Memories

A friend of mine posted something on Facebook today. It was a post she’d sent me five years ago.

It said:
‘Anyone know the time difference between here and Brisbane? Come on, Lynne, I want the rest of your book, I’m dying here!!!’

This post brought back some great memories from 2010, when I wrote The Heir, book one in the Verindon trilogy.

The Heir wasn’t the first novel I’d ever written, but it was the first one I’d shown to a number of people outside the family. It’s a nerve wracking thing, showing something that is effectively your baby to other people. At the time, I was regularly visiting an online community and I’d made friends with five ladies who liked reading similar books to me. So they seemed a logical choice to try out The Heir.

I’d given it to one of them first, and she seemed to like it. Then I sent the first two chapters to four others and waited to hear what they’d thought. There was nothing. No reply. I assumed that meant they hadn’t liked it and were too polite to say anything, so I kept quiet for as long as I could. However, in the end I had to ask the question, ‘What did you think?’

The replies came back quickly. ‘We loved it! When are you writing more?’

That was why they hadn’t said anything. They thought I’d give them more when I’d written it, not realising that the novel was already finished. So after that, I sent them two chapters every few days, which led to the post I quoted earlier.

It’s good to look back at memories like this, especially in the hard slog that can be an author’s life. I’ve been tempted to give up lately because it can be a struggle to keep going when things seem stacked against you. Seeing posts like that encourage me to keep on going.

By the way, those five ladies were rewarded. Their names feature in the dedication page at the beginning of The Heir.

Are you an author? What makes you keep going when you feel like giving up. Are you a reader? Have you had any memorable interactions with your favourite authors? Let me know in the comments section at the bottom of the page.