Thursday, September 13, 2007

Gettin' the Lead Out

What do you?

I'm a writer.

Oh, what do you write?


And that's where the conversation usually fizzles. "I'm a writer" is a great conversation starter. But it's usually a short conversation. It's hard to gauge your audience's interest.

Usually, I aim for the shortest version of the truth. "Mostly newsletters and press releases, things like that." Frankly, it's enough for most people. If I get a raised eyebrow or a glimmer of interest, I'll add, "And I wrote a hiking book."

Some are obviously relieved that I don't fancy myself the next Stephen King, JK Rowling, or Dr. Seuss. Others are disappointed that I'm a 'commercial' writer. They WANT to hear about the fun stuff. So here I am, baring my soul: I write fun stuff, too.

One of my poems (Monster Lunch) appeared in the July/August issue of BabyBug. I'm writing a nonfiction book about vegetables for middle grade readers, and a couple of YA novels.

If you're interested, keep reading. :)