I’d like to welcome Dave White and thank him for guest-blogging for me today. Dave’s debut, When One Man Dies, just came out this week. Here’s a quick peek at a description for this detective novel; I know this is going to be one to savor:

When Gerry Figuroa is killed in a hit and run, his pal, Jersey P.I. Jackson Donne, is hired to investigate. Donne soon discovers that Figuroa may not have been quite the innocent he seemed. A second case leads Donne to a dead body on the steps of Drew University. As he digs deeper, Donne uncovers a drugs connection, and it quickly becomes clear that certain people would rather he dropped his investigation. Soon his ex-cop partner shows up bent on shattering everything, and Donne finds his past hurtling towards him with a vengeance.

And here’s Dave’s guest entry:

I wanted to take the time to thank Toni for giving me a chance to post her on Muderati. 

This week has seriously been one of the best weeks of my life.

But a lot of little bizarre things started happening this week.  Things I didn’t exactly expect, but in retrospect I feel like I should have seen coming.  Strange people come out of the shadows when you publish a book.

There was one woman who approached me.  She apparently worked in publishing.  She felt the need to tell me that publishers only buy bestsellers these days and if the book isn’t a bestseller, that person will never get a book deal again.  I think she was trying to be helpful, but she really wasn’t.  In fact, I felt like she had just given me the kiss of death.

Another woman wanted publishing advice and figured if she bought a web domain that was her in to being published.  I answered her questions kindly. 

But it also made me think of other things that seem to come out of this great situation for me.  What is it about this little bit of success I’ve had that makes people come to talk to me?  Why am I suddenly an expert in the field?  In both cases, I explained to the women that I’ve been incredibly lucky and it wasn’t an in depth research of the market that got me my deal.  But that didn’t seem to be enough for them.  I had to fall back on the old standard of luck, talent, and networking.  Hopefully, I’ve had at least two of the three, if not all three.

It’s an odd situation to me, talking to these people, when sometimes I just want to be left alone.  I don’t mind it exactly, but I’d much rather talk to my friends.  I feel like I’m just being polite to these people and they’re seeing right through my façade.  It feels false and that’s what I don’t want.  They want me to have all the answers, and I definitely don’t.

But—as for politeness–it’s all I have.  Hopefully it’s enough.

What about you?  What are you stories about people approaching you?