My First Author Talk!

Wednesday night, despite some nasty weather, the gallery room at the Woodbury Library filled with folks who braved the elements to hear me speak about my recently released novel, Nothing Really Bad Will Happen. I was worried, as friends texted throughout the day to inform me that the impending Nor’easter would prevent them from attending. But, I figured, if nothing else, it would be good practice for the online presentation I’m scheduled to give on Tuesday, April 9.

My daughter Meghan brought some “visual aids” including the luggage my great-grandfather used when he came from Vienna through Portugal to New York in 1941. She also presented me with a lovely bouquet. We set up the table with the trunk, a hat and hatbox from LITAL (my great-grandfather’s shop, which figures prominently in the story), and a framed piece of the Viennese newspaper which helped me determine the date when my grandmother started packing for the family’s exodus from Vienna. Meghan created an artful arrangement of books for sale and then we waited.

By starting time (6:30 p.m.), my husband, Scott, was helping the librarian (who happens to be a neighbor!) to bring in more chairs! A great surprise was seeing my brother Dean and his wife Shellye seated among friends, neighbors, and even a few complete strangers!! My longest-standing friend, Doreen and her husband John, also joined us. Doreen has walked every step of this journey with me, encouraging me to keep writing, reading my drafts, and proofreading the final copy.

I had prepared a PowerPoint to help me stay on topic, which was a good thing, because I have a tendency to stray into unplanned areas! Once I began speaking, the talk took on a life of its own! I haven’t spoken to a group of real, live people in years. But, within seconds, my “teacher” persona kicked in and I was off and running.

I started by sharing why I wrote the book, followed by my journey of writing the book, then finished up by reading a chapter. This allowed about 30 minutes at the end for Q&A and hopefully time for people to purchase books.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the talk and some people actually asked questions! There was a lot of laughing—not normally something you’d expect at a talk about a Holocaust book, but if you know me, you know I have to laugh. After all, I am Jewish. It’s what we do.

People lingered and chatted, and some even bought books! It was a great time, and as I reflect on this experience, I am finally beginning to embrace my identity as a writer, almost ready to cast aside my lingering doubts of imposter syndrome.

I am eagerly looking forward to extending myself even more, seeking out additional speaking opportunities and sharing my story with even larger audiences.