Let me explain... I don't write for the bombs, the bullets or the blood. Oh, wait. That's a line from A Few Good Men.
Okay. For reals...I don't write for money or awards. Don't get me wrong. Those things are fine. But what I write for, what stirs my soul to the point of putting pen to paper, are the story and the reader.
The following is a message between me and a friend on Facebook about my latest story, a memoir called, The Heartbreak of Time Travel.
FB FRIEND: Can I buy these books from you or do I need to do it on Amazon? Once I fgure out how many I might want to give to my friends and family.
ME: Best now on Amazon for pre-order because they are only 1.99 but will be 9.99
FB FRIEND: Not much profit for you then? When will it be released? And thanks for telling me.
ME: No, but that's not the point. Readership is. The more readers, then maybe the message reaches more souls. xoxo
FB FRIEND: Not being a published author, I don't know those things.
ME: It's okay. In today's society so much is transactional and money driven. I think writers, most writers, do this (or at least started doing this) for the love of the story and the book. For the love of words. If I did it only for the love of making money on it, what a lousy way to live. IMHO, that is. I write for the love of words and the art of the story. I love writing.
And on Substack, I reached out to another person who said they were looking for another memoir to read. I hopped onto the chat function and asked him if he wanted mine, which was just coming out. He then asked me what I needed in return...
Really? When did our society begin to think of every gift as something someone gave for some sort of return? Again, when did we become so transactional? When did it become not okay to hand your book to someone and say, "I hope you enjoy the story!"?
I give away a lot of books. I do it because I hope people will connect with the characters and the tale at some heartfelt level. I certainly don't give books away for sales? A gift is a gift and not a sale. Let me repeat that: A gift is a gift.
To that, a book is a gift. A book is a gift from the author's mind and soul, a gift the author has poured herself into.
I read somewhere once that a dream consists of all of the people and things (cats, dogs, lizards, whatever) that you love. That all these people and things are part of the dreamer and therefore the dreamer loves them. Not a nightmare though. Let's not mix the two.
So, in many ways, the book is like a dream for the author. A dream that becomes another story for her first and then for someone she decides to share her dream with.
Anyway, I'm just saying the same thing over and over that I love writing and creating stories and bringing each story I fall in love with to fruition in the form of a book. I love books. I love authors. We are the weirdest and dearest creatures.
And, yes. After the publication date, November 17, 2024, there will be a free book give away--some time, some ways down the road but for right now, the ebook is only $1.99 for pre-order.
Your righteousness is like the [a]great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast. ~Psalm 36:6
God bless you all! ~Sus xoxo
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