Following my husband's death in 2008, I moved from Tennessee to Florida to look after my parents. Now I'm living in a retirement community, making friends and trying new things. The most fun I've had has been ballroom dancing. So far, I've taken intro lessons in all the dances and now I'm starting intermediate. I hardly have time to read anymore but I manage four or five dances a week!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

That's What Friends Are For

Earlier I blogged about how sick my furbaby, Sandy, was. He's requiring some hand-feeding or he just won't eat so there was no way I could board him in a kennel. That's not even considering the pill he has to take at least an hour before eating and the other pills he needs twice a day. Well, I ended up cancelling a trip I'd been looking forward to for a year so I could take care of him.

Every year, Lori Foster and Diane Castell sponsor a weekend for authors and readers to get together and visit. It's much more laid back than the large conferences like RWA and there are lots of opportunities to just sit and chat. So at the last minute I cancelled my (non-refundable) airline ticket *sigh*, rental car reservations and the hotel room. I let the girlfriends with whom I'd planned to meet know I wouldn't be there. While not really depressed I was extremely disappointed.

Ironically there was a big fundraiser for Animal Adoption Foundation, as well. Lori Foster edited an anthology, Tails of Love, and all proceeds from the sale of it went to AAF. I'd known this was coming and was looking forward to getting all the authors to sign my book. I already know many of them, love their work and I count a few of them as friends. Still, Sandy - my living, breathing tail of love - came first. When I emailed Lori, she said she'd send me one of her copies that would be autographed by all the authors if I'd send her the price of the book. Of course, I jumped on that and sent a little extra donation for AAF.

Yesterday I got the book ... but it wasn't from Lori Foster. My girlfriend, Karen, bought the book for me and walked it around to all the authors and got their signatures for me. Many of them were personalized. Wasn't that sweet! And in the same post, Lori Foster returned my check and said all her copies were gone.

Everything works out for the best.

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