Public speaking. This is not something I ever thought I’d find myself doing. But I’ve found that it’s not all that bad after all.

On Wednesday, a friend of mine had arranged for me to come to Waupun where she lives and speak to two different groups. I first had coffee with about six or seven other women. I enjoyed chatting with them about Snow on the Tulips. One woman shared her grandfather’s story of working with the Dutch Resistance in WWII. If I had spoken with her before or while I wrote the book, some of those stories would surely have made the book. Honestly, the time went far too quickly.

We then moved on to the Waupun Public Library. I wasn’t expecting a large crowd, but I was surprised. I believe the count ended up being around 70. Wow! As I looked over the gathering, I saw many older people, not a few who came from the Netherlands. This was not the crowd I was expecting and I ended up kind of changing my speech.

And it went well! Really well. I saw two of the men I interviewed 2 1/2 years ago for the book. I met the daughter of the man who has passed away. We shared a wonderful moment remembering her father. I’m so sorry he didn’t live to see the day. I spoke for a while with the other two men and it was great to reconnect. I spoke with two other Dutch men. My, oh my, to hear their accents, how beautiful to my ears.

I also got to meet one of my Twitter followers and got asked if I would like to speak to a high school class.

Oh, on top of that, I sold a bunch of books. Too bad I left them at home. Hey – I was worried about forgetting my speech! The benefit of speaking in a small town? The people my host won’t be able to see to give their books, the librarian will contact.

So, yes, I believe I’m becoming a speaker. If you have any suggestions how I can speak without irritating my throat, please let me know. It took two days for it to get better.