Watch out, Blogland! I’m back from the writing cave. Yes, fair readers, I finally finished my latest book and turned it in to my editor yesterday. I then breathed the most enormous sigh of relief mankind has ever experienced.

As it normally does when I’m on deadline, my desk has become a disaster area. I began the excavation today by paying bills and throwing all the junk mail in the recycle bin. Also ran a million errands and did some prep for my trip to Dragon*Con this upcoming weekend. If any of you are attending, I’ll be on a Young Adult panel on Sunday morning. The rest of the time I’ll be geeking out with 40,000 of my closest friends. I booked my “photos with the stars” appointments last night, and I have to admit I went a little crazy. I plan to have my photo taken with several actors from Battlestar Galactica, Stargate Atlantis, Twilight, Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel, along with John Schneider and Leonard Nimoy. I’m also very excited to see many of the actors on panels along with some wonderful authors like Diana Gabaldon, Charlaine Harris and Richelle Mead.

I hope to share lots of fun pictures here when I get back. I still have a few photos from the RWA National Conference I want to share, and I plan to do that over the next couple of days before I leave.

I’m still on crazy deadine (book due next Monday), so I’m still scarce here. But I wanted to post that the Q&A with those of us who are running for the RWA Board is now available for viewing by RWA members here. I encourage all RWA members to read through this information to be fully informed before voting opens on Monday. I’m running for re-election to the post of Region 3 Director.

Just call me Lamey McLamerson. I’ve not been blogging here lately because when I get to working on a book, other things seem to get shoved to the sides. I have been committed to blogging on my Healthy Writer blog every day, so pop by there if you get the chance.

But for now, here are some more pictures from the RWA National Conference. These are from Wednesday of conference week.

It was my first year to be able to sign at the huge RWA Literacy Signing. Imagine 500 authors in one room with lots of readers going from table to table to meet them and get books signed. So cool. And the proceeds go to literacy groups. We raised more than $60,000 this year. Extra cool was the fact that my next-door neighbor during the signing was my good pal Tanya Michna/Tanya Micheals. Here we look like normal, friendly authors. In a few weeks, we’ll be getting our geek on and dressing up at Dragon*Con.

Lots of friends stopped by my table. Among them were Michelle Butler, who I’ve now known for 13 years!

And Vanessa Barnevald, talented YA author and Golden Heart finalist this year. I fully expect to hear about a first sale from her soon.

After the Lit Signing was the annual Bandit Bash, sponsored by my fellow Romance Bandits and myself. Here’s a view from above of part of the crowd.

If you’re a regular visitor to the Romance Bandits blog, you’ll know how popular our Golden Rooster is. He’s a virtual rooster who goes to the first comment poster of the day, but don’t tell him he’s not real. He might get upset and karate chop me. The rooster, sporting a cape and mask, graced our party cake — along with some of his cocky attitude.

Banditas KJ Howe and Anna Sugden.

And more Banditas, Beth Andrews and Susan Sey.

Me with one of the Bash guests, Jessica Andersen, who took time away from pimping the end of the world, to come party with us. (See Jess’s books to see what I’m talking about.)

A friend who knows how much I love Firefly and Serenity sent me a link to this fan vid on YouTube today. It’s awesome. Enjoy, my fellow Browncoats.

If you had been at my house at 11:12 p.m. tonight, you would have seen the not-so-world-famous Trish Milburn Happy Dance. That’s right, fair readers, I got my revisions that had kept me away from blogland done! I sent them off to my editor and agent, and breathed a ginormous sigh of relief. Even though I still have plenty on my plate, including another book deadline Sept. 1, I hope to get back to regular blogging.

Today (Monday), I’m blogging at Nobody Writes It Better about my trip along the Tennessee River aboard a paddle-wheel riverboat. There’s even a picture of me at the wheel!