Wednesday, April 29, 2009

L.A. Yay!

My trip to LA

Hey Everyone :)
This is not a typical Writing Wednesday as I want to share with everyone what I did in L.A., but stay tuned for more writerly info later today ;)


Friday: Leaving the family was tough, but I left with my best pair of shoes and a determination to work my butt off for the weekend. The flight out was not much different than riding a bus, but with an awesome view.




When I arrived, I was surprised to discover that the only way to get from AirTran to the Southwest terminal was to take a bus ride. LAX is huge! Karen arrived on time and I was happy to meet Bobbie and Harry there, the Knot Fairy folks.





Our hotel wasn’t that far away and I enjoyed seeing palm trees and one in the front of the Days Inn I called the “Donkey Kong” tree. For dinner, I also had a great adventure. Karen took me to Bilal, a Pakistani restaurant where we ordered Haleem, Seekh Kabobs Nihari and other exotic dishes that were absolutely delicious, and spicy in the way that made you want to keep eating more.




Izzy dropped by and picked me up for a nice meal later that night and when we walked into the restaurant, I was totally stoked to recognize the place from xXx, one of my all time favorite Vin Diesel movies. The place rocked!




Saturday morning Teresa Burell took us to the UCLA campus, which is absolutely fabulous. The weather couldn’t have been any better! High sixties with a wonderfully cool breeze to make even the most intensely sunny part of the day comfortable. That high wind though caused injuries when a scaffold fell over into the crowd and injured three people.




I sold out of DFF: Dead Friends Forever and by the end of the day, I’d signed all but seven books! I was rockin’ the tent! Alyssa Montgomery joined us midway through the day and made the tent all the more sunnier with her warmth and cheerful smile.



On Sunday, I had a blast. Not only was I completely sold out, but I had a chance to enjoy the festival and meet Jon Miller, a great legal thriller author I’ve worked with for a few years now. Then, I had a real treat when Izzy took me to see Finis, Sammy Davis Jr.’s Godson who has a terrific voice. To top it all off, we were allowed backstage at the Comedy and Magic club to see “The Wall” where famous comedians had left their signatures, including Jay Leno and Jerry Sienfeld.




After a wonderful time at the Hermosa Beach pier and walking mall, Izzy took me out for desert and we had a great time chatting and sharing fun stories. If I thought Izzy was way cool on the internet, she’s absolutely a thrill to be with in person—and stunning in real life.




Monday I came home and was happily reunited with my family, and my own bed! That was my fabulous time in L.A. and I’m already looking forward to next year!

Warmly,
Jenny :)

8 comments:

Pam Ripling said...

Wonderful post! Love the photos! Sounds like you had a great time Sunday evening. Hope to see you again soon........

Pam/Anne
http://beacon-street.blogspot.com

J.R. Turner said...

Had a wonderful time with you too, Pam Anne! :)

Wish I would have thunk to get a photo of us together :)

Warmly,
Jenny:)

Mary Cunningham said...

Love the pictures and your description. Sounds like a great time was had by all. Congrats on the book sales!

Mary

http://www.cynthiasattic.blogspot.com

J.R. Turner said...

Thanks so much Mary!! I would so love to have tons of photos of you and I at the next one!! :)

Warmly,
Jenny:)

Nick said...

Great pictures! Wow that was a big event. Congrats on selling out of DFF!

http://nickvalentino.blogspot.com

Alyssa Montgomery said...

Sounds like you had a great time! I know I did!

Alyssa
http://www.alyssamontgomery.com
http://amontgomery99.blogspot.com

Milli Thornton said...

Jenny, I totally enjoyed the photos and your account of the book festival. Fantastic, too, that you sold out of DFF! My only regret about reading your news was that I wasn't there with you :0)

XOXO

J.R. Turner said...

Thanks bunches for leaving a comment, Nick, Alyssa and Milli! :)

It was truly a thrill to sell out and I really did have a blast!!

Warmly,
Jenny:)