So, I come to you this week to tell you... What's up?

Surprise!  I've been honored to have been asked to be the keynote speaker for a library volunteer luncheon later this month.  I am just so humbled to have been asked.  I only hope that I can come up with something interesting to say. 

As a general rule, I have no problem with public speaking.  And, even though there will be the standard butterflies in the stomach situation, I'm not really worried about that aspect.

But I will have to remind myself not to talk too fast and not to go too far off topic.  Do you know that saying, "I asked her what time it was and she told me how they invented the watch"?  Well, that is often true of me. 

And it got me to thinking about the characters in my Working Stiff Mysteries.  How would they handle public speaking if asked to do so? 

Here's what I think would happen:

1.  Mandy Murrin:  She would be fairly comfortable with the prospect.  I think she'd worry about what the audience was thinking of her.  She's not a real fashionista.  So, it would be difficult for her to "dress up" for the event.  She'd be well prepared but she'd be on the lookout for some possible sabotage to come her way.

2.  Ms. Lanier:  She'd wear her Sunday best including a new pair of knee highs and she'd get her hair done at the beauty shop before the appearance.  She'd bring some kind of snack or treat for the event.  Perhaps a nice cobbler?  But she'd much rather be plotting behind the scenes rather than showboating in front of a crowd.

3.  Sundae Giddings:  She'd probably arrive chewing gum and would spend most of her speech popping bubbles or smacking in between awkward wording.  She is definitely not a public speaker, but if you get her to do your hair at Mane Street Styles...she'll tell you everything that is happening in town in two shakes of a lambs tail.

4.  Colin Brooks:  Well, he's a spy for a living so he wouldn't be allowed to give out any information.  So, he'd be there but you'd never know it.

5.  Pickles the dog:  He'd only arrive for food (preferably of the bacon variety) and he'd drool so much on the microphone that it would cause an electrical short in the wiring.  So, he's probably not a great choice.

I'll be back in a couple weeks to tell you how it all went.  Wish me luck!

Have you read Worked to Death?  Book #2 is now available.

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