Roberta's Blog

Recently I was invited to appear as a book club guest on the virtual reality site, Second Life. I’d heard about this phenomenon in which participants create a virtual persona and then get involved with virtual families, jobs, activities and more. I was intrigued but skeptical: Honestly I can barely keep up with my first life! The instructions were several pages long and included the warning that people involved with SL do not consider it a game.

I can navigate around the Internet, but I’m no computer nerd. So I had to ask my host, Cybergrrl, to help me with step one: creating my avatar, the virtual me. Decision one: Did I want a realistic avatar or a furry one? As appealing as the furry character sounded, I reasoned that a realistic avatar made more sense if I was thinking about book promotion. So I emailed off a photo and waited for Cybergrrl to work her magic. She informed me that I’d be dressed in “Barracuda Boardroom” attire and that she’d had to purchase a pair of glasses from the Cat Eye Boutique. My curiosity was mounting.

After I’d chosen a name–Roberta Tellig–last names are selected from a list–CG told me to log on. Did I mention that weeks ago I’d been warned to be sure my computer could support the SL software? After a frustrating hour, it occurred to me that I was haplessly clicking on the Second Life website without opening the software. So I clicked on the SL logo and watched the new world open. My avatar–tall, blond, and curvy–was right where my host said she’d be, hands on hips with her back to me. Then the new world froze. And froze again. And again.

After some back and forth, CG persuaded me to try my husband’s computer. Finally I had the pleasure of meeting Roberta Gellig, with her low-cut blouse and cat-eye glasses.

“Your avatar is a bombshell!” said my husband, peering over my shoulder.

At the appointed time, the attendees appeared in the room. “Roberta, please sit down,” said my host, and told me to click on the chair. I clicked on a stool near a virtual laptop and my avatar sat.

“Roberta, can you sit with us so we can see you? See the chair?” I didn’t. “Roberta, sit.” I sat on another avatar’s lap, on the table, and finally made it to my chair. whew–I could finally take a breath and look around. The walls were decorated with huge posters featuring my real author photo and the cover of PREACHING TO THE CORPSE. And then we had a nice discussion about writing, Sisters in Crime, the advice column mysteries, and life, Second Life that is. CG said the system had a lot of technical problems this week or the attendance would have been much higher–just like a book talk in life number one, only the hitch would have been a snowstorm, or a traffic jam, or a celebrity in town.

I enjoyed the experience, but I have to say, it made my talk at the women’s league lunch at the church downtown seem like a breeze!