At nearly 48, I have made it. I can die happy.
I may never have another book deal. I may never have fortune and fame.
But, apparently, now, I am a poster*:
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*coughs*
It's true. As promo for the Rochester Teen Book Festival (May 19), you can order my author poster and hang 46** year old me on your wall (*more coughing*) like some fading Charlie's Book Nerd Angel.
Thanks to my pal, Rick Kopstein, a fantastic photographer whose work you can see there on that link or HERE on his Photo of the Day website, it's not a bad representation:
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| Me, in my best light, if you will. |
As much as this whole poster-me thing brings me endless amusement, like everything else lately, it's also a mixed bag. It brings up issues for me. Indeed, there something sad and poignant and ironic (?) about it, weighed against my lamentations here of late about loss of youth and physical appearance.
I mean, here's the the new fear brewing: that I will sorely disappoint in person.
And don't start typing comments to make me feel better.
I'm almost 48. It is what it is.
Still, I can hear them now, the slack-jawed rumblings from the twitter and facebook crowd, and others who know me from my author photos, as I walk to the dais and sit down:
Blogger A: "Is that her?"
Blogger B: "Man, that must have been years ago ..."
Blogger C: "Years and years and years..."
Nope. *sigh* Just two. Hey, look, I'm teetering on the brink of 50 here. Besides, it's nothing a little photoshop can't hide.
Anyway, here's the deal. I've decided I'm coming to the festival armed, just in case, with a few 8 X 10's of me now:
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| Me, this minute, standing at my computer |
Plunk me in a pool in the bright sunlight with a good photographer, and I look exactly the same.
*coughs*
Okay, maybe not.
What? There are a few more creases and lines. And, yes, the bags...
Crap.
Poster, anyone?
- gae
*poster is really only an 8 x 10 I think...
**author photos taken 5.8.10
I love that one of your labels is pineapples. Seriously, Gae, I understand where you're coming from with the "can I really be pushing 50???" thing. It's hard to believe that so much time has gone by. But for what it's worth, you really are lovely.
ReplyDeleteDon't we all think that about our pictures, if someone hasen't met us? Do I really look as good as my picture? But I find when you meet the person in real life it is a million times better. But I am with you and James on the "pushing 50" How can that be? 50 used to be so old. So, I say screw pushing 50. Everyone should be so lucky to be in the company of so many fabulous people pushing 50. Of course it would be a lot cooler if I were pushing 50 and had my own poster. Just sayin.
ReplyDeleteHeidi
Lol, James. I bet people searching for pineapples are sometimes disappointed. My labels on my JEDI post are pretty funny, but no one seems to have noticed them yet.
ReplyDeleteHeidi, you are far too pretty for a poster. Telling you things you already know. <3
There are no more lines and creases now then there were two years ago. tI was the lighting. Alwats the lighting! You need to bring lighting with you on personal appearances. Two klieg lights out front and a baby spot to pick out the brown in your eyes and also to give you the appearance of three dimensions.
ReplyDeleteGarbo famously said "I want to be alone with my key light".
Recalling the movie after 50 years, Mr. Mamoulian revealed in a 1983 interview that Garbo had often directed herself. ''When we got to the first intimate scene, she asked me to leave the set.'' he said. ''I asked her why. She said, 'During these scenes I allow only the cameraman and lighting man on the set.
She was a pro.
Ok--geat post. But my favorite part is the Beatles reference in the title.
ReplyDeleteNice.