And what about those of us who dwell in cavelike isolation? Huh? What about us?

Circumstances well outside of my awesome, reality-bending powers dictate that I'm out here on the West Coast, which, in relation to the center of the publishing world, isn't. Or, at least, it's not supposed to be. That could just be propaganda, though, because Lisa Brackmann is out here in the supposed hinterlands as well, and she seems to be doing just fine:

I'm trying to figure out what the lessons are here, that so many writers I know are achieving career milestones during what is arguably the worst period in publishing since the Great Depression. I'm concluding two things: that serious-minded people flock together, and that a sort of positive group-think emerges, one that is oriented toward success and encourages the success of others in the group. My own progress I attribute in large part to the people by whom I'm surrounded -- I don't know that I would have known how to scramble up to that next level without the knowledge and enthusiasm of writer friends who in many cases were ahead of me in their own career progression, or at the very least certainly had a better idea of how to go about it than I did.

So, the take-away? Surround yourself with serious-minded writers. People who have the same commitment to excellence and success that you do. You'll boost each other up, and you'll fill in the gaps in each other's knowledge and experience.

Her debut novel, Rock Paper Tiger, is due out from SoHo Press next year, so clearly she's got something going on that works.