Upon finding out my writer idols are, in fact, human!

Do you remember the first book you stumbled upon in the genre you now love and adore? Did you ever write a hand-written note to that author when you were young and dreaming of being a bona-fied, published author? (Back in the day, publishers listed mailing addresses in the back rather than the author’s email, website, Twitter or Facebook…)

Well, I did.

One of the first authors I ever wrote to, while I never heard back, remained one of my favorite authors to this day.

Then, one day, I get an email that the author is following me (little, ol’, unpublished me) on Twitter. I direct message a thank you (and maybe I threw in a “I’m a big fan”) and get a message right back.

Seriously, it made my week.

This is the beauty (and perhaps curse) of social media.

• Our mentors, favorite writers or celebrities are closer than ever.
• We have a way to reach them, influence for them and share their work through our own networks.
• The more you reach out, re-tweet, review or promote another author’s work, the more your name is seen and the bigger your circle will become.
• It’s just plain fun. 🙂