A Weekend With The Authors

   

        This past weekend, I had the pleasure of being in Nashville, Tennessee.

It was my first time (that I remember….I’m told I was there when I was two but aside from some home movies, the memory has been lost). This time around, I’ll remember. So much warmth and hospitality from everyone I met, how could I forget?

         My weekend started when my husband’s brother and his beautiful wife picked me up at the airport and whisked me away for lunch, which was lovely and gave us a chance to catch up. It was funny…I’d gotten off the plane in Nashville but hadn’t really spoken to anyone until I met up with my in-laws. Well, they’re from New Jersey (and originally, so am I) and still retain their accent (so do I, especially when I’m excited about something) so I hadn’t talked to anyone until the waiter at the restaurant took my order….at that moment, I knew I had arrived in Nashville (and I could have listened to his speech pattern and accent all day…alas, he had orders to take and I had a conference to attend). After lunch, they took me around town and I got to see some of the old buildings (and new) along Broadway. There were quite a few bars along Broadway, all offering live music, and an interesting Pedal Tavern that you pedal around town (and yes, you can drink…it’s a Bring Your Own kinda thing). Went to one of those bars later on that night (it wasn’t the Pedal Tavern, which did look interesting) and listened to some fantastic music with some writer friends I hadn’t seen in a while.        

And then….it was on to A Weekend With The Authors. I’ve never been to a Reader’s Conference before. Mostly, I’ve attended conferences for writers, from newbies who are just getting their feet wet to multi-published authors with many, many books beneath their belts, but this was different. We authors were able to connect (and party!) with people who love to read. And it was fantastic! I met so many lovely people. They were warm and vital and filled with curiosity. As writers, so much of what we do is solitary, so I can’t tell you how wonderful it was being with a group of people who “get” it, who know why we write and can’t wait for us to write more. 

I am home now (still exhausted) and heading back to the day job, but this experience will live with me for a lifetime. I will definitely do it again. And again. And again.

Until next time….

Happy Reading,
Marie