Greetings from Nashville, y’all!
Yep, it’s me, Jennie Bentley, in for our own Diana Killian today. Diana, poor thing, is icing her wrists in California, while I’m sweating in Tennessee.
The sweating isn’t just due to the weather, although it’s 95F in the shade down here. No, I’m sweating because I’m nervous, and I’m nervous because I’m feeling totally unequipped to fill Diana’s shoes. In real life, they’re probably tiny and elegant, the way a lady’s shoes are supposed to be. Virtually, though, Diana wears violin cases, and my none-too-dainty size nines can’t hope to compete.
I met Di some four or five years ago. ‘Met’ being a relative term, since it all happened online. We were list-sibs on the same Yahoo-board, devoted to discussing the works of the fantabulous Elizabeth Peters, and Diana posted an offer of a free book to anyone who’d be willing to write a review on Amazon. (It’s exactly the same way I met Tasha a year or two later, funny enough. But that’s another post.)
I’ve never been one to turn down a free book, and I already knew we liked the same type of writing, so of course I raised my virtual hand and squealed, “Me, me, pick me!” What arrived in the mail a week or so later, was my own personalized copy of ‘High Rhymes and Misdemeanors,’ and I can still remember the giddiness with which I opened it and started reading, high on the knowledge that Diana Killian – The Author Herself! – had packaged and sent it to me with her own two hands.
There’s been a lot of water – and quite a few other books – under the bridge since then. Diana has published two more books in the Poetic Death series, with a fourth coming out next year. She has also inked a deal with Berkley to write the Mantra for Murder series and published the first of those. I’ve read’em all, more than once, and I can’t wait for Poetic Death #4 to arrive.
I’ve also managed to snag a book contract for myself, and it isn’t too terribly long now until I’m a published author in my own right. (Fatal Fixer-Upper is due in stores everywhere on November 4th. There’s a blurb by Diana on the cover.) But although we’ve sort of become friends over the years – virtual friends; I’ve yet to meet her – I’ve never quite gotten over that first awe-inspired feeling of hero-worship. Heroine-worship. Whatever. The fact that an actual, honest-to-goodness, published author spoke – virtually – to me.
Hence the sweaty palms and the feeling that I don’t measure up. Like the shoes I have to fill are too big, and my feet are too small. Like I’ve been weighed and found too light. (Not something that’s ever happened to me in real life, so that part of it is actually kind of nice.)
Do I have a point with this post?
Not really; I guess I just figured that a little sucking up for my first time here wouldn’t hurt. That way I might get invited back. (As has, in fact, already happened. I’ll be back next Monday. I’ll write a post with a point then, I promise.)
Seriously, though, I think sometimes we, as writers, can underestimate the effect we have on people, specifically readers. My newly acquired independent publicist – hired to help me get Fatal Fixer-Upper off to the best start I can afford – told me recently that in his opinion, a reader getting to sit down with their favorite author is much the same thing as a fan getting to sit down with a rock star. I laughed at the time, because of course he was applying it to me, and I can’t imagine anyone ever feeling that way about me. But as I thought about it, I realized he had a point. Diana may not feel like she’s anything special – I’m willing to bet she doesn’t, because she’s a Good Girl, and likely not prone to self-aggrandizement – but to the people who meet her, in person or online, she’s big stuff. The graciousness and generosity she showed in reaching out to me, and that she has continued to show as I’ve been slowly insinuating myself into her mailbox and her life, has meant the world to me. When I grow up, I want to be just like her. Hopefully, by then my feet will have grown into the Good Girl shoes!
Jennie Bentley is the pseudonym of a realtor, renovator, reader and writer currently making her home in Nashville, Tennessee. You can visit her at http://www.jenniebentley.com.
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Welcome Jennie! I understand too well the feelings that readers get when in contact with authors they love. I too hero worship Diana. I’m soon to meet (really) Laura and Will (a honorary GG). I keep telling them I’m not a stalker.
I realized how much the personal touch means last year when I was blogging on my personal blog and told a story about how I was trying to read St. Louis writers as this is my new home. A nurse who gave me my after chemo shots was a big reader as well and she brought me the first three Dropout Deb books by Susan McBride. I was so amazed first at her generosity and then by the books. I guess I gushed in the blog how much I loved the books. Susan found my blog (the power of google) and contacted me. She sent me a signed copy of the fourth book, Night of the Living Deb. A true rock star moment.
Welcome to the party. I’m looking forward to next week’s post!
by Lynn
on July 28th, 2008 at 6:32 am
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Welcome to the GGs, Jennie. I’m not sure it’s P.C. to say you have big shoes to fill, I’ve never met Diana either so I don’t know how big her feet are. BUT, I’m sure you’ll do just fine.
I know all about this “no time to do what you like” thing. Since my book launched, my head’s been spinning and I’ve even had to cancel with my golf foursome for the next three weeks.
Thanks, Lynn, for even mentioning my name along with Laura’s.
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Awesome story, Lynn. I haven’t read the Dropout Debutante books, but I’ll get to meet Susan McBride in a month or two, I think, at the Southern Festival of Books. I really ought to read the books by then, so I’ll have something to say to her… Sucking up works so much better when the flattery has some basis in fact!
by JennieB
on July 28th, 2008 at 8:35 am
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Freddy, my love… thanks for the warm welcome. I’m sorry to hear you’re missing golfing, but you’re having fun, aren’t you? Book launch is better than golf, isn’t it?
So tell me… on the cruise, you know the one I’m talking about, did you have to wear the shoes, too? Or just the dress?
by JennieB
on July 28th, 2008 at 8:39 am
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Hey Jennie! We’re so glad you’re here and I totally understand the awe-struck feeling around authors. I get it all the time. 
by Sara
on July 28th, 2008 at 8:42 am
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The story MAY be revealed at Bouchercon. It the drinks are strong enough. Sorry you won’t be there, Jennie.
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Thanks, Sara. I’m happy to be here, too.
And Will, it’s not a done deal yet. I may yet make it to Bouchercon. It all depends on whether Berkley will let me sell books at the Southern Festival. If they won’t, I’ll be going to Baltimore. If they do, I think I can do more good here. I will, however, plan on going to Malice Domestic in the spring. But if you’re planning to come here, either in September or for Killer Nashville (maybe?), I’ll worm the whole story out of you then!
by JennieB
on July 28th, 2008 at 9:08 am
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Welcome, Jennie! I’m sure Diana appreciates the “sucking up.” 
And Lynn, I’m looking forward to meeting you.
I think one of the best parts of being a pubbed writer is getting to meet/know cool people. I’ve met lots and look forward to meeting many, many more.
by Laura
on July 28th, 2008 at 10:08 am
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Hi Jennie! So perfect that you and Diana met because of Elizabeth Peters - that’s how Diana and I met as well!
I went to my first Malice Domestic to fawn over the great (though pseudonymous) Ms. Peters, and it was there that I received a copy of High Rhymes in the giveaway bag. I devoured it and emailed Diana a gushing bit of fanmail and the rest is history!
We’re glad that you’re not history, though! See you next week!
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Thanks, Laura. Yeah, Diana did appreciate the sucking up. She wrote to tell me so.  (She also mentioned that the willowy Audrey Hepburn wore size 9 shoes, which made me feel oh, so much better.)
And Regina, dear, if you’re a fan of Mertz/Peters/Michaels, how come you’re not participating in the Amelia and Vicky Bliss Yahoo lists? You meet such nice people there! We’ve been kind of quiet lately, true - with no new book out recently, things have slowed way down - but now that ‘The Laughter of Dead Kings’ is coming soon, we’ll be yipping like crazy before too long!
by JennieB
on July 28th, 2008 at 10:34 am
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I’m in the midst of rereading all the Peabodys - just a few pages of Falcon at the Portal to go, then on to He Shall Thunder, during which I, for the first time ever, fell head over heels in love with a literary character (ahem, Ramses…sigh…) and will never be the same again!
Also, at the same time, reading a new-to-me Barbara Michaels, so I’m getting it from all sides!
A new book from the Great Lady is truly a cause to celebrate. She lives just down the road from me in Frederick, MD and seems to only do signings at the Borders there - went for He Shall Thunder years ago - I hope she will sign again!
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‘He Shall Thunder in the Sky’ was the first time you fell in love with a fictional character? Where have you been?! I’ve been doing that since I was nine or ten. But yes, I agree with you about Ramses. (Sigh.) No Ramses in the new one, but that’s OK; I have rather a soft spot for John Tregarth, too!
by JennieB
on July 28th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
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Jennie, I, too, know that feeling of, “Wow, she’s talking to me!” I ‘met’ Laura online because of a funny blog entry about what the mailman must think of her interest in killing people, which inspired me to write to her (something I’d never done before), and she has been so nice, and given friendly encouragement (along with books and pens), which makes me feel special. I look in libraries and bookstores for GG books and try to face them and recommend them to people - something I’ve not done much of before (except for some non-fiction books).
I’ve only met a couple other authors before, at Sci-Fi/Fantasy conventions, and I still look for releases from them, but mysteries are a newer thing, and one day I would love to join the ranks - I hope I’ll be as friendly and gracious as all the authors here!
by Kate Hathway
on July 28th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
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Kate, there are definitely some very nice, friendly and gracious writers out there, and I’ve been lucky enough to get to know several. The amazing thing, though, isn’t that they’re nice to readers; readers are, after all, their bread and butter, and they know it. And appreciate it, of course. But what blows me away, is how nice - and gracious and helpful - they are to each other. Or to those of us who want to be writers, but aren’t there yet. Diana - and others - have been nothing but encouraging and supportive of me while I’ve been trying to snag my own share of the market that we all have to share. And that’s a beauteous thing!
by JennieB
on July 28th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
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