I AM A WRITER!
“So,
what is it you do again?”
It’s
a common question, the ‘opener’ in many conversations; the point where I inwardly cringe.
I should be shouting to
the rooftops, “I’m a writer!” but instead I find myself mumbling, “Well, I, uh,
just published my first book.” This is followed by the inevitable pregnant
silence, the head tilt and eyebrow raising (perhaps a glimmer of interest?), to which I find myself responding,
“Umm, yes, I published it myself. It’s an ebook.” The nodding begins, the
eyebrows lower and the lips gather skeptically, leaving me no choice but to
explain apologetically, “You can download it on your computer or if you have a
Kindle...” The eyes glaze over and my voice trails off. I sense their relief as
I change the subject.
So
why do I diminish what I have done? This
is the book I have poured my heart, soul and most likely sanity into. This is the book
that took me years and years to write. I don’t know. Maybe I get a sense that
people are immediately on guard for a sales pitch, or I anticipate the dreaded
dismissal of, ‘Oh, an ebook?’, or perhaps I think they may question my
credibility given that I did not publish the traditional way and my efforts
have not been validated by an agent or publishing house.
Despite
my insecurities, the fact is I have
written, therefore I AM A WRITER!
I’ve
worn many ‘hats’ over the years, from dental assistant, to fulltime mom, to
daycare provider, to orthodontic treatment co-ordinator to business owner and finally,
at long last, I have graduated to fulltime writer.
My dream has come true and
now the job at hand is to believe in my worthiness in this respected profession!
A Thistle in the Mist is my debut effort, a historical, romance
thriller that came to me years ago and was inspired by the life of my
great-grandmother who came to Canada from Aberdeen. It is the story of a
Scottish lass and is fraught with twists and turns, murder and betrayal, love
and faith; a story that will sweep you from Scotland to Canada and back again.
Meara isn’t thinking
about death when she kisses her mother good-bye. But hours later she is, as her
fingers slide into Mother’s shattered skull.
Feisty Meara MacDonald
dreams of wedding the gallant Duncan MacLeod. But Deirdre and Sloan arrive and
all that Meara holds dear is snatched away. When she finds herself catapulted
from Scotland to Nova Scotia, she must fight her way back to the remains of her
family; her heart and soul.
A
Thistle in the Mist is currently available in ebook on Amazon and will be
available in paperback soon! http://www.amazon.com/A-Thistle-Mist-ebook/dp/B00B2XML88.
Have you thought about also making a paperback version available? It's easy, using Amazon's Create Space print-on-demand publishing. Then you can order a few copies to show people -- or get your favorite local bookstore to carry them -- and you'll find that you feel a lot less diffident or shy when you talk about your *very real book*. I published a *tiny* booklet, in both Kindle and paperback format, and you'd be surprised how excited friends and acquaintances are when I show them a pbk copy. (You can see it here: http://amzn.to/11dyXlO) BTW, I published this little booklet just as an experiment, to see how Amazon's self-publishing options work, and it sells well enough to help me buy gas for the car (about half from the Kindle version and half from the paperback).
ReplyDeleteFunny you should suggest that, Lisa. I just finished proofing my paperback for Createspace a few days ago. That's the cover at the end of my blog. It will be ready soon and I am so excited to share it. It seems many people still like the 'old-fashioned' feel of a book in their hands. Your book looks very interesting. I will have to check it out! Thanks for your suggestions and comments, Lisa!
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