Media Training

This whole business trip thing is new for me.  I am feeling very grown up all of a sudden,  and I am practicing striding through airports with purpose.  It is an entirely new walk.  I pretend that people secretly know who I am and are just averting their eyes to give me much needed privacy.  ‘Please, please, no autographs. Steps to the side folks.’ I am getting a kick out of the whole thing; cracking myself up.  I have always loved how the reality of a situation never quite matches the anticipation of it.  It is the wellspring of great humor, and it helps me practice my constant stream of inner sarcasm.

The day Halfway to Each Other officially launched I feverishly worked through the evening at the computer recording student grades. All alone in a darkened classroom was not the way I envisioned celebrating, but I had accepted a new job and it needed my full attention. I remember glancing at my watch and muttering ‘Yeah, congratulations, Bigshot, now get your work done so you can go home and go to bed’.

My first trip took me to Austin to meet my publicist.  The thought of a quiet night in a pleasant hotel with a good book sounded lovely until I checked into the low budget chain with its striking view of the business park in the pouring rain about 8 PM.   I assumed that the place would have a restaurant of some sort, or at least one nearby.  But the can of beer and the bag of M&M’s from the tiny snack area in the lobby worked out just fine.

Touring the publicity firm and meeting my publicist the next day was great.  The place was filled with trendy clothing and young, creative minds strategizing ways to infiltrate the marketplace.  Other than the fact that I got that I am the oldest one in the hair salon and all the stylists are young and hip feeling, I was more than impressed and delighted to have them marching into battle with me.

I met three other new authors, and we all hunkered down for media training, cheering each other on through mock radio shows and TV interviews. I left that day with renewed respect for politicians and talk show hosts who have mastered the art of Speaking into a mic and making sense. I spent years working on my manuscript and know every sentence by heart, but when they asked me to discuss it on camera, it all turned to jibberish.  How does one take an entire book and express its richness in two minutes?  I left with a page full of interview questions to practice at the outside chance I might actually have an interview one day.

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