Hi everyone! This is only going to be a very short post this month, because as always I’m totally disorganised, and I suddenly realised I leave for the US in two days and have not even started packing. This is fairly typical of me. I mean, I figure as long as I’ve got my passport and my credit card, does it matter if I forget anything else?

Probably, yes.

When I first started writing, and seeking to get that writing published, I’m not sure what I thought it would be like. I mean, I thought it would be cool to see books with my name on the cover, and that maybe I’d pay my mortgage off a little quicker, I guess. But what I certainly didn’t expect was to become part of the very vibrant m/m community. And of course this community isn’t perfect, but I do think the majority of us are striving to be more inclusive, and to be more representative particularly when it comes to issues of race and sexual orientation. I think that the m/m genre, and the community itself, is getting there.

But when it comes to the positive, when I first got published I never thought I would find a community of such generous, welcoming people. I mean, we started off as GR or FB acquaintances, but there are so many among you that I consider IRL friends, even if (and this probably goes against the actual definition of IRL) we haven’t met yet. My first GRL was in Chicago in 2014, and I was so nervous, but I had an absolute blast. Everyone was incredibly nice to the newbie author, and it was so wonderful to be surrounded by people who all share the same love of m/m romance. To me, whether you’re a reader or a writer, that’s the best part of a convention like GRL: the ability to freely gush about the things you love, and have other people know exactly what you’re talking about!

So if you’re going to GRL this year in Kansas city, please do come and say hello. I’m packing as many little gifts as my luggage allowance permits, and I look forward to sharing them. Meanwhile, I really should think about starting to pack!

See you there!