The lovely light-elf parts of having a new book: hearing about people saying marvelous things to others in real life or e-life; receiving fan notes and letters about obtaining more rights; having other people be excited on behalf of the book; being gifted by Lady Word-of-Mouth; feeling a pleasant sense of flurry. The Dark-Lord parts: getting all in a twist because nobody has bought a book on Amazon for 36 whole-not-part hours, and how that must mean the thing has shriveled in an instant; having one's eye drawn irresistibly to numbers; worrying about marketing, done or left undone; despairing about the Precious! A new book means angelian Gandalf lolling on one shoulder, blowing smoke rings in the shapes of frolicking cherubs, and the eye of Sauron perched on the other, fiery and unblinking, clawed in place with iron eyelashes and burning a hole in one's nice elf-cloth.And now I go do the laundry and then scoot off toward the dentist and then work on finalizing my "The Library's Child" talk in life that is not Middle-earth but has wonderful bits and magical trees and fascinating people all the same. Happy 51st birthday to my dear husband, Michael, a man I love just as much as when he had swaths of long blond hair--indeed, as much as when he had hair at all! XD
God, given how knotted up I can get about how a blog post is going to be received -- I can't imagine how knotted up I'd get if my livelihood was involved in my writing. I think I'd subside into silence pretty damn quick!
ReplyDeleteDale,
ReplyDeleteI think you would bubble up again and be irrepressible, though--and I tend always to be tongue-in-cheek when I write this kind of thing. Revelatory and not at once...
You know what I mean, right?
I like to play at certain things, even when I don't always feel them much. You can't be tender about how books are received because you can't control anything. Good and bad happens to them, wholly out of any ability to govern.
* * *
In answer to various Cooperstonians: yes, yes, yes, long blond hair!
Only 51? A mere babe! And I too am imagining the long blond hair!
ReplyDeleteRE: the evil side of selling a book, I know what you mean, though I've had little opportunity to exercise mine.
Robbi,
ReplyDeleteIndeed!
Trala, I just go a gorgeous set of comments. Shall post later.
Self-revelatory and not? No, can't imagine what you're talking about :-)
ReplyDeleteO sly little Mole, winking in the sun!
ReplyDeleteGood cheer,
Rat
Very excited to hear of rights enquiries and fan letters and suchlike. So pleased for you dear friend Marly. All praise to you for keeping the lantern of creativity burning bright!
ReplyDeleteHah, Clive, lovely of you to look only at the bright side! Now if I can only conquer the mighty Bug in time for my talk in Roanoke on Friday!
ReplyDelete