The Warm Fuzzies Blog Fest

Now that Rachael Harrie's Platform Building Campaign is coming to a close...sigh...I've decided to participate in the Warm Fuzzies Blog Fest! There is still time to sign up on Juliana Brandt's blog if you want to join me.

Thanks Juliana for hosting this!

To start off the fest, we’re going to tackle the issue of those who aren’t in our community. How do you broach the subject of being a writer to other people who aren’t authors?

This week, be it good or bad, funny or sad, share with us the best response you’ve heard when you’ve told someone you’re a writer. Also, tell us, do you tell other people that you’re a writer?



Slowly but surely I've become comfortable with sharing my writer-ness with the world. Or maybe the world has just become more comfortable with me sharing...

When I decided to write a book, I took my laptop everywhere. I even remember typing in KFC during a lunch stop on a road trip to Vegas. My friends thought I was nuts.
"You're bringing your laptop into KFC?" they said with raised eyebrows.
I guess they didn't think I was serious...haha.

I kept up the writing no matter how crazy my friends and family thought I was. To this day my mother-in-law and I still laugh about this story...

It was a beautiful memorial day weekend. Sun shining. Everyone was in the pool. The BBQ was sending wafts of grilled chicken across the backyard, and I was in my sweats, sprawled out on the floor, spending some good quality time with my computer.

"Jessica," she said, a little irritated. "Get outside. You need sun."
"I'm writing," I answered. "I can't stop or I'll forget."
She sighed. "You look like a pajama rat. It's three o'clock!"
"Maybe I'll go out in a little while." I didn't though...I stayed in my sweats and  kept writing.

She admits she was a little worried. Was this pale pajama-loving hermit going to marry her son? My behavior just wasn't normal for a twenty-five year old.

We joke about it now, because as it turns out, all that hard work turned into a publishing deal with ZOVA Books. The pajama rat delivered.

It's hard for people to understand what it takes to write a novel. At first they'll think you're a little weird, they won't take you seriously, but rest assured, when it all pays off, it feels good to call yourself a writer.

Feel free to add a link to your Warm Fuzzies Blog Fest post in the comments. How have people reacted to your writing habits? Have you had any strange responses after telling someone you're a writer?