Saturday, July 26, 2008

Would You Buy a Book from This Woman?

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of hosting Bettie Sharpe when she and her husband drove through Austin on their way to Dallas for a family reunion.

It is always an interesting experience meeting an author in person. I'm a huge fan of Bettie's, who writes spectacularly badass heroines before whom the likes of us lesser mortals could only cower in fearful admiration--and sometimes just plain fear. If I'd only ever read Bettie's fiction, my impression of her would be "awesome and badass." But I'd also been reading her blog, so while the awesome part remained, the badass part has been, bit by bit, revised.

Well, she arrived in a cute little minivan--which held, among other things, a darling floral parasol and a large-brimmed straw hat pretty enough for the Ascot--and brought with her a polka-dot valise. And badass-ery is deader than Caesar, after Brutus was through with him.

(His Hawtness, looking over what I was writing, said, "Bettie? Badass? But she's such a lady!") :-)

So that made me think. I'll be meeting people at RWA. RT is going to do a video interview with me in SF. And I'll be meeting even more people when I go on the Levy/Meijer authors tour. What impressions will I shatter will I show up in person?

My guess, sophistication.

I like the idea of sophistication, of being devastatingly witty, and able to charm men and women alike with my worldly charisma. You know, kinda like this woman,


She looks very, very sophisticated. She looks like she'd know what to do with a pound of Beluga caviar when she flies on a Gulfstream G550 to Davos. Not sure that she necessarily looks like an author, but if someone tells me that she is one, I'd believe it.

But I don't know that I'd buy a book from this woman.


In fact, you'd have a hard time convincing me I haven't seen that girl waiting for the school bus. She looks like she still needs to finish her trig homework before she can sneak out to meet her boyfriend.

On top of not looking very sophisticated, I'm afraid I don't sound very sophisticated either. Bettie Sharpe had this idea that I had an "expat-in-a-smoky-Parisian-cafe" voice, until she heard my voice on the phone for the first time. Then she turned to her husband and said that she'd bet I probably got whatever I wanted from people.

That was such an intriguing opinion that after she left I taped myself saying "Hi, my name is Sherry Thomas. I write historical romance." Perfectly serious, harmless words, right? When I played back the tape, I sounded like an adolescent Minnie Mouse propositioning her sugar daddy.

So...you have been warned. Partially, that is. You must still throw in some general silliness and empty-headedness and a bit of occasional lewdness. And that would finally begin to approximate what I'm like in person.

And it's like people say, don't judge a book by its author. :-)

9 comments:

bettie said...

I happen to have met that woman--the second one. The one with a voice so sweet, she can make even a direct command sound like a darn good idea. She told me about a story idea she had been kicking around and I am just dying to see what she'll do with it. For the record, I'm the first gal on on the waiting list to buy that book (and anything else she might decide to put in print). It's been two weeks, Ms Thomas. What's taking so long?

And as for Bettie Sharpe, what else would you expect from someone whose initials are B.S.?

Lexi said...

Great picture, Sherry!

Sherry Thomas said...

Bettie,

How could I have forgotten the B.S. part?! :-)

Lexi,

If you are talking about the pic in the red dress, it has benefited from some advanced photoshopping. :-)

She looks like my aunt, if I had an aunt who is a youngish-looking 45. :-P

Beverley Kendall said...

LOL. When I first saw you last year in Dallas, I swear your hair was still wet and you were going to or from the Goodie Room. LOL. I so love seeing people in their natural state. Though I must say, love the glamour shot.

Beverley Kendall said...

Just got my copy of 'DELICOUS'!!!!! As it's a NEW Copy will have to read it again. Happy Release Day!!!

Sherry Thomas said...

Bev,

LOL. Yep, I was running around with wet hair. I never travel with a hair-dryer and never use the one I have at home either (it's older than my marriage and had been my mom's before it came to me). In my experience, wet hair dries if I leave it alone. :-)

And thanks for reminding me that it's release day. I'd better go and finish my release day blog.

Anonymous said...

Happy release day from me too!

I never knew that about you and hair dryers, but I also don't use them! Mainly because my hair takes forever to dry, so it feels like a big waste of time to stand there doing nothing but waiting for it to finish drying.

I would buy your books no matter what you looked like -- they are too good to miss out on!

Jewel Allen said...

I am a slave to my hair dryer. I bet I could have written a million novels by now in just the time I blow dry my hair. So good for you!

Just discovered your blog through NLA's website. Funny post. I love the fact that as writers, we can have a bad hair day, and nobody need ever know. And that's a beautiful glamour shot.

Sherry Thomas said...

Pink Ink,

Love you handle--reminds me of reading Dr. Seuss to the kids.

And we welcome you and your hair dryer to this blog. ;-)