Guest blogger: Katherine Grey
I’ve always been shy around large groups of people. Put me in a crowd where I don’t know anyone
or just one or two people and I immediately become part of the wallpaper.
I’ve always wanted to overcome my shyness but would chicken
out at the last minute when invited to group events or in the case of writing
conferences, no matter how much I wanted to go, I wouldn’t register out of fear
of not knowing anyone and being placed at a table full of strangers that I’d
have to make small talk with.
Then I met a fellow writer at a local writer’s group. Jane was a wonderful writer, easy to talk to,
and made me feel comfortable within minutes of meeting her. A couple of years after we met, she talked me
into attending New Jersey’s Put Your Heart In A Book conference. I agreed to go if she promised me one thing
– not to leave me alone during the conference.
She promised and I registered for the conference, booked the hotel room
we’d share, and made travel arrangements.
For the first time, I was going to attend a writer’s conference and I
couldn’t wait.
Finally, it was time to go to the conference. During our trip to NJ, Jane must have picked
up on my nervousness. She touched me on
the shoulder and said, “I haven’t forgotten my promise. You’ll be okay.” Her words calmed me a bit, but I still felt
like bats were playing ping pong in my stomach.
The evening we arrived, there was a meet and greet gathering
for all of the conference attendees. We
walked into the hotel ballroom and Jane began talking to everyone and anyone
she came in contact with from the other attendees to the hotel staff. She seemed so comfortable with them; it was
almost like she’d known them for years.
Meanwhile, I hovered at her shoulder like a shadow, barely managing to
utter a word.
An hour later, she pulled me aside and said, “I have to go
to the lady’s room. I’ll be right
back.” I instantly responded with, “I’ll
go with you.” She looked me in the eye
and said, “No, you mingle.” I opened my mouth to protest when she cut me off
with, “I haven’t forgotten my promise.
You’ll be okay.” I nodded but
really wanted to throw my arms around her legs like a toddler and cry, “Don’t
leave me.” She gave me a smile and
headed toward the door without a second glance.
Not wanting her to come back and still find me standing in
the corner, I gravitated toward the dessert table. It was loaded with different types of
chocolate confections. One thing I did
know was that chocolate always made me feel better. As I stood at the table, deciding which
dessert to try, a woman walked up and stood beside me. “I hate these things,” she muttered. “You hate chocolate?” I asked, the thought
unfathomable to me. She laughed, “God,
no. I hate these ‘get to know you’
things. I never know what to say to a
complete stranger.” I smiled, probably
my first real smile of the night. “Me too.” We chatted for a few minutes before
we were approached by a young woman who looked pale. Sweat beaded her upper lip. “Hi,” she said before we could utter a word.
“I promised my critique partner I’d introduce myself to two people tonight. My
name’s Amy.” Her words came out in jumbled rush. She pressed a hand to her stomach. “Oh, just
saying that makes me feel like I’m going to pass out.”
My new friend scooped up a plate of chocolate truffles and
handed it to me, took Amy by the arm, and said, “Chocolate will help.” She led
the way to a small unoccupied table where we all sat down and ate the
truffles.
A short time later, I glanced at my watch and realized a
half hour had passed and Jane hadn’t come back from the restroom. I looked around the ballroom and found her
chatting with a group of women. She gave
me a thumbs up sign, but didn’t come join me.
I was a little angry. She promised she wouldn’t leave me alone. It was the only reason I agreed to attend the
conference.
I held onto my smile and prepared myself to endure the rest
of the evening until I could politely leave and hide out in my hotel room. The funny thing was that the remainder of the
evening wasn’t something to endure. I
started feeling more comfortable, my nervousness melting away. I had fun.
I met Amy’s critique partner and two of her friends. I met Carrie’s (the first woman to join me at
the dessert table) roommate and found out most of us planned on attending the
same seminars.
The rest of the conference passed in a blur of seminars,
meals, and meeting more new people with Jane always at my side. Not wanting to make either of us feel
uncomfortable I hadn’t mentioned how upset I’d been that first night that she’d
left me to my own devices, thinking I would bring it up on our way home.
The funny thing was that as I sat there during our trip
home, trying to figure out how to broach the subject without sounding
accusatory, and ok, I didn’t want to sound like a spoiled brat either, I
realized Jane had never really left me alone during the meet and greet
gathering. She may have not been by my
side but she was there in the room and if I needed her, I could have gone and
joined her even if it was only to be her shadow. Instead, she’d given me space to meet new
people while having the safety net of her presence in the room.
Unfortunately, our local RWA chapter disbanded a couple of
years later. Though we tried to stay in
contact, I lost touch with Jane not long after that. I never told her but I’m immensely grateful
to her for talking me into attending that first conference. I’m still shy around large groups of people,
but I know I can hold my own in a crowd.
I’d still rather have a friend beside me though.
You can learn more about Katherine on her blog and her Facebook page.
Katherine Grey's newest release, Impetuous,
is available now.
Blurb:
Mateo de Montayas, an impoverished Spanish count, comes to England to recover a stolen family heirloom and to satisfy his hunger for revenge against the man who destroyed his family. Arriving in London, he learns his hated enemy died three years before but has left behind a daughter. What better way to retrieve the heirloom and exact revenge than to use her to his advantage?
Teresa Darlington will do anything to keep scandal away from her frail mother and prove her father wasn't a thief, even risk her reputation in a race to find the missing heirloom before the Count does. But she didn't count on falling in love with the man determined to ruin her family. Can she find the heirloom before he does and protect her family, or will her heart lead her in a different direction?
