On last Thursday, my book club and I gathered in the mini-van and went on a day trip. For me it was a last minute trip, because I didn't think I would get a chance to go see one of my top five all-time favorite authors--Ms. Terry McMillan. Thankfully, my sisters in my book club wasn't having it and thus the journey to Dallas to see Terry began.

Although, there were several things that occurred that tried to mark our trip, we refused to give in. For example, Budget didn't have our van ready--it was supposed to be ready at 7 am...and on top of that, we had to deal with someone with not just bad customer service...but TERRIBLE customer service. It was their error, but she acted like she could care less. Now I hate to say things bad about a company, but it'll be a VERY very VERY long time before I use Budget again, if ever.

Anyway, we got to Dallas in plenty of time to stop by the mall. Afterwards, we made our way towards our main destination--Black Images Book Store.

We were the first set of people to arrive, so we were given the first tickets. Relieved that we wouldn't have to wait hours to get our books autographed, we relaxed a bit.

Oh my, I had no idea how phenomenal Terry was. When she arrived, the crowd (400 plus) was pumped. They cheered her on as she made her way to the podium.

Terry made you feel as if she was talking to a group of friends. The excerpt she read from was mesmerizing. I can't wait to read the book. One of the highlights however from the signing was during the Q & A session. She gave great advice to writers--"Write from the heart" and she gave us a glimpse into some of her other experiences--priceless.

Once the Q & A was over, we finally got our books signed...not without having to wade through an unruly crowd...we were the firsts there and it was announced that "book club from S'port" were to get their books signed first, but you know there are always folks who don't agree to follow the rules.

Anyway, so after allowing a few RUDE folks to do their thing, (didn't want Terry to see the other side of me...fortunately for them, I'm not only an avid Terry fan, but an author)...anyway, I spoke to her briefly as she signed my book--then she gave me some one-on-one advice, that I will take heed.

As one of my serious novelists sisters would say, "Terry is my she-ro."

She is classy and sets a great example for any writer to follow (no matter what genre they write).

¶ 9:56 AM

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