Louise Miller's Blog: snapshots - Posts Tagged "fruition"

I just returned from my writing center Grub Street's Muse and the Marketplace conference. Return is a funny thing to say, since the conference is in Boston and I live in Boston, but it felt like I was away, and today I am feeling pretty jet-lagged regardless of distance traveled.

I attended my first Muse back in 2010 as a fledgling writer with 20 pages of a novel under her belt and a lot of enthusiasm, but not much else. Now it is 2016, and I was a presenter at the conference for the first time, and that very same novel is about to be published.

I met my editor at the Muse. I met an agent who introduced me to the woman who would become my agent at the Muse. I won a first page contest at the Muse that led me to meeting the wonderful judges who have continued to be so supportive of my writing--one of them even wrote me a beautiful blurb! I have connected with countless friends and mentors and teachers at the Muse. It is a very special Weekend--one that I look forward to every year.

But this year was a little different. This year I felt a wonderful feeling of fruition. When your debut novel publishing dream happens, it unfolds in many stages--some big and some very small, and through out the process it can feel quite unreal. It was at the registration desk, receiving my presenter name tag, that I finally felt it. I wrote a novel. I became apart of a writing community. I sold my book. It's now taking baby steps towards finding its readers. I'm an author. Like all of those writers whose books I have loved--I'm like one of them.

Needless to say, it was a joy-filled weekend. I had the chance to see many wonderful old friends, and I met many more excellent people. I received so many well-wishes I thought I might burst. I could see tiny ways to give some of that back, and am excited to find more. It was a magical weekend, one I'll never forget.

Book news: I had a wonderful meeting with my new publicist and her assistant, and I also Had lunch with one of the New England sales reps of Penguin. A quiet week, but a cheery one.

What I'm reading: I am currently reading a dear friends screenplay, which is AMAZING and I can't tell you about it, but I am just hoping that I get invited to the Oscar after-party.

What i'm listening to: Kathleen Edward's first record, Failer. Ms. Edwards took a break from music and opened a cafe in Canada where she lives. I have a secret hope that she will turn to fiction writing. Every song on this record is a novel waiting to happen, and I am hungry to read them all.

In the kitchen: Weddings! Dances! Mother's Day! It's that time of year where I am less baker-artist and more baker-factory worker. Seriously, I have concerns that I am cursing the wedding cakes I am making with my stress. I'm afraid to look at the divorce rate of the couples whose cakes I have made. Very much looking forward to having my quiet little job back!

Random cheer: I haven't been online much to see anything too cheery, and NPR is full of election news which is basically, in my opinion, the anti-cheer. So I will tell you my favorite joke:

What did the zero say to the eight?............
NICE BELT!

May you all experience the joy of having someone genuinely happy for you, and may you experience the joy of being genuinely happy for someone else.