First and foremost -- loads of happy birthday wishes to my darlin' ardent_muses! ::tossing confetti and wheeling out a huge cake -- out of which pop scantily-clad Napoleon and Illya, in a swoon-worthy clinch::

I had a wonderful day yesterday. marialima and I picked up the fabulous Ms Jan Burke from her hotel and schlepped her through the beautiful, bucolic backwoods of mountainous western Maryland, all the way to Boonsboro. We hung around while she participated in a book signing with the cute and gracious Nora Roberts at Turn the Page bookstore, owned and run by Nora's husband.

Boonsboro's an interesting place, fer shur. Two doors down was a little shop that specialized in sandwiches, assorted dry goods, and guns. Lots of guns, over there at the counter opposite the food. I bought MtL a tie with Dracula on it for her book launch at a sporting goods shop. The owner boasted that they have 50 items for every football team in the country. I believe him. And when he saw me admiring (well, looking at) a Betty Boop guitar clock -- look! it's a guitar shaped clock with Betty Boop! how could you not love it -- he went into the back and found me a Betty-Boop-biker-chick tote bag, which is fabulous. After handing off Jan to the lovely Edgar-nominated Laura Lippman, we toddled back, clutching the signed books Jan gave us. Squee!