OK, so check it.
It's 12:30 a.m. and I am exhausted from a long day of editing and, of course, meetings. But I had such an exciting time at the opening reception for the 3rd Annual UCF Book Festival that I just had to share.
Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee are sweet as Hogwart's pie. I love them! Tosca tried to get Ted to steal someone's baby for her--she was totally joking. The baby was super adorable. Ted and I conversed about what it's like to be a writer in writing mode. I knew what he meant. As an editor, I absolutely welcome an opportunity to climb out from behind my computer to travel. We both agreed that getting out and meeting with people at events like the UCF Book Festival is refreshing.
Veteran women's fiction authors Rachel Hauck and Lisa Wingate were lots of fun. We talked about the nuances of writing for a Christian audience. Mmm-hmm... I'll keep our analytics under wraps for now.
Then I had a special exchange with Stephanie Tyson and Vivián Joiner. They very kindly suggested that I don't think too long about it if I ever have dreams of starting a restaurant. "If you think too long about it, you won't do it," they said. Being restaurant owners is not easy, but they love it and have been successful at it for nine years. Definitely an accomplishment. And now they written a beautiful cookbook called Well, Shut My Mouth! Not only recipes, their book includes the story of their journey to becoming seasoned restauranteurs.
These six lovely people have influenced how I will customize my experience at this year's festival. So guess what? I don't know what you come to do, but here's where you will find me:
10:00 UCF Theatre for Young Audiences in partnership with Orlando Repertory presents Writes of Spring 2012
11:00 The Liberal Arts Life: From Jazz to Journalism to Novel to Script with keynote author James McBride
12:00 Get Well, Shut My Mouth! signed. Then I'm gonna find me a cup cake or some ice cream or Starbucks or something!
1:00 Stories from the Ladies of the South with Rachel Hauck, River Jordan, Marybeth Whalen, Lisa Wingate
2:00 The Beauty and Power of Hip Hop with Nelson George and Aliya King (moderated by my friend Bernadette Davis - yay!)
3:00 Forbidden with Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee (Barnes and Noble across the street from UCF Arena)
4:00 Star Wars Characters (not for me, of course, but for the kids)Somewhere in there I need to get some books signed, visit all the booths, see the Cat in the Hat... I mean, honestly, this day is going to be packed with all kinds of literary goodness. I can't wait!
For more information about the schedule of events, click here.
