As writers we’re the heartbeat of our culture; we see things that should not be seen, feel things that are forbidden to feel and say things that cannot be said. We act as a valve; our manifestations become a voice to express our not-quite-yet cultural experience. We get the conversation going where there was silence, and soon, everyone is speaking our new language or incorporating yesterday’s scandal into our lexicon.
Moshin Hamid in a recent article in the NY Times Do Money Woes Spur Creativity? summed it up the writer’s life: “When I am writing a novel . . .I sometimes feel that this is what I was created by the universe to do. And yet, much of the time, it does not bring happiness. My happiness is intermittent, fleeting. It is akin to the happiness of drug use, of sex. A drug addict, a sex addict thinks of the object of her addiction constantly. Euphoria is rare, brief, but luminous.”
I’ve been on this roller-coaster in the past six months since signing the contract with Light Messages Publishing. Yesterday, I’d been momentarily thrown off the promotion horse; taking a break, and on a brilliant spring day, in the silence of a spare moment in sunshine, I hesitated: why am I doing this? It’s not for money, that’s for sure.
Then yesterday, I got another taste of the drug:
Dear Caitlin,
A word from Foreword Reviews, the leading Indie Publisher Review Magazine.
“Happy Spring! I am delighted to share the news that A Theory of Expanded Love will be one of the 8 titles showcased in the Debut Fiction ForeSight editorial article planned for our Summer Issue. This issue will be out on May 18th with bonus distribution at BookExpo America, the annual American Library Association conference and the Beijing International Book Fair.”
This is absolutely HUGE. Huge. I mean big.
Do a happy dance. Right now. We are!
We’ll be looking at additional ad space in the magazine, too. But what matters most to you is the article coverage. While I certainly knew your title was wonderful, it’s so very gratifying that others are recognizing it, too.
Elizabeth”
“Funny and poignant, this unflinching take on growing up Catholic in a ramshackle oversized military family in 1963 Pasadena will have you laughing, gnashing your teeth and shouting “Huzzah!”
– JoAnne Bennison, journalist, writer & author
