I was a little on the nervous side about being on the VPL’s panel for a talk on self-publishing yesterday. Okay, in all honesty, I was terrified since this was my first public speaking engagement. You know the usual worries. Tripping over your feet as you walk up to the podium and then drawing a big fat blank as you look out on all those expectant faces in the audience. But I actually got up there without falling on my face and I even managed to speak intelligently.
I attribute most of this to Sheila Maier and her wonderful staff. They gathered all of us authors together for a get-acquainted luncheon before the event. While snacking on yummy sandwiches and cookies, I really enjoyed meeting the other authors. Then Sheila put us at ease by filling us in on how the event would go. First we would introduce ourselves and then we’d move around the room to answer questions from the audience who were split up into a number of small groups. I had so much fun speaking with everyone who attended, most of whom were on their own journeys of writing and looking into the options of getting published.
I’d like to say a huge thank you to Sheila and her staff for providing a brilliant setting for the speakers and audience to interact with each other.
My friend and award winning author, Jacqui Nelson, was on the panel as well. It was also her first speaking engagement, so we shared being nervous together, which really helped. She’s written a fantastic historical, western romance called, Adella’s Enemy.
