Totally Pressed
In 2014, I was privileged to have a press pass to the International Christian Retail Show, the annual trade show of the Christian Booksellers Association. It was held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, but even though I live within driving distance of the venue, I opted to stay in the nearby Omni Hotel for the length of the trade show. (A bad decision, but that’s another story.)
And I’m here to tell you that with all that peopling going on, this introvert was looking forward to diving into The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate in my quiet evenings alone in the fancy hotel room.
A chance meeting
I’d scheduled interviews with several up-and-coming Christian authors and a couple of well-established novelists, too. However, I did not request an interview with Lisa because she had recently authored a feature in the publication I was representing. At that point, I hadn’t read any of her work, or I might’ve explored my angles more.
Even so, during a lull in my interview schedule, I visited the ACFW booth on the trade show floor, and Lisa happened to be there. I chatted with her for a few minutes, mentioned how I had just started reading The Prayer Box, and even mentioned that I hadn’t approached her publicist about an interview because of the recent feature.
An encouraging word
She asked me about myself, and I told her a little about my debut novel, then under-contract with the publisher. She wished me well and offered the encouragement that the early years of one’s writing career, before the intensity of contracts and deadlines begins, are a blessing, and to enjoy the time.
I don’t think the eagerness to proceed is unique to writers, of course. I felt it in my first career in the corporate world, and I think many of us can relate to the feeling of not advancing as quickly as we’d like. But maybe there is a special caveat for writers–since so many of us are introverts. We dream of our words touching people’s lives, but maybe not all the “peopling” that goes with that privilege, and just how pressing it can be.
As I prepare to turn in my next book, I still appreciate that brief meeting, and how, in the space of a few minutes of not-so-small talk, my not-yet-favorite author Lisa Wingate spoke wisdom over me. I’m so grateful she did.
Thanks for reading! My Bookish Memories took a little hiatus, so next time I’ll pop in with an update on 2019 so far. And then we’ll peek back to the time a teacher told me to stop reading…
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