A writer's journey...

When we pick up a good book, we escape into it. Our own world, our problems, our stresses fade to the background. Our concerns transfer to the character, what they undergoing and how they will overcome their situation. Very rarely do we even consider the author who created these people, or how their life experience factored into what we are reading. Then there are others of us who want to know about the person behind the book. For some a picture and a brief biography will suffice, but others want to know their favorite author more intimately. At great expense, they follow them to book signings, and/or writer’s conventions. Do these authors let it go their head? I found in my experience at Bouchercon that even among some of the larger names out there, they were very sweet and down to earth people. They were willing to let others into their life whether it be by sharing their experience, or telling us what they typically do on a Sunday morning. I found this level of intimacy, or...

This year has included a lot of firsts for me. One of them was attending the writer’s conference, Bouchercon , in Albany, NY. They hold this event every year, in different locations. What had started off as uncertainty--I was going with an author friend I hardly knew, and leaving my husband (and dogs) for five days--quickly transformed into what was the next logical step for my growth as a professional author. As authors, one of our strengths is observation and I learned a lot just through listening and studying other people. I took “notes” from other authors who have met great success in the publishing industry. I was able to meet and interact with avid readers, in person, and get feedback as to what they look for in a book. I had discussions with corporate chain book buyers and independent bookstore owners.  These perspectives have melded to provide an overall solid picture of the business. I brought home with me all of this and more. (I’m not even going to get in...