Cute shoes are the secret to world domination.

I debated about posting this. Do I want other people to be able to cash in on my secret theory? But I like to share. I guess as an oldest child, I had it drilled into me for too long to stop now.

Here's the thing about cute shoes: they are ice-breakers. I'm an essentially shy person, but doing things like presenting at writers' conferences or attending various meetings, or events, or cocktail parties means that shyness has to be left behind. And seeing as children's publishing is fairly woman-centric, chances are, if you wear cute shoes, someone will notice. Voila! Conversation begun! I always make it a point to wear cute shoes when I'm going to be meeting new people or speaking at an SCBWI conference, so this method is tried and true.

It is also a good excuse to buy cute shoes. Like, maybe, these...