I got a letter from a member of Congress the other day.It wasn't irate or anything... and it was hand-signed, a rarity in this day of pre-stamped stationary.
Yeah... I'm a sucker for stuff like this. And it's not like I could vote for this particular House member, either, because I live in his neighboring District. But... I will admit, honestly, that when I did live in his district, and despite his being from "the other party," I voted for him in the past.
Anyway, the letter was a congratulations for Ghost Medicine, and also a very nice comment about my setting an example for kids and the community.
Shucks.
And so, while I'm on the subject of appreciation and gratitude, let me continue with my Day 6 of The Gratitude Experiment. I am so incredibly grateful for all the people I've never met who somehow managed to find my book and read it. I know I'm not in the same category of visibility of some YA authors, and being a debut novelist (particularly right now) is especially hard, but every couple of days it seems I find reviews or get email from people all over the country who have read -- and like -- Ghost Medicine.
That's something that I never considered in all the years I spent writing stories... that I could actually make a connection to people whom I'd never even seen. Part of that, I guess, is because I never considered even jokingly attempting to get any of my fiction published. It was too personal and put me at too great a risk. So, being the spineless, noodle-backed coward that I am, I never gave the publishing thing a shot until I'd finished Ghost Medicine, and even then, I didn't take myself very seriously.
I must have been drunk or something.
I mean... what was I thinking???
Oh well... I never quit once I start something. So now I'm stuck with this gig and it's stuck with me. But thanks, all you people... all over the place.
Day 6
