Hey, Megan here. Earlier this week a reporter wanted to do an interview. I said sure, what's the focus of the article and how do you want to set it up? Got an answer on how we'd do it (via phone call). I checked out her articles, which were well done. So...
After exchanging pleasantries, she asked how old I am. [insert crickets chirping] Now, this isn't a secret among my family and friends, but... Is it relevant? Which is what I asked. She said absolutely. I countered with my many years of marriage being more relevant to my writing, my belief in HEA and working hard at marriage to make that HEA a reality. These things I bring to my writing.
I got a lecture on journalism. She got a...an explanation, lol, about privacy. I also wouldn't tell her the year of my graduation, although I did tell her my hometown and high school. She balked again and had to go to her editor for permission to continue.
So I emailed her my thanks for the offer and said, "also tell your editor that while I may tell you I have two kids, I won't tell you their names or ages either." Their lives are theirs to protect or flaunt as they wish.
There's not going to be an article. I can't be sorry about it except... EEKS I just turned down publicity. It makes me uneasy, to say the least. While part of me insists the important thing about me is my determination to improve my writing and my struggle to get published, there's that internal editor (nag) that says I should have just told her. My age is not a big deal, nor the date of my graduation. The kids, though...I draw the line there.
What do y'all think? Is a person's age that vital to an article? Should I submit all the details of my life for public consumption? Or is there a line?
Megan Kelly
The Marriage Solution, May 2011
www.megankellybooks.com
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