Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Face-to-Face with Another Chick!

Being an author has its moments that are so wonderful you will never forget them. The first contract. Receiving your first bookcover. The second contract. Receiving your second bookcover. The first email from someone who loves your book--and they are not related to you. The first check that officially makes you a PAID published author. The third contract. I can go on all day...



Two weeks ago I experienced another of those "moments". My RWA chapter, Southern Magic, hosts an annual Readers Luncheon. I attended two weeks ago and had a ball! Meeting great people, reuniting with those I hadn't seen since the last luncheon, goody bags stuffed with--hello!--goodies, great food and...good God! Did I mention the food??



It was incredible. Still that isn't the "moment" I'm talking about. That belongs to meeting Katie Reus also known as Savannah Stuart. I've known Katie for a little over a year. A couple of days after the release of my first book, Sweet Ultimatum, I Googled myself and found a Monday morning blog about reading my book over the weekend and loving it. It was Katie! I don't think I can--or could at the time--express how much that meant to a new author. She made my day, week--my month! A little while later, she invited me to join Naughty Author Chicks and the rest is history, if I can be cliche-ish. And, yes, I can since this is my post!

Finally meeting Katie face-to-face after was one of the highlights of my day. I have to admit I was a little anxious the entire week leading up to the luncheon. What if I can't talk to her like we do in emails? What if she's like, this chick is loose! What if? What if? What freaking if?? Yup, I was nervous. But as I walked down the hall and she came out of the bathroom, we took one look at each other and all you heard was, "HEY!!" And like that *finger snap* the comfort level we enjoyed online transferred over to reality. We shared a table, talked, laughed and had a wonderful afternoon. It's moments like that luncheon when you realize that being an author is more about writing, being published and promoting. It's about camaraderie, both professional and personal. It's about forming friendships within this unique community that allow us to celebrate each other's triumphs and offer to down a king-sized Hershey bar in heart-felt commiseration over disappointments. It's about meeting a fellow author for the first time and being able to say, I know you--and it's true.

So, I'm officially thanking Katie for giving me one of those moments. It's one that's right up there with the contract and the cover!

9 comments:

Michelle Polaris said...

I'm so glad the two of you met. You both look like you are having a fantastic time. These are the moments that make being a wrier particularly special, to meet your community in person.

Wynter said...

Aw. What a sweet post. I'm glad you two hit it off so well. I can attest to the fact that Savannah/Katie is a sweetheart. I love her to death!

Katie Reus said...

Meeting you was amazing and definitely the highlight of the entire luncheon for me! You were even funnier and sweeter in person and totally put everyone around you at ease. And can I just say, your post totally made me tear up :)

Naima Simone said...

Hi, Michelle!
We had a wonderful time! And because I missed going to Nationals I didn't think I would experience meeting the writers I blog and talk with. So this was an awesome gift!

Naima Simone said...

Isn't she the best, Wynter? She even charmed my sister!! Hee-hee!

Naima Simone said...

You can't cry, Katie! Cause if you cry, I'll cry...and I'm not a cute crier...LOL! I meant every word of it! And I hope we do a repeat next year!!

Jina Bacarr said...

I love your post, Naima, and what makes it extra special are the wonderful comments from my fellow naughty author chicks! Hope to meet you all someday...

Kaylea Cross said...

Love this post! *sniff* And I totally know how you felt, because I finally got to meet Katie in October. Had a ball with her. Wished I lived closer to her, but thankfully e-mail keeps her close to me :)

Dalton Diaz said...

Ooh, and now we all get to see what you look like! Beautiful!

I sure hope we all get to meet sometime soon.