Kate Carlisle                      Maureen Child

Kate: Hey Maureen, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

Maureen: Bummer. So why’d we leave town without the GPS?

Kate: That would be my fault. Sowwy. Where are we going, by the way?

Maureen: Bookland.  

Kate: I’ve heard of that place.

Maureen: And thanks to my excellent powers of navigation, we have arrived!

Kate: See? Who needs GPS?

(They come to a stop near a thick wall, exit their transport. Maureen runs her hands along the wall.)

Maureen: I think this is the right portal.

Kate: Don't we need a key to get in? Some kind of secret handshake or something?

Maureen (mumbles a few words, fiddles with some security alarm buttons): Nope. I just broke the code!!

Kate: You rock!

Maureen: On occasion, I totally do. Follow me.

Kate: Whoa, this place is cool. Maybe too cool. We're gonna get in trouble.

Maureen: No, we're not. I know people.

Kate: Oh, right. You said that when we broke into Squawk Radio and some scrawny chicken lady chased us out of the coop.

Maureen: Okay, yeah, that wasn't pretty.

Kate: I still have nightmares.

Maureen: Well, that won't happen here. I know Rhonda.

Kate: Hey, I know Rhonda, too!

Maureen: Well, there you go. No problemo. Waiter!

(Incredibly handsome waiter rushes over. Maureen orders vodka tonic, then settles into a cushy chair.)

Kate (remains standing, unwilling to get too comfortable—but willing to drink): I’ll have a beer.

(The helpful waiter runs off.)

Maureen: Beer? Why no Gimlet?

Kate: Beer’s easier to carry if we have to run for it.

Maureen: Good point. So, how do you know Rhonda?

Kate: Ah, Rhonda. I first met her in Denver in 2002—in the bar, of course. I was shy back then, on the periphery, too daunted to speak freely. We didn’t really connect until Atlanta in 2006. That was a memorable year, NOT because I won the Golden Heart but because that was the year I first saw Rhonda’s pulsating leg in action. You were there, remember? We were crossing the skywalk and a housekeeper was vacuuming. Rhonda’s leg went into hyperspace. That poor housekeeper never knew what hit her.

Maureen: Oh yeah. Ouch. I do remember all of us shrieking at the housekeeper to turn her deadly vacuum off. I think we scared her.

Kate: I just remember laughing a lot.

Maureen: That’s because you’re cruel.

Kate: Oh please, you were rolling on the ground.

Maureen: That wasn’t me.

(Cute waiter delivers Maureen’s and Kate’s drinks along with a pupu platter! They both take a moment to enjoy the drinkies and the ambience.)

Kate: They do have good service here in Bookland.

Maureen: Boy howdy.

Kate: By the way, have you noticed that Rhonda has the world’s largest suitcase?

Maureen: Yeah, which is pretty amazing for such a short woman.

Kate: So when did you meet Rhonda?

Maureen: I met Rhonda waaaay back. Actually, I met Ms. Amy about the same time.

Kate: Where and when?

Maureen: I met them both back in ’92.

Kate: Whoa, Rhonda’s really old.

Maureen: Tell me about it. Of course, I was just ten at the time. It was at the RWA conference in Chicago. Met Amy and Rhonda both at the bar, strangely enough. What does that say about us??

Kate: That you know how to have a good time? Which is why we’re all friends, of course.

Maureen: It certainly explains why I don't remember the details.

Kate: It’s all a little hazy to me, too.

Maureen: Where the heck is Rhonda, anyway? Maybe she has the GPS.

Kate: We’re gonna get in trouble for being in here, aren’t we?

Maureen: Jeez, will you forget about that chicken lady? One little mistake ……

Kate: The chicken chick was scary.

Maureen: Uh huh. Were we supposed to be talking about our books here?

Kate: I think we ran outta time.

Maureen: Oh, well. WAITER!

Maureen Child is the brilliant and beloved author of more than 100 romance novels and novellas. She’s even IN a CBS-TV movie, THE SOUL COLLECTOR, made from one of her books, A POCKETFUL OF PARADISE … Right now, she’s visiting her latest release, SEDUCED INTO A PAPER MARRIAGE on the bookshelves ….

Kate Carlisle is the multi-talented author of the NYT bestselling mystery, HOMICIDE IN HARDCOVER, (available in paperback, natch!) and the soon to be released sequel, IF BOOKS COULD KILL, not to mention she’s hard at work on her first Silhouette Desire which will be setting store shelves on fire in 2010! 

Kate and Maureen are also sitting here in Bookland hoping you will keep us company until Rhonda comes back. She IS coming back, right? Right?? RIGHT???

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Many thanks to Kate and Maureen for guest-posting while Rhonda's away.  They'll be dropping in during the day to read comments and answer any questions.

The Babes