I used to hide at home, certain the world would think less of me because everybody knew that I dropped out of college when I became disabled. They also had access to my current bank balance and knew, I mean really KNEW, how close to zero I rode things. As far as I was concerned, everyone was intimately aware that I was a loser, right? Well, that's what I used to think, because that's what I believed about myself.
How stupid.
For the past few years I've been attending writers conferences, pushing myself to abandon these foolish fancies and face an inconvenient truth: People actually like me.
I know. Weird, huh?
So when I learned that my friends, Brodi Ashton and Bree Despain, were hitting every author event in the valley and getting invited to dinner, I thought, "Hey! I like dinner…" and decided to do the same. I haven't been invited to dinner yet, but I'm sure the invite will come any day now. I have to first convince all those authors that I don't eat with my feet.
It might also help if I finish a manuscript or two. Speaking of which, despite raging ADHD, I have started and finished a children's picture book manuscript this month. I call it "Take a Hike!" and I am very pleased with it. It's the first new picture book I've done in a long while. The others have been reworked to death. Today I will send it off to an agent I have a two year old, dusty rapport with and hope for the best. It starts off like this:
Oog.
Oogey.
Oogey Boogey.*
I just know it's going to be a hit.
In the meantime, here are photos from two events I've been to. I take great pride in the fact that none of the people depicted are laughing at me.
James Dashner's THE MAZE RUNNER
![(cc) Douglas Cootey (cc) Douglas Cootey](http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs017.snc3/12436_213442178689_740958689_4014899_5976677_n.jpg)
James Dashner regales the ladies with tales of Southern bosoms while Sara Zarr
![(cc) Douglas Cootey (cc) Douglas Cootey](http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs017.snc3/12436_213442518689_740958689_4014901_5308409_n.jpg)
This was taken soon after Emily tried to convince me that I needed several copies of her book
Brandon Sanderson's Wheel of Time
![(cc) Douglas Cootey (cc) Douglas Cootey](http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs037.snc3/12436_214421608689_740958689_4022489_3088105_n.jpg)
Eager fans, including Santa's elf, listen to Brandon Sanderson discuss the writing process for The Gathering Storm
![(cc) Douglas Cootey (cc) Douglas Cootey](http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs017.snc3/12436_214421723689_740958689_4022490_5089170_n.jpg)
Q & A at the Barnes & Noble in Sandy, Utah. I didn't have much time to talk to Brandon, but we quickly caught up. The highlight of the evening was that he not only remembered my face from a year and a half ago when I took his class, but that he didn't have security escort me off he premises. Bonus!
This Saturday is Bree's book launch
* Not actual text. This joke backfired on me as several of my writing group friends were convinced this was a brilliant beginning to my new book. This surprised me seconds after I was shocked to learn they actually read my blog. I have hereby promised to write a book using these words, but may never share with them the actual text of my current manuscript since it can only be a let down. After all, how can reality compete with the splendor of "Oogey"?
And now that my imagination is engaged, I envision a tale about a sick monster sent out to scare children but not feeling quite up to the task.