I'm back from the Writers Conference in Augusta and it was great!  Augusta wasn't in full bloom due to the cold winter, but enough of the Dogwoods and Bradford Pears were in bloom to make that town even prettier than it normally is.  And also enough to raise havoc with allergies.  I never thought I had allergies, but I'm afraid I sneezed and had watery eyes the entire time I was there.

The Sandhills Writers Conference at the University is always great, but this year I enjoyed it even more because the Keynote speaker was Rick Bragg.

I met Rick the first time about five years ago at a conference at Birmingham Southern College.  For those of you not familiar with him.......He is a a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist.  A native of Piedmont, Alabama, Rick has worked as a reporter for the Anniston Star, Birmingham News, the St. Petersburg Times, the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times.  Bragg was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1996 in feature writing for his "elegantly written stories about contemporary America." 

Rick has also written two best-selling memoirs, "All Over but the Shoutin" which recounts his days growing up poor in rural Alabama.  I bought that one when he was in Birmingham and was instantly mesmerized by his writing.  His other books include "Ava's Man" about his grandfather, which I bought this time and he autographed for me, "Somebody Told Me" and "I'm a Soldier Too; The Jessica Lynch Story."  His latest work will be released in May and is a memoir about his father.

Rick's writing is profound, humorous and deeply poignant.  But his speaking truly captures the listener.  His words are simple, yet eloquent.  I am so impressed that somebody with his writing fame can be so humble and so down-to-earth.  He's not only a dynamic speaker, Rick Bragg is a wonderful human being.  I admire his writing and respect his deep love for family and all the things that truly matter in this world. 

So maybe you can understand how excited I am that Rick Bragg has agreed to give me a blurb for my book jacket!  I asked him (not really confident that he would say yes) and explained what my novel was about and he said, "I'll definitely give you a blurb.  Send me the entire manuscript.  I want to be able to do it justice."  I didn't jump up and down in front of him, but trust me I'm back up on that Cloud Nine once again.  Rick is now a Professor of Writing at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.  So I've printed out my manuscript and it's on its way to him. 

While I was in Augusta, I also got together with an old friend I'd met a few years ago.  Karin met me for a drink and we had fun talking about the writing business.  Her first three novels were the Bottom Dollar Series and her fourth novel, Earthly Pleasures, was just recently released by Simon & Schuster.  Karin wrote her first novels under her maiden name, Karin Gillespie, but she married a few years ago and wrote the current novel as Karen Neches.  I bought a few copies of her current release and here we are as Karin autographs the books for me.

And if I wasn't already excited enough with Rick's offer of a blurb, Karin has also graciously agreed to give me a blurb for my book cover.  Needless to say, it was a very beneficial conference for me! 

And now I'm playing "catch-up" since I got back.  So much to do and never enough hours in my day.  Join me here next time when I'll share both writing and other things with you.