My first book was released today! It’s a strange feeling. I went over to my local bookstore, and there it was — on the shelves! That’s me. My book. My name on the cover. My picture in the back.
The best part? Strangers will go into a bookstore, find my book, and pay five dollars for the privilege of reading it. Isn’t that insane??? Of course, I think my novel is well worth the money, but still — it’s a dizzying feeling.
So…here’s a question for everyone. When was the first time you realized that books were written by real people? Real, flesh-and-blood, might-live-next-door people? Were you a kid? A teen? Did the true realization not hit you until you were an adult? How did it happen? Please share!
Cara
Cara King, www.caraking.com
MY LADY GAMESTER — in bookstores now!!!!
Cara:
First off, congratulations! Amazon let me know last night your book is on its way to me.
And second, that’s a darn good question. I think it wasn’t until I started getting back into romance that I realized Real People wrote the books I loved–probably because my favorite authors were dead (Austen, Heyer, Chandler), or were tottering on the verge (Cartland).
The first author I met was probably Jessica Benson, who helped me with A Singular Lady.
Enjoy the moment, Cara, it is delicious!
Actually, I still don’t fully realize it, and I live with a published author. 🙂 (And Happy Book Day, by the way!)
I think the first time I wrote to an author and actually received a reply was a huge thrill. I was a teenager, I think. I probably first actually met an author at a book signing. It was exciting, but also kind of disappointing. You think, I’m finally going to meet this author whose books I have enjoyed! I will say something heartfelt and witty, and make an impression, and he/she/it will remember me as a fan! And then you’re standing in line, and you start shrinking to become part of the crowd, and you realize that there probably isn’t anything much you can say that could make you memorable (at least, not in a positive way), and when you get to the front you say “I like your books very much!”
I’ve been more fortunate, in recent years, in that I’ve actually gotten to hang out a bit with authors I’ve enjoyed reading. So it is slowly sinking in. But still, every book (or every good book, anyway), still strikes me as a bit of a miracle.
Todd-who-answers-at-great-length
Congratulations, Cara! Can’t wait to read it.
As for your question, I’ve always known Real People wrote books. I think it’s because many of the authors I enjoyed as a child (C.S. Lewis was one of the very first) have a strong narrator voice. Something that wouldn’t be right in romance but can be very reassuring to the child reader, i.e. there’s someone in control here and everything will be OK.
Now as for realizing that I could be one of those Real People Who Write Books Too, or that I could be friends with such–that came much later!
Todd, every book I write still strikes me as a miracle.
Elena, always praying for miracles 🙂
Hmmm, can’t say that I really remember.
I’ll keep my eye out for your book and add it to my post-GH reward pile 🙂
Yes, Happy Book Day, Cara!!! The first day I saw a book with my name on the cover, I took pictures right there in the bookstore. I’m sure the other shoppers thought a crazy woman had invaded the Barnes and Noble. 🙂
The first time I saw that “real people” wrote the books I loved was the first time I went to a writer’s conference, about ten years ago. It was very exciting, but also a bit disillusioning–they didn’t wear pink boas or hand out bon-bons! But almost all of them were wonderfully friendly and warm, and loved talking about writing/reading. Even now there are some authors I get very tongue-tied around (like Mary Balogh)–THEY don’t seem “real” to me. 🙂
Congrats, Cara! I’m holding off until the signing on the 12th, so I can get my own autographed copy. 🙂
I was fairly small when I realized some people actually wrote books as their job — that Dr. Seuss went to his office and wrote “Green Eggs and Ham” like my dad went to work. It was fandom, though, that introduced me to the idea that authors were real, live people that I could talk to about more than just gushing over their books. Some are nice, some are jerks — and Larry Niven is an excellent dance partner.
Funny you mention Larry Niven, Caro — I think hearing him talk at a SF con when I was a teen was perhaps what clued me in that writers were real people too… 🙂
And Todd, I feel the same way often about meeting an author (or someone else) one really admires… I tend to get nervous and say something less than impressive. When I met J Michael Straczynski, the creator of the great SF TV show Babylon 5 (which was really revolutionary), I said “I just love this show! I tell all my friends and family over and over and over they have to watch this show!” And I think I banged my hand repeatedly on the table for emphasis. He responded with something like “How annoying for them” in a gentle voice… Blush…
And then there was the time I met Alicia Rasley and told her her book “Poetic Justice” was SO GOOD while I banged my hand on the table for emphasis…sigh… 🙂
Cara
I believe the first time I realized that writers were real people was when I met Lord Byron. He kept going on and on about his poetry — so tedious to hear — but by the end of it I had no doubt that writers (or at least the poetical branch of them) are people as real and annoying as everyone else. And you should have seen his neckcloth! Baron he might be, but beau he was not.
Never understood what the ladies saw in him.
Bertram St James, still with a bit of a head-ache
Congratulations, Cara!
Enjoy–
MEP
Cara:
Your book arrived! I think your cover guy is kinda dishy, actually.
I am looking forward to reading it.
OK, Cara, so that’s why your forehead was bruised at RWA. 🙂
No, Amanda, I was banging my hand, not my head. 🙂 I bang my hand when I excited, I bang my head when I’m frustrated. Subtle difference. 🙂
Cara
And I bang my head when Cara’s frustrated, too! 🙂
Todd-who-is-a-head-banger
Ah, now that’s what I get for trying to speed-read. Glad to hear it’s not quite as crazy-fandom as I thought, LOL!
Megan, I’m glad you think my cover guy is dishy! Hopefully other women will think so as well. Maybe he’s just not my type… 🙂
For those of you curious about what my hero really does look like — think Russell Crowe in Gladiator. Not prettyboy Actor Russell, but the very noble, oh-so-masculine Gladiator Russell…intense, passionate, implacable…strong, stubborn, honorable, very manly….. Okay, sorry, I need some air.
Cara
Big, warm congratulations, Cara! Savor the moment!
To answer your question…I don’t know! The first authors I met were at a conference in Arizona in 1992, though. I didn’t know about my local RWA chapter and flew to Arizona from New York for this conference, where I found out about my local chapter in Syracuse NY.
I joined my local chapter and soon met “real” local authors–Maria Greene, Garda Parker, and soon-to-be-published Maggie Shayne. I was pretty thrilled. 🙂
Congratulations again, Cara!
Laurie
Hi Cara and All – I visit your blog on occasion. Elena has encouraged me to post – I met her in Feb at a local ski mountain, two moms out stealing slope time on their own became skiing buddies. That’s when I started to read while thinking “Hey, somebody’s trying to live a life like mine while creating all these worlds I escape to! I’m a big reader, but no romances till Elena lent me some this year. Very fun! My book club of 8 yrs has presented the authors and their Biblios, & their other writings moreso than reviewed the story of the selection we read — but all those author presentations never made it click for me till I met Elena — maybe because she was a mom like me.
Anyway, may all of you continue to bless us with many treasured moments of reading, reading, reading! Thanks!
Thanks for joining us, Maryst!!! What an encouraging post!
Cara
Hi Mary. One could not ask for a nicer reader friend and ski buddy!
Elena 🙂
I would like to jump in here and bring to everyones attention that the information on this blog should also be shared with the readers of http://www.articlebeat.com Our sites readers and authors would benefit from the information being discussed here and would help get the word out faster, to everyone interested. With plenty of website content on our site, the bloggers here would benefit from our site and our site users would benefit from the bloggers.
Come share, exchange and debate with us at http://www.articlebeat.com today.