In an ongoing effort to promote my books, I took a class today at the local community college offered by their "life long learning" program, which I think is a nice term for "We're offering these classes for the old fogies." I felt so comfortable sitting in the computer lab with other people who were ambitious and had a vision for where their business COULD be. One woman I met was just taking it to learn more about computers. WHAT? You actually came here for no other ulterior motive but to LEARN? Wow. I was so mature among my colleagues willing to give up their Saturday to learn how to create a website. When I went to the bathroom during the break, I caught a glimpse of a gray hair under the (NOT) flattering fluorescent light as I washed my hands. I resisted the urge to pull the strand and reached for a paper towel from the dispenser instead.The morning started out hectic. I got a lecture from my driver about not being late to class. "It's disrespectful to be late to class. And what are you doing with that coffee cup? You can't drink in the computer lab."
"I can't what?" I couldn't believe it. I couldn't take my piping hot cup of tea to class? But...but...we ALWAYS could take a drink to MY college classes. And I couldn't...? What had I gotten myself into??? With a great big sigh, I left the cup in the cup holder and got out of the car. How was I going to endure class with no caffeine?
Despite the rocky start, I did get to class before it began, and I wasn't even the last one there either. I learned about this website called "Picasa", a great tool for anyone who takes digital pictures. I learned some things I didn't know about Google and that Microsoft is trying to make it up to everyone for the Vista mistake by offering free websites to small businesses. How exciting!
I think the biggest moment for me was in the beginning of class, that dreaded time when we had to introduce ourselves and say why we were there. If they had all been strangers, it would have been no problem, but I knew someone there. And, I just have to ask, Did Diana Prince ever have any problems with people recognizing her as Wonder Woman? I mean, honestly, did the glasses fool anyone? The long gorgeous hair had to be a give-away. And yet, hey, another mysterious appearance by that WONDER WOMAN. It didn't even occur to anyone else that Diana and WW had about the same build, height, hair color and length, but...
But every time I have the opportunity to try out my identity as WONDER AUTHOR, that mysterious masked woman who looks and sounds nothing like the meek minister in the local church, I see somebody who KNOWS ME. Well, this time I decided the glasses are staying in the purse! I'm proclaiming my romance writer status to the WORLD (or, actually, to this class of seven people) and that is that! I even had one woman to ask me what kind of books I had written. When I told her, she said, "I knew it! I could tell by that shirt you're wearing and your purse."
Huh?
I looked at my shirt. It was not the T-shirt my dear friend had embroidered for me which has stitched across the front, "Published." It was a tasteful paisley long sleeved shirt my step mother-in-law had made for me. She didn't even know I had written a book until a couple of months ago. I've owned this shirt for YEARS! And the purse? Well, just look below.
Isn't it adorable? A woman in the church had it one day, and when I raved over it, she promptly emptied it and gave it to me. Is SHE a romance novelist? I don't think so. Or was it the paisley shirt and cat purse combined which just screams "Romance Novelist"? I tend to think of the oversized canvas bag which Joan Wilder carried with her as the ultimate romance novelist bag. But a tapestry cat purse??!!
Wow! My Wonder Woman outfit was already being assembled, and I hadn't even realized it.
