Author: the outside lane

The Boston Book Festival was fantastic.  It was a whirlwind of a trip, and I wish I’d had more time to spend in the city, but what time I had was well spent with good old friends (Lori-Anne and Laura, thank you so much!), good new friends, and a lot of happy, mystery fans.

I’m copping out on you for today’s post.  I have a signing at the University of Texas at Arlington this afternoon, and I’ll check in once that’s done.  Meanwhile, I fell in love with Boston!

More to come.

Assuming all is going according to plan, by the time this posts, I will be somewhere above…West Virginia?  I don’t know.  I know I am supposed to land in New Jersey around 11am, and then I have a couple of hours to get to my connecting flight to Boston.  I thought I had booked a direct flight, but clearly did not.  Thus and so, I should arrive in Boston around 1:30 or 2.

Aside from the excitement of the book festival itself, I am getting to meet up with my friends Lori-Anne and Laura.  I am out of my teeth happy about that.  I’ve known these girls for close to 15 years, but only via forums, emails, and Facebook.  That is the gift of the internet.  We all have mutual friends who have shared air, so I’m only a degree of separation from them, but this is the first time I’ll get to laugh with them in person.

I’ll be bunking with fellow Cozy Cat authors, Nanci Rathbun and Lee Stansfield, and we’ll meet up with our final counterpart, Lane Stone, at the festival.  Booth #21, if I haven’t mentioned that before.  😉

Remember that I’ll be at the University of Texas at Arlington’s bookstore on Monday, smiling and signing my book.

But right now?  I am going to bed.  I have to be up at 3:30 to catch my shuttle to the airport.

Since having Thor, I panic a little every time I fly.  I was never worried about it before he came along, and I’m not worried about it for myself, but I hate the idea that something might happen to me that would cause him pain.  You can add in the rest of my family there because once I start worrying about him, I worry about them.

I know that he would be raised well, and loved wonderfully even without me, but I also know he would hurt, and miss me, and whenever I go somewhere without him I wonder if I am being selfish by putting my person at risk.  Then, I remember that in order for him to grow up to be a fully developed, functioning, contributing human being, he needs to know that a world outside his orbit exists, and his parents are part of that world, too.  He needs to know that B and I are individuals outside of one another, and outside of being parents.  We have interests, and passions, and pursuits that only touch him peripherally.  That’s healthy.  That’s good.

So, I try to do my job every day–filling the boy up with love, so that if something were to happen to me, I would have put enough into him to pay out interest for the rest of his life.

If anything happened to me, my wish would be for B to meet someone amazing, and have a long, happy life.  I would want Thor to love that person without reservation.  I want my family to be happy.  And, yes, I do feel the need to say that before every major trip I take.  Just in case.

I know the risk is higher just driving to and from work every day, but it just feels like a bigger risk when you’re up in the air*.  You know?

Anyway…BOSTON TOMORROW!

If you are near Copley Square, I’ll be at booth #21 on Boylston Street, repping for Cozy Cat Press.  One of the publishers who rejected my romance novel is going to be a few booths down.  I haven’t decided yet if I will go and say hello and reveal myself, or go and say hello and just stare meaningfully.  Either way, I will say hello.  Meaningful stares are much more romantic, but full revelation is much more me–this is why they rejected my novel.  I am not romantic**.

Come see me.  I’ll be the one in the strawberry ice-cream colored scarf.

*B, remember that my Plus Package membership entitles you to an extra $100,000 in accidental death & dismemberment insurance, should I bite it on a common carrier.

**The above * is my idea of romance.  I got extra life insurance so that my husband can buy a boat/visit Europe/attract a gold digger for the emotional transition in the event of my untimely death.

We moved into our first house, just 9 months after Thor was born.  Patricia was one of the first  neighbors I met.  She was friendly, she was upbeat, and she was helping take care of her sister, who was battling cancer, along with sharing in the care of her young nephew.

Since I am a social werewolf (I’m a hermit most of the month, but once in a full moon I become SOCIAL LANE), I didn’t get to know many neighbors that well, but Patricia and I would wave and have short conversations about the boys in our lives–Thor and her nephew, whose care she has continued since losing her sister.  I think you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat children, and you can tell a lot about caregivers by how their children treat everyone else.  I want you to know  how amazing Patricia’s nephew is, so that you’ll understand the love and security she has built into his world, so that you’ll understand the kind of heart this woman has.

I’ve gotten to know Patricia much better since she introduced me to the Grown Ass Woman Brigade (GAWB), and through Facebook*.   Because of how much I respect and trust her, I couldn’t think of anyone better to represent the Women Worth Knowing Project.

It is with great pleasure that I ask you to meet Patricia.

Name: Patricia Williams

Age: 56

Job Title: Owner, KDW Consulting (specialize in training development)

1. Who are you? A business woman, the guardian of an amazing 14 yr old boy and a little crazy.
2. What do you love most about your life? I love the fact that at my age I still don’t know what I’m going to do when I grow up.
3. What do you love most about your work? I love recreating a boring corporate training class into something interesting and engaging.
4. Describe your family: Loving and fun. My nephew and I are an unbeatable team. Living the best life we can in honor of his mom (my little sister).
5. What does the first hour of your day look like? It would make an excellent sitcom.
6. The last hour? See above.
7. What makes you feel successful? How I’m perceived within the training industry.
8. What brings you joy? The smile on my nephew’s face.
9. Which women do you most admire? Margaret Thatcher, Queen Elizabeth (do you see a trend her, I like British women)
10. What do you like best about your closest friend? Her ability to speak her mind and her ability to make others around her smile.
11. What do you like best about yourself? How I’ve handled taking over parenting a child at the age of 50 and enjoying it. I never had children of my own and had no idea what I was doing. Still don’t.
12. What advice would you give to boys about girls? Treat a girl like a lady.
13. What is the best advice anyone has ever given you? Don’t be afraid of the word no, there is a yes around the corner. Just keep asking!
14. How do you overcome adversity? With a glass of wine and a smile!
15. How do you want to be remembered? Someone who lived and learned. Had a good heart, a great sense of humor and good sense of direction. Seriously, I hardly ever get lost!

So, I am going to get to see Patricia tonight–the night of this writing, not the night you are reading–and you should be very, very happy for me.  I was going to say envious, but Patricia is one of those women who will make you believe that there is no reason to be jealous of anything because you are fully capable of having anything you want, so it didn’t seem quite right.

*Not only am I a social werewolf, I am also an internet Cyrano de Bergerac–I can talk real pretty when ain’t nobody looking me in the face, so I LOVE interacting through Facebook.

Terrific yay!  We were able to manage our booth location information for the Boston Book Festival.  Below is a map of the event layout.  Cozy Cat Press will be holding court in booth 21, along Boylston street.  BOYLSTON STREET!