ACFW & My Stalker Part 3

So I left off telling you about my trip back and forth from the business center and front desk to try and print my pages for my editor appointment the next day when I say a guy wearing a leather jacket who reminded me of my brother in law. I really didn’t think much of it until he parked himself outside of the business center.

There were two others in the locked business center with me and I was on the phone with tech support trying to figure out the printer when he knocks on the door. As I gabbing away I slowly make my way to the door and open it. He sticks his head in but then doesn’t say a word and leaves. Okay, all is well. Except my pages still haven’t printed. I end up at the front desk one more time and when I get back the leather jacket guy is inside. Oookay! He approaches me very kindly with an “I see you’re busy and I don’t want to disturb you, but do you know where I can pay for the conference?” Then he rattles off the name of the person he talked to, whom I knew very well, and said he signed up last minute. So I give him the low down of how he needs to go upstairs in the morning yada, yada, yada and he thanked me and left. Later I put together that the shirt I was wearing with the name ACFW probably attracted his attention.

Eventually I had to go back up to my room to get my power cord and plug my computer back in and copy my files to another guys usb drive and download my pages on the business center computer, but eventually they printed. I got to bed by 1 am, but I at least had my chapters printed out and I was prepared. Of course, on my way up I kept looking over my shoulder! 😉 Just in case.

Friday morning breakfast and the opening session was filled with more friends and fun. I attended John Olson’s class and made sure I sat at Sue Browers table since she was the only editor I knew actually had my proposal. I sat next to Rhonda Gibson and we had a fun time at the table. After lunch I was walking to class and I saw the leather jacket guy. He really looked out of place so I gave him a smile and a “hello.” Then I went down to my Susan May Warren’s class or was it Terry Blackstock’s? I forget. But all I know is that the class had already begun and leather dude walks in and sits in the seat in front of me. Luckily I had just met Glenn, one of the three cops at the conference and he was sitting within a stones throw! So I felt pretty secure, and besides, the dude probably wasn’t following me! Right?

I left for my meeting with Karen Ball, the editor who wanted to see VOICE! I felt so relieved I had those pages in my bag because when I entered her room and after I asked her for a razor blade (inside joke, had to be there) I then said, “Do you want to see my one sheet?” She said, “No, I want to see your writing!” BINGO! I whipped it out and sat back for what seemed like ten minutes while she read, but really only was three or four. I tried not to stare and I probably would have bit my fingernails if they weren’t acrylic. A couple of times I glanced over, and I saw her smile. Twice! I thought, “that’s got to be a good sign and thank God I stayed up until 1 am trying to print off my pages!” Then she asked to see my one sheet and she asked me to send it to her. She started to give me her email, so I mentioned I had an agent and six minutes after I sat down we were done. She said I could go or we could chat, so we chatted for five minutes about ACFW Tennessee and Writer…Interrupted and who knows what else, and then I gave her five minutes of peace. I was so relieved I listened to that still small voice and packed my computer, though I only turned it on twice at the conference!

Later that night I met up with the leather dude again, and really started thinking he was my stalker, though didn’t feel threatened. Instead my heart went out to him… But I’ll save that story for…later!