It's been a big week for me. Last weekend I spent three fabulous days at Romance Writers of Australia's annual conference in Sydney, where I met many people I'd previously only known by their signature lines (Caitlyn Nicholas and Jessica Dee, my fellow Samhainians down under, just to name two). This was a thrill for me, as it's the longest time I've been out of the house without a bulk pack of nappies in over two years. That alone was worth the trip, but to make matters even more outstanding I got to meet the funny and fantastic high priestess of romantic comedy, Jennifer Crusie.

Yes, I met her. She signed my copy of 'Faking It' and I was witty and urbane, utterly dazzling. The exchange went something like this:

JC: What a pretty name you have darling!
Me: Thanks (insert awkward silence)
JC: (with genuine enthusiasm) Congratulations on your first sale!
Me: (look down to see I'm still wearing my big blue ribbon with FIRST SALE plastered on it, like I've been voted the best-looking bovine at the local show). Oh yeah. Thanks.

(Long pause during which my brain is madly scrambling to come up with all the brilliant things I'd planned to say if I managed to corner the great Crusie, while it scrambles the other way, screaming at me not to qualify the magnificence of the FIRST SALE ribbon by saying it's 'only' a category length e-pubbed novel, just a little something I wrote, nothing special. DON'T SAY THAT! I'm screaming at myself until the silence stretches on and she's managed to sign the damn book, writing a whole bunch of words on there and everything, and still I've said nothing. In the end I manage the big finale.)

Me: What you said the other day really made an impression on me (I start thinking I'm going to tear up, because what she said really did make an impression on me, it was exactly what I needed to hear when I needed to hear it, and when she said it she got emotional which made me get emotional and remembering it as I'm talking to her, I get emotional again and I have to stop before I cry in front of Jennifer Crusie and she thinks I'm one of those mad, potential stalker type fans who might start kissing her skirts at any moment, and she'd remember me as the girl who got carried out of the RWA conference by security).
JC: Thanks sweetie!

The end. See? Witty, urbane, dazzling. That's me. And I haven't even told you the incident where I got into a discussion with her about the romance hero and condoms: to carry or not to carry, in her 'sex and violence' workshop. Let's just say the front row is a dangerous place for me to sit.

Oh well. At least I'll always have the autographed book, which is now third on the list of things to grab on the way out of the house if there's a fire, behind the kid and the pets (hubby better hope he can get out on his own, ha ha).

Cheers
Sami