I met Deborah Clack a few years back at an ACFW conference. We had finaled in the Genesis contest and hit it off with all our silliness. Both new to the writing scene, we hung out together at meals and got to know each other. She is an amazing person and has an incredible sense of humor.
Please welcome my friend, Romance writer Deborah Clack, as we share a few embarrassing fangirl moments.
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Fangirl and Fan-Guy moments are unforgettable moments in time. The first time you meet one of your favorite athletes, actors, or authors is an exciting event.
I remember the first time I met Lynette Eason. I was at the ACFW conference and had signed up for a critique of my manuscript. I found myself sitting across the table from her, the first few pages of my work in her hands, and suddenly realized…Oh, my goodness!! Lynette Eason read my work! I was excited and embarrassed at the same time. Time has passed, and that same EeeKkk feeling isn’t there. (Sorry, Lynette.) 😊 But I’ll never forget my first time talking with her and that feeling of awe.
And then there are those times that you’d like a redo. Those ‘did I do or actually say that’ moments.
Deborah Clack and I have had a few of those. Some more memorable than others. Lol!
Let’s start with one of Deborah’s unforgettable meetings:
Deborah: My very first ACFW conference (The One Where I Met Sami Abrams), I was wowed by the amazing gala thrown at the end of the week. With everyone dressed to the nines and the inspiring speeches by the winning authors, I was in awe of the entire event.
After the awards ceremony was over, I went to the front of the room to congratulate a fellow unpublished author on her Genesis Contest win. I knew that she was sitting at a table with several big named authors, but I had absolutely no courage to say hello to anyone other than her (I become a blabbering mess when I come into contact with famous people).
The second I finished my well-wishes, I turned around and, I kid you not, I ran smack into none other than the amazing Susan May Warren.
I blurted, “Oh my gosh, I just ran over my idol Susan May Warren!” (Yes. Those are the exact words that came out of my mouth.)
You guys, she is the most gracious person on the entire earth. We had a good laugh, and then she proceeded to ask me what I was writing and how I enjoyed the conference. She turned one of the most embarrassing moments of my life into a completely normal conversation!
Sami: Last year at ACFW, I volunteered to host two workshops for DiAnn Mills. Here I was working with and getting to know the amazing DiAnn Mills.
The first session went great. DiAnn and I had a good time together, and I hadn’t said anything weird or acted stupid in any way. I was pretty proud of myself for acting normal. Then came workshop number two.
If you know me at all, you know that my mouth can get ahead of me. I tend to tease, and sarcasm is my friend.
As DiAnn and I set up for the session and did final checks, around fifty people had already taken their seats. The microphones were on and working, DiAnn was attempting to organize her table of papers, and she says something about being unorganized.
That’s all it took for my mouth to get ahead of my brain. Yup, that’s right, I lift the mic and pipe in, “Yeah, DiAnn’s a hot mess.”
Are you kidding me? I had just called one of Romantic Suspense’s award-winning, and bestselling author’s a “Hot Mess” in front of everyone. The audience was laughing, and I was looking for an escape route. But what does DiAnn do? She looks at me, and with a straight face, says, “Yes, I am.”
Have to love that woman.
And my personal favorite Deborah blunder: Several years ago, when I was fairly new to writing, I joined my local chapter of ACFW. After each monthly meeting, the group ate at a local Italian restaurant. One particular Saturday, I spent some time chit-chatting with members who I had only just met. To my left sat my new writer friends, and to my right sat some lovely authors who I already knew.
We were having the usual get-to-know-you conversations about where you lived, how long you had been writing, what you thought of today’s meeting. When one woman answered my questions, I moved on to the next woman and asked, “What do you write?”
My friend to my right, Joy Massenburge, almost spit out her food and started giggling.
My new friend answered, “I write contemporary romance.”
“Oh, wonderful. Me, too.” I smiled, wanting her to feel welcome. “And where are you in the process? Are you published?”
Joy laughed out loud and turned her head away from me. That’s odd, I thought.
The woman I posed the question to nodded and graciously said, “I am.”
When I glanced around the table, a few others would not make eye contact with me, and most seemed to be fighting back giggles.
Then it hit me.
I turned my head to Joy and asked under my breath, “Did I just ask a famous author if she was published?”
She nodded, wiping back a tear. “Yes, ma’am, you sure did.”
I had just asked the fabulous, talented, award-winning Becky Wade if she was published!
