Road Trip! Online Friends Become Real Life Friends #readers #authors

Road Trip! 
Online Friends Become Real Life Friends
by Jacquie Rogers

There they are!  Yep, some of my new friends in real life.  I'd never met any of these ladies (and gent) before but have known and corresponded with most of them online for ages.  This photo is just a few of the people who attended the Pioneer Hearts Meet and Greet on February 11.  We really had a blast.

Caroline Clemmons holding
our duet
Mail-Order Tangle
(note the fabulous nails)

But then the entire trip was fun.  First thing, we had to take the long route to Texas because of the weather--which meant we drove down to Southern California and then east on I-10 to Texas, then up to Ft. Worth, where we stayed with my favorite author from a long way back, Caroline Clemmons.  And the first thing we did was get a manicure.  Talk about bonding. 

I can't even tell you how marvelous this lady is, as are her Hero and two daughters.  But Caroline and I, well, sometimes you just hit it off with someone.  It was as if we'd always known one another.  The icing on the cake was that Mr R and Hero got along well, too, and talked late into the night.  Neither one of them is much of a conversationalist, so that's sayin' something.

The next day we headed across the Red River to the Pioneer Hearts Meet and Greet.  I was astounded to see Cissie Patterson there!  I knew she'd be in Texas in August and was really disappointed that I wouldn't get to see her, but there she was. (fist pump)  I think Kirsten Osbourne had something to do with that.  I also met a bunch of other fun ladies, both readers and authors.

A few of my new friends at the Pioneer Hearts Meet and Greet.

The following Monday, the fabulous Carra Copelin organized a booksigning at Panera Breads in Arlington, Texas.  What a blast that was.  Those signing: Kirsten Osbourne, Carra Copelin, Caroline Clemmons, Lyn Horner, Hebby Roman, and moi.

Of course, Honey Beaulieu had to come along.  She's with Carra Copelin,
Kirsten Osbourne, and Mr. and Mrs. Wiggie.
Honey kept us all on the straight and narrow.

Then we had to tear ourselves away from our new friends and head back toward home, still forced to take the long route.  But that's okay because I have some close friends in Arizona, too.  On the way, we stopped at a wonderful museum in Pecos and another in Lubbock.  Yes, I took a bazillion pictures and no, I won't post them all.  Even I have limits.

On the way to my long-time writing buddy Ann Charles' house, we stopped by Old Tucson, where many of the old westerns were made.

And then Ann and I visited with three other Arizona friends: authors Amber Scott, Kristy McCaffery, and Tom Rizzo.

Honey Beaulieu with Ann Charles, Tom Rizzo, and Amber Scott

All good things come to an end and to tell the truth, Mr R and I really missed our comfortable bed, so it was time to head north.  The weather was awful but could've been worse, and we didn't have any trouble.  But bad as the weather was, it cleared up for a few minutes as we drove through the Siskiyous, and there it was, Mt. Shasta.

Photo taken at 65 mph through a car window.

That's it for our road trip.  We left Feb. 5 and got back Feb. 26.  Three weeks of fun, yes, but we're glad we don't have to pack and unpack every morning and night.  It's good to be home.  It's even better to be home knowing you have a lot of new friends--real people who are just as nice or nicer than they seem to be online.

But as happy as we are to be home, it was really hard to leave Caroline's house, and just as hard to leave Ann's house.  I'm definitely blessed.

I'm working hard on Blazing Bullets in Deadwood Gulch (Honey Beaulieu - Man Hunter #3) and hope to release by the first of May.  Plus, my buddy Diane Garland is taking another trip, although I won't say where, because we're having another #WheresHoney contest.  Be watching my author page for more details on how to win a valuable, unique prize!

Oh, and if you're on Snapchat, friend me!  My handle is jacquierogers.

Keep up with Jacquie Rogers' latest news at the

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Honey Beaulieu - Man Hunter series

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