Authorial Adventures
Last week I had an incredible time and I felt like I should share it here. If you’re new to the pro writing world, I advise you to seek out these kinds of experiences.
On Thursday, Chuck Wendig, Fran Wilde, and Kevin Hearne came to Seattle for an event celebrating their new work hosted by The University Bookstore. Having made friends with Chuck through Star Wars-related activities, I knew I couldn’t miss the chance to hang out with him in person. So I made plans and I went. I ran into the guests of honor walking from the parking lot into the venue, and it turned out to be one of the best strokes of luck to hit me in a long time.
Kevin and Adam are having a chat, KC decides to get goofy, and Fran remains a well-mannered lady. She’s a champ, that Fran.
Walking in with that group was all the credential I needed (apparently). I was immediately welcomed into a community of authors who I know will be in my life for a long time. Barbara Caridad Ferrer, Laura Anne Gilman, K.C. Alexander, and Cherie Priest invited me to sit with them, and it wasn’t long before I realized I was now part of the tribe.
After the event, I was invited for drinks with the bunch of them as well as a few representatives from the bookstore. I got fantastic advice on everything from how to handle an author’s taxes to who to talk to about doing book launch events to how not to sell myself short in the publishing world. It was all amazing advice; solid information from people in the know.
But more than that- it was SO MUCH FUN!
There’s a BAC that requires a selfie; Chuck had just reached it.
In all this time of planning and plotting and writing and RE-writing, and rewriting my book, I had forgotten a little bit what it was like to spend time with cool people who like the same things you like. It was just awesome to hang with these super successful people who have been where I am and who have nothing but support for my entering their club. These people will continue to be my friends and mentors for the rest of my career.
If you ever have a chance to hang with someone more established in your field, DO IT. Listen to them, be yourself, enjoy their company, LEARN stuff, and enjoy it!
And check out these rad authors whose work runs the gamut of genres. If you’re looking for something to read that was written by a cool person, any of their books will do you well.
Also: check out Chuck’s blog post about the whole west coast tour: complete with more pictures of our late-night shenanigans!