Fangirl

As I count down to BookBuzz 2014 in NYC later this month, I’m turning the book blog over to some other authors for guest posts.  Today it’s Glynis Astie, author of the fab debut chick lit novel French Twist and its sequel, French Toast.

Girl on a Wire peeps, meet Glynis…

I can barely contain my excitement about attending BookBuzz 2014 in New York City!  The opportunity to mix and mingle with a group of very talented authors and fabulous readers is such a treat.  Though I am certainly no stranger to being a fangirl when it comes to women’s fiction, the role of author is brand-spanking new to me.  I’ve been a published author for less than a year, and I feel I haven’t a clue what I’m doing yet.

I’ve been most fortunate to have met an incredible group of chick lit authors, and it all began just three short months ago with my first Twitter friend, Finding Lucas author Samantha Stroh Bailey.  When our conversation string started, I had no idea of the many ways she would change my life. 

Samantha offered a great deal of sage advice.  She invited me to join a chick lit Facebook group where I met a number of other welcoming authors.  I was pleasantly overwhelmed by the camaraderie of the group and by how quickly I was assimilated.  Navigating the role of new author is rather daunting, and knowing that you are not alone makes a world of difference.  When I find myself overwhelmed by the blank computer screen in front of me, by the ridiculously large number of marketing options available to me, or even by the breadth of social media, I have a support group to turn to.

Within my first month of hard-core social media participation, I had “cyber” met hundreds of authors, but I was always drawn back to my chick lit Facebook groups.  Every day I found myself fascinated by the community that they had formed and by the myriad things that I learned from them. I slowly found the courage to participate in the discussions and found my confidence growing by the day.

Just the other day, I had the pleasure of meeting THE Meredith Schorr!  I kept reminding myself to be cool as I chatted with the very talented author of Just Friends With Benefits,A State of Jane and Blogger Girl.  It may surprise you to hear this, but I can be a total dork.  If you don’t believe me, please feel free to read my books.  My heroine, Sydney Bennett, is most definitely my alter ego!

And the best part? Not only have I discovered an abundance of really talented chick lit and women’s fiction authors, but also I have made some good friends.  I feel both inspired and humbled by the fabulous books that these amazing women have written.  I may be an author now, but the fangirl in me is very much alive and well.

The arrival of BookBuzz 2014 means that I get to meet many of these outstanding authors in person!  Francine LaSala, Cat Lavoie, Lydia Laceby, oh my!  And I will FINALLY meet Samantha Stroh Bailey, the woman who started it all for this rather, um, eccentric author.

Are you jealous? No need to be! Simply visit this link, RSVP and prepare to have an awesome time!  Hope to see you there!

- Glynis Astie, author of the French Twist series

BookBuzz2014 takes place Thursday, May 29 at 7 p.m. at the Galway Pub  at 7 E 36th Street in NYC.  Come enjoy a FREE signature Pink Stiletto drink, great nibblies, and autographed novels at a great price - all while you mix and mingle with more than a dozen of the hottest names in women’s fiction.  RSVP to reserve your space - and we will see you there! 

www.kcwilder50ways.com

BookBuzz 2014!

Today’s book blog post is a whole mess of excitement - and a little dash of shameless self-promotion.  I’m psyched to be one of the authors participating in NYC BookBuzz 2014 - that excellent kickoff party preceding Book Expo America weekend.  And this is your invitation to join me.

So it would probably help if you knew what the heck a BookBuzz is, right?

It’s inspired by a buzz all book lovers know…that wonderful, dizzying, tingly feeling when you’re experiencing a great book.

It’s a PARTY to celebrate the romance between readers and writers.

Forget stuffy signings.

Forget shuffling from table to table in a boring conference room somewhere.

BookBuzz is a CELEBRATION!  An opportunity for authors to mix and mingle with readers, to chat one-on-one about books and writing.  It’s a chance to get great signed books at bargain prices.

Founded by three author pals, Francine LaSala (The Girl, the Gold Tooth & Everything),Samantha Stroh Bailey (Finding Lucas), and Meredith Schorr (Blogger Girl), it all started out as a way for author friends from around the world to have a meet and greet together.  But the friends also wanted to reach out to readers.  To have an event where they could get to know who was reading their books, and celebrate those readers.  And thus, the BookBuzz author-reader party concept was born!

Meet readers. Party with author pals. Get deals on signed books. What could be better?

On Thursday May 29th , 2014, please join us at  The Galway Pub at 7 E 36th Street, NYC (between 5th and Madison) from 7pm to 9pm.

Enjoy a FREE Pink Stiletto signature drink,delicious snacks, and incredible bargains on signed books, all while chatting with some of the hottest names in women’s fiction.  In addition to BookBuzz founders Francine LaSala, Samantha Stroh Bailey and Meredith Schorr, scheduled authors include Holly Peterson, Cat Lavoie, Lydia Laceby, Chantel Guertin, Samantha March, Glynis Astie, Sheryn MacMunn, Lynn Marie Hulsman, Marissa Stapley, Heather Wardell, Deborah Schwartz, and ME - k.c. wilder.  Visit the BookBuzz site for more info about these bestselling authors, and spread the word to your bookish friends.

RSVP to bookbuzz2013@gmail.com to reserve your space - I hope to see you there!

www.kcwilder50ways.com

Balance

Every now and then, I am reminded that the Universe has a sense of humor.  And sometimes that sense of humor is at my expense.

You may recall from my earlier post, ‘Running Strong,’ that I am anything but a natural athlete.  In fact, I am a complete klutz.  I am constantly walking into things, and when wearing my beloved high heels, I often come dangerously close to reenacting Sandra Bullock’s memorably clumsy moves in Miss Congeniality. 

Which is why it should have been obvious to me that getting on a road bicycle and clipping myself into the pedals could be a bad idea.  I’ve been doing it in sprint triathlons for the past six years, though, relying on the safety personnel and volunteers staffing the events to keep the course clear of obstacles that could land me in a mangled heap somewhere.  When riding in preparation for triathlons (notice I didn’t say “in training;” that would imply a level of commitment I haven’t displayed), I would either stick to the safety of bike paths on my road bike, or ride my clunky mountain bike, my feet safely unattached to my vehicle.

Recently, though, I got a crazy idea.  What if I actually trained for the tris I’ve been doing as a hack all these years?  Enter Amy Rice - about whom you will definitely hear more in a future post; she is my new girl-crush.  She’s a superhuman triathlete with an Ironman Hawaii 4th place overall finish among her accomplishments.  She has abs I would kill for.  And I just happen to live in lucky proximity to her and her triathlon training business.  I decided it was time to learn how to ride my bike properly, so I treated myself to a session with Amy.

All was going smoothly until we hit an intersection where I thought a car was going to stop for us, then they kinda-sorta didn’t.  I jammed on my brakes.  Clipped into my bike.  The Oh, fuck! moment happened in slow-motion.  I went down on my left knee, bashing up other limbs in various places.  Amy was concerned for my safety.  I was concerned about how foolish I looked.  (I was also impressed that Amy didn’t laugh.  True professional, excellent poker face.  I’d have laughed at me.)

Anyway, the rest of the ride was fine.  Amy gave me instruction that made me feel instantly more comfortable than I’d ever felt on my bike.  I was excited as I headed out for another ride, solo, yesterday morning.

Then a funny thing happened.  At every intersection, I thought about that spill I’d taken.  A refrain began running through my head: don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall…

You can see where this is going, right?

Law of Attraction works, folks.  I’ve got another swollen, seriously scraped-up knee to prove it.  I worried about falling, and a couple of miles into my ride, I fell.  Yes, just in time for warmer weather and flirty skirts, I now have legs that are a rainbow of nasty colors, with knees reminiscent of raw hamburger.  Call me Grace.

I learned the lesson, though.  I picked myself up, took inventory of the number of people who’d witnessed my blunder (only two, thankfully), and rode on, replacing my focus on fear of falling with Amy’s instructions for a strong ride.  Some undignified screaming when I cleaned my wounds aside, I finished my workout content and…amused.

Right now, I am living my life outside my comfort zone in too many respects to count.  Literally and metaphorically, when I worry about the potential fall, I find myself on the pavement.  When I embrace reality - fearlessly - I find joy.  Maybe even balance.

I find, in fact, that I enjoy the ride.

www.kcwilder50ways.com

{More about Amy Rice in a future post - but if, in the meantime, you want more info about her work, check out her web site here.  She kicks ass.  In a really good way.}

Oh, and here’s a picture of my sexy legs.  Just in time for stilettos and my LBD at #BookBuzz2014, too.  Nice!