happy anniversary, hon!

I belong to a local writing organization called Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. It's a great group, from "The Inklings," my critique group (name shamelessly stolen from Tolkien and Lewis's writing group) to the programs and Conference. There, I've learned writers--even famous ones--are just folks, and right nice folks, at that. RMFW taught me even agents and editors are people, too. (Well, agents are; the jury's out on us weirdo editors.)

I'm "hospitality" for the board, meaning I provide beer and tequila shooters cookies and tea for meetings. It's also my pleasure to play hostest (-with-the-mostest. hey, you were thinking it, too.) and meet all the reclusive writerly types that gathered up their guts to approach an actual social situation. (I'm reclusive, too. Really, I am. Total loner. Except when I'm out socializing.) I go and talk to them and invariably get questions like: What do you write? (dark urban fantasy, high fantasy, a smattering of sci fi) and How many books have you written? (Written well? Or just written?) and Wow, I heard you edit a magazine, would you look at my story? (Sure! Send it over.) Stuff like that.

There is a point to this. Bear with me. I'm a glacier in the morning. Tea. Need more tea.

Yesterday I was at one such function, learning from Josip Novakovich, this highly acclaimed, award-winning writer. I'd never heard of him before. (Not that I told him that out loud. I learned that lesson with JR Moehringer! Admitting you've never heard of a Pulitzer winner to his face just leads to talk of strip clubs. But I digress.) Anyway, it was informative, and Josip's examples were all from Eastern European lit since he's Croatian, and I enjoyed it.

So yesterday someone (memoir) asked me something about career and what genres did I think were selling, etc. And with the approach of a couple of Selling Authors (romance, historical), the talk turned to recent advances and print runs and promotion and stuff, during which I smiled a lot and tried to nod at appropriate times so I looked like I knew Something. And then Memoir said something like, "I just want to sell my book. If it doesn't do well, then at least I've achieved my dream of being published."

Blank looks all around. (Well, mostly on my part.) And I blurted in one of my classic moments of tact and diplomacy, "I want my books in airports."

Blank look back at me.

I clarified: "And in grocery stores and Walmart and well, everywhere." (And I was thinking "And ice sculptures!" in a little-girl voice. Remember the commercial when the baby girl comes out and the dad starts dreaming of all the stuff he's going to have to buy for her lavish wedding, and she goes "And ice sculptures!" No? Just me, then.)

And the Selling Authors smiled and nodded and looked at me as if I might not be so crazy after all. Memoir smiled, but she still thought I was crazy. And we all went back to sit down cuz the workshop was starting again.

The point? Go for the top! Fly, little birdie, fly!!!

Yeah. So this was meant to inspire you. Stephen recently talked about this very subject. I'm basically shamelessly stealing, again! copying his theme. And somehow Stephen's inspirational post was more...inspirational. Definitely go read his.