I sat down next to Annette.  I didn't know that she'd won various writing contest and had several books on the bestseller's list.  Oh, no, had I known that I wouldn't have shown her my writing at all.  She read my three pages and told me that she was going to risk offending me.  She told me that my writing was good enough that she didn't need to be nice to me.  Nicely, and with suggestions that no one had taken the time to share with me before, she showed me where my writing was strong and where it was weak.  I walked away from our talk feeling empowered to learn more about writing.

I've met good writers and I've met good people.  Annette is a wonderful mixture of both.  If you're lucky enough to sit next to her at a conference, you will walk away with a better understanding of the market and inspired to keep trying on your WIP.  Sales didn't come easy to her and that is part of her charm.  She fought for what she has achieved and it has given her not only the ability to savor each success, but also a keen appreciation for how new writers feel.


Check her out on facebook and while you're there "like" her page.  The magical gnomes of promotion say it helps -- although I still don't know how.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Annett...

And if you happen to buy one of her many books -- you can do so knowing that you couldn't support a nicer author.

Forever grateful I sat next to her during my first RIRW meeting,
Ruth Cardello