A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Wedding

Ok, finally, here’s the news I’ve been promising you:

I have a fan club.

What? Not what you were expecting? Well, it’s pretty darn swell if you ask me! This is as incredible as the first check I will get from my agent. Symbolically speaking, of course.

I write and I write and I write, usually on my manuscript for The King Family, occasionally on this blog, which until last Friday night, felt like a diary. Once in a while, one of my friends would mention they’d read a page or two, but that usually only happened the day after I paid the skywriters to blast it over Des Moines, or when I run an extensive radio campaign begging people to visit my web site. But Friday night, at the rehearsal dinner for my step-daughter’s wedding, I met two people, two wonderful, intelligent, beautiful people who READ MY BLOG all on their own! Seriously, they’ve read every entry. And memorized it. And they recited many passages. And they asked pertinent questions, about me and my family and my novels.

It was freaky in the most flattering way.

I have thus anointed Chuck and Betty Stewart, the new co-presidents of my fan club. Chuck and Betty are the aunt and uncle for my step-daughter’s new husband. (I don’t think this qualifies as nepotism.) If I repeated all the sweet, complimentary things they said to me about me and my writing, these words would turn as red as Chuck’s sweater because I’d be blushing so hard. And, you wouldn’t believe me anyway. Their comments were like my mom’s comments on steroids. I’m still trying to figure out if my husband paid them to show up and boost my ego… but after paying for his daughter’s wedding, I don’t think they would have gotten very much money out of him.

Sitting at my desk in my cozy writing studio in Des Moines, Iowa, it takes a lot of self-confidence to keep writing and writing even though I haven’t gotten paid one copper cent. Yet. The good news is, I LOVE writing, every part of it. I do this for myself. I know I’ll be published, it’s only a matter of time, but it sure does feel good to get the kind words of encouragement that Chuck and Betty showered on me.

I have recently received a few other bits of encouragement, but I’m afraid if I share them I’ll jinx myself. Let’s just say, I’m getting enough positive reinforcement to propel my forward motion. That, plus, my husband and I will be going back to Costa Rica after the new year for ten weeks. Last year, I thought it was going to be hell. Now I know, it’s heaven. I hope to finish The King Family while I’m there, maybe even start on The Blue-Eyed Twin, my next book! (I am SO excited for The Blue-Eyed Twin!)

To Chuck and Betty: Thank you again. The good news about being co-presidents of my fan club is there’s no work involved. The bad news is there’s also no salary.

To the rest of you: If you hope to be next year’s president, you’ve got some stiff competition!

Hasta luego!

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