by Christina Carson
I have “met” some fine people through social media, and the
thought associated with those who became on-going acquaintances was always, wouldn't it be cool to meet in person.
Nothing in my world has ever transcended meeting face-to-face as the supreme
experience of friendship. Well lo and behold, August 15th four of us
who have hung out on the web for several years now, as writers and friends, met
in Vicksburg, Mississippi at Rusty’s, and I had a time as good as any I could
have imagined.
The four rascals that were there are pictured above, left to
right: Bert Carson, Christina Carson, Caleb Pirtle and Stephen Woodfin, the
latter two the brains and brawn behind Venture Galleries. Bert suggested at day’s
end that we each write a blog about this meeting and this is what you’re now
reading.
What brought us together was writing and what kept us
together was a shared desire to solve the enigma indie writers ran headlong
into of how to become a known commodity in a current sea awash with books and
authors. Well, we haven’t as yet solved that problem, but we've had a stimulating
time working on it, and best of all it flowered into meeting face-to-face.
Bert’s
and my seeming ascetic lifestyle initially gave Stephen and Caleb pause, but
only for a second as Stephen then directed the waitress to place the alcohol, meat,
caffeine and sugar where they were sitting. After that, we had a warm and
raucous time of sharing stories (what else do writers do?), learning about one
another, and enjoying the laughter and good-heartedness that ensued. Compelling
conversation is king in my book, and we had a day of it. It was a meeting of
honest, irreverent, funny, fair minded folk who turned out to be in person all
and more than how I knew them on-line. I call them friend, my highest appellation.
