The Writing Conference

Look, I’m a pro – it says so right here on my name card! The headdress if from the Mardi Gras party the last night. You’ll notice it does not say what kind of professional I am.

I’ve been and come home. I enjoyed myself, I really did. I’m not sure that going to writing conferences will ever be my thing, but there were very nice people there and I found the lectures interesting. There were a few who asked what I wrote and I told them. Everyone was very nice. Some were puzzled and asked a few questions, several laughed – but not in a mean way. And many asked for my card.

I found the easiest ways to describe what I write to vanillas was to say it was about a lovely older couple, deeply in love, combined with FSOG. Then they seemed to grasp it. The lectures I feel I got the most from was one on time management – I needed that one. Often my morning writing sessions turn into Facebook time. I need to do better.

Another lecture I needed was about having a presence on social media. You can’t sell books if no one knows they’re out there. I got some good practical advice, a little of it I even understood. Obviously, there’s Facebook and I do have a PK Corey page. Then she discussed twitter and Instagram. I have these too, wish I could remember how to use the darn things. She insisted we all needed out own web page. I agree wholeheartedly. Haven’t a clue what the woman was talking about.

Okay I vaguely know what a web page is but not how to get one or what to put on it. The good news is that when there was a question and answer period I politely asked the presenter if she could come live in my home for a couple of weeks and truly explain what the hell she was talking about. Enough of us volunteered to host her to keep her from having to pay rent for the next six months at least. Bad news, she’s not coming – the good news she gave me one of her books which, hopefully, will help me with all this.  

There was, however, a problem I hadn’t anticipated. I should have realized it was going to happen. One of you could have warned me and then I could have made up something and I wouldn’t have seemed like such a fool each time the question came up. And what was this difficult to answer question?

What does PK stand for?

All I could do was stand and stare. I sure as hell wasn’t telling them the whole story, which even when you hear it’s still a ridiculous name! I blame Eve for all this. I mostly stammered and said it’s just initials. If anyone has a better response, please share with me. And for those of you who don’t know how Eva saddled me with this strange name can read the whole sorry tale here.

In spite of my worrying, I had a good weekend. But I am so very glad to be home! And to have the week stretching out before me with time to write. The new Cassie book should be out just before Thanksgiving and I got to see the new cover Saturday. It’s the most beautiful, perfect cover I’ve ever seen. I nearly cried. It’s going to be a while before I can show you, but any Cassie fans will love it.

I’ve also finished the rough, very rough, draft on the third Cal’s Law book. And I’ll be working on that for the next little bit. I hope you all will like these next two books as much as I do.