Hi GLIAS friends, it's Lizbeth again--coming to you from the writer's road, and I
have a question. Is meeting your favorite author something that’s on your
bucket list?
 |
| My super hero: Kristan Higgins |
I
have a second (even more fun) question. Have you ever actually met your favorite
author?
It might surprise readers to know that authors also have favorite authors, and we have fangirl dreams of meeting the people whose books we love to read.
 |
| No maybe this is my super hero: Susan Elizabeth Phillips |
 |
| With my true tribe: hubby in the back, sis-in-law on the right and absolute super readers turned good friends Shari & Jon Bartholomew |
Another
thing that might surprise you, is that not only do authors want to meet other
authors—we also want to meet readers. In fact, we’re almost as excited to meet
them as we would be to meet, say, Nora Roberts.
Why
is meeting Nora Roberts such a thrill? Why does a reader feel such satisfaction
when an author recognizes her and knows her (or his) name? Why do authors like me absolutely love
spending time with readers? Three words:
Networking.
Support. Empowerment.
 |
| GLIAS' own Angi Morgan (first a fellow writer and now a serious BFF), me, and the amazing Sharon Sala. |
In
this time of “me too,” and heightened awareness of women and women’s rights, we
need more than ever the amazing circle made up of authors and readers—especially in the
romance genre.
Networking
is maybe most important to authors. All fellow authors understand each other,
and we’ve all got experiences to share, writing processes to compare, and
encouragement to give. Those of us in the middle of the pack look to the “A-listers”
(think Kristan Higgans, Nora, Barbara Samuel…) for hope and inspiration.
Brand new
authors look to people like me for the same. Without writer heroes (for me,
Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Eloisa James) we can’t survive thosethe times we
want to quit (and they happen) and we can’t see the top of the mountain we want
to climb.
 |
| Love this lady: Barbara O'Neal (aka Barbara Samuel) |
Readers
need to meet other readers to hear about new books and new authors. They need to
compare stories and critiques and analyze good books and not-so-good books.
 |
| Smart, witty, fabulous writer Grace Burrowes |
Authors and readers also need to network with each other. Readers need to know what their favorite
authors’ lives are like and that they're are no different than non-writers. And
authors truly hope to find readers who become friends and who’ll support not
only their books but also the ups and downs of life.
Support
goes hand in hand with networking. Once you’ve found your author/reader “tribe”
you know you have people who’ll always need you and be there for you. For friendship, of course, but
also for beta reading, for spreading the word about books, for connecting with
book clubs and online groups of people who like the same thing you do. Mostly,
though, we find other women (and sometimes men) who know that reading romance
isn’t something to hide. That through the years, romance readers are happier,
healthier, and have better self-esteem than almost any other readers. And when
we forget this—we remind each other.
 |
| My Minnesota Tribe--Fab authors Ellen Lindseth, Kathryn Kohorst and Nan Dixon. The perfect picture of support! |
Finally,
meeting your favorite author and readers IS empowerment. Romance has come a
very very long way since the days of true bodice rippers and Fabio. Today’s
heroines are strong, resourceful, bright women who overcome every kind of
obstacle and bad situation. They give us the hope that any situation can be
better if we work to make it so. And that true love is not just a pipe dream.
Even back in the days of Fabio, romance stories were written to defy the “rules”
that women were supposed to live by. They were naughty, they were scandalous.
They were wonderful.
And
meeting our favorite writers lets us meet strong women who write about
strong women in person. That's why it doesn't matter that authors aren't sports stars or actors. They are role models and meeting role models is definitely empowering.
The
point of all this is that the road to being a writer isn’t really that
glamorous—just as the world of every reader is sometimes mundane, even
difficult. We need each other. So—if you’re shy about meeting or writing to an
author—don’t be. She’ll love hearing from you. If you’re an extrovert, please know how
much you’re appreciated. If you’re a writer who doesn’t want to promote or “bother”
people (ahem—of course I’m not talking about myself)—stop it. The readers want
to hear from you, too.
Revel
in your heroes because you’re someone’s hero, too. And we’re in a very cool tribe.
We love romance!!
 |
| A true writer hero and mentor and a Minnesota "sister"- Eloisa James. |
I'd love you to tell
me who your favorite author is and if you've ever met her (or him)? If so, was
it awesome? I'll tell you what--it always has been for me!
See you on the road!
