Maybe you’re amazed too? That it’s been such a long time since my last post on this site? Or amazed that I haven’t dropped off the edge of The World That Is Indubitably Flat? Because that’s what you thought must have happened.
I’ve amazed myself, really. After working so hard on the promotion of Of Night and Light around Christmas-time, after so much positive feedback, I think I must have worn myself out, no, I KNOW I wore myself out, and I certainly…
…lost heart.
And you know how it goes. The longer you leave something, the harder it is to get back to and the bigger the stories of disaster you create inside your head. Oh, you don’t do that sort of thing? You must give me a few handy hints about avoiding it, one day.
SO – huge effort of thrashing my squished little identity into submission. In March, I gave myself until June 1st to do this. Why I couldn’t have gone for it when I first decided it had to be done is another matter entirely. Another matter called cowardice. Another matter called premonition of doom.
Note the date. Yes, it’s May 31st. June 1st is TOMORROW.
Anyway, I’ve now got into action. AT LAST! Nothing like leaving it until the very last moment. (Well, it just allows even longer suffering time which is plainly something I love to do.)
I’ve dared to look at my sales figures. They were better than I could have imagined. I’ve dared to look at Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com to see the reviews and…
This is about how I feel now:
Amazed. Happy. Inspired.
Partly, by the way, amazed at my own stupidity for leaving it so long to have a reality check. Mostly, amazed at the responses Of Night and Light has provoked. Yes, I know all that stuff about, “If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster. And treat those two impostors just the same...”
But tell me you wouldn’t be delighted if you read something like THIS about something you’d written? (From I don’t know who).
“This is a fantastic book! A great read — I mean like JK Rowling caliber. And that’s about the target audience, too — the Harry Potter crowd — although I’m a 63-year-old man and I enjoyed it immensely.”
Blimey!
So thank you, whoever you are.
The cherry on top of the icing on top of the cake.
No maybe about it. I AM amazed!