Secrets of the Ra-Ra Sisterhood

I have my own personal stalker.

I know, I know. Everyone wants to know where they can get one too, but Sorry, Charlie. I don’t share.

Some months ago, I started posting on several blogs, tossing my website out there, just to see if anyone would actually read it.

Lots of people did. TONS of people. And some even left comments. Mostly from Russia, with long email addresses like boris@we-can-make-your-hair-grow-back-in-90-days-guaranteed.com. Weird. There seemed to be some nice ones from Nicaragua, inviting me to participate in a project I didn’t quite understand, but would definitely net me a LOT of money.

I hope I hear back from them soon.

And then I got….a fan letter.

And with it, came my own personal stalker. Back away, she’s mine.

Dear Carrie, (it said) I "happened" upon your website the other day. I read your excerpts and short stories, your blog posts and laughed my ass off! You truly have a unique voice.

She went on to mention her own writing career, and finished with informing me how she wasn’t a blog stalker. She insisted she was normal.

But she wasn’t.

Thank goodness.

We’ve been emailing back and forth for almost four months now, on a daily basis. I’ve turned into her critique partner, and she’s turned into my personal trainer.cheerleader =) When I’m slacking at my new book, she’s pushing from behind. When I say, it’s not working, she says, why not? Let me help.

Now how’s that for a stalker? Stand back, only one stalker per writer, please.

We’ve talked about everything - turkey spam (you had to be there), husbands, relatives, marathons, writing, orchids, spiders, cats, husbands, tomatoes, snakes, chocolate and husbands.

She sent me curry sauces for my husband’s birthday, I sent her a….oh wait, she hasn’t gotten it yet. =) Just in case she’s watching. =)

She’s even trying to teach me Chinese, via email. Yeah, I’ll spare you the agony of my trying to say Hello, My name is Carrie. It ain’t pretty.

We’ve even entered contests together. And compared notes afterward. And, well, you know what comes after you get the crits from a contest right? We did that too.

But in this case, there was a surprise.

My stalker won first place, with a perfect score in the Low Country Romance Writers 1st and 10 contest.

Congratulations Jennifer. I hope your writing career takes off, your sense of humor never fails, and you keep stalking (and nagging - cheerleading) me.




Now, go out there and grab your own stalker or stalk someone else. Join the Secrets of the Ra-Ra Sisterhood. You'll be glad you did!

Two peas/one pod!

carrie

=)