| It has now been three days since my book launch and I am STILL on Cloud 9! The evening was more than 25 years in the making, and I enjoyed every single minute of it. The best part of all? Feeling the love and support of so many people from different chapters in my life. The Event Room at Tatnuck Bookseller was like an episode from that old TV show, This Is Your Life. There were family members, some of whom drove more than an hour from western MA and Cape Cod to celebrate with me (thank you Ross, Liz, Aunt Andi, Uncle Rick, Sandi, and John!). There were my three oldest friends from childhood, who each brought their moms (wonderful surprise!). There were loads of high-school classmates. There were college classmates (who also came from great distances), neighbors from my childhood home, and friends of my parents. New friends were there too, as well as a business associate of my husband who came down from New Hampshire. One of my newest clients (and a soon-to-be-self-published fellow author) showed up. My high-school track coach was even there. All of this got me to thinking: the actual process of writing may be solitary, but the product of that writing is meant to be shared, enjoyed, and celebrated with as many people as possible. When you're writing, you're in a vacuum. You're constantly wondering, "Will people get it? I hope this doesn't fall flat. What if they hate it?" When you read your work to a roomful of people, you get to watch first-hand how what you've written impacts people. You hope they laugh, smile, and nod thoughtfully in all the right places. On Thursday night, they did - much to my relief. The biggest thrills of the evening came when: * three people came up to me after the readings were over and introduced their daughters to me * one of my high-school classmates (who also attended my college) told me she cried twice during my readings (and she doesn't cry easily) Since my book was released on June 3, many people have taken time out of their busy days to share with me what my book meant to them. It is so humbling to be given a gift like that. The words "thank you" seem so trivial - but they're all I have. So thank you, everyone, for making this English major's dream come true! I am so glad you shared this event with me. |
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