Am I an Author Now?
For a long time, the word “author” felt like a title reserved for people who wear heavy tweed jackets, smoke pipes in wood-paneled libraries, and look out of rain-streaked windows while contemplating the tragic duality of man.
Meanwhile, my writing routine has traditionally involved sitting in front of a computer, staring blankly at a blinking cursor, and trying to convince myself that eating a sleeve of cookies counts as “plot development.” Even after launching The Kill of the Hunt, I still halfway expected the Literary Police to knock on my door and demand I return my keyboard for practicing storytelling without a license.
But lately, some weird things have been happening. Things that look suspiciously like… evidence.
If you, like me, are keeping score at home to see if I’m actually a real author now, here are the latest exhibits for the prosecution:
Exhibit A: Several hundred of you actually bought it. When you publish a book, your baseline fear is that your wife will buy one copy, your cousin will accidentally click “Buy Now” on Amazon and try to return it, and that’ll be the end of your literary empire. Instead, The Kill of the Hunt has officially sold several hundred copies. To actual human beings. Who aren’t related to me. If you are one of those beautiful, brilliant readers, thank you. You have single-handedly kept my imposter syndrome at bay (or at least pushed it to the back burner).
Exhibit B: The Arrival of the Treasury. A few days ago, I received my very first royalty check. I won’t tell you the exact amount, but let’s just say that J.K. Rowling isn’t losing any sleep over my competitive market share just yet. Still, there is an unparalleled, dizzying thrill to looking at a piece of paper that says someone paid you actual legal tender for the voices inside your head. I’m thinking of framing it, or at least using it to buy a very fancy, author-appropriate cup of coffee.
Exhibit C: I am officially a public resource. If you wander into the Prince William County Library system, you will no longer just find me lurking in the back trying to find a quiet place to read. The Kill of the Hunt is now officially available in the library catalog! There is nothing more surreal than knowing my book has a barcode, a spine label, and can be checked out by anyone with a library card. (Please don’t return it late; I can’t afford the fines on my own book).
Exhibit D: Real shelf space. If you happen to be in Warrenton, VA, stop by Horse Country. Why? Because they are officially my very first retail outlet! Seeing The Kill of the Hunt sitting on an actual store shelf alongside gorgeous equestrian gear and Hunt Country staples is an incredible feeling. It turns out that when you write a mystery set against the backdrop of the Virginia horse elite, the local horse country crowd might actually want to read it. Who knew?
Exhibit E: The Signing of the Pages. The ultimate test of authorhood is, of course, the book signing. It’s the moment you sit at a table with a stack of books and a fresh pack of Sharpies, praying that at least one person stops by so you don’t look like you’re pulling a solo shift at a very sad bake sale.
My very first book signing is officially on the calendar! I’ll be at Grace in the Plains Episcopal Church in The Plains, VA on July 12 at 10:30am. If you want a signed copy, want to talk about Grady and Sinjin, or just want to make sure I don’t sit there completely alone with my Sharpies, I would love to see you there.
So, am I really an author now? The data points are skewing toward “yes.” But just to be safe, I’m going to keep writing, keep checking the library shelves, and maybe—just maybe—start looking into where a guy can buy a decent tweed jacket.
Thanks for joining me on this wild ride. See you in The Plains!
