Yesterday was one of the high days. Maybe the highest so far. I had the honor of being the keynote speaker at the Long Island Library Association's annual conference. I loved having the opportunity to address such a large crowd at such a prestigious event. Best of all, this was an audience of 1000 dedicated book lovers. What more could an author ask for?
This is not to say I wasn't nervous before the event, but I gave myself the pep talk I've been mastering these past two years. That is, I reminded myself that this is part of my dream, and letting nerves get the better of me would be squandering valuable currency indeed. So I decided to just have fun with it ... and I did.
I opened with a couple of quick jokes, and then spoke about the genesis of both Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA and The Smart One, with an emphasis on why I chose to set the books on Long Island. Then I did a Q&A with the audience, and of course such an educated group had astute questions. I loved it!
Afterward, the feedback I got was hugely gratifying. Also, I was surprised to learn that last year's keynote speaker was Susan Isaacs. I always seem to follow in her footsteps without knowing it. But more on that another time.
Huge thanks to Tracy Van Dyne and all the folks at the Long Island Library Association for inviting me. And a shout-out to librarians in Nassau County, Suffolk County and everywhere. You are my heroes.
3 comments:
Utterly fabulous, Ellen! Wish I could have been there.
It was fabulous, Thank you for coming to our conference.
Debbie (LILC)
Yah, Ellen!!!! I'm glad it was a great experience. Librarians ROCK.
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