I had a great day.  One of those days that makes me feel like I’m making all the right choices in my life, that I’m totally capable and ready for the future I’m building.

For my YA Publishing class, we got to go to the reading of a local Portland writer, who wrote one of the books we’re discussing in class (Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go).  We got to meet with him privately before the session, which was nice because we got to speak directly with him, ask him questions, etc.  Hearing him talk about getting his novel discovered, the ups and downs, just helped reinforce that I do want to be in this world, as an author and a publisher.

After the session we went to his reading, and this was the really fun part, because I got to be a part of it!  He wanted to have two people read the dialogue of his main characters, a brother and sister, while he read all the narration.  As you can imagine, I was the sister.  I was really nervous about going up there (my face was actually twitching!), but I had a blast!  He’s so easy to talk with, and he made the whole thing very comfortable and loads of fun.

This is actually somewhat of a big deal for me, though it may not seem like much.  I was pretty shy through middle and high school, but in elementary school I was always the first one to volunteer to act something out.  I did tons of drama camps, loved being in plays, and was never afraid to stand in front of people and just talk.

Middle school sort of broke me of this habit.  I didn’t have a bad middle school experience, and in fact made some of my best friends there, but I sort of turned introvert.  I was always friendly, I just wasn’t as fearless.

I’m finally getting over that.  It’s important because as an author, you have to sell yourself a lot.  If you yourself are marketable, and willing to help with the marketing, you have a much better chance of not only making money, but getting published in the first place.  Author readings have been one of those things that freak me out, but I’m learning not to be so afraid.  I feel like in just the last 3 weeks, I’m already grown so much.

Also, for anyone who doesn’t know (and actually reads this blog), Worstock is this weekend.  It’s a local writing convention, and I’ll be volunteering there Saturday with Ooligan, working with kids in the Children’s Room making books!  I also plan to wander around picking up business cards and eying prospective employers.  I might even try my luck at some of the pitch tables, just for experience’ sake.