Alan Russell's Blog: Alan Russell's Blog - Posts Tagged "burning-man"

The other night I was invited to talk to a local book group that had selected “Burning Man” as their read of the month. I suppose there is a reason writers don’t go out in public. For the most part we work in isolation, staring at our computer screens, thinking about our imaginary friends (and enemies).

Although I was prepared to talk about my book, I wasn’t prepared for people telling me how much they liked it. One gentleman was wonderfully effusive, and when he finished with his praise I had to turn away from the group and wipe away tears. It took me about a minute before I was able to speak again, and it took all my willpower to rein in the well of emotions.

Like my character Michael Gideon, I like to crack wise. And I am not comfortable showing my sensitive side. As a writer, I am used to dealing with rejection. I am not used to having a room full of people saying the kinds of things I could only dream about.

And speaking of dreams come true, for the past week “Burning Man” has been on the Amazon Top Ten Bestseller list.

Thank you so much for helping me to realize my dreams.

--Alan Russell, 1/18/2013