Thursday, February 16, 2012

A Package, An Offer, An Embarrassment

Three things today.

#1
While at that writing conference last weekend, I got a package in the mail! It was my edits from my editor. She printed out my entire ms and wrote notes all over it in her cute handwriting. So cool! And it came with a nine page editorial letter. And lemme tell you. My editor is a freaking genius! I'm not kidding. I won't lie to you, though. Getting a list of suggestions from a genius is a little intimidating / overwhelming. I've been told it goes away after a few days.... I'll have to let you know on that one. ;)


#2
I may have mentioned before that I took a college writing class from Brandon Sanderson. Brandon is incredible, and is hands-down the author I have learned more from than any other author. Or possibly from all other authors combined. Not only is he brilliant, but he knows how to teach what he does in a way that makes so much sense. He's every bit as brilliant a teacher as he is an author. Anyway, he invited me to come talk to his class tonight about my publication story! I get to go into the same room I learned so much in, and stand at the front and speak to writers who are experiencing the magic I experienced in his class. I'm a little [read: a lot] giddy.

#3
I love conferences. It's quite possible that after having so much fun for days, by the last day the fun spills over. And it's quite possible that the fun might cause me to embarrass myself.

I had to leave early on the last day of LTUE. As I told my conference buddy Erin Summerill goodbye, we realized we hardly took out our cameras the whole conference! So she came up with the idea to photo bomb famous authors [sneak up and pretend you're in a picture with them when you're really not]. "Great!" I said. (Fun spilling over, and all.) So, we ran around to find as many famous authors as we could.

First, we ran into Bree Despain [The Dark Divine], who is amazing and lovely. We told her our plan, and she played along. (Note to self: if you tell them your plan first, you embarrass yourself less.)



Then we ran out in the hall, in a hurry because next panel was starting soon, and we had to make sure we found people. Aha! Brandon Sanderson was standing in the hall, speaking with someone. Click!

Yes, it's blurry. That's what happens when you are laughing so hard when you click the button.

Then Erin spotted L.E. Modesitt Jr. at a signing table, chatting with a girl.

A little about L.E. Modesitt Jr. He's the author of over 50 books, twelve of which are in my hubby's all time favorite series. I love his books, too, and I was so excited to meet him three years ago. He is a classy guy. He always wears a three piece suit, looks impeccable, and I'm not sure, but in my mind, he's been knighted and you should bow down to him. Three years ago, it took FOREVER before I got up the guts to talk to him. He's an incredibly nice guy, though--- I really had nothing to worry about. It's just that he's so regal! And even if he looks like "Sir" should precede his name on his covers, I still managed to burst out "You are so cool!" three years ago when he gave me a gift to give my hubby.

That was nothing compared with this year. I snuck behind him for an unplanned-with-the-author photo bomb.


He noticed Erin taking the picture, though! He stood up in his chair, quick as can be, and offered to take a real picture with me. The girl he was chatting with scooted out of the picture, and Erin snapped a new one, with me laughing so hard I could barely breathe.


And after the picture, I realized I had been RUBBING HIS BACK THE WHOLE TIME. It's just that his jacket was so soft. And then I realized the picture was over and I was STILL rubbing his back. In an effort to explain myself, I said, "Wow. Your jacket is SO SOFT!"

A little cough, and a quick sit-down. "It's cashmere."

I looked at my hand and thought, Oh, my gosh, Peggy! Are you seriously still rubbing his back?! Even after he sat down?! Move your hand! Move your hand!

"Do people rub your back all the time at signings when you're wearing this jacket?"  

Nice one, Peggy. And seriously? STILL with the rubbing?

He cleared his throat and just looked down at his pen on the table. "Um, no."

REMOVE YOUR HAND! And possibly think about running away!

That time I actually did listen to the voice, and somehow managed to stop rubbing his back. Note to self: When the fun spills over, look for taking pictures like these instead. You embarrass yourself less.

A bunch of us at lunch on Friday, including Rob Code, Julie Daines, Elana Johnson, Nichole Giles, Rachelle Christensen, Jaime Theler, Erin Summerill, me, and Leigh Covington.

Erin, Melanie Fowler, Chantele Sedgwick, Ruth Josse, Katie Dodge, Shallee McArthur, and me.

Me, J.A. Bennett, and Shelly Brown

Chantele Sedgwick, Ruth Josse, and Katie Dodge

Taffy Lovell, Erin Summerill, Melanie Fowler

Me and Erin
Moral of the story: Go to conferences. They're fun.
Alternate moral of the story: Watch out for writers en masse. They become crazy.

55 comments:

Tasha Seegmiller said...

So much fun. L.E. lives in my home town and met with some of my teenage students a few years ago and didn't freak out when they asked him the weird questions they do. I'm sure rubbing his back was less uncomfortable.

Hoping I have this much fun in May!

Delia said...

Oh too funny with L.E. Looks like he's a great sport. And congratulations on your editorial letter!

Annalisa Crawford said...

Looks like you had a great time. Still laughing at the 'rubbing' though!

Anonymous said...

Wait...you kept rubbing his back? He'll probably immortalize you in a book somehow. Just you wait.

Kelley Lynn said...

Oh my gosh I am SO jealous. This looks like so much fun!!!

Iain said...

Wow. From sitting in the class to standing up in front. How cool is that :o)
Looks like I missed a lot of fun at the conference.
Great pics. :o)

JeffO said...

Looks like a great time was had by all. Congratulations on all the good things! How long did it take you to digest the contents of a nine page editorial letter?

writing and living by Richard P Hughes said...

Looks like you had a blast. I'm sure, when you rubbed his back, you were looking for cookies.

Cherie Reich said...

Wow! It looks like you had a great time. Then again, writers conferences are pretty awesome.

Have fun speaking in front of that class too. :)

Amanda Olivieri said...

LOL! Omg, I can't stop laughing at you rubbing his back!!! Bahahaha. That is priceless! Those pictures are hysterical, too.

So exciting about your edits!! Have fun speaking at the class!

...okay yeah, still laughing...haha :)

Bonnie Gwyn said...

Haha Oh, Peggy. You really got me laughing this time!!

Colin Smith said...

Sounds like you had a great time Peggy. Thanks for the fun report and pictures! I agree with Joshua--watch out for the crazy back-rubbing girl in an up-coming L.E. Modesitt Jr. novel... :)

Sara B. Larson said...

Congrats on the editorial letter AND getting to speak at Brandon's class!

The conference was so fun, wasn't it? ANd yes, I have to agree, when authors gather craziness ensues. Wish I'd been able to spend more time with you guys, too, but it was kind of a crazy weekend. Fun to see you when I did. :-)

Bonnie R. Paulson said...

So dang cute! You are adorable! and so are all your friends. What are you guys? Still in high school? You all look so YOUNG!

You made me wanna to be at the conference.

Kristine said...

Hahahaha! You crack me up!

Looks like you had a blast!

Jaime Morrow said...

So hilarious! I love the idea of photo-bombing authors :-)

Connie B. Dowell said...

That looks like it was a blast!

i'm erin. said...

That was the best! I'll never stop laughing about that MODESITT pic. Hilarious. I'm glad I wasn't the only dork at this conference. It's nice when we can dork it together.

Julianne Donaldson said...

SO funny!

S.P. Bowers said...

That made me laugh out loud. Fun times.

Emily R. King said...

I'd let you rub me, Peggy! But that's because I know you aren't a pervert and I love a good back rub. : )
Glad you had a fun time!

Katie Dodge said...

I'm lovin' the photo bomb thing. Totally doing that next conference. And who doesn't love a good rub down? Good luck tonight, that's so awesome!

David P. King said...

Okay. Photo-Bombing is now the official LTUE sport. Your genius is showing. :)

Jenny S. Morris said...

So much fun! And rubbing the guys back, OMG I'm sure he's used to fan's doing weird things. ;0)

Angela Cothran said...

OH MY GOSH! The author bombs were SOOO funny!!!! And HALLELUJAH...someone finally got a picture of Shelly Brown :)

Precy Larkins said...

You and Erin looked so purty! :) Those photo bombs are funny! Even funnier with the back-rubbing, Peggy. LOL!!

Angela Brown said...

I was totally cracking a rib from laughter at that "back rubbing", Peggy. Too hilarious.

But yes, writing conferences are sooooo much fun. Love them!

Ruth Josse said...

Hahaha! Awkward moments are funny! It was great to meet you in person, Peggy! Good luck tonight. Full circle. :)

Small Town Shelly Brown said...

Cashmere is hard to stop touching. It was my whole strategy in college to snare a husband. ;)

Fun post!

It was great to meet you and all the awesome folks at LTUE!

Donna K. Weaver said...

Oh, Peggy, that was hilarious! I love the picture bomb thing. The looks on both your faces was choice.

It was so nice to get to meet you!

Jennie Bennett said...

Photo Bombing! OMG you guys are so funny!! I love seeing you at LTUE and hope to catch you at Storymakers!

Donna K. Weaver said...

Oh, and you have to tell us how your experience went in Brandon's class. I'm so glad that he hasn't stopped teaching.

Cortney Pearson said...

Yay for your edits!!! Good luck getting through it all. And sounds like you had such a fun time. It was awesome to recognize most of the people in your pictures from their blogs! I was like, wait, I know her--and her--and her! And good luck with your presentation tonight. So many fun things going for you, Peggy!! :D

Shallee said...

HA! I love your photo bombs! Those are too funny.

Good luck with your edits. And HOW COOL is it that you get to present in Brandon's class?? I took that one too, and it was amazing. Good luck and have fun with the presentation!

Rachel said...

Which conference was it? Or did you already tell us?

I love a good photo-bombing! When my hubby was a teen, he lived near Disney Land. He and his friend went so often during the summer that they had to find things to do to make the visit fun. They'd pick a random family, follow them around the park, and try to be in each of that family's pictures somehow. Hilarious!

Charlie N. Holmberg said...

HA HA HA that is SO funny with Modesitt!! I really can't get over it...

You guys are so hilarious. Can I put you on a keychain or something?

TerryLynnJohnson said...

OMG, I want to go to a conference with you, Peggy!

Leigh Covington said...

OMG - I am laughing so hard at your photo bomb pictures! That's awesome. I want in, next time! bahahaha!

But more importantly - Congrats on getting to speak to Brandon's class! Holy WOW! That's pretty amazing! Enjoy, and be sure to tell us all about it!

Unknown said...

This made me laugh out loud. (:
Also, I think it is beyond cool that you are being published!

Unknown said...

I would love to go to a writer's conference some day. Problem is, I'm so incredibly shy. I'm not sure what I'd do with myself.

Laura Josephsen said...

It looks like you had SO MUCH FUN. And I laughed quite a lot at your story of the cashmere-sweater-hand-rubbing.

Golden Eagle said...

Wow. You must have had an awesome time. :D

Julie Daines said...

Hi Peggy! It was great to meet you at LTUE. By the way, that's me in the lunch picture getting an extra knife from the table in the back! Brown sweater, jean skirt. :) I guess I stood up before we finished the picture taking.

I love your blog layout, colors and header. Super cute!

Z said...

Peggy,

a) you're adorable

b) I was in Brandon's class tonight, (which is how I found your blog and how I'm now planning on being just like you in three years :) )

c) I also have a blog. It started as a travel blog and is trying to morph into a writing blog. We'll see how that goes :)

I thought I'd pop by and see what your writing style is and peruse the entries looking for tips--more comments from me to come :)

Emily said...

How fun! Soon people will be photo bombing you at conferences. Then they'll brag to their friends, "Can you believe I got a picture of Peggy Eddleman?" :)

Elodie said...

It looks like SO MUCH FUN! :D And thank you for making me laugh out loud Peggy :D You rubbing his back for so long while having a discussion with yourself = priceless :D

Paul Tobin said...

Well done you for the constructive feedback from your editor. I loved the post and the narrative of your unfolding day.

Christa Desir said...

Yay Peggy for getting that editorial package! I am seriously shocked they come all printed out like that. Who knew???
Also, your conference sounds like 1000 kinds of win.

Peggy Eddleman said...

Tasha-- That is SO COOL! He's an amazing guy. I wish I could've seen him with the teenagers and the awkward questions!

Delia-- He WAS a great sport. :D And thank you!

Annalisa-- We did have fun! And I am still laughing a little bit, too.

Joshua-- Oh, crap. I hadn't thought of that.

Kelley-- It was a blast. You should fly out for the next one! :D Then we can have even more fun!

Iain-- I have to say it was pretty. darn. awesome. And the conference was a lot of fun. And like most conferences, exhausting.

Jeff-- You assume I've digested them? :) It took a bit. I got them during the second day of the conference. I came home with an exhausted brain, and didn't get through much that night before my brain yelled STOP! Then I went back to the conference the next day, and repeated the same thing the next night. It was seriously four days before I even read the entire thing. Now I need to get my thoughts in order on it all before I talk with my editor on the phone Tuesday. Hopefully I will have digested it by then! :)

Richard-- Totally! I always go around rubbing people's backs, hoping they will reward me with cookies. You'd be surprised how many times it pays off. ;)

Cherie R-- It was a blast. And thanks for the well-wishes! It went really well.

Amanda-- There's nothing like having the photographic evidence to back up your embarrassing story. And I did have fun speaking in the class! Even when he had me write my blog address on the board, and as all those with computers looked it up right then, I suddenly remembered that Brandon was in the post they'd see....

Bonnie-- Good! It's not worth having an embarrassing moment if people don't laugh about it. :D

Colin-- I'm afraid. Very afraid.

Sara-- Thank you! I wish I could've seen you more, too! I kept seeing you from afar. You looked beautiful, btw!

Bonnie-- Yes, totally. Still in high school. Keep thinking that, and I'll love you forever. :)

Kristine-- We so did!

Jaime-- I loved the idea, too! Next conference, we're going to have to start earlier. :)

Connie-- It was. I totally love conferences.

Erin-- I'll dork it with you anytime.

Julianne-- I know, right?

S.P.-- I'm glad! I'd hate if it had all been for nothing. But it wasn't! It was for laughs!

Emily-- Hahahaha! Your comment made me laugh out loud! Fly on over. I'll rub your back. Just make sure you're wearing something soft. ;)

Katie-- Thanks for the well-wishes! It went really great. And I can't wait to see you again at the next one!

David-- Yes! The official sport! How cool is that? And is it showing? Dang. [tucks it in] Thanks for letting me know. ;)

Jenny-- Hahaha! Maybe he is used to weird things. He's probably been to a million signings. That makes me feel better for his sake. :)

Angela-- Shelly Brown likes to TAKE pictures a lot. She's always so sweet and helpful to grab the camera! I'm so glad we got her to pose for one. :D

Cherie-- Awww, thanks! And yeah. Gotta say that embarrassing or not, I got plenty of laughs out of it, too. :)

And I'll be back to comment on everyone else's, I swear!

Peggy Eddleman said...

Angela B-- I think I cracked a rib or two, too. :)

Ruth-- It was great to meet you, too! And thanks for wishing me good luck! Full circle was fun. :)

Shelly- Hahahaha! What a great strategy!! It was awesome to meet you in person.

Donna-- Thanks! There's nothing like a picture to capture the moment, is there? And it was so great to meet you! You are beautiful!

J.A.-- I'm glad I'll be able to see you again at Storymakers, too! That was a lot of fun.

Cortney-- I know! It was fun at the conference to just look around and go wait, I know her--and her--and her, too! And thank you for the well wishes.

Shallee-- Thanks! And I have to say: pretty darn cool. When did you take his class? I wonder if we were in it together! I went three years ago, and then again two years ago.

Rachel-- It was LTUE. I can't believe I forgot to mention that! Thanks for letting me know. I added it to the post. And the Disneyland story is HILARIOUS! Sounds like your hubby is a fun guy.

Charlie-- Yes, we are available in keychain size, but we don't like being shoved in purses for great lengths of time. ;)

Terry-- I want you to, too! Come on down!

Leigh-- Thanks! I totally enjoyed it. I figured I would speak for 5-10 minutes, but he kept encouraging me to tell more, and the class asked questions, and I actually spoke for 45 minutes! It was pretty awesome. I loved it.

Emilee-- :) I think it is beyond cool, too. Also, I miss seeing your smiling face in real life! But I hope you love your new state.

Clarissa-- Conferences are fun, even if you are shy! All you really have to do to have fun is chat with the one person sitting by you. Then keep an eye out for that one person. Or even take a friend with you! Just be prepared to have your brain chock full by the time you leave.

Laura J-- We did! And I'm glad I gave you a laugh. Makes it all worth it. :)

The Golden Eagle-- We totally did.

Julie-- I see you! Glad you were at least in the picture a bit. :) I'll have to catch more of you at Storymakers. (Are you going?)

Z-- a) You are so sweet! b) Yay! I'm so happy for you that you are in his class! It seriously made all the difference for me. I can't wait for you to get your book deal, too! c) I checked out your blog, and you have INCREDIBLE voice! I loved it! It wouldn't let me leave comments, though, because I'm not a team member. :( I'm excited to see you around!

Emily-- Haha! You're so sweet! Don't forget to add, "Can you believe she's that crazy?" at the end. ;)

Elodie-- That's what I'm here for. To make you laugh out loud. ;)

Paul-- Thanks! It's incredibly constructive criticism. I'm a lucky girl.

Christa-- It was 1000 kinds of win! And I love that it's all printed out. I wanted to read my book like a book before diving back into edits, so I've loved having it printed out! That way I can read it as well as see so many of her comments along the way.

Patti said...

It looks like so much fun, loved the photo bombing.

Unknown said...

Love the pics! It looks like all of you had such a great time. I had to laugh at the jacket rubbing. Now I'm trying to remember if I've ever rubbed any jackets.

Kitty said...

As much fun as it has been to meet bloggers/writers like you online, I can only imagine how much fun it would be to be at a conference with a bunch of the same types of awesome people! Thanks for sharing the stories and the photos, Peggy.

Sophia Chang said...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH so ooooooo cute!!!!!

It's also realllly freaky to see all these bloggers IN REAL LIFE. lolol

Jaime Condie said...

LOL. That is awesome. I love the jacket rub. So funny! I met him years ago. His wife directed the operas at SUU so I worked with her in a few. Cool couple.