Once upon a time, about two and a half years ago, I entered a board called Sanctuary.

Never in my wildest imagination did I ever believe I'd become insane due to Noraholicism.

But here I am.

Never in my wildest imagination did I ever realize that entering Sanctuary would allow me not only to meet one of the most talented story-tellers of our time, but also women from all over the country who share a passion for stories by Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb ... who epitomize the hope that romance novels embrace ... who are so generous with their time & love & passion & laughs ...

For me, the greatest joy of the weekend was seeing the Board Brats & how they came together ... it was like history repeating itself as they experienced what we experienced two years ago. For those of you who do not know about the Brats, they are a group of ladies who came together in the ADWOFF chat ... their corp group is 6 strong (they're wondering when we Broads are going to visit them some more ;-) ... with ladies from Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Texas, California, and Australia (YES! Australia!) The four Brats who were there were from Ohio, Michigan, Florida, & Texas.

It was also exciting watching the TTP virgins <g> experience the weekend for the first time.

It is always AWEsome to see Nora; to watch her in action; to break bread with her; to shoot the breeze with her. Thank you so much, Nora, for taking time out of your busy schedule/life to meet with us yesterday.

It would be something else if it was just Nora--but we're treated to other wonderful, beautiful (inside & out) authors who obviously take lessons from Nora--they are tolerant <g>, gracious, and more than happy to do what it takes to send us away as satisfied readers.

The veterans know how special Gaff & MK are; many were treated to meeting Elaine Fox, Beth Harbison, and Donna Kauffman (I hope I didn't miss anyone else--apologies to the two ladies I did not meet who wrote/illustrated kids' books). All of these authors go out of their way to make us feel special ... (BTW, WOOO HOOO for Gaff -- 70 Saving Graces flew out of the store! :-)

BW, Jason, Lisa (who I didn't get to talk to :-(, and super-sub Ruth bent over backwards to make things run as smoothly as possible for the amount of people who came through the store's doors.


And always ... ALWAYS ... it is just so very special to see friends again ... it becomes a weekend of gossiping and laughter and jokes and stories and all sorts of fun & goofy things that women like to do most when they do get together ... the GOOD-BYES suck ... the days surely must only have 18 hours in them ... because before you know it, the weekend is gone ... and we're back to connecting via cyberspace.

Broads & Brats alike ... thank you for making the weekend so special ... Nora, thank you for gracing us with your talents and your generosity.

Sue

P.S. Something to consider for the possibility of TTP IV ... because of how HUGE the TTP event has become (in terms of Broads & Brats gathering together) ... maybe we need to locate in one place (such as the Hilltop--a place with remarkable character--and a staff that NEVER YELLED AT US! :-) ... have an all-group meeting the first night (think of how much fun Friday was) ... TTP for the newbies ... brunch with Nora on Sunday (provided this works in her schedule) ... do your own thing for the rest of the time ...

P.S.S. ... now if we can only convince BW to coordinate TTP #5 with the RWA Convention in D.C. ;-) (Nora has told us that TTP IV will be the weekend before the RWA Convention!)

P.S.S.S. Pictures & essays to come in ADWOFF #13-14 ... which we'll work to get out in August (yeahsureright) ...