“So, what do you do for fun?” she said.
“I’m a writer. I write.”
“What kinds of things do you write?”
“You name it, I probably write it, but my first love is horror.”
“Like Stephen King?”
“There are authors who do it so much better than King.”
“I’d be interested in knowing those names.”
“I’ll send you a list sometime.”
“So, do you have anything published?”
[At which, I roll my eyes because publishing has gotten to be an interesting topic lately.]
“Yes, I have self-published two novels.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“Well, now that I sense no condescension in your tone, I’ll change the way I said it.”
[She LOLs at this, a sure sign that she doesn’t judge… and that she might just appreciate my sense of humor too.]
“What? Is there something I should know about self-publishing?”
“Not really. I mean, some people think the writing has to be inferior if you self-publish. I do it because I want more control over the finished product.”
“But the writing can be inferior, right?”
“It’s 6 of 1, half a dozen of another. Honestly, there are so many authors who are published by the big publishing houses who have horrible editing, spelling, etc. And there are a ton of self-published books that have the same issues. I say it depends on how much time the author spends on editing, revising, and re-editing.”
“And you spend the time, right? You strike me as the type that would.”
“I am exactly that type. I don’t publish anything until I am certain it’s as perfect as it’s ever going to be. It’s my name on it after all.”
“I want your books, all of them.”
“Simply based on this one conversation? You must be a big horror fan too.”
“Actually, I’m not. But I like your style.”
“You mean you like my texting style.”
“No, I mean I can hear your voice in the way you’ve written your responses, and I can tell just from that that I would like your books, and your writing style there too.”
“You know I switch up the style, right?”
“I don’t care. Can I get your books anywhere?”
“Amazon.com.”
“I’m ordering both of them right now. When are you publishing the next one?”
“Late fall.”
“I’m going to pre-order it.”
“You’re too sweet.” I said.
“No. I’m just a discerning reader, and you’ve passed the test.”
“Well, if you ever decide to get anything published, I will return the favor.”
“Yeah, you know what I do for fun?”
“What?”
“I try my best not to write anything because I can’t write for nuffin.”
“I bet if you sent me something you wrote I could help you out with it, help you find your voice.”
“If you can help me find my voice I’ll do more than just buy your books. I’ll buy a dozen of each one.”
“I’m counting the money already.”
[She LOLs at this, and I smile out loud. Because I really am counting the money. I just sold 2 more books.]
Sam
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