Thursday 13 October 6, 2011 - Why I shouldn't be at work today

1. I need to write. My WIP is staring at me unforgivingly as if to say, "I'm more important than eating or health insurance"
2. My Physical health. Now which is healthier, sitting behind a computer under flourescent lighting or doing laps in the swimming pool? Need I say more?
3. My Mental health. I pet my computer today!
4. We are having unusually beautiful weather in Chicago for October and I'm hermetically sealed 17 stories up with no windows.
5. I need to be planning my fun and festive halloween party.
6. Nothing fun for lunch today.
7. Have a list at home of at least 12 phone calls I need to make.
8. I could be tweeting.I have 30 followers yay!
9. I am mourning the loss of Steve Jobs.
10. I need toothpicks to keep my eyes open.
11. My doggies are at home missing me.
12. There are people in the office hacking and sneezing and I can feel the germs trying to get in.
13. I'm at work writing my Thursday 13 instead of actually working

Interview Studio: A Conversation with Debbie Cairo

Many of our members know Debbie, the cheerful face behind Evanston Writers Workshop. She started the original meetup group and brought in the board that now runs the non-profit company. Tomorrow, the world!

All kidding aside, Debbie has a lot of energy, great ideas, and tremendous creativity. She's written several novels and her first, OVER MY UNDEAD BODY, is published with Whispers Publishing.

We caught up with Debbie over email to discuss her projects and writing process.

SN: You started the original Meetup group of Evanston Writers Workshop in 2007. What made you decide to get things going?

DC: I went to a Romantic Times convention prior to that and met a couple of authors, one of them being Tina Holland, who I became fast friends with and introduced me to the concept of critique partners. Unfortunately, one was in Florida and one was in North Dakota, so our critique sessions were limited to AOL Messenger and email. A gentleman named Richard started a writers group in Evanston through Meetup dot com. Five of us showed up at the first meeting. I found I really enjoyed the companionship and input of other authors. So, when he stepped down as organizer of the group less than a month after its creation, I took it over without hesitation. Since then, as we have grown and evolved, we now encompass much more than the critique group it started as. I’m very excited to see where we go in the future.

SN: When did you start to think of yourself as "a writer" and not just someone who fiddled with stories?