Late last night, as I was trolling Amazon for new reading material, I typed my name into the search bar. The top search results for Tina Truax were “Ending Life,” followed by “Grimmy’s Girl.” As I continued scrolling, I saw it! Although my cover image was missing, the title screamed at me as my eyes read, from left to right, Girl on the Right: Memoir of a Life Upside Down. For the record, my eyes weren’t reading a title, but seeing my dream become reality: My book! The fabric of my dreams, as far back as my memory carries me, was paper. I spent years daydreaming about the texture of pages, my book’s pages, between my finger tips. I wondered what it would be like to see my name on a book cover, and how I would feel when my words, my heart-blood, were read by pairs of eyes other than my own.
At times I feel as though I am an obnoxious, boring woman who over tweets, posts, and blogs about her upcoming book. Seriously, I know! But here’s the thing – I am so proud of myself! I can’t tell you what it’s like to see my listing on Amazon. I mean, sure, I’ve enjoyed seeing my other work do well, and take nothing for granted, but this? My memoir is a piece of me I never meant to share, yet I had to share. It took on a life and message of its own. This certainly wasn’t the book I intended to write when I first sat down with my laptop and a book goal in mind.
And then there are the pre-orders (eek!). This is the next best thing to seeing the book listed! The interest and anticipation from my readers is the second part of my dream. As much as I believe in myself as a writer with a unique voice and message, I am aware that there are millions of great books out there. It is a reader’s market, plain and simple. That anyone would choose to spend their hard-earned money on my book is humbling. And they are! I’ve received countless messages, tweets, Facebook posts, and texts from readers who proclaim, “Your book is in my cart!” or “I just pre-ordered!” Better yet are the endorsements that I see across social media. People are sharing, with heartfelt editorial, why their friends and family members should buy & read my book.
*leaky eyeballs*
This whole experience is nothing short of OFF THE HOOK! Thank you to everyone who follows me and reads my work. I plan to keep your eyes and brain busy for quite a while!
Tina Truax 