In my case, it was a brief telephone interview with local author and radio talk show host Evan Dawson as I fact-checked a few details for a short piece I was writing for a regular magazine assignment. We also talked about his popular book, Summer in a Glass, for a few minutes after we took care of the details.

Later, when he was assembling a small panel for a one-hour conversation about book writing and publishing for his “Connections” show on the local NPR affliliate, WXXI-AM, he remembered our brief chat and invited me to be on the show.

I joined Gregory Gerard, author of In Jupiter’s Shadow and The Martini Chronicles, and Eric Wilder, author of I, Humpty, to talk about about how publishing has changed, how to make time to write, whether you can force creativity, and the importance of platform.

Listen to our relaxed but lively discussion about the industry and process on the Connections site.

What interesting and unexpected opportunity came to you recently?