My Lunch With Minnette

Okay, so here's the story.  I met this wonderful lady here on Gather.com named Minnette, or Mimi for short, and she and I went out to lunch today to meet face to face.  (At the Old Spaghetti Factory, in case y'all are wonderin').

We're jabbering away about our books--I brought some of my print books for her to peruse and she told me all about her exciting submissions to Kensington and Resplendence Publishing.  A few people at nearby tables tossed us glances every now and again.  I don't know why, perhaps we were being loud.  It isn't every day you overhear a coversation between two authors and their publishing houses at the next table over.

Right when our food arrives, a young couple (maybe early/mid twenties) comes in and sits in a booth behind Mimi.  We're chit-chatting, not being overly loud.  We weren't cackling or yelling or making grandiose hand gestures.  But these young people were *staring* at me.

Like literally I didn't want to look because I would be subjected to their prolonged eye contact--that kind of staring.  I could see them out of the corner of my eye.  They'd look, then whisper, then look again, maybe take a drink of their soda, stare some more...  I'm thinking, do I know these people? 

I take a glance.  Nope, don't know them from Adam.  So what gives?  Are we really being that loud?  I don't think so.  Perhaps they saw my array of books I had lying on the table and heard snippets of our conversation.  Perhaps they were trying to figure out if we were anyone famous.  LOL  I refuse to believe the world is so small that two random people at the random restaurant we chose to eat at today recognized me from promo photos.  :P  I suppose stranger things have happened, but it was really...odd.

They never approached us and I never talked to them, but I know they were staring at me because more than once, I glanced over at them only to see them looking right back at me.  Seriously, folks, if yer gonna stare, at least wave or something.  I tell my kids all the time not to stare. 

And let this be a lesson to y'all.  If I'm wrong and the world really *is* small enough for me to bump into you and you somehow manage to recognise me, don't be afraid to say hi.  I'm just a regular Jane with a mortgage and dishes and errands...  Only difference is I write books on the side.  I'd be delighted to meet a fan.  :P  Heck, at least we'd have something to talk about, eh?

So, for you starers at the Spaghetti Factory at Tanasbourne across the street from the Regal Cinemas in Beaverton, Oregon, if you're on Gather and you read this, you shoulda come over to say howdy.  We totally woulda had lunch with you.  :)

~~Becka

http://www.RebeccaGoings.com