San Miguel de Allende
For the past 7 years, I’ve attended the Writers’ Conference in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. It’s been an extraordinary learning experience. Seems like I come every year with a different focus and always find what I’m looking for. This year, it’s all about finding a publisher and marketing. The manuscript for my culinary memoir, Middle-Age…But Only if I Live to 120, is ready to go out. I’ve learned some important things about getting that book out and I’m ready to go!
San Miguel is just as magical as ever. Maybe a little more so. For the first time in 44 years of Valentine Days, Mack sent flowers and candy. His sweet partner-in-crime, Doug Wind, assisted him and the surprise goodies were in my room when I arrived.
Now, I’m not suggesting that I am mistreated or neglected in any way. If fact, if you see my FB posts, you’ll note that Mack is supportive in a jillion ways. BUT, he’s never really participated in the whole Valentine’s Day thing (well, unless you count the snorting pig cookie jar that he brought home from the grocery store Valentines Day, 1994. I thought it was funny until I took it to school the next day and was tutored in what is and is not acceptable as a gift for/from a sweetheart). So, it’s been a 24 year Valentine’s Day drought.
I was so surprised to receive these goodies in fact, that my mind went right to the logical conclusion…that one of us must be dying. He still looks pretty good, so I figured it must be me. After a lengthy Viber international phone call, he convinced me that we were both ok, and he just didn’t want me to suffer the indignity of being the only girl at the conference not receiving flowers from her beau (it is possible that I spent 18 hours one Valentines Day when I was a freshman at Texas Tech, watching as every other girl in Clements Hall was called down to the reception desk to collect Valentine’s Day flowers ).
Anyhow, this Valentine’s Day will go down in the books as my all time favorite. Even better than the pig one.
The weather here in San Miguel is amazing. Warm and sunny. The past few years have been cold, so unfortunately I have 46 pounds of sweaters (I know this because I held my breath when American Airlines weighed my bag). Bummer. I could have saved some of that sweater weight for books that I want to buy here.
The conference sessions are great. Last night’s Keynote speaker was Wally Lamb (2 time Oprah Book club author, and most importantly…25 year public school teacher). There are lots of famous authors here, but I’m most impressed with a man I met last night who ghost wrote Nancy Drew books for 9 years! I ended up having dinner with him and his wife and found out all about it! Fascinating. I had no idea.
