Hello again, friends!

If you read my first blog, you’ll know that I’m very, very new to this. As in, just weeks old. So, I’m still trying new things. One of them is social media.

What the what? It’s bananas.

To be clear, I’m not talking about personal social media – that I’ve done for years like every other human. I’m as addicted to my phone as every one else I know.

I mean, like, as a writer.  Creating a “professional author” (which I still very much feel the need to put in air quotes) social media presence. That’s a whole different ball game. It’s a brand, and it’s supposed to be engaging and accessible and all sorts of other marketing words.

Well, here’s the deal: I’ve decided that I’m not ready for FaceBook as an author. I have to confess, its disarming as an adult to realize that some things still really, truly, scare me. But, there it is: the immediacy of the feedback has tremendous appeal, but then it’s also just so… IMMEDIATE! Who can handle that?!

So, here’s my illustration. When I published Hidden in the Writer’s Room, a version of the book became immediately available for download on Kindle, and we ran several promotions early on to get buzz going to expose folks to me as a new writer in the romantic comedy space. It’s a pretty crowded space, and there are loads of incredible women already in it.

Any way, I got a review pretty early on that was critical. In it, the reader pointed out several (valid) typos and edits that should have been caught prior to publishing. She was very thorough. And, I can readily admit, she was also spot on. All of her suggestions were taken to heart and edits were made a new version published.

I cried for like two and a half HOURS. I mean, real alligator tears leaking down my chin, ugly crying. I wept like my nana died. I CRIED. And, again, what she wrote wasn’t actually mean. Just critical.

Do you see the problem? Yep, I might be a little dramatic. But also, I’m clearly not ready for the everyone-is-allowed-to-express-whatever-is-in-their-head world of FaceBook. My nana (who is not, in fact, dead) posts on FaceBook, and she expects replies. No thank you!

So, instead, I decided that I am going to play on Instagram and Twitter. These feel safe. And, there are so many pretty pictures and funny memes. I’m all about a funny meme.

You may have noticed that my IG feed shows up here, too. Pretty nifty, huh? Click on over and go check it out. Follow along, it’s fun!

That’s where I’m at…. Where are you? Thoughts on this, or any other topic, always welcome. Though, may I ask for you to please be kind? Turns out, I’m a bit insecure. #statingtheobvious