Just have to say that lately I’m having a blast. Much of it has to do with my newspaper job. In the last few months, I’ve interviewed cartoonist Jan Eliot, a professor of film studies who discussed great women movie characters (blog coming soon!), a 77-year-old woman doing standup with a very naughty routine, and a female weightlifting champion, to name a few. As a novelist, I’ve been privileged to interview a SWAT team leader, crime lab supervisor, a homicide detective, an internal investigations detective, and another novelist.  I’ve also been interviewed by several other novelists.

I feel so fortunate to make all these connections and have so many terrific people share what they know with me. Jan Eliot was bright and engaging and generously shared her travel experiences with me for a newspaper story. Then local readers contacted me to tell me how much they loved the story.  Jan also read my first book, THE SEX CLUB and loved it. Patrice, the standup comic, is now hanging out with my mother and hopefully wearing off on her a little. And I’m excited to have another contact at the university, where I hope to work someday soon.

All the law enforcement people I now know are great resources who  gladly answer questions for me as I write. In addition, one of the detectives I interviewed penned a script based on a very prominent case here in Eugene involving dirty cops who raped vulnerable women. He asked me to read his script and give him feedback. Not only was the script a compelling read, it’s filled with inside details that the public never knew at the time. I feel so honored that he trusted me with his work.

I’m also writing author profiles now for The Big Thrill, so I get to interview and write about other novelists. Love it! My first interview was with Julie Compton, author of Tell No Lies and Rescuing Olivia.

Left Coast Crime is coming up soon too, and it will be another opportunity meet writers and readers and reconnect with people I’ve met at previous conferences. For me, the notion of a writer, alone at her desk in a life of solitude, couldn’t be farther from the truth. Meeting people is the best part of my writing life!
What kind of connections are you making, online or in person?