Your novel is published and you see someone reading it. Do you introduce yourself? Leave the room? Spy?
Tonight at my art show I watched students, friends, and strangers look at my work. Because of the text, they usually lean in close and read the bits and slices of my novel. One student asked me what was in my mind when I made this work? I couldn’t begin to answer.
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 
That’s when you just smile and say, “Oh, lots of things! I wish I had the time to explain it all to you!” 🙂 Leave them guessing.
I will have to remember that for next time!
Oh damn. This must’ve been both extremely cool (and exciting) and nerve-wracking — wish someone had thought to videotape skittish you during the whole thing. (Not that you’d ever allow that video to see the light of day, ha.) The whole “what was in your mind?” question is both very natural (now that the student asked it, I’m wondering it myself) and very unnatural (I’d go crazy trying to answer it if someone asked me).
It was all those things. As for the students question, I managed to say, “I’m thinking about everywhere the story might go next.”
Just seeing someone examining my work would be hard. Rather like the time I told someone about my blog and she read it while I was in the room.
Oh yeah. When I walk in the room when my husband is reading my blog, I feel like walking out again. But the more I go through the easier it gets–slightly.
Freaking cool. COOL.
It was great if scary.
That’s AWESOME. Friggin’ AWESOME. Congrats.
Me, I don’t say a thing. Just let ’em read the book I’ve gotten published and know whether they love it or hate it or something in between, I got paid. Heh.
Thanks, Darc.
And that’s the right move no doubt.