March NTRWA President's Letter

I love writer conferences.

I've only been to 2 big ones. Fantasy and Scifi World Con in 2006 and our own RWA Nations last years. At WorldCon I was beside myself in the presence of the greats like L.E. Modesitt (trapped him in an elevator), Charlaine Harris, Elizabeth Moon, and Charles DeLint (found them in the elevator too. I'm telling you the elevator is the place to hang out.) And poor Marjorie Liu. I fangirled all over that sweet kid before she had a chance to check in. That's what she gets for being in line behind me and telling the clerk her name out loud. I love her! Embarrassingly enough I'm sure I'd fawn all over her again even 8 years later. Unless she remembers me and runs for it. She looks fast.

I was an ant walking among gods. But wow, was it fun.

I've also attended several of our local smaller conferences and love them just as much. Probably because I know more people there, or because it's smaller and not as intiidating, I'm more myself. One of the highlights for me personally, is going out to dinner at the ned of the day with a large groupof writers, old friends and new friends. It's so much fun.

This year we're lucky enough to have two RWA conferences close by. Our Two-Step conference this month and Nationals in San Antonio in July. I hope I hope I hope that all of youTexas writers are able to take advantage of at least one of these conferences this year. Better if you can go to both!!! There is nothing like the energy of being around creative people. And if you happen to see Margorie Liu...do a little fangirl flip-out on my behalf please.

My pal Mary Malcolm

Mary is one of my NTRWA chapter mates and she is so sweet and funny. She's just one of those people that everyone likes to be around because she makes them feel great. Anyway she was generous enough to let me do an interview with her for my Examiner column, which I always like to reprint here.

Diner Girl has only been out a few short weeks yet it is already your publishers #1 Bestseller. How does that make you feel?

I don’t think back flips translate on paper very well, but that’s how I feel. I feel like a back flip. *grin* No, truly I am surprised/ecstatic/thrilled/terrified and have wet myself at least twice. Don’t judge me.

Tell us a little about Diner Girl.

Diner Girl is such a sweet little story. You can absolutely read the back cover blurb anywhere, so instead I’ll tell you about the behind the scenes story. I took a creative writing class with Von Jocks and wanted to write a romance novel. I’d been thinking about a situation for weeks, the idea of having to whether out a storm with a total stranger and how that would go. So, my thought was, what if this stranger turns out to be your perfect kindred soul but you’re so busy living your life that you don’t see it right away? That’s what Diner Girl was born from.

Jennifer is this busy-living-her-life waitress who wants to succeed on her own terms. Mark has more resources than he knows what to do with, yet can’t see his own passion past his believed obligations. When they come together, it is obvious to the reader pretty much from the beginning that these two were meant to be together, but they have to make it past their own pain, and reset their priorities before either can realize they are meant to fall in love. I love this concept. I think a lot of people can relate to that. Perhaps they’d met their perfect kindred soul but were so busy living their lives they forgot to “live” in their lives. I want Diner Girl to reflect the idea that life is short and you should embrace love when you find it. That’s my only goal for this book.

What's something most people don't know about you?

I can write backwards, in cursive, readably. I Love that about me. *grin*

Anything else you'd like to talk about?

Let’s talk about ducks. No, kidding. Mostly, I want to encourage people to follow their passions. When I started that creative writing class, I’d actually been on track to go to medical school. Math and science are easy for me and I’m naturally curious, so I had always wanted to be a doctor. Thing was, when I started writing, I found it consumed me. If there is something in your life that you Love, something that you would spend every spare moment doing if you could, then do it. Don’t be responsible. Forget about what others think or getting that bigger television or that cup-o’-java once a day. Follow your passion and believe that your love for it will make others love it, too.

Where can readers find you?

Well, of course my website. I’ll be attending the North Texas Two Step conference on November 6th and 7th. Um....Every third Saturday of the month, you’ll find me curled up with thirty of my closest friends at La Hacienda Ranch in Colleyville for the NTRWA meeting. When work permits, I attend the DFW Writers Workshop in Euless on Wednesday nights at 7:00 PM. Oh! I love this little coffee shop in Burleson, called J.J. Mocha’s. If anyone wants to e-mail me at: marymalcolm@yahoo.com, I’d love to set up a time when I’m not working to meet you there for a cup of coffee, or tea, and definitely a cup of their soup or a cinnamon roll. Mmm, love that place. Also, I practically Live at Central Market in Fort Worth. Truly. It is my Mecca and where I go to breathe. If you ever are in the area and want to breathe with me, I’d Love to meet you there!

Thank you, Mary, you are such a sweetie!