This question is from beta reader Kristi Davis:
Q: What did your kids say to you when you first got published?
A: What a sweet question! My kids, who are now 15, 18, and 21 years, have been watching me write fiction at all hours of the days, nights and weekends for nearly ten years now. I think it seems normal to them. So, on the day I got my book contract, I hung up the phone in my den and turned to my then-13 yo – who was lounging on the couch the way all 13 yo’s do, with his body slung over the seat and only his hands at attention on his phone keyboard – and said, “Oh my God, I just sold my book!”
I think his exact reaction was “Cool” (with a quick glance up from his phone).
Deep sigh. …
But since then, all three of my kids have expressed mostly pride.
Although none of them has read my book (they’d all rather die, I’m sure, than read anything their mother has written regarding love scenes), they did all post pictures to Instagram on the day my first box of books arrived from my publisher. A few weeks later, they all took pictures of me in random Barnes and Noble stores posing near my book (once even in Missoula, MT, and once in Salt Lake City, UT), and they all feel the need to rearrange the shelves in the bookstores whenever they see it so my book is visible. They’ve all written me Mother’s Day or birthday cards that go on and on about how proud they are that I followed my dream, and made it come true. My daughter even called me an “inspiration.”
Nothing could be better.
This reader question and answer originally ran in my June newsletter. If you’d like to sign up for my newsletter, and get all the posts mailed directly to you, sign up here. We also do monthly giveaways and have “sneak peeks” at chapters from upcoming books. Have a question? Send to laurenchristopher [at] live [dot] com!
