Let's Talk with Lois Winston
June 5, 2025
You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby!
If you’re of a certain age, you probably remember “You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby,” the ad campaign Phillip Morris created for Virginia Slims cigarettes, back when tobacco products were still advertised in print and on radio and TV. Whether or not you smoked, you couldn’t miss those iconic ads. They were everywhere.
I was reminded of those ads recently when I was invited to give the Keynote Address at the Killer Nashville banquet this coming August. I’ve been writing for thirty years and sold my first book twenty years ago. My topic will be my journey from starting out as a clueless wannabe author and the clues I gathered along the way to a successful publishing career. I’ve come a long way, baby.
Someone in one of my online writing communities recently posted the link to a guest blog she wrote about finding her writing tribe. When I began, I had no writing tribe. No one did back then. The Internet was in its infancy. Online writing groups and writing blogs didn’t exist. Amazon, the first online bookstore, had only been around for a few months. It would be another twelve years before the inception of Kindle Direct Publishing.
We were in the Dialupzoic Period, where those of us with home computers were at the mercy of unreliable dial-up service. Authors still sent snail mail to editors and agents. Mountains of submitted manuscripts filled every corner of publishing houses and literary agencies. There were no Kindles. No print-on-demand. No Kindle Direct Publishing, Barnes & Noble Press, Kobo, Apple Books, or Google Play. Writers had two options: either get lucky enough that a publisher offered a contract for their manuscript or pay thousands of dollars to a vanity press to self-publish.
How I wish I’d had a tribe back then. It would have saved me from making a lot of clueless mistakes. But some of the best lessons we learn are from the mistakes we make along the way. Now, thirty years later, I get the chance to stand in front of several hundred wannabe authors and offer lessons I wish someone had provided me back then. Because even though they may only be starting out on their journey, those wannabes are just as much a part of my tribe as the many author friends I’ve gained along my journey, and I’m honored to welcome them into the fold.
If you plan to be at Killer Nashville and we haven’t yet met, I’d love to meet you. My tribe is ever expanding and welcomes all.
We all go on many journeys in our lives. What are some you’ve undertaken, and what lessons have you learned along the way? Post a comment to receive a promo code for a free download of Seams Like the Perfect Crime, the most recent Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, or any of the other books in the series (US and UK residents only.)
While you’ve on our site, check out our June giveaway! The contest runs from June 1-22, and the winner will take home two cozy mysteries. Enter today at CLICK HERE.
Want to learn more about our author Lois Winston? Visit her WEBSITE.
Posted in with Lois Winston • Tags: Killer Nashville, Let's Talk, Lois Winston, you've come a long way baby | 31 Comments
Would love to win these books to read & review looking forward to reading
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Crystal.
You’re very welcome love to read & review print 📚 books
Thanks for an interesting post.
Thanks for taking the time to read it, Diana!
I was afraid of speaking in public so I took a class in public speaking. I was able to get up in front of the class and speak without being afraid. I also took a class in Improvisation at Second City in Chicago. This also got me up in front of people to do skits and stand up and speak. I am glad I did this now I have more confidence. Deborah
Good for you, Deborah! I’ve given many talks to various groups throughout the years, but I think I’d be terrified to do standup comedy!
Congratulations on getting the keynote spot! Killer Nashville is a great conference. I hope to make it this year, and if I do, I’ll look you up!
I’d love to meet you, Shelley.
Really enjoyed your post. Thanks for this chance.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
I enjoy being part of the writing community and especially being able to communicate directly with readers. That’s the biggest benefit of social media, in my opinion. Otherwise, I started out same as you in the dark ages before the Internet. Life was also simpler in those days and so was book promotion.
The publishing industry was certainly different back then, Nancy!
I’m learning that we all have seasons during this life’s journey and there’s ALWAYS something to learn from each one. Right now, I’m in the parenting adult children while “parenting” my parents and it can be….overwhelming. No one told me about this season of life. But, I’m learning patience, I’m learning what things need to be taken care of in my own life, I’m learning how to be gentle and kind when all I want to do is rage and complain. This is a journey, with briar thickets, mud holes, and swamps along the way but there is always a way. Thank you for this wonderful giveaway and also for this chance to connect.
Melissa, I’m so sorry that you’re dealing with such difficulties right now, but I admire your philosophy. Wishing you the best!
hm. A night journey for me was moving cross-country on my own, with 2 cats (1 with cancer) – lessons learned? Ditch most of your “stuff” instead of paying for it to be shipped! And plan, plan, plan. And begin packing as SOON as you know you are going to move!
Good advice, Maria. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
I think that it could be said that we learn from experience no matter what we are first learning, whether it be training someone at work or baking something for the first time. Now that I am in my late 50’s, I can look back at my life and truly say to myself that I have come a long way.
Good for you, Cherie! Great attitude!
Congratulations on getting the keynote spot! I would love to read and review these books.
Thanks, Sheila!
I have a great respect for writers-It has been a long hard journey for many writers-but they just kept trying and finally made it-good for you !
Thanks so much! What a lovely thing to say!
Having also started in the pre-Internet years when it was all about SASE and in my case something called international mail coupons, I have a deep appreciation of the journey. But hey Lois! We’re still here and writing. That should make us feel good!
Yes, we are! Perseverance pays off! Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
At the time, I’m sure you never realized that what was happening would later turn out to be “lessons learned.” Look forward to hearing your address at KN.
Thanks, Debra! I’m not sure any of us thought in terms of “lessons learned” when we were young and naive. That’s one of those things that comes with age and experience.
Congrats on being the KN speaker. The audience will certainly benefit from your vast experience and wisdom!
Thanks, Saralyn! They won’t get all that much. I’m limited to 10 minutes or less! 😉
Believe it or not, I was the first person of my family to fly on an airplane. I was excited and a lot scared because it felt so different than car or boat travel. I went with a friend my age (we were 16 and visiting her extended family) and it was a journey. I met new people who had different life experiences and listened to much different music. It was the first time I ever realized how different my childhood (much more like the TV show The Waltons) was from people who had any bit of urbanization. I think this stepping outside the box of my regular world helped train me as an observer and would later help feed my story ideas as an author. Congratulations on all your success, Lois. You have earned it!
Congratulations on your writing milestone and being the KN speaker!
For me, life itself is a (lifelong) process – it’s an endless of discovery, adjusting and refining perspectives. At the age of 20, I became an orphan, and I had to be strong, to make many of decisions on my own (sometimes I was confusing, sometimes I was apprehensive) – made mistakes, paid a lot for my lessons. And the valuable lessons I learned is : don’t jump to conclusions, be patient – extremely patient, and always be kind – these principles have helped me to navigate further and broader. – Emily