I'm coming out of hiding

I know, I know. You laugh. Me? Hide?

Here's the deal. None of my friends know I'm trying to get published. Hell, none of 'em know I'm working on a novel, much less finished 10 or so and have 2 accepted for publication.

I just didn't want to deal with that, "Have you finished your book yet?" or "Have you sold it yet?" My writing friends, the one in my RWA chapter, know better than to ask these questions. But Other Friends just wouldn't know how those questions haunt a writer.

But now that I have one contract signed and one in negotiation, I figure it's time. I'm Coming Out.

On the day after Thanksgiving I always host(ess) a party for 6 of my dearest friends. I've known these ladies for 15 years. We've been through breast cancer, illnesses, death of parents, heart attacks, job layoffs, and just about everything else together. I plan to present them with synopses of my 2 sold books, and will come clean about my "other life" as a writer.

I've only been seriously pursuing publication for two years, but it's been hard to keep it all quiet. I mean, I've gone to National Conference, and other conferences, and always said I was 'meeting friends' in Dallas or Atlanta or Reno. I've worked in a lot of different parts of the country, so my Other Friends just took this to mean work buddies. And I was meeting friends -- writing friends.

So this is going to be odd. Once I tell this group of friends, the ripple effect will begin and spread. Now I'll have folks asking "when is your book being really published, like, in print?" and "is e-publishing like real publishing?" and "Gee, maybe I can do this. Can you help me get my book [not finished -- heck, not even started] published)?"

Then, at Christmas, I plan to do the same with my family. They know I've been pursuing publication, but not that I've sold.

Then it's my boss. Yikes. I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with that one.

Talk about your ripple effects ...

How widely is your "other life" known? Did you announce to all and sundry that you're writing and trying to get published?

Those who are published or Soon To Be Pubbed -- how did you tell your boss?

I figure there's no rush on this -- my books won't be out until next year, and if they don't come out in paper, I doubt many will rush to download (these are high tech folks but still traditional when it comes to 'I like to hold a book in my hands').

But I'm still tussling with it --

How do you tell?

J