I went to an authors and publishers conference.
On a spur-of-the-moment decision, I clicked “Buy” and had only one day to figure it out. I seem to be making decisions that way these days. Part of it is FOMO, and the other part is a challenge to myself—a sort of “put your money where your mouth is.”
My thought was that if I surrounded myself with successful authors and publishers, I could find the missing link to literary success. What did they know that I didn’t? I plan on releasing my second book this fall and thought maybe I could learn something.
It made sense to me to find people who were doing what I was doing to get some real insight. We did that when the kids were little … I belonged to several moms’ groups. We shared stories and discovered that we were not alone. My struggles were their struggles. And perhaps most importantly, we also shared our successes.
It was a two-day conference, Friday afternoon to Saturday, and ended with an awards dinner on Saturday night. I arrived late on Friday because I stopped by my office on my way out of town. That never works. I checked in, got the ridiculously large conference badge, hung it around my neck, and quietly found a seat. I then realized that I had forgotten my books and my business cards! So dumb.
I was not off to a good start.
Fortunately, it got better. I met Melissa, who had written a cookbook for caregivers. She’s a wonderful new friend. The book is filled with recipes for healthy eating, of course, but it also has suggestions for including family members with dementia or Alzheimer’s in meal preparation. What a great idea. Melissa and I laughed when one of the keynote speakers shared his recipe for Italian pasta sauce. Along with the traditional tomatoes, garlic, and basil, he adds Cool Whip! Sounds crazy, and I don’t know if I’ll try it, but I won’t ever forget it!
I met Humberto and David, a father and son writing team. Humberto is a lawyer-turned-novelist, and David’s an actor. They seemed to be the perfect combination of expertise and creativity for their genre of legal thrillers. I’ve always loved the idea of a family business.
Everyone I met was so interesting! I met a jeweler who once had private security by her side at all times because of the threat of being kidnaped and held for ransom! After she showed me pictures of her travels in Monaco and Spain, she shared her plans to write a television series.
There were also heartbreaking true stories. Gordana, a physician mom, and her adult son had experienced incredible injustice from the medical system, and he was now facing a lifetime of challenges. Her story was inspiring and a real example of the powerful bond between mothers and sons.
Both days were filled with anecdotes and tidbits of information, plus a lot of time for networking. I discovered that most of the attendees’ books were going to be recognized at the awards dinner. There were thirty award categories!
At the end of the night, I collected business cards and nodded in agreement that we should all keep in touch. It felt good to congratulate and commiserate with a group that spoke book speak.
The way I did it. Searching for my people.
This is part of what I’m calling Expeditionvision—my quest to find what a meaningful life looks like. One experiment per week: Possible strategies for a happier life. Trying things on purpose and paying attention to what happens. I’m not offering advice or giving instructions. I’m just sharing the way I did it. If there’s something that you’ve been wanting to try—but haven’t—I’d love to hear about it. I’m open to reader suggestions for future experiments.
Field Notes: For Paid Subscribers
Paid subscribers, I’ve added a short field notes section below with what surprised me the most, what I didn’t expect, what I might do next time, plus things I’m still working on.