These are my favorite kinds of stories to hear and tell.

I’d like to think that I keep my blog relatively profesh, but there’s also the matter of writing in “my voice.” And if you’ve read Front Row, girls doing crazy stuff is definitely my voice.

There are moments in my life when I stop and think, “Is this really happening?” I actually pause and smile giddily to myself when no one’s looking because this is actually happening. Like the time I got to spend time on a band’s tour bus. Or the time I was in Hanson’s music video. This was one of those times.

I was just coming down from the high of my Chanticleer wins, so my night was already made. I wasn’t in the mindset of making professional connections–I was in the mindset of celebrating with fellow writers and industry folk. I loved life and everyone around me, and I was so excited about the couple connections I had made so far.

So when my big-deal writer friend offered me some of the whiskey she snuck in, I indulged even though I don’t actually like whiskey. It was kinda good! Then, I joined her and a bunch of other people at the awards banquet after party, where her friend, who happened to be a Hollywood producer, plopped down his credit card on the bar and offered to buy a round. I timidly slid in my order after a couple other people had, not believing that he was actually buying for me too.

My friend encouraged me to brag about my books, and she got him to give me his business card, but like I said, I wasn’t in networking mode. I was ill-prepared to sell myself. I’m sure I babbled something about…something. I chatted with my friend and people I had seen speak throughout the weekend–I was one of the cool kids! No way! I was fooling them all, haha.

I even fangirled to one of the women whose session I really enjoyed. She did not seem terribly impressed. No hard feelings. It had been a long day, and she was there to have fun too.

Eventually my friend drifted off for a bit to mingle, and the Hollywood producer and I stayed at the bar. Because what the heck else was I going to do? I was way out of my league here. Sure, a better woman could’ve faked it till she made it; and in retrospect, I kind of wished I tried harder, but I was just having a blast being a part of it all. I’m a mom. I don’t get out much anymore, mmkay?

Anyway, at one point, he asked me to tell him something real. I knew it was a test–I just knew it. So I told him something real–something only a few people know. I’m not sure if I passed the test.

That’s about all I remember for the highlights, or at least all I can talk about. All in all, although I didn’t make any professional connections that night necessarily, it was everything I wanted in a bar outing. I laughed, I had deep and tispy conversations, and I didn’t pay for any of my drinks myself. No complaints here.

I guess if there was a lesson to learn from this, it would be to always be prepared with an elevator pitch. And something real.

Until my next big adventure, whatever that may be.