Little Bear Love

I’m leaving my littlest guy behind for 11 days soon while I take my big boys to Sicily and then the Amalfi Coast. We were supposed to be heading to Egypt with my mom and sister but the unrest and political changes in Egypt made me rethink our decision to cruise the Nile and visit the Valley of the Kings and Queens now. We booked the Egypt trip two years ago but Sicily should be fascinating and I’ve never been there even though I’ve set two Harlequins there–The Sicilian’s Defiant Mistress and my upcoming North American August release, A Dark Sicilian Secret.

But the little guy… oh, he’s hard to leave, and I’m leaving him this weekend for a day and a half to do the LARA writing retreat in Los Angeles with pals Megan Crane and Liza Palmer.  I knew when I accepted the speaking engagement it was close on the heels of flying out to Italy, but I didn’t realize emotionally how it’d feel.

It feels terrible.

For two days now I’ve obsessed about how I jump on a Saturday  afternoon for LAX, and then return Sunday night after he’s gone to bed, and then three days later I head out for 11 days. I’m supposed to be writing–and I am–but in between sentences and paragraphs and editing I keep thinking about my  littlest guy and how much I love him and how sweet he is at almost two. His birthday is a month from tomorrow and he’s starting to talk a lot. Some of it I understand. Some of it is still jibberish. But he knows what he’s trying to say because he’ll repeat it over and over and look at me and wait for validation. And sometimes all I can do is hug him tight and tell him how much Mama loves him. And I do.

But I’m a big girl, and I’m going to suck it up and do what big girls do–juggle responsibilities, meet my deadlines, accomplish my goals.  And one of those goals is helping writers grow. So, if you’re a writer in LA and want to attend the LARA retreat on Sunday, info is on my events page here on my site. (Incidentally, I have a couple Bellevue area book events coming up this Spring and then a number of writing workshops in June and August and those details are on my site, too.)

Time to give away something fun though!  I need fun and so do you.  🙂

Bring me up to speed on your life and you’re entered to win a fantastic beach read prize:  a pink striped beach towel, a B&N gift card, a Starbucks gift card, a Jane Porter water bottle, and a signed book from my backlist…your choice. Fill me in from now until Monday morning on whatever you feel like sharing, and then sometime Monday morning I’ll draw a winning name. Remember that I announce the winner’s name in a comment on my JaneBlog on my actual www.janeporter.com website.  I realize some of you read my JaneBlog on Facebook or Goodreads so come visit my comments Monday at my site for this specific blog to see if you’ve won. This is how I always announce the winners… and I don’t go and track you down! If you want the prize, you have to claim it.