Betsy Snow White Bibliophile

Tag: authors

  • David Sedaris and Accidental Synchronicity

    David Sedaris and Accidental Synchronicity

    This afternoon Seth and I headed downtown to the Palace Theatre for An Evening with David Sedaris.

    Last year around October we saw him for the first time, and got to meet him and have him autograph books for us. My friend from high school, Julie, works for the bookstore that always sponsors his appearances (The Book Loft. I am planning a whole post⁸ dedicated to that later.) She walked us up and introduced us a s friends of hers, and we chatted with David and he signed our two books as follows.

    This year we also saw Julie, and walked to say hello to David. We introduced ourselves and David said something to the extent of “Betsy , I remember Betsy. She was a nice girl but smelled a bit like a public toilet. You know bath and body works. And Seth.” And then he drew…a hand flipping the opener of the book off. I laughed and told him we had another book signed by him with a similar drawing and he said “oh, no!” I told him it was perfect and a bizarre coincidence.

    Walking away Seth and I mused that we must just look like we need to be flipped off. Lol.

    He was funny, poignant and generally wonderful to see a second time. I will certainly go again if I have the chance. If you have never read his work I reccomend starting with Holidays on Ice which combines his essays with fiction to make one quirky and wonderful holiday experience. It includes the famous, Santaland Diaries, which has been mafe into a play as well. If you can get his books on audio I also recommend it because he usually reads them and it is a joy to hear.

    Are you a David Sedaris fan?

  • She’s an Impostor!

    She’s an Impostor!

    Recently, I was attending a party at my brother and sister-in-law’s house, when a friend of theirs whom I have met a couple of times but never really spoken to asked me what I do. I told him that I am currently working at a bank, and that I am about to finish my degree in English-Creative Writing. He said, logically, “So you are a writer?”. And, my brain froze, I internally stuttered over calling myself a writer. I am roughly two terms away from a degree in Creative Writing and I am hesitant to call myself a writer.

    What the ever loving hell is that?

    Oh, I know what this is, Impostor Syndrome. That feeling that you are not good enough, smart enough, or enough enough. How can I claim to be a writer? Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Charles de Lint, J.K. Rowling, hell even V.C. Andrews are writers, are authors. I am, what, a dabbler, a student, a learner, but not a writer.

    But why not? Why not a writer. I have written poetry and stories since I was old enough to do so. I have hosted a blog on one platform or another since 2008. I have written essays with depth, and meaning. I have grown and learned, and written so much. When do I become a writer then?

    In the end I told him I am a writer. I told him about my blog, and how I had just bought my domain. He loved my “brand” and told me that he works in publishing for companies. We had a lovely talk about publishing, self-publishing, and self-promotion. It was nice to get outside validation of some of my choices as a writer.

    Because I am a writer.

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  • Writing Challenge – Day 28

    Writing Challenge – Day 28

    Day 28: Post five things that make you laugh-out-loud.

    I feel like I should add a disclaimer that I am, in fact, a laugher. I laugh a lot, and at seemingly everything. So…almost anything can make me laugh out loud. My husband and I just crack each other up all the time. It is a thing, I love it, and I think it is how the two of us stay sane. I love to laugh, and I will do it as much as I can. So…here is a list of things that will make me laugh every time.

    1. Those stupid pet videos of animals tripping, falling, jumping into things, making crazy faces, or the gif of the fuzzy cat saying Diabetus. I will watch them again and again and cackle. It is sad, and also makes me deliriously happy. diabetus cat  mqdefault
    2. Acher! I love this cartoon with all my heart, and it often makes me laugh out loud. Shit Snacks! archer
    3. The My Favorite Murder podcast. This is a new obsession of mine, and the hosts (Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark) are so funny. And, yes the subject matter can get heavy, but Karen and Georgia keep it fun and often laugh out loud funny. It has often been listed in the top ten comedy podcasts on Itunes.  Check it out! 427
    4. The Smartest Man in the World podcast. My celebrity crush, Greg Proops, talking about whatever takes his fancy, and keeping me laughing out loud at work. I absolutely love Greg.  Greg’s website. smartestman_4232
    5. Christopher Moore books. If you have never read a book by Christopher Moore do it. I recommend Dirty Jobs, as it is a personal favorite, and more than that recommend the audio book read by Fisher Stevens. But seriously his books are so ridiculously funny that I quote them constantly and crack myself up. So good.  Christopher’s Website chrismoore