Paying it Forward

I felt so lucky this summer. Great press for A HOUSE TO DIE FOR, including a televised interview, several engagements at book clubs, three or four library events, and the opportunity to speak to the Maine Women's Network as part of their "Amazing Women" series. Really, can there be any bigger thrill for any of us than talking about our writing?

Last week I answered my own question. What's more rewarding than discussing our books? Sharing our story with an aspiring scribe.

With me in the photo above is Nicole Glidden, an eighth grader from Cushing, Maine. We're in the library of her school where she interviewed me about being and becoming a writer.

It turns out that Nicole, who pens science fiction, is quite the Katie Couric. Her questions ranged from the basic (When did you first know that you were a writer? My answer: From the minute I could grasp a pencil) to the specific (What do you do when you get writer's block? My reply: I shift gears and work on another part of the story.) She asked me about my major in college (Comparative Literature) and my minor (French) and whether I was a New York Times Bestselling Author. (Ummm...not yet.)

We talked about the process of writing: plotting, creating characters, and writing believably gory scenes. Nicole struggles with the same things we do, and feels the same satisfaction when she gets it right. She asked me who reads my fiction first, and I told her about my husband, my agent, and my good friend Lynda. She nodded and told me about her friends' reactions to her stories. She told me that her mom is a loyal reader, despite her preference for romance.

The experience of sitting at the little table with Nicole was different than addressing book club attendees, or getting up in front of a group at the library. I was talking one on one with a writer, someone alot like me many moons ago. I urged her to keep plugging away, to persevere despite the many obstacles life would throw in her way -- the same advice we have all found one way or another.

I inscribed a copy of A HOUSE TO DIE FOR to this determined young woman, and then I wished her all the luck in the world. Because when it comes right down to it, even Katie Couric needs a little luck.