The room at the Harvard Club in New York City was crowded, hundreds of writers and their friends milling around, chatting, nibbling, greeting, and congratulating. We were all either winners, finalists, or connected with a winner or finalist at the Next Generation Indie Book Awards ceremony.
I knew not one person there, and although I was of course honored and glad to be part of the gathering, it felt a bit lonely! So I paused for a moment and glanced around the room.
My eyes met the eyes of a handsome young man who looked happy and at peace amid the bustle. I was drawn to him and introduced myself. He turned out to be DeeJay Arens, Indie Book Award winner of the GLBT novel The View From A Rusty Train Car. As we talked, his calm pleasure in the experience of being at the awards ceremony permeated me and I truly began to have fun. I met his friends, we discovered mutual friends, and I think before long we felt we had known each other a long time.
I’m so honored to welcome DeeJay Arens onto WriteSpa’s BlogTalkRadio show this Thursday, September 5 at 6 pm ET. He is an exceptional storyteller and writer. His novel is about what happens when you fall in love with the boy next door — when you’re the boy living beside the boy next door. It’s a love story that is engrossing, enlightening, and heart-wrenching. Please join us!
6 PM ET … which is 5 PM CT and 4 pm MT and 3 pm PT.