Monday 29 April 2013

My Book Signing or 'How I Almost Lost My Nerve'

It was 7:15pm - 1 hour and 15 minutes since I had set up my little table. I had sold 2 books to one person. And that person was my old college buddy. Things were not looking good.

My table looked perfect. My books were set at just the right angle. My trusty pen was ready. My welcome sign, that I'd laboured over for two days, was undeniably Scottish. The yellowed photo of my sweet, little great-grandmother added a little ambience and my hair hadn't wilted. Yet.



But I could feel the sweat starting to roll down my back and my smile was starting to quiver. Shoppers politely looked just above my head as they glided by on their way to the racks and racks of jewellery.

My book signing - the night I had obsessed over for days - was here. I sat nestled in amongst sparkling display cases of silver bracelets, rings and necklaces at Silverside, an upscale jewellery store in Port Perry, my hometown. It was Diva Night - the night when scores of ladies were on the prowl, chatting and giggling along with their shopping cohorts. The lovely staff smiled at me every once in a while as they busily served the rush of clients. And I felt invisible.

"Think we can sneak out without anyone noticing?" I whispered past by cardboard smile, to my wife, Jen.

"Don't worry. It's still early," she whispered back, patting my hand under the table.

Then, quite literally, the dam broke.

Suddenly I was signing my books. I was chatting with avid readers. I was talking about my story. I was an author at my book signing! I don't know what changed, but the rest of the evening was a blur of memorable moments.

My old neighbour, the kindest dairy farmer I have ever met, and most certainly on the other side of eighty, drove up from his daughter's home to see me and purchase my story! I hadn't seen him in thirty years and he took me back to a time of innocence and freedom.

As children, my brother, Danny, and I regularly visited Mr. Aldred's milkhouse for some friendly chatter and two pails of milk. The milk was fresh and good and priced just right for our family of six. I remember one wintery evening just after dinner. Mom made tea for herself and Dad and realized we were out of milk so Danny and I were sent on a mission to obtain more milk before their tea cooled. We raced down our long drive and arrived, panting, just before Mr. Aldred left the milkhouse for the evening. With a grin and chuckle he filled our pails and Danny and I hurried back across the highway, mindful of Mom and Dad waiting with their steaming tea. We reached the top of our drive and in perfect, synchronized, slow motion we slipped on the ice, landed on our butts and watched in horror as the milk drained away. I peered back over my shoulder at the darkened milkhouse of our jolly neighbour. He was no doubt settling in for a nice dinner with his family and we had no money left for more milk. Danny and I stood slowly and peered into our pails. We each had about two inches of milk left in the bottom - just enough for tea. With puffs of breath whitening the air before us, we trudged up the driveway and tiptoed into the kitchen where our parents patiently waited. We anticipated trouble and knew we were in for it. Our mumbled explanation was met with silence and Dad's stern face. Then in a hysterical voice, Mom said, "Well, no sense crying over spilt milk!" Even Dad laughed. 

 
Seeing Mr. Aldred after thirty years was an incredible moment. Feeling warm and fuzzy, I restocked my books and settled back in my chair. A young girl hovered nearby and circled my table. When at last she made eye contact, I smiled and offered her a bookmark. She grinned and said, "I'm not going to buy your book but I LOVE your boots!" Well, that made me laugh. My boots are pretty cool though I have just about worn them out. An hour before the signing, I sat in my living room while my son crazy-glued the soles back on. After pulling his thumb free of the glue I stood and realized my boot was glued to the carpet. After giddy laughter, I yanked it free, polished them up, confident that no one would notice my boots amidst my shining books.

The rest of the evening sped by with much giggling and signing. Jen sat close and accepted the money and quietly made sure I spelled people's names correctly when I got caught up in conversation. Old faces and new became a blur. I shared a laugh with an old Junior Farmer buddy, hugged teamates from my old ball team and chatted with friends from high school. I laughed with a fellow dragon boater, accepted a tip from my dad and stepmother, smiled for the local paper and listened to a lovely Scottish girl who was sending my book to her mom in Scotland, who was recovering from a bout with cancer. I thanked Port Perry natives, who wanted to support a local author and finally I just about fell off my chair when my Grade Two teacher surprised me. She had read about me in the local paper. I hadn't seen her in forty years but the moment she walked up to the table with her husband, I knew her face. She told me I had always held a place in her heart and her husband revealed she had spoken of me often. Overwhelmed, I was brought to tears.



Needless to say, my debut was incredible. Thanks to Jen, I didn't lose my nerve.

Just after 10pm, we packed up. It was then I realized I hadn't eaten because of my nerves. We headed to our favourite restaurant and after two chocolate martinis and a plate of nachos, I almost slid to the floor under our table. In a state of euphoria and grateful bliss, I climbed into bed and fell asleep with a big smile on my face and copies of A Thistle in the Mist dancing in my head.

I would like to offer a big thanks to Dana Smith, the owner of Silverside and her fantastic staff  for having me as a guest and giving me a place to debut my book! And thanks to the wonderful people who sought me out, reminisced with me and made me feel very special. 

It was best night ever.







   






Wednesday 10 April 2013

~Finally~

I am a big believer in jinxing things by being too happy.

But after weeks of writing into the wee hours of the morning and learning the ins and out of social media until my head is spinning, things are finally beginning to come together. And I am happy!

This week I made the trek into our local bookstore and asked the owner if he would consider carrying my book. With a skeptical look, he perused the back cover for what seemed an eternity. Silence makes me uncomfortable so I blurted, "It's a Scottish, historical story. It's loosely based on the life of my grandmother." Slowly, he glanced up over the top of his glasses and with an unmistakable Scottish burr he asked, "It's not like Diana Gabaldon's is it?"

I could feel the heat spread across my cheeks as I mumbled, "Well, it's Scottish and it's historical, but uh, no it's a much faster read than Diana's, or so I've been told."

He fixed me with a piercing stare and said, "I'll take three."

Three? What? Did he say he's taking my book?

Woohoo! My book - MY LITTLE BOOK - was going to be sold in a bookstore. Feeling pretty darn excited, I asked, "What do you think of me doing a book signing?" To which he replied, "Book signings are usually for famous authors  or people who are well known." 

Well, burst my bubble.

I am not famous. I am not well known. But I do want to share my story with my little hometown.

So, feeling very grateful and more determined than ever, my next stop was our local paper where I was thrilled to be given an extremely warm welcome and promise of a little mention in their next issue. My step was a little lighter as I left their office. But still, I thought perhaps I could do a bit more.

So my wife and I approached a friend of ours, a brilliant business woman, and she graciously agreed to have me do a booksigning in her jewellery store during one of the most popular shopping events in our town - Diva Night! In two weeks, I will be meeting some of my current readers and, if I am fortunate, a few new ones and I will be putting my humble little signature to paper! This is a crazy dream come true and one I am most grateful for!

And the icing on the cake came this morning in the form of an email with the word 'Winner' in the subject line. I was informed by IBD that I had been nominated and had won Indie Book of the Day meaning A Thistle in the Mist will be featured on their website, facebook page and twitter. Wow! 


So at the risk of jinxing myself, I am happy, grateful and so honoured to be in the company of so many other motivated and talented writers. I know that tomorrow someone else will take my place on Cloud Nine but for today I will enjoy it!

Many thanks to the good merchants of my hometown, Port Perry and specifically to Bill Minors of Books Galore and More, Peter Hvidsten and Maryann Fleming  at the Port Perry Focus and Dana Smith of Silverside.

Monday 8 April 2013

~Busted~

Ugh, Facebook! I've been caught again. Literally busted.

Facebook - you are the bane of my existence, the source of my misery.

Okay, not really. I love Facebook. I'm IN love with Facebook. I've connected with so many old school friends I probably never would have spoken to again and it is really, really great. Facebook is also responsible for my Author Page, the page I check obsessively to catch the latest comment, the latest like.

However, I've recently been reprimanded a few times by some of my readers who feel my time could be better spent working on book two of my Scottish Mist series, A Thistle in the Mist, rather than surfing Facebook, searching for bonnie Scottish castles and landscapes to share on my page. The thing is, they are spot on. As most writers will admit, we are a procrastinating lot and having Facebook and other forms of social media at our fingertips is just a little too tempting.


But how can I keep my readers engaged if I don't update my Facebook page regularly with points of interest and fun facts? Well, I guess the answer to that is I could just buckle down and finish writing my second book. That would engage a few readers, I'm sure. But then if I don't check Facebook ten times a day, how will I keep track of what my friends are doing? How will I tell everyone that A Thistle in the Mist is now available in paperback and how can I check how many 'Likes' I've accumulated?

Speaking of "Likes", I've been sitting at 333 likes for a few days now. It's a number that keeps drawing my eyes. Then an old highschool friend (again, someone I never would have connected with without Facebook) sent me a very cool message.


He told me 333 was a beautiful, angelic number and the true meaning of a triple 3 is that I am completely surrounded, protected, loved, and guided.
 
All very beautiful, mystical and inspiring. Every time I visit my page my eyes are pulled to the radiance of my 333. Another number that finds me with a regularity that seems beyond coincidence is 11:11. More often than not when I glance at the clock late morning or late evening, it is 11:11. Until my friend, Doug, mentioned the significance of 333, I just thought it was an oddity - much like a lot of things in my life. With my interest piqued, I did a small bit of research and this is what I found. 


11:11 means "the Gateway". It's the doorway to your evolving self. 444 is an angelic realm number for prosperity and abundance. 555 is the number of creating positive change and forward movement and 777 is a very high spiritual number that signifies teaching or learning a more spiritually conscious way of thinking and being. Was it was purely coincidental that Doug brought my 333 to my attention? I'm not so sure.
 
So, although, I will be sad to see my 333 leave, I am comforted knowing 444, 555 and 777 are equally as beautiful - and something I will strive for.

And I will also strive to limit my Facebook surfing. There will always be a 'better' picture of Scotland, an awesome blog to read, interesting videos to watch and funny status updates to LOL at. But for the sake of my amazing readers - whom I would not be here without -  I will log out of Facebook and step into the world of my Scottish lass, Meara, and try my damndest to write a story worth reading.

I would love you to join me on Facebook and enable my obsession! 
Visit my website for news on my second book, Lost to the Mist.







Monday 1 April 2013

An Ebook? Hmmm...



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