The Ultimate Author!

A few months ago I received an email from one of my writer's groups regarding a casting call for The Ultimate Author. It's a reality show and the first of its kind. I was curious, so I packed my bags and took a trip to Ft. Lauderdale. I rode for six hours and drove three. Since I love going to the beach, I figured that regardless of how things turned out, at least I got a mini-vacation in the process.

When I arrived for the audition I was a little nervous. The people associated with the show were so friendly and professional that my anxiety immediately subsided. As you would expect, all sorts of people were auditioning. I met an author from New York who spent his days peddling his books on street corners. There was a young lady with blue hair, blue eyeshadow and a T-shirt that promoted her and her web sites. It was a great marketing strategy, because she was truly unforgettable. Especially since she said her writing was better than Zane's.

Anyway, the first part of the screening process was a grammar and spelling test. After that came an onscreen reading and interview. The final stage was a one hour writing test where the contestants were given a genre and characters. From that we had to write a chapter.
I don't think I mentioned that cameras were recording us throughout. Well, they were. It was a lot of fun. And guess what? I was selected as a contestant! I was in Ft. Lauderdale from August 4-12 taping episodes for The Ultimate Author!