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Welcome to my quiet little place, away from the bustling crowds and screaming media, where we can take a little time to get to know each other.  I’ve tried to furnish the room with comfort in mind.  Let me show you around now, so when you visit again, you can make yourself at home.

The couch and the two wingback chairs in the central sitting area are just plush enough to relax in, without feeling like you’ve landed in quicksand.  I was going to opt for a basic turquoise striped material, but opted for a more subdued burgundy paisley and floral pattern.  It accents the rest of the room’s wood trim, and the style is timeless.  If you want to actually put the coffee table to use, there’s a coffee pot, a water heating pot, and all the fixings for a variety of aromatic coffee grinds, regular and caffeine-free teas, and I believe there are two or three types of luxuriously rich cocoa mixes.

Beneath the counter—here, let me open the doors—we’ve got all these snacks to choose from.  Cookies, pastries, chips, nuts, candy.  Feel free to sample anything that strikes your fancy or your sweet tooth.  I prefer healthier alternatives, so the large oval basket of fruit here on top stays stocked and replenished on a regular basis.  To the left of the counter, I keep this small fridge loaded with water, soda, and tonic water.

Hmm?  Why, yes.  The wet bar is just to the right of all this.  If you’re of age, you can help yourself, or you might ask me to mix a drink for you.  Just so we’re square on this, I don’t do excess.  “Conversation, with moderation, makes good socialization.”  So, if you want to share a glass of wine, or imbibe in a good craft beer, or sip a wee dram of single malt, it’s all arrayed behind the bar.  Take a look…

Okay, now we’ve got the hospitality items settled, let me show you where I typically work.  Nice sturdy wooden writing desk with a comfortable rolling chair.  I had to have this particular desk for several reasons.  The height gives me perfect reach to my laptop when I sit down to tap out a flurry of thoughts and scenes for a story, or the Blog that I strive to keep updated.  The desk has enough drawer space for copies of rough drafts, notes and pictures for inspiration, notepads and pencils, chocolates and mints.  The light’s reasonably good here by the window, and I can turn around to daydream for a bit between spates of typing.  So…my writer’s nook.  Do you have one?  Yeah?  I’d like to see you at work sometime.  Invite me over?

Come with me to the bookshelf for a minute.  See all these novels?  See all the names of Authors?  These people have been an inspiration to me throughout my life.  That’s what made me determine to do something similar, to write stories, to handcraft tales that stir the heart, to manufacture worlds to explore, to impart ideas a Reader can take with them forever after.  These are the people whose ranks I aspired to join.  And I have, in my own small way.  See?  I’ve situated copies of my Books down on the last shelf…right alongside these other big names.  Makes me feel proud to finally have the dream come true.  Do me a favor—for yourself, actually—don’t wait forty years to make it happen.  I’ll be pestering you regularly to see if you’ve finished a piece.  Promise you’ll let me read a draft copy before you publish, okay?

If you need encouragement or help in any category, just ask.  I’ve got a whole big steamer trunk full of Tools sitting over against the far wall there.  We can plop ’em out on the table right beside, so you can determine what you’d like to try, to see if certain things work better for you than others.  Right above the table, I keep a pin board of Resources, people and places to drop in on for more information about this craft of writing.  Write down what you need or take a snapshot with your phone, for later reference.  It would do my heart good to know your visit garnered something useful for you.

While I’m thinking about it, may I see your phone for a moment?  This is one of those smart ones, right?  I’ll just key this in…and now your Wi-Fi is enabled whenever you drop by.  And…let me type in the website address…a-u-t-h-o-r-s-a-m-w-e-s-t-h-o-e-k-.-c-o-m…  If you navigate to this menu item, Contact, it’ll give you a web form to send me an email.  What?  No, I don’t mind.  Not at all.  I think it’d be kinda neat to stay in touch and talk about writing projects, both yours and mine.  On the phone?  Well…yeah…maybe.  Give me a while to get to know you, then I’ll consider it.  Writers!  We’re such reclusive, guarded creatures sometimes!  But I will keep it in mind.

Well, then…  Want to sit down and chat for a bit?