!! Hope you have gotten some rest by now. Cyndy Salzmann is coming to my neck of the woods tomorrow for a book signing. Though I am a bit disappointed that I won't be able to climb in her car with six other ACFWers. I don't know if there are even that many others in my area. LOL

Fri Apr 06, 08:03:00 PM 2007

Anonymous said…

How fun!

Fri Apr 06, 10:33:00 PM 2007

Sharon Hinck said…

Dearest Camy,
I'll never forget that moment of you gasping in joy, while my befuddled brain tried to understand what was going on. :-)
What an amazing conference - and SO cool to catch up with you. You're a treasure.

Sat Apr 07, 04:52:00 PM 2007

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures...

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And...

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou...

Brainstorm - character occupation

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.23.2009 Hey guys, I could use some help. In my current manuscript, The Year of the Dog , which is a humorous contemporary romance, I have a minor character, Eddie. He’s my heroine’s ex-boyfriend, and they’re on good terms with each other. He’s a bit irresponsible, but not so much so that he’s a complete loser. He’s got a very easy going attitude, he forgets to pay his bills sometimes, he’s friendly and charming. He’s adventurous and fun to be around, but he’s a little forgetful sometimes, and he tends to spend a little outside his income. I need an occupation for him. What would a charming, easy going, slightly irresponsible guy do for a living? He’s not too irresponsible, because otherwise readers will wonder what in the world my heroine saw in him to date him in the first place. She was attracted to his charm, his easy going attitude (her family’s uptight, and he was a nice contrast), and his adventurousness. But his forgetfulness and irresponsibility ...

Free Christian Romantic Suspense Novels by Camy Tang / Camille Elliot

Curious about what my writing is like? Here’s a list of all my free books and the free short stories, novellas, and novels that you can read here on my blog. I’ll update this post as I add more free reads. Christian Romantic Suspense: Necessary Proof (Sonoma series #4.1, novella) Click here to buy the FREE ebook on all retailers Alex Villa became a Christian in prison, and because of his efforts to help stop a gang producing meth in Sonoma, he has been set up for the death of a cop. Can computer expert Jane Lawton find the evidence that will prove his innocence before the gang eliminates them both? Fantasy short stories: Pixies in a Garden in Kyoto There were pixies in the garden. Since she was in Kyoto, she was certain they were not called pixies, but she didn't know what they would be called in Japanese, and they certainly looked like what she imagined pixies would look like. The King’s Daughter The trees in the King's garden were full of colored pixie lights. The...

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci...

I sold to Steeple Hill!

Captain's Log, Supplemental Remember that romantic suspense proposal I blogged about earlier? Well, it just sold to Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired Suspense line! I am so jazzed! I am beyond jazzed! The story’s working title is Sinister Spa The story's title is Deadly Intent and here’s a blurb (but it’s probably not what will appear on the back of the book): Massage therapist Naomi Grant could use a massage herself. With her father at home recovering from a stroke, Naomi is put in charge of the family’s elite day spa in Sonoma county. The new responsibilities sit awkwardly on her shoulders, and things only get worse when handsome Dr. Devon Knightley breezes into the spa, demanding to see one of the female clients. And the woman is found dead in Naomi’s massage room. Suddenly, Naomi is a suspect and her family’s spa is shut down. How could God let this awful thing happen? Devon only needed to see his ex-wife about a family necklace she still hadn’t returned, but when she dies and...

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

New book idea a la Captain Caffeine

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.14.2009 So my husband, Captain Caffeine, had lunch with a few friends a few days ago. And they asked about my writing, and if I’d been on Oprah yet. (Yeah, right) They then discussed NYT bestselling books, and why can’t Camy write a NYT bestseller. (Sure, let me just open a vein over a blank page and it’ll come right out.) So Captain Caffeine came home with ideas for my new NYT bestselling novel. First it starts with vampires, because Twilight is so hot. But not just any vampires. This one’s an Amish vampire. And he’s not just an Amish vampire, he’s a cop in disguise, infiltrating the Amish community to protect a witness. (Hmm, that storyline sounds familiar ...) But wait! There’s more! To add more conflict and stick with my brand of Asian fiction, we introduce the Tibetan monk! Who joins the Amish community to get away from the pressures of monkhood. But in reality, he’s protecting the Chinese princess on the run, trying to escape from her father’s Hong...

Search This Blog