Blog Buddies -- They're not just on the Internet!

We did it!  Ever since blog friend Michael Di Gesu and I discovered our birthdays are only three days apart---and that he's in Chicago and I'm in the western 'burbs---we've been talking about getting together.  And last Friday we made it happen.  Of course we made it happen; we're both stubborn Tauruses (or would that be Tauri?), after all.

This is us at the Grand Lux Cafe on Wabash

I'm happy to report that Michael is just as lively, open, warm, and wonderful in real life as he is on his blog.  The conversation and laughs flowed easily all through lunch...and about 45 iced teas/Diet Cokes. But that wasn't enough, so after

having the waiter snap a photo of us, we wandered over to a Starbucks that had the most AMAZING view of Wacker Drive and continued the conversation.   If you ever get the chance to meet up with someone you've clicked with in the blogosphere, I highly recommend it.  Thanks for the fun, Michael!

During A to Z, Michael won a copy of a soon-to-be-released Summer Anthology, and now I get to tell you  a little bit more about it.  The authors of Omnific Publishing have all come together to write summer-themed romantic short stories to benefit a very cool breast-cancer charity, Save the Ta-Tas.  This is a non-profit foundation that raises funds to support innovative initiatives, such as funding independent breast cancer research. 

Our stories will be divided into two collections, a Young Adult "Breeze" Anthology, and a steamier "Heat "Anthology. Both anthologies will be available for purchase from July 1 - September 30, 2011, and all proceeds will go to Save the Ta-Tas.  I adore the story this summer theme inspired me to write, and I can't wait until it's out in the world and raising money for breast-cancer research (no, it's not set in the 80s, and yes, it's in the "Breeze" Anthology).

Here we are at Meet an Author Monday again, hosted by Lisa Sanchez.  Please link in and hop along to see what's up with these awesome authors: