Clover Autrey: Angi Morgan

President’s Letter July

I found the old notebook I used from the very first day I walked into an NT meeting until I ran out of pages. Early 2009. Seriously? I’ve been a member that long? Sure doesn’t seem like it. Flipping through these pages brought back tons of memories. From Wendy Watson discussing black moments and Pete the forensics guy lifting our fingerprints to Judi McCoy transfixing us with the force of her personality. I have pages of notes on Shelley Bradley giving us the rundown on what to look for in contracts and another load of notes with Ron Campbell’s guidance into taxes.

And who can’t remember Sally Felt’s “Screw the fear, find the fun!” philosophy?

I’ve taken notes from hypnotists, dream analyzers, librarians, bookstore CRMs, a Magician/Medical Examiner, Search and Rescue Dog Trainer, social media gurus, and Editor and Agents galore all from our little room at the side of La Hacienda restaurant.

I also have little notes for myself stuck in there like “Give Michelle Welch, Jeannie Guzman, and Nancy Connally their PRO pins” and “New members this month: Gloria, Jamie, Karen, Sasha, Ruby, and Juliet”. I have names written down of people who walked into our group fresh without a first novel under their belts who are now on bestseller lists.

The funniest quote I found is from Angi Platt (back before she became Angi Morgan) dated Sept. 17, 2009.

“You do have to be present to be there.”

Um? I have no memory what she was talking about but I obviously found it hilarious enough to write down. I can see us all having a good chuckle over that slip of words as well as Angi’s sheepish grin.

Man, we’ve had a good time together, haven’t we? I had no idea that first meeting just how much North Texas would enrich my life or how much I would look forward to coming each month. Or how jazzed up with creative energy I’d be each month with new ideas and techniques I didn’t know before.

I know I’ve said this before so I hope it doesn’t sound trite, but I really do love you guys. Can’t think of one person from NT I haven’t enjoyed getting to know. You’re an extremely talented and giving bunch of people. Anyway, before the violins really start sobbing in the background, let me just end with this: Thanks for being part of NT. Thanks for always being present so you can be there.

Clover Autrey

NTRWA President

2006 World Con

Okay, so back in 2006 I saw that the Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers were having a conference in Austin, Texas. I always wanted to go to a writer's conference since that's where agents and editors hung out, so I dragged my bud Faith and my sister Heather with me and off we went.

I had no idea what it was going to be like, and probably made a completely noob idiot out of myself fangirling over all these famous authors walking around. I mean, just walking around like regular people. Geez, embarrassing now that I think back to it, but you got to start somewhere, right?

Anyway, one of our favorite characters was Carole Nelson Douglas because we kept happening to run into her. We get on the elevator, there she is. We go down the hall to our room, there she pops up. And she was so cute and fun and personable, we all fell in love with her. I think Faith even stopped at a bookstore on her way back to Fort Worth and bought up all her books. You can read the posts about that conference in the 2006 archives here.

Fast forward to today. My other newer buds Angi Morgan and Barb Han (I didn't know them yet in 2006 or I would've been dragging them around~scratch that, they would have been dragging me around to the RWA and RT conferences~I really was a noob back then.) Anyhoo, they were signing and reading at the Bedford Library's Romancing the Books event.

Guess who else was there? Yep, Carole Nelson Douglas. I went right up to her and asked how she was doing since I'd last seen her. Poor lamb had that startled face of how-do-I-know-her? yet gamely smiled and said, "Well, how are you doing?"

I took pity on her and explained that she really didn't know me at all, but we had met only once before when she was wearing a pair of $1000 shoes. That lit her up and she said she hoped she wasn't mean. As if. Anyway, the event was a little slow while I was there so I got to talk with Ms. Douglas for about an hour, not nearly as fangirly this go around and it was just really pleasant and she is as delightful as I remembered her being.