Isabelle Drake

1. It's the first real warm Saturday of the season. You: A) Drive to the nearest body of water with a tote bag full of snacks and a book you've been saving since March. B) Text five people "what are we doing today" and let chaos decide. C) Open every window, put something good on the speaker, and spend the morning just… existing in it. D) Start planning. Itinerary, reservations, the works. Summer doesn't organize itself. 2. Your summer drink is: A) Whatever's cold and comes with a little umbrella. B) Something spicy...a jalapeño margarita, obviously. C) A big glass of iced tea on the porch, no rush. D) Champagne. It's always the right answer. 3. Pick a summer shoe: A) Sandals you've had for six years that go with everything. B) Sneakers because you never know when you'll need to run toward something fun. C) Bare feet, honestly. D) Wedges. You didn't come here to be comfortable, you came here to look good. 4. Your ideal summer read: A) A big, sw...

The past couple months were filled with conference travel.  In early March, I attended an academic/literacy conference in Baltimore. It's an event I've attended on and off for over a decade. When I first started attending, I went as an MFA student. The faculty of the MFA program I was attending told us the event was a blast - super fun! I am, and was back then, all about having fun especially if it involves books and writers. So, expecting the sort of fun I typically had at a writing event, off I went.  As it turned out, as I figured out the first time I went, it was not that kind of fun. I found the other attendees to be a tad stuffy at times. No laughing in the halls. Very literary. As it turned out, it was a serious event filled with serious people. I did have the promised "good time" but it took some rethinking on my part. Once I caught on to the serious nature of the event, I decided not to tell anyone I was a romance author. Meanwhile, over the years, I continue...