Blog Entry: Post-Party Giddiness
Last night was my UK launch party for A Most Improper Magick. I had been soooooo incredibly nervous about this. In fact, I came very close to not having a launch party at all, because I was too nervous about the whole idea. (How does anyone even organize a launch party? What if the bookstore didn't want to have me and I felt stupid for even asking about it? What if - ?)
Even once my wonderful publisher had done all the hard work of paying for and organizing the party, I was filled with panic that I wouldn't make it worth their while. (What if no one came? What if people did come and I made a fool of myself in front of them?) Plus, my editor was taking the train all the way to Abergavenny to celebrate with me, and what if I made a fool of myself in front of her?
I couldn't eat before the party, I was so nervous. The thought of reading out loud from my book at the party suddenly filled me with terror, even though I've done so many readings before at other events.
Then I saw my editor walking down the street toward me (we'd arranged a coffeeshop date before the party), and all that terror just drained away. I LOVE my editor. She's one of those people who exudes confidence and enthusiasm and genuine belief in her authors, and from the moment she arrived, the reality hit - my book had been published! And we were about to have a PARTY to celebrate it! How cool was that???
I drank hot chocolate and we talked about the cover for Book 2. We went to the bookstore. People had come! Girls had come, of just the right age group, and they were excited about Kat. They were excited to be there. One had actually been brought by her mother as a special birthday treat.
I was in awe, and I was humbled. People asked me to sign their books as if I was the one doing them the favor...but that was just SO not the case.
I was nervous when I started reading, but then I genuinely had fun reading it...and I had SO much fun all the rest of the night as I got to talk to so many smart, interesting teenage girls who loved books and fantasy, so many wonderful kids and adults who'd taken time out of their evenings to come and celebrate with me.
I am so, so grateful to every one of them for giving me such an amazing launch party. THANK YOU. I am just in awe that people are really out there reading my book. It means so much to me.
(And I want to say right now that Pete, the events manager at the Abergavenny Waterstones, is SO fabulous to work with. The buffet spread he'd arranged was incredible! And he was just so generous and supportive and on the ball in every way, as was Angela, the store manager. If any authors out there ever want to do a Welsh event, the Abergavenny Waterstones is a wonderful place to do it.)
Sadly, there didn't end up being any photos from the event. We were sad afterward when we realized we'd forgotten to figure out photography - but honestly, I will never forget last night. It truly was one of the best nights of my life.
Today we went out on a day trip with relatives who'd come to Abergavenny for the party, and we took a gorgeous little vintage steam train* into the Brecon Beacons National Park, traveling high up up into the mountains above spectacular views of pine woods and an enormous lake. (OK, officially it's a reservoir - but I'm from Michigan, and I really miss lakes, so I thought of it as a lake!)
It was such a treat just to sit back and watch the incredible views through the windows as the train chugged along, whistling and pumping steam and really thrilling the toddlers in our family group. I was surrounded by beauty, and I was surrounded by people whom I love and admire, who'd come out of their way to celebrate my book launch with me. It was just perfect.
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*A quick warning - the Brecon Mountain Railway website is worth checking out, but not at work - it has a loud steam-train sound effect that starts automatically when you click on it!