It’s been three weeks since More of Me was launched and I am well aware my attention to this blog has been SCANT. I am ashamed but I also have no idea where to start in sharing what it’s been like. It’s been crazy. So I’m taking a little writerly advice and am “showing not telling” everything that has basically run through my brain in the last few days. Don’t worry, edited highlights only…
As launch week draws to a close, this happens:
I’ll just have a little look on Amazon- sales rank 189? What does that mean? Am I doing OK? Is anyone (apart from my fab friends and family buying the book?) How do I know? Oooh! New review…Better check Goodreads…
Oh.
1 star?
Really?
Okay…I can live with that, there are all these other stars – these other lovely stars.
And look at this! My book on a table in Foyles!
But there’s still that 1 star and no explanation. Really? Ok, let it go, let it go, it’s fine.
Oh that’s nice, look at that blog post for the Scottish Book Trust, I forgot I did that – and look how many people are tweeting. That’s great. It’s all great.
I wonder how many books we’ve sold?Can I ask that? Is that a thing? Oh, it’s too early to tell. OK.
And then, this surfaces in my brain…
OH GOD, I HAVE TO FINISH THE NEW BOOK
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OH GOD, I HAVE TO FINISH THE NEW BOOK
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And there was this:
COCKTAILS at the #Yaspeakeasy event in London’s Drink, Shop, Do. What a great night! Nicci Cloke, Holly Bourne, Eve Ainsworth and ME!! Reading our books, drinking our own book cocktails and making up ridiculous stories about dinosaurs ( Nicci Cloke and I were on a team and quite frankly, our dino snakes and ladders improvisation was genius – we should have won, we so were robbed…) My fab editor Sarah Stewart even came along, so I genuinely could pretend having so much fun was work…
Plus – I came home with a haul of signed books – most of which I’ve already read and already love (you may have seen me blubbing over the first in Holly Bourne’s “Am I Normal yet” books in this review) but LOOK – I also got Eve Ainsworth’s new book and it isn’t even out yet ! ( I started reading it on the train and it is FAB)
Today, I am back at my desk checking invoices for the farm, fixing the network printers in the office and this is running through my brain again:
OH GOD, I HAVE TO FINISH THE NEW BOOK
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OH GOD, I HAVE TO FINISH THE NEW BOOK
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But on the whole, life’s being pretty kind to this author. I even managed to cope with this review:
A very original and interesting idea that is sadly very very badly exploited. The whole plot makes no sense, in the end none of the interesting issues are “solved”, but just magically wished away by a plot device. Characters are bland and generic, and the one very interesting idea of having copies of you laying around is criminally under explored.
Well, you can’t please everyone can you?
OH GOD, I HAVE TO FINISH THE NEW BOOK
Kathryn Evans 