Keynote Address at GCLS

Egads, it’s true! I’ve been invited to deliver the keynote address this year at the 7th annual convention of the Golden Crown Literary Society in Orlando. And of course I said yes. Who could turn down an honor like that? In fact, I spent a couple of days pretty high on the idea … until it sank in that keynote address meant they expected *me* to write it. You see, work & I haven’t exactly been companions of late. Since my back surgery last fall, I’ve been leisurely drafting my next book, enjoying (probably too much) the lack of a deadline, which meant there was no real pressure to produce anything. Call it a hiatus, a vacation, sick leave … whatever. It suited my state of body & mind, but now — something *very, very good* must be on paper by mid-morning on June 10th or 11th, the usual slot for the keynote. Breathe!

It’s okay, I can do this. Virtually everything I do starts just like this — with a blank screen. Wait, I need coffee. And just one quick game of Spider Solitaire. More of that big … blank screen … with a blinking cursor.  Hold on, let me check for updates on Facebook … and the Bella Blog. Relax, I won’t torture you with the entire process. One of us tortured is enough. Here’s all you need to know:

The 7th Annual GCLS Convention  

June 9 – 12, 2011    •    Walt Disney Hilton Hotel, Orlando

Despite my malingering, I haven’t been a total slug over these last few weeks. As I mentioned earlier, I really (honestly) am drafting my next book. As you may recall, I got hung up a couple of months ago when I realized the story I was trying to tell wasn’t going anywhere interesting, and I was forced to walk away from the premise I had in mind. One of the characters, however, refused to be ignored, and she insists I keep after this until I find a way to tell her story. She will win, because they always do.

I’ve also been up to my eyeballs with some very exciting developments at the Stonewall Library & Archive (where I’m a member of the board of directors). I’ll happily gush about that news as soon as we get through all the official steps — in other words, after our press release. Good stuff.