Friday, June 29, 2007

Unexpected Boost of Encouragement

I attended a charity book-signing function this week sponsored my publisher Archebooks. It was a benefit for the Adonis Autism Center of Southwest Florida. I not only felt good about helping out a worthy cause, but I also had the opportunity to talk to other authors and see them in action.

It was reassuring to realize the authors sitting behind that long table have all gone through the very same process of writing a book, finding a publisher, waiting to go into production, anticipating their book’s release and tackling the marketing aspect, with much of the same trepidation I feel.

Sandy Lender, author of the fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods, does an excellent job of marketing her book while continuing to write as well as holding down a demanding full time job. I work to keep up with one blog on a weekly basis while she juggles five or six, several daily. She serves as an inspiration—if she can do all that while working, surely I should be able to do it too and I don’t even have a job(other than writing).

By the way, Choices Meant for Gods is one of the first fantasy novels I’ve read in years so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it and I am looking forward to the sequel.

Michelle Weston, author of another fantasy novel, A Prophecy Forgotten, exudes energy and confidence so it made me smile when after purchasing her book, I learned that signing them makes her nervous. She worries about misspelling the buyer’s name. I worry that when the time comes for me to be in that position, I’ll be so nervous that my shaking hand will make it look as if I can’t spell my own name.

The one thing all writers have in common is the love of writing and the desire for people to read and enjoy the fruits of our labor. Maybe next year I will be able to sit behind the authors table with copies of The Ride in front of me and encourage another budding author much as I was the previous year.

Have a wonderful 4th of July. See you next week. In the meantime if you want to check out one of Sandy’s many blogs, go to http://www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com/. Michelle’s blog is http://mbweston.blogspot.com/.

Jane Kennedy Sutton
Author of The Ride
(to be released by ArcheBooks Publishers)
janekennedysutton@gmail.com
http://janekennedysutton.googlepages.com/



Tags: The Ride, Archebooks, Sandy Lender, Choices Meant for Gods , Michelle Weston, A Prophecy Forgotten,

2 comments:

Sandy Lender said...

You do realize that the person meeting you is going to be more nervous than you are. He or she is meeting a published author! And the person in line behind him is nervous... So there's this pocket of nervous energy concentrated in that little section of the bookstore just begging the universe to ignite it.

He he.

I'm thinking of clever ways to get out of ever doing booksignings EVER again (mine was depressing overall) so hopefully I won't be around for any universe-ignitings, but I wish you the best of luck with yours. I'll show up and make you nervous about spelling our names. Bwuahahahaha! (And I'll host you on my blog, too, Sweetie.)

Sandy L.
"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."

Anonymous said...

Many thanks for choosing an autistic charity. As the aunt of a severly non-verbal autistic nephew and mother to an autism teacher I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am also a repat, and friend to your sister who is quite proud of you...small world indeed.

Jane's Ride - Novelist Jane Kennedy Sutton's journey through the ups and downs of the writing, publishing and marketing world