by Roz
I’m referring to the closet where books are written. Admitting
to friends and loved ones that I am a co-novelist, now published, has taken
many years. My writing partner, who is much braver than I am, has always been
out and loving it. So, a big thank you to Patty.
Of course, having two novels available on Kindle, with a
third (Death in Door County) on the
way, has made it easier. These days, when the subject of my writing does come
up and I am asked the inevitable question by non-writing people (and I am always asked), I have a darn good
response.
Before Kindle, it went something like this:
Non-Writing Person:
“Oh, you are a writer?”
Me: “Yes.”
NWP: “Have you
ever been published?”
Me: “The food here is
very good . . . ” or “I think it might rain later . . . ”
or “Do you think Daniel Craig is tall enough to play James Bond?”
Basically, I’d grab any response that would change the
subject before the glazed-over look appeared in NWP’s eyes. And it always did. It
used to be that the worst thing you could say to any writer was are you published? These days, almost
anyone can be published. But it’s not easy. It takes hard work, editing and
formatting knowledge, and definitely some technical skill. And I’m not even
talking about the actual writing part. That’s why I leave all the publishing
stuff to Patty. In fact, without her, I would still be so far back in the
closet, I’d be eating dust bunnies for breakfast.
The reason for my continuing hesitation was all the attention and fuss
I was sure would be heaped upon me. I’m just not comfortable with that. Nevertheless,
when our second book was published, I decided I would tell people, but only if
the subject came up.
So, the very next day at work, my boss just happened to
mention how much her mother loved her Kindle and was always looking for new
writers. I could feel Patty kick my Texas shins all the way from Wisconsin, urging
me to take advantage of this opportunity. So, I did it. I announced to the
office of six people that I would be going to lunch at noon, and oh, by the
way, I have co-authored not one but two murder mysteries and they are available
on Kindle.
I had been expecting champagne corks to start popping and
the paparazzi to camp outside my office. But it wasn’t quite that way. In fact,
apart from a few raised eyebrows and several looks of suspicion, the only
comment was from the twenty-two-year-old girl who asked if she could pose for
the next cover. Seriously, where was all
the attention and fuss that I had been dreading? And shouldn’t I now be happy that no one was fussing?
Mike, my one true love (for the past thirteen years), has
always been so encouraging and was excited when the first book went live on
Kindle. So excited, in fact, that he’s read almost half of it. I should mention
that although Mike is a voracious reader, the current book on his nightstand is
a tome on the the Punic Wars. So, he’s not exactly our target audience.
But here’s the reward for coming out. Even though my writing
wasn’t mentioned again at my place of work for several days, my boss came in
one morning and announced that her sister had bought our second book, The Murder of Susan Reed, and she
actually enjoyed it. Phew!!!!
Okay, so it’s not really the attention I fear, it’s the bad attention. The good stuff is worth
leaving the closet for.
