It has been one month since I put myself out on the cliff's edge. Publishing my first book has been scary, but satisfying. And strange.
I knew people would want to read my novel. Out of morbid curiosity or whatever the excuse might have been, friends and family are doing just that. I even (kind of) expected that my mother and the Myrtles would read it. Myrtle the Elder reportedly read the prologue on the plane to see The Boyfriend for Boot Camp Graduation. For some reason, she was embarrassed by what she read and wanted an assurance from the author that the rest of the book was all right for her to continue. (Yeah, right!) Myrtle the Younger gave the Elder grief over that little fact. She's a good little sister. (Myrtle the Younger is the child who stole all of my smut books at the tender age of 12 because she was bored. She be well-ed-yoo-ma-cated.)
I never expected to be responsible for my father-in-law to read his first romance novel. At the ripe, young age of 79, he did just that. Surprisingly, he not only bought and read my book, but bought and read a second one which caught his eye. (We are getting his vision checked, he claims the blurriness might be related to cataracts, but I have my doubts.) Anyway, his expert option was that I did a good job. That means a lot to me.
I did get a 5-star review on Amazon. That was a absolute thrill. And I've heard from a couple who have read, or are in the process of reading, and haven't heard anything negative yet. I need more reviews. Anyone?
So here I sit, one month into this journey, and I struggle to figure out "What's next?"
First and foremost: I'm exploring options for promoting If You Touch My Mind. I am open to suggestions.
Second: I'm continuing to write. I have two novels in various stages of progress. The sequel to IYTMM is called Keep Your Eyes On Me. It is sitting around 54K words with a goal of 80K. The second book is called Healer and is not related to IYTMM. It's sitting about 63K.
Stay tuned!
T.
