I am off to Canberra this weekend, partly to see our boy down there, partly to attend a one-day workshop with my favourite author, Fiona McIntosh.

I can’t wait!

The workshop is specifically on creating fantasy worlds and characters. Right up my alley. I am hoping to somehow just absorb every. single. thing. she says.

I can’t tell what I am more excited about – meeting Fiona McIntosh or actually being able to learn from her. Both are equally wonderful to me!

One of my concerns is being so starry eyed that I make a complete fool of myself and she ends up wondering if all her readers/fans are total twits like me.  I don’t get too tongue-tied very often and am not overly swayed by ‘big names’.

But.

I have such enormous respect and admiration for this author, who is so generous with sharing writing craft, and who is so down to earth, that I am a little in awe. When I first started my MS, I sent her an email with some fantasy genre questions. I received a very thorough and detailed personal reply the next day. I was so excited that I could hardly contain myself. I immediately rang my best friend who aptly likened it to her receiving a personal email from Dr Phil (she is a psychologist). Yes. It was exactly like that for me.

So, the trick for me this weekend will be to try and act normal. Can I do it? I hope so but I will keep you posted!