The writer at school...back in 1411...trying not to burn her lip on soup. Or, more accurately, "soup".
I'm going to go on a teeny tiny rant, for a reason.
Please, bear with me, because I feel the need to make a point.
As those crazy kids say, "I got triggered."
Now, normally I don't get too ruffled about things other than issues of justice, or which hockey team is the best (the one my son is on), or what's better, summer or winter, (duh, summer) or if people think dark chocolate is better than milk chocolate.
Seriously though, milk chocolate is the King of All Substances. I shouldn't even need to say that.
Ahem, I digress.
So, here's my thing, the person you meet here on this website and whose words you read on this blog is not, I repeat, NOT, the sum total of Jennifer Major.
The words you read here are usually about my professional side, and the adventures I go on in pursuit of bringing my work out into the world.
You will (almost) never see photos of my kids here.
You will (almost) never see photos of my husband here.
You will never see photos of my friends and extended family here.
You will (almost) never read about my kids here.
You will (almost) never read about my husband here.
You will never read about my friends and extended family here.
So, why is that? Because this little corner of the Interwebs is not about them, it is almost always about me and my work. Yes, occasionally you'll see and here about people and adventures not quite related to my work, but that's always with their permission and blessing.
When someone comes across the website of a writer, or an actor, or a playwright, or a singer, or just about anyone with something creative to offer, you're going to get an "reasonable facsimile" (remember those?) of the person in the photo. Anyone in the public eye (or in my case, known by 12 fans and one of them has 4 legs and is named Tippy) possessing half a brain cell spends considerable time and effort putting his or her best face forward to market his or her brand, not his or her self.
The writer taking a selfie because she was having a good hair day. Notice the turquoise pendant? That is a treasured gift. The dark under-eye circles are not.
So, why am I getting all in a kerfluffle? (Yes, I finally got to use that word in a sentence.) Because of a presumption that upset me enough to rant about it.
This Jennifer Major you meet here is not all there is, and so don't think that she is the same as that college girl, or the woman having a good hair day woman, or the professionally done author shot. And let me give you a tip, dear readers...
Anyone with even an nth of a public presence will do his or her best to separate the public face from the private person. Most people in this category have families and friends who never signed up for whatever gig that their loved one is doing. Thus, their privacy is something The Person will lovingly protect.
Yes, a lot of people tell me that what I write here is authentic, but it is not transparent. Put it this way, I have a pair of authentic Levi's, but I sure don't want them to be transparent.
Here's another thought, when someone is critiquing my work, I want the truth. I don't want oodles of compliments, or to hear how fabulous the story was, I want to know what is lacking and how to make it better. Basically, don't tell me what I want to hear, tell me what I need to hear. When my books do come out, I want them to be the absolute best they can be.
The author posing in New Mexico, beside/ in a tree, while the wind tried to whip her and her photographer off their feet. Also, I was wearing shorts and hiking boots as well as my velvet jean jacket and the pearls my husband gave me.
You see the author, but only what she wants you to see.
So, what's the deal? Why the rant? Because I want the (11) people who read this to understand that while this woman is my professional and public persona??
The rest of her is private.
The rest of her is different even from who she was a year ago.
The all of her is a work in progress.
Since that girl in the black and white photo went off to college?
Everything has changed.
And thank God for that.