Book Club
I hobbled to my book club last night. Originally we called it the "Never Leave Your Lawn Chair Book Club" because we started it one summer and then vowed to STOP. Three months was plenty enough commitment --just my speed. Obviously, when the time came to stop, we were sucked right in and had to make it keep going.
It was for this book club that I self-published my book --I wanted to give it to my fellow readers for Christmas. Of course, there was a terrible mess made by the company that printed my book (which is why I still have about 300 copies of it that are missing the last two chapter and the AUTHOR'S BIO, not that I'm bitter) which led to one of the most magical nights of my whole life.
I had the proof (which contained ALL of the chapters, thank you) and I gave a reading from it in lieu of giving out the actual books.
That sounds really simple but for me it was huge thing to do. I'm always so nervous about what I perceive as FORCING my work on people. Most of the book club aren't even on my subscriber list because I haven't, um, actually told them about it.
So, anyway, I read the one called "Finding the Christmas Spirit," and as I read it out loud -- which I never do, you know-- my eyes filled with tears and all around me, my lovely book club began to cry.
I guess that doesn't sound so magical when I put it like that. But it was just that we all connected on this very basic emotional level -mothers and non-mothers and grandmothers --we could see and smell and nuzzle the Baby Ana, who was really my symbol for the Baby Jesus. I am not a rabid Bible thumper --I know you're getting nervous --but it wasn't about that. It was about babies.
And it my first experience seeing that my own words had the power to move people. I'll never forget it.
It was for this book club that I self-published my book --I wanted to give it to my fellow readers for Christmas. Of course, there was a terrible mess made by the company that printed my book (which is why I still have about 300 copies of it that are missing the last two chapter and the AUTHOR'S BIO, not that I'm bitter) which led to one of the most magical nights of my whole life.
I had the proof (which contained ALL of the chapters, thank you) and I gave a reading from it in lieu of giving out the actual books.
That sounds really simple but for me it was huge thing to do. I'm always so nervous about what I perceive as FORCING my work on people. Most of the book club aren't even on my subscriber list because I haven't, um, actually told them about it.
So, anyway, I read the one called "Finding the Christmas Spirit," and as I read it out loud -- which I never do, you know-- my eyes filled with tears and all around me, my lovely book club began to cry.
I guess that doesn't sound so magical when I put it like that. But it was just that we all connected on this very basic emotional level -mothers and non-mothers and grandmothers --we could see and smell and nuzzle the Baby Ana, who was really my symbol for the Baby Jesus. I am not a rabid Bible thumper --I know you're getting nervous --but it wasn't about that. It was about babies.
And it my first experience seeing that my own words had the power to move people. I'll never forget it.
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