Writing is such a solitary craft - you sit with yourself and your book in front of your computer, and it's between the two of you, the book and you, and it's a very closed little circle. And then it's out there, and it gets read, and suddenly there's people out there who know your characters and who care about them or loathe them (hopefully the proper emotion in the proper quarter, if you've done your job well!) and the whole thing comes ALIVE, and honestly I learn more about my books at these gatherings than I've ever known from just writing them. They all thank me for coming, and I tell them that I thank them for having me, for having shared their enthusiasm with me, for keeping my faith burning and my joy alive, knowing that there's readers out there for whom I write and who enjoy what I write. It's a huge reward, this justification of one's solitary writerly existence.
Thank you, ladies. I had a wonderful night.
