Over to Carol:
I am thrilled to be taking part in Kate’s 50 books blog party – that’s a lot of books and they are all wonderful.
As I write this, Kate will be receiving her 50th book pin and I can actually picture it. I truly wish I was there as I have fond memories of the AMBA lunch and the Harlequin party afterwards as a few years ago I was lucky enough to attend and meet Kate and many other authors who I had only, at that stage, met via email.
I was visiting my family in the UK and they couldn’t understand why I was anxious about meeting my friends but it is quite nerve-wracking to meet face to face people that you have only spoken to online. You know already that you like each other, you really hope that you will get on, but there is still that nervousness present - that you won’t click in the flesh as much as you do online, that you might find out you have nothing to say….
I needn’t have worried!!
There was an awful lot to say. Friendships were confirmed and it was so lovely to be in the same room, talking about the books we love and finding out that the persona’s I had met online matched the people.
Between the AMBA lunch and the evening drinks there was a bit of time to kill and so we killed it in style – coffee and lots of talking with Kate, Sarah Morgan, Sharon Kendrick and Nicola Cornick and then off for a little bit of window shopping and a lot of trying on shoes.
To think I’d been nervous! It was such a lovely day and one I will always fondly remember.
I so wish that I had been there to see Kate get her pin but, writing this, I am even more determined to get there again, some time in the not too distant future.
Huge congratulations, Kate.
Carol Marinelli x
Just comment below about anything but I’d love to hear if you’ve ever been nervous about meeting someone you’ve only met online.
You can talk to Carol on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/carol.marinelli.90
Or follow her on Twitter @CarolMMarinelli
18 comments:
Two of them turned out to be stalkers. I kid you not!(but dozens are now great friends. :)
Hi Carol - great to see you "see" you here! It's been a great blog party! One of the first blog sites I visited when I first started blogging was Kate Walkers - so when I signed up for her writing course at Fishguard I was quite nervous about meeting her. It goes without saying that in person she was as lovely as she is on her blog! Caroline x
I've actually never met anyone in person that I met online. It would be daunting I think.
Oh my gosh! I had a few too many wines one night and agreed to sign up to internet dating purely to support my friend... I mocked the whole thing, ie, name my best feature: my car, religion: Jedi; my username was thisissododgy... ANYWAY got chatting to this guy and he was SO FUNNY and we ended up meeting. There's no happy ever after but it was a great night, lots of wine and pizza and we're Facebook friends now. But in answer to the question I was SSSSOOOO nervous to meet him :)) And this is too much information but there was one guy who was a real stalker, got rid of him but years later I was chatting with a work colleague and we were sharing internet dating stories... she had the SAME stalker... that was randomly funny :)))
Oooh Phillipa! That would be scary - but glad that lots turned out to be friends cxx
(Carol Marinelli x)
Hi Caroline :-)
Yes, it has been a great blog party! I too was nervous meeting Kate Walker, she came to a conference in Australia and I hadn't long been published and, as you found out, she was so lovely and funny!
Well done on doing her course.
cxx
Carol Marinelli x
Marybelle,
I found it really daunting, but worth it. Actually, I still find it daunting meeting people face to face that I have only spoken to online cxx
Carol marinelli x
oooh Tash!
Yay for you and there doesn't have to be a happy ever after to have a great night, it is so great that you got on and are Facebook friends.
LOVE the stalker story! Hmmmm I might have met him too cxx
Carol Marinellix
yes, I’ve ever been nervous about meeting someone i’ve only met online ;/
I've never worried about meeting online friends - I've always found them to be exactly like they are online. I do have this (very naive) belief that all people are nice until proven otherwise, and it's very rare that people disappoint me.
Having said that, I've never done any kind of online dating (met my DH as a teenager). Hugs to those of your who had stalkers and bad experiences. But you might just have given me a lightbulb for a future book ;o)
I wouldn't be nervous to meet any of my on line friends. Congrats to Kate for 50 books and great to see Carol here
I might be a little nervous meeting my online friends, but not enough to say no to the opportunity. I would LOVE to meet them, but alas, unless I am able to travel long, long distances, it isn't happenin'. (You know who you are, ladies!)
In the meantime, I really really enjoy "talking" with my friends online, where the miles just don't matter.
Hi Carol,
I cannot say that I have ever really thought about it,as I only talk to my friends (mostly reading fans like me) online and love it but I have never thought about what it would be like to meet them in person or if it would be scary but now that you mention it I supose meeting someone that you have only spoken to online would to me actually be a scary thought I would not know what to expect.
Thank you for the very lovely giveaway your book sounds absolutely incredible !
And thank you Kate for brining Carol to the blog I totally adore her books !
I've never met anyone in person that I've met online.
Earlier this year I met a wonderful net friend, from Australia, I'm in the UK, and was so nervous while I waited for her to arrive.
We had a wonderful time together, but yes i was nervous incase our net friendship didn't translate to face-to-face. I should have had more faith!
Carol, that AMBA meeting when we first met was such a wonderful day. it's a special memory for me. And of course spending time with Kate is always fun!!
xxx
First name drawn from the hat for ‘Banished to the Harem’ – TashNZ. Please contact me kate(dot)hardy(at)btinternet(dot)com with your details, and I'll get everything sorted :o) Thanks for taking part!
Post a Comment