A few weeks ago, I was at a book reading when I took notice of the guy sitting a few seats away from me in the small bookstore.

He looked familiar, in that way that someone you’ve never met but have seen photos of looks familiar. I knew I’d seen him somewhere. I pulled out my phone and opened one of my social media apps to see if I could pinpoint him, and there he was, right at the top, with the most recent posting. He was an up-and-coming writer who I’d chatted with online a few times about books. He hadn’t yet been published, which explained why no one was hounding him — something that always happens when the audience recognizes other writers among the crowd — but I’d read some of his magazine articles and I knew he was going to be big once his book came out.

I kept... Read More