When You Meet Someone You Admire--Like Pat Conroy

As an author, I have a lot of people I respect. I have a lot of friends in this business, and they are wonderful people, super talents, and gracious souls. But there are a few living authors that I idolize, that I would love to get to know better, whose talents and skills leave me in despair, sure that I will never, ever measure up.

Pat Conroy tops that list. I think, in part, it's because of his subject matter. His honesty in dealing with his dysfunctional family and their problems. I shudder to consider how difficult it would be to share those deep secrets, and I hope that someday I'll find that sort of courage.

It's also because of his command of the language. He writes with such precision, and he makes words bend and sway to his purpose. I read his work and want to weep! I think, "How does he do this?"

When my friend Kris emailed me to say that Pat Conroy was coming to the Pratt Library in Baltimore, I dithered. You see, it's one thing to admire someone from afar, but what if they don't live up to our fantasies? I suppose we've all been there. We've all stood in line to meet with a famous person only to have that FP treat us like we're dirt or an inconvenience or worse, a pest. So I ordered tickets to see Pat Conroy with a great sense of trepidation.

He spoke to a large hall of people. He was charming, he was fascinating, he was thoughtful. He talked about going to a bank to raise $4000 to self-publish his first book, The Boo. Then he talked about approaching a famous literary agent who snubbed him. After that snub, Pat wrote the man a letter suggesting that any milk of human kindness the agent's mother had given him had long worn off. This letter piqued the agent's interest, and he asked to see Pat's manuscript.

The window of opportunity was short. Pat and his wife gathered all their family friends in Beaufort, SC, and handed out handwritten parts of the book. The friends took it home and typed it on whatever they had lying around, including blue paper, yellow paper, lined paper and personal stationery. The agent laughed and told Pat "this is the cutest book I've ever seen." It was also one of the best, I'm sure, because that book turned out to be The Water is Wide. When the agent said, "Pat, we'll get this published for $7,500." Conroy misunderstood and said, "I can get it printed a lot cheaper down here." Pat didn't know the money was coming to him!

And so, Pat Conroy joins the ranks of self-published authors, and I would like to happily point out that self-publication did NOT ruin his career as some suggest it inevitably will.

I took my place in the book signing line after his talk. I brought along a small gift, a sweetgrass basket. When I handed it to Pat--that's it in his hands--he laughed. "I know what this is!" When I told him that my great-grandmother was a Middleton and my grandmother was a Manigault, he said, "Why you're a real Charleston blue blood." And finally, I told him that I had named my character Kiki LOWENSTEIN, in homage to his books.

He was touched by this gesture, and he thanked me. Needless to say, I walked away feeling totally thrilled.

I hope I do the same for my fans. I hope I always remember how special I felt, and how much that great man endeared me to him.

Books I Read and Re-Read and a Contest

For the most part, I do not re-read books. I read 'em, and move on. I know that sounds pretty careless or thoughtless or even shallow. But every book is an adventure, and as Mae West once said, "Between two evils, I always pick the one I've never tried before."

Besides, there are so many wonderful books and so little time to read them! And as life goes on, what appealed to me at one time doesn't necessarily mean squat now.

All that aside, there are a few books I re-read. Here's my list:

1. Jane Eyre -- This book saved my life. Literally. I was growing up in a dysfunctional home with abusive parents, and I truly thought, "Is there any way out?" Since the subtitle of Jane Eyre is "An Autobiography," I took it as fact. I was very young when I read it! What I learned was that a plain woman could find great love and could have a career. My favorite line is "Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless?" I think it speaks to all of us who have ever felt overlooked.

2. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn--See above. The story helped me survive. It taught me that I was not alone. It gave me hope at a time when I didn't know if living was worth the effort. I know that sounds overly dramatic, but it's true. When you are young, you don't know anything but your family situation. These books promised me there was a different life that could be mine if I could make it to adulthood.

3. Anything by Pat Conroy. Mr. Conroy writes in such a manner that I despair of ever calling myself an author. His command of words, his vocabulary, his gift for description all send chills of envy through me. Someday I hope to meet him, and when I do, I want to ask if he has trained himself to think in such a rich manner, or if he writes a first draft and then goes back and enriches his work. His Prince of Tides inspired me to name Kiki LOWENSTEIN after the therapist who saved his life.

4. Bouncing Back: I've Survived Everything...and I Mean Everything...and You Can, Too! by Joan Rivers. She survived her husband's suicide, her daughter's estrangement, her bad investments, her career tanking, and she lived to tell the tail. Having been a motivational speaker for fifteen years, I can truthfully say I've read many of the best motivational books of our times, and met many of their authors. But none of them is as honest or compelling as Joan's story. Even today when I'm handed a disappointment, I think back to this book and her good advice. It's that compelling.


CONTEST

Maybe your spirits need a boost or you need to bounce back. Let me help you. Comment on this post and I'll choose one lucky person to win a copy of Bouncing Back.

A Beachy Keen Vacation

This was definitely NOT the year to spend a week down in Kiawah Island, SC. We had too much to do, too many scheduling conflicts, and I was too stressed out.

However, my son said, "Hey, it's a tradition. It's our last time together before I start school, and I promised my friends." The passion in his voice made my husband and me re-think. After all, what use is a family tradition if you drop it when it's inconvenient? Besides, if we drove down to SC, we could keep going and drive to my mother's memorial service in Stuart FL, then drop Michael off at college.

I'm so glad we came. At first I was so sad and lethargic. I had to force myself to walk the beach every day. But I found solace as I lost myself in books. I read:

1. South of Broad by Pat Conroy--Conroy went to the Citadel at the same time as my son's godfather, Maurice Fox. This book is billed as Conroy's love song to Charleston, and man, he nails it. He manages to capture all the city's social aspects, as well as some of the lyrical beauty of the area. Of course, the language is equisite. Conroy is a god. I'd love to find out what his writing process is--the density of his language leaves me stunned. I finish a line feeling totally inadequate as an author. So, I think I'll take a pen to this book and try to tease out some idea of how he does it.

2. Long Lost by Harlan Coben--An independent mystery bookseller introduced me to Myron Bolitar years ago. Since then, Coben has become a big name with his breakout novels. Here, he revisits Myron, and you can see how he brings what he's learned writing thrillers to his series.

3. The Long Quiche Goodbye by Avery Aames--This is an ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of a darling new cozy by a friend of mine. The characters are charming, and since it's about a cheese shop, I ate WAY too much cheese while reading it. If you love cozies, I promise you'll want a second and third helping of this new series.

4. Everything Matters! by Ron Currie, Jr. -- An independent bookseller (Nikki from Pudd'nhead Books in Webster Groves MO) suggested this. At first, I hesitated. I have mixed feelings about anything sci-fi. But I loved it. The central premise is summed up neatly here: "Everything ends, and Everything matters. Everything matters not in spite of the end of you and all that you love, but because of it." This was the right life message for me as I ponder my mother's passing.

5. Nightshade and Night Smoke by Nora Roberts--Books Three and Four of the thrilling class Night Tales series. These were left in the rental condo, and I'm glad. Nora Roberts is a genius. Reading two books back to back reminded me of the importance of self-discipline as a writer. I really need to outline a couple of her books. She moves the plot along so swiftly. And I need to study how she makes her characters so instantly sympathetic.

6. Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen--I always intended to read this series, but it escaped me. I'm so glad I started with the first one, because I loved this. The Brit-speak brought back fond memories of our time in the UK.

7. The Fire Kimono by Laura Joh Rowland--The 13th in this outstanding series and I've read them all. I love the characters and the setting. This plot was her most complex and compelling to date.

Now I'm reading The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory. She's a genius for finding a new slant on a well-known historical figure. This one's about Mary, Queen of Scots. Wow, does she come alive on the page!

I'm halfway through, so I'll need to buy another book--or two or three--for the trip home. Oh, and I'm listening to Twilight on CDs, too.

It's been a great vacation, and I'm feeling much restored.

What makes a great vacation for you?