To My Readers, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

Last night was the Book Release Party for Harlow Whittaker & The Apprentice. Unfortunately I didn't take any pics (minus the beautiful roses that a sweet friend brought me), I was too busy running around trying to make sure that I spoke with everyone in the room.  The biggest difference between this party and the ones that I had for the first Harlow Whittaker, was that this time, the majority of attendants had previously read my work.  To be surrounded by party goers that actually enjoyed the story that I had complied that had developed a relationship with the characters that it had dreamed up was overwhelming.  I have to say as scary as it was to put myself out there, to publish my trilogy it was all worth it.  

The success of being a published author, for me anyway, is not determined by the number of copies sold,or the amount of  royalties earned, but when someone says that they read your book and they hated when it ended.  It was a  conversation that began with those words, from the mouth of a twelve year old girl, that made me decide that I going to release the third book sooner.  (The amount of guilt that a twelve year old with big blue yes can have on you is INSANE-seriously it should be studied).  But I was truly touched by the people that came out and to the readers that have read over 600 pages of my writing and still want more.    

There was a moment where I was signing a copy of my book last night, and the pages were worn, there was a mystery stain on the cover, and the corners were curled up, the front cover had been creased, where it had been opened numerous times, and it made me feel so happy, to know that it had actually been read-loved.  It looked like the books that I devour, that have touched me, and made me long for more after the last sentence has been read.  Little things like that force me to live in the moment, to have a moment of pride, something I too often avoid.  

In terms of the party, it was a culmination of things for me, because it is the ending of summer, as school starts up for me next week, and I will resume teaching, but also it was the close of a world-wind of a summer and I have to say that if I survived the past three moths, and my children, and my dog are still alive, I have to say that i am proud of myself and what i have learned I can accomplish in such a short amount of time.  Cheers!