It’s been a long time since I’ve had to do any public speaking. There was COVID, and even when we came back, large groups were discouraged. Then I resigned my job managing a university library and become a writer.
Now, I knew I would have to do things like author panels and interviews to sell my books, but I thought those would be fun. I mean, I would only have to be an expert on myself, right?
How quickly we forget the terror of facing a room of strangers.
My first author panel happened this past week at the Murder Most Yorkshire conference. It was in a library, there were only thirty people, and I shared the stage with two author friends. Talk about an easy gig!
But none of that prevented my heart from racing and my palms from sweating as the time neared. What to wear? Remember to keep your legs closed! (Thanks, Mom.) What if you say something stupid and it’s recorded for all time?
In the end, as is usually the case, almost everything went fine, except for the fact that my credit card reader didn’t work. But people were lovely, they showed interest in the book, and a good time seemed to be had by all.
Now that I’m back in the swing of it, I’m sure I’ll get better, more relaxed, more open, more friendly.
And that’s probably when I’ll say something so awful my career will be over.
Check my Events page. You’ll no doubt want to be there to see it happen.
